Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT pairing represents a study in generational balance within the Evolve benchmark database. The processor, built on the 12 nm Zen architecture, provides six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark footprint—including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and a single-core score of 1579—shows a capable mid-range part. The GPU, conversely, is a 7 nm RDNA 2.0 part with 2048 shading units, a boost clock of 2635 MHz, and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The performance data for Evolve shows this combination achieving 102.7 FPS at 1080p High settings, which drops to 37 FPS at 4K High, revealing a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution scales. This analysis will dissect the individual contributions of the CPU and GPU, the scaling behavior across resolutions, and how this specific combo compares to the broader database of tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 5 2600’s six cores and twelve threads are the foundational compute resource for Evolve’s game logic and physics. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, the processor handles multi-threaded workloads with a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 4698, while its single-core performance is represented by a score of 663 in the same test. The data suggests that in this title, the CPU is sufficient to drive the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combination produces 166.8 FPS, indicating that the processor can feed the graphics card well beyond the 60 FPS threshold. The processor’s PassMark single-thread score of 2239 and multithread score of 13160 place it in a position where it does not appear to be the primary limiter at 1080p, but its influence becomes more apparent as settings increase.

The processor’s position relative to its nearest rivals is tight. The Intel Core i5-1345U shows an average score 0.4% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U is 0.6% lower, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF is 0.6% higher. This clustering indicates that the Ryzen 5 2600’s computational throughput is competitive with these parts, despite its older architecture. In Evolve, the impact of this CPU performance is visible in the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p. The FPS drops from 166.8 at Low to 69.5 at Ultra, a reduction of approximately 58%, which is a substantial hit that can be attributed to increased CPU overhead from game logic and draw calls at higher detail levels.

The cache hierarchy, with 16 MB of shared L3 and 512 KB of L2 per core, provides adequate data locality for this game’s demands. The processor’s memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR4 interface is a potential limiting factor in heavily populated scenes, but the benchmark data does not indicate a catastrophic CPU bottleneck at any tested resolution. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 among all tested processors places it in the upper quartile, suggesting it is a competent partner for the GPU in this context. The data shows that while the CPU does not deliver class-leading single-thread performance—its Cinebench R15 single-core score is 159—it offers enough throughput for Evolve’s mechanics, allowing the GPU to be the dominant factor at 1440p and above.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the primary driver of frame rates in Evolve, and its specifications confirm its suitability for this task. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2055 MHz and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, with a game clock of 2410 MHz, allowing it to sustain high throughput under load. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, running at an effective speed of 17.5 Gbps, provides a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s, which is critical for texture streaming and high-resolution rendering. The GPU’s FP32 compute of 10.79 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s are robust figures for a mid-range card, and the benchmark results in Evolve reflect this capability.

At 1440p High settings, the combo achieves 65.7 FPS, which drops to 46.7 FPS at Ultra settings. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution, as the frame rate scales inversely with the fidelity of the graphics. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 17166 and its percentile rank of 72 among all GPUs demonstrate its standing relative to other cards. The nearest rivals show a remarkably tight cluster: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is exactly 0% different in average score, the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.1% higher, and the Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% lower. This suggests that the RX 6650 XT’s performance is highly consistent with its peers, and in Evolve, this translates to predictable frame rates.

The GPU’s VRAM allocation of 8 GB is sufficient for the tested settings, as the data does not show a catastrophic drop that would indicate memory exhaustion at 4K Ultra (which produces 25.8 FPS). The RDNA 2.0 architecture, with 32 ray accelerators and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, ensures that the card is not outdated in its feature set. The data shows that the GPU handles the transition from 1080p Medium (132 FPS) to 1440p Medium (85.7 FPS) with a loss of 35%, which is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU’s role is clear: it is the dominant force in determining frame rates at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU becomes a secondary factor at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Evolve reveals a distinct pattern of scaling that illuminates the balance between the CPU and GPU. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo produces 166.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate falls to 113.3 FPS, a drop of 32%, and then to 67 FPS at 4K Low, a further 41% reduction. This scaling suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases, but the initial drop from 1080p to 1440p is moderate, indicating that the CPU still has headroom.

At High settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The 1080p result is 102.7 FPS, which drops to 65.7 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 37 FPS at 4K (a 44% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across these steps indicate a GPU-bound scenario, where the increase in pixel count directly impacts the render workload. The GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth are being taxed, and the CPU’s role diminishes as the resolution rises.

The Ultra settings provide the clearest evidence of the bottleneck. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 69.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this drops to 46.7 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 25.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference is 97.3 FPS (from 166.8 to 69.5), which shows that the CPU can handle the increased draw calls, but the GPU’s workload is the primary factor in the frame rate decline. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 41.2 FPS (from 67 to 25.8), which is a smaller absolute gap, suggesting that both components are struggling to maintain performance at the highest fidelity. The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the unequivocal bottleneck, with the CPU’s contribution fading into the background.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p High settings in Evolve?

A: The measured average FPS is 102.7 at 1920x1080 resolution with High settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-1345U?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score that is 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-1345U, indicating nearly identical overall CPU performance.

Q: What is the frame rate drop when moving from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: The average FPS drops from 65.7 at 2560x1440 to 37 at 3840x2160, representing a 43.7% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows a drop to 25.8 FPS at 4K Ultra, and given the GPU’s score and the scaling pattern, it is the limiting component, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 25.8 FPS indicates that the bandwidth and compute are being overwhelmed.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 1112 out of 1695 tested configurations, placing it in the lower half of the database for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1112 out of 1695 tested combinations in Evolve places it in the 34th percentile of all configurations, which might seem modest given the individual component scores. However, this ranking reflects the game’s specific demands and the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 and the GPU’s percentile rank of 72 indicate that both components are above average individually, but the combo’s rank in this game is dragged down by the fact that Evolve appears to be heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, where the RX 6650 XT’s mid-range positioning becomes a limiting factor.

The rank is also influenced by the game’s release date of 2015, which suggests that the engine may not fully utilize the modern features of the RDNA 2.0 architecture, such as the 32 ray accelerators. The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p, where the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, but the rank indicates that many other combos in the database are better optimized for this title. The combo’s position relative to its nearest rivals in the database is a reflection of the GPU’s performance parity with the RX 6800M (0% delta) and the RX 470 (0.1% higher), which are likely paired with stronger CPUs in other configurations. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 2600, while competent, is not the ideal pairing for the RX 6650 XT in Evolve, and a more modern CPU with higher single-thread performance could improve the overall rank. The benchmark results confirm that this combo is a workable 1080p solution, but its rank of 1112 highlights that it is a mid-tier configuration in the context of all tested hardware.