Evolve

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Evolve, ranging from an unplayable 28.6 FPS at 4K Ultra to a very fluid 191.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data shows that this pairing is highly resolution-dependent, with the RTX 4060 becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises, while the i9-14900K’s massive computational headroom keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1920x1080 to stay above 60 FPS?

A: The Ultra preset is fully playable at 1080p, producing an average of 78.7 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, achieving an average of 72.5 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 55.8 FPS, High falls to 46.3 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 28.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rival in raw benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M (17588). The deltaPct values indicate near-identical performance among these three.

Q: What is the performance gap between the Core i9-14900K and the Core i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097, while the i9-14900KF scores 79371. This makes the KF variant 0.3% faster, a negligible difference in real-world gaming.

Q: Which component is more influential at 2560x1440?

A: The data shows a steep drop from Medium (102 FPS) to Ultra (53.5 FPS) at 1440p, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance (2262.5 in Cinebench R23) is not the constraint here.

Q: Is the RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory capacity a limitation in this game?

A: Based on the measured FPS, the 8 GB GDDR6 memory (272.0 GB/s bandwidth) is sufficient for all presets at 1080p and 1440p, but the Ultra preset at 4K shows a severe drop to 28.6 FPS, suggesting memory bandwidth or capacity may be strained at that extreme setting.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing ranks 2000th out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve, placing it in the 54th percentile of all tested systems. The rank reflects a mid-pack performance tier, which is surprising given the CPU’s elite standing (95th percentile among all CPUs) and the GPU’s more modest position (61st percentile among all GPUs). The data implies that the combo’s ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s relative weakness in this title, especially at higher resolutions where the RTX 4060 cannot fully utilize the i9-14900K’s capabilities.

The measured FPS spread reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the combo performs like a high-end system, with the Ultra preset reaching 78.7 FPS and Low hitting 191.9 FPS. However, at 4K, the same hardware falls to 28.6 FPS on Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The rank of 2000 out of 3700 suggests that while the CPU is overkill for this game, the GPU limits the overall standing to a middle-tier position. Comparing the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% slower, while the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% faster, but these differences are minor and unlikely to change the combo rank significantly. The GPU’s rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% slower) and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (0.7% slower), show that the RTX 4060 is closely matched with older, lower-power parts, further explaining the mid-pack rank.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i9-14900K and RTX 4060 becomes clear when examining scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s influence is dominant. The Low preset delivers 191.9 FPS, and even the Ultra preset maintains 78.7 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not saturated. The i9-14900K’s 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, provide ample headroom for the game’s physics and AI calculations, which are CPU-bound at lower resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take over as the limiting factor. The drop from Low (127.7 FPS) to Medium (102 FPS) is 20%, and the further drop to High (76.2 FPS) shows a steepening curve. The Ultra preset at 53.5 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the RTX 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 128-bit memory bus cannot sustain high frame rates at this resolution with maximum settings. The CPU’s role diminishes here, as the frame rate is constrained by the GPU’s pixel throughput (118.1 GPixel/s) and texture rate (236.2 GTexel/s).

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for performance. The Low preset drops to 72.5 FPS, and the High preset plummets to 46.3 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 28.6 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Ultra score, highlighting that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title. The CPU’s performance characteristics, such as its 36 MB shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support, become irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize them. The scaling data suggests that for 4K gaming, a more powerful GPU would be needed, while the i9-14900K remains an excellent match for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals provide insight into what other processors would deliver similar results. The Intel Core i9-14900KF is 0.3% faster (79371 vs 79097), making it a direct substitute with nearly identical gaming performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% faster (79574), while the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% faster (80041). These small deltas mean that swapping in any of these CPUs would not noticeably change the frame rates in Evolve. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% slower (77740), which would produce a negligible FPS decrease, likely within a single frame at most settings.

On the GPU side, the alternatives are more diverse. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average score of 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060’s 17639. This suggests that in Evolve, the HD 7790 would deliver virtually identical frame rates, despite being an older architecture. The AMD Radeon 780M (17588) is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551) is 0.5% slower. These differences are within measurement noise, so any of these GPUs would behave similarly to the RTX 4060 in this game. However, it is important to note that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory and modern feature set (e.g., DirectX 12 Ultimate) may provide advantages in other titles, but in Evolve, the raw benchmark scores indicate near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509) is 0.7% slower, still representing a close match. For users seeking similar Evolve performance, these alternatives would all fall within a 1% performance band, making the choice dependent on other factors like driver support or power consumption.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 78.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides maximum visual fidelity. The Medium preset offers 144.8 FPS and Low hits 191.9 FPS, but Ultra is the most demanding option that remains playable.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the optimal balance, achieving 76.2 FPS. The Medium preset runs at 102 FPS, but High provides better image quality while still clearing the 60 FPS mark. The Ultra preset falls to 53.5 FPS, which is below the playability threshold, so High is the recommended choice.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 72.5 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 55.8 FPS, which is below 60 FPS, and the High preset is even lower at 46.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is unplayable at 28.6 FPS. Therefore, Low is the only viable option for 4K gaming, and it still provides a playable experience.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Evolve, but the experience varies dramatically by resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 78.7 FPS and Low reaching 191.9 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this combination, offering high frame rates even at maximum settings.

At 2560x1440, the system remains capable, but the Ultra preset is not playable (53.5 FPS). The High preset at 76.2 FPS is the best playable option, and users can also choose Medium at 102 FPS for higher refresh rates. The data shows that 1440p gaming is viable with settings adjustments.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely limited. Only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, achieving 72.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 55.8 FPS is borderline unplayable, and higher presets are not recommended. For 4K gaming, this combo requires significant settings compromises. Overall, the i9-14900K + RTX 4060 is a solid 1080p and acceptable 1440p gaming rig, but it is not suited for 4K gaming with high visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 46.3 FPS average
• Low: 72.5 FPS average
• Medium: 55.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 28.6 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 76.2 FPS average
• Low: 127.7 FPS average
• Medium: 102 FPS average
• Ultra: 53.5 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 116.2 FPS average
• Low: 191.9 FPS average
• Medium: 144.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 78.7 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the Low preset is significantly faster than the next step up, with the gap between Low and Medium ranging from 22% at 1080p to 23% at 4K. The jump from Medium to High is smaller, at 20-25%, while the leap from High to Ultra is the largest, with the 4K Ultra preset being 38% slower than High. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces substantial rendering costs that the RTX 4060 cannot handle at higher resolutions. The minimum and maximum FPS values are not provided in the measured data, so only average frame rates are available for analysis.