Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B390 pairing presents an extreme mismatch for Evolve, an FPS released in 2015. The CPU is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor with a launch MSRP of $299, sitting in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU is an integrated part based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, scoring in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Benchmark results indicate that this combination is heavily GPU-limited, and the recorded data shows that playable performance is only achievable at lower resolutions and settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in close company with several server-class processors. Its average benchmark score of 93,785 is essentially identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93,786, a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 4564P scores 95,183, putting the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus 1.5% behind. The AMD EPYC 9175F scores 95,615, a 1.9% gap, and the AMD EPYC 4565P scores 95,764, a 2.1% gap. For any user comparing CPU performance, these four parts will behave almost indistinguishably in Evolve, though the game is unlikely to stress any of them. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 reflects a top-tier desktop part.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B390 is a different story. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, which is 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M scores 1,460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, 2.7% lower. This means the Arc B390 is marginally faster than these legacy parts, but it is still an integrated graphics solution with 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its memory is system shared, so bandwidth depends on the host system. For Evolve, any of these rival GPUs would produce similar frame rates, within a few percent.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data for Evolve shows a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant constraint at every resolution and preset. The CPU's capabilities are far beyond what the game requires. For instance, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has a Passmark multi-thread score of 68,574 and a single-thread score of 5,068, while its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2,439. These numbers indicate a processor that will not bottleneck a game like Evolve, which is from 2015 and primarily relies on a few threads. The recorded FPS values scale with GPU load, not CPU load.

Looking at resolution scaling, moving from 1920x1080 Low to 2560x1440 Low drops the average FPS from 89 to 60. Moving from 2560x1440 Low to 3840x2160 Low drops the average from 60 to 34. These are classic GPU-bound scaling curves, where the CPU is not the limiting factor. Similarly, preset scaling at a fixed resolution shows the same. At 1920x1080, Low averages 89 FPS, Medium averages 69 FPS, High averages 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is large, from 89 down to 37, which is entirely attributable to the GPU's limited shading and texture throughput. The Arc B390 has a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, and these modest figures are what drive the frame rate down as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is completely overwhelmed. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 34, and at Ultra it falls to 14. The CPU's role is negligible; the data shows that the GPU is the sole determinant of whether the game hits the 60 FPS playable threshold. The CPU's 36 MB of L3 cache and 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are irrelevant when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. In summary, for this combo, the CPU is a passive component, and the GPU dictates all playable outcomes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database provides average FPS for all resolution and preset combinations, with min and max values recorded only for Medium settings. At 3840x2160, High settings average 21 FPS, Low settings average 34 FPS, and Ultra settings average 14 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves slightly. High settings average 36 FPS, Low settings average exactly 60 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that reaches the playable threshold, and it does so exactly at 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo becomes viable. Low settings average 89 FPS, which is well above the threshold. Medium settings average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. High settings average 54 FPS, and Ultra settings average 37 FPS. The Medium preset is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS, though its minimum of 59 FPS shows it can dip just below the threshold in demanding scenes. The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution and settings increase, the Arc B390's limited resources cause steep drops.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B390 run Evolve at 4K?

A: No. The recorded data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The highest average FPS is 34 at Low settings, and Ultra drops to 14 FPS, all far below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: Low is the only playable setting at 1440p, averaging exactly 60 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS, all below the threshold.

Q: Which settings are playable at 1920x1080?

A: Low and Medium are playable. Low averages 89 FPS, while Medium averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. High and Ultra fall short at 54 FPS and 37 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 is 1.3% faster than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710, based on 3DMark Steel Nomad scores.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93,785, which is essentially tied with the Intel Xeon 6520P (93,786, 0% delta). It is 1.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4564P, 1.9% behind the EPYC 9175F, and 2.1% behind the EPYC 4565P.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos for Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 3,288 out of 3,700 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database, despite the CPU's high percentile.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus plus Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3,288 out of 3,700 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the lower portion of all configurations. The CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The combination's rank is dragged down entirely by the GPU. The recorded data shows that the CPU's enormous multi-threaded performance, including a Passmark multi-thread score of 68,574 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253, does not translate into frame rate headroom for this game. Instead, the Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482, which is comparable to a GeForce GT 710, limits the entire system. For users looking at this combo, the rank indicates that most other tested systems, likely those with discrete GPUs, will outperform it in Evolve. The only saving grace is that at 1080p Medium, the combo can deliver an average of 69 FPS, which is above the playable threshold, but the overall ranking shows this is an outlier rather than a typical result.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average is 34 FPS at Low settings, so the database records no playable settings for 4K.

At 2560x1440, the best (and only) playable setting is Low, which averages exactly 60 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 46, 36, and 25 FPS respectively.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 69 FPS, a minimum of 59 FPS, and a maximum of 79 FPS. Low also exceeds the threshold at 89 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality setting that remains playable. High and Ultra are not playable, averaging 54 and 37 FPS. For the best visual quality while maintaining playability, users should select Medium at 1080p and Low at 1440p. The data shows that this combo is only viable for Evolve at 1080p or 1440p with reduced settings.