Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a playable, though not class-leading, experience in Evolve. Benchmark data shows a combination that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions. The measured results indicate a system that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with high refresh rates, but which struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 107 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 72 FPS, a 33% reduction. The most significant hit occurs at 4K High, where the average falls to 41 FPS—a 62% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the limiting component at these higher resolutions is the GPU, as the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 176 at 1080p, to 118 at 1440p, and finally to 67 at 4K. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 137 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees averages of 74 FPS, 50 FPS, and 28 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The performance gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced, indicating that the Radeon RX 9060's capabilities are stretched thin at the highest resolution.

The data implies that for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, users should target 1440p or below. At 4K, even Low settings only produce an average of 67 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS title. The resolution scaling indicates a system where the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom to feed frames, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060, based on the Navi 44 chip and RDNA 4.0 architecture, plays the decisive role in this game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU provides a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results suggest that the memory capacity and bandwidth may become limiting factors when textures and geometry demands increase. The boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz are the primary drivers of its compute power, which is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in a competitive position. Its Passmark G3D score of 17631 gives it a percentile rank of 59 among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores an average of 16129, which is only 0.7% higher than the RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014. This indicates that the RX 9060's raw performance is nearly identical to that of the RTX 3060 Ti. In game-specific terms, this translates to the observed frame rates, which are respectable at 1080p and 1440p but fall short of high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

The GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score of 44 in Passmark is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 182, which could suggest driver overhead or architectural differences, but the game's actual performance data shows that the card is still capable of producing strong results in the tested scenarios. The 4K results, particularly the drop from 52 FPS at Medium to 41 FPS at High, show how the GPU's workload scales with visual complexity. The transition from Medium to High at 4K is a 21% performance penalty, which is a significant cost for the visual upgrade.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600, a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 2 architecture, provides a solid foundation for this gaming combo. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, it offers sufficient single-thread performance for gaming, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124. The processor's multi-threading capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045. This suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Evolve, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU can push higher frame rates.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more prominent. The high average FPS at Low (176) and Medium (137) settings indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. Its Passmark single-thread score of 2562 and multi-thread score of 17700 further support its capability as a gaming CPU. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game data access, reducing latency and improving frame pacing.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is competitive. Its average benchmark score of 17035 places it just 0.2% above the Intel Core i7-1260P (score 17007) and 0.2% below the Intel Core i5-11400 (score 17067). This indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 is on par with these other mid-range processors in synthetic benchmarks. In real-world gaming, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is well-suited for Evolve, which is a title from 2015 that is unlikely to fully utilize more than a few cores. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this system, as frame rates scale with resolution in a manner consistent with GPU-bound performance.

The processor's 3dmark scores also show a balanced profile. Its single-thread score of 696 and 2-thread score of 1361 suggest adequate performance for older games that rely on single-threaded performance. The 8-thread score of 3844 and max-thread score of 4603 show that scaling is present, but the game doesn't require extreme multi-threading capabilities. The Ryzen 5 3600's performance is sufficient to ensure that the Radeon RX 9060 is the primary determinant of FPS in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring minimal stuttering. The High preset at 1440p is also viable, with an average of 72 FPS, but it comes closer to the 60 FPS threshold and may result in occasional dips during intense action.

At 1080p, the High preset offers an excellent experience with an average of 107 FPS, which is well-suited for high refresh rate monitors. For users with 144Hz displays, the Medium preset's 137 FPS average is a better target, providing a smoother visual experience. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 176 FPS, which is beneficial for competitive play where frame rate is prioritized over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the recommendations change significantly. The Medium preset is the only viable option for a playable experience, with an average of 52 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS target, it is still playable for slower-paced sections of the game. The High preset at 41 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 28 FPS should be avoided. For a strictly 60+ FPS experience at 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only option, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The data suggests that 4K gaming should be reserved for Medium settings or lower, or the resolution should be reduced to 1440p for a more consistent high-FPS experience.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution for this combo. Even at 1080p, it only achieves 74 FPS, which is a 31% performance penalty compared to High settings. The visual difference between High and Ultra does not justify the performance cost, making High the sweet spot for visual quality and performance. The Medium preset offers a good balance for users who prefer higher frame rates over maximum detail.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 is ranked 1664 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 42nd percentile of all tested system configurations, indicating that it is a mid-tier performer. The rank suggests that while this combo is capable of running the game well at lower resolutions, there are many other hardware combinations that provide higher frame rates, particularly at 4K.

The combo's rank is likely influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling at higher resolutions. While the RX 9060 is competitive with the RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks, its 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus limit its 4K performance. The Ryzen 5 3600, while a solid CPU, is not at the top of its class, as indicated by its 71st percentile rank among all CPUs. The combination of a mid-range CPU and GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls behind more powerful combos in the benchmark database.

The rank of 1664 out of 2872 means that 1208 other combos perform better in this game. This is not a poor showing, but it indicates that users with higher-end GPUs or newer CPUs will achieve significantly better results. The data shows that the combo is most effective when paired with a display that has a refresh rate of 144Hz or lower at 1440p. For users with 4K displays, the combo's performance is a limiting factor, and the rank reflects this. The system is a capable mid-range option, but it is not designed for extreme high-end gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 107 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 4K with a consistent 60 FPS?*

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 67 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets average 41 FPS and 28 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 9060 compare to the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129. The RTX 3060 Ti is 0.7% faster in these benchmarks.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for the Medium settings preset. At 1080p, the minimum is 116 FPS; at 1440p, it is 78 FPS; and at 4K, it is 44 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate drops significantly with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, while the CPU's high benchmark scores suggest it is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 1664 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|---------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 176 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 137 | 116 | 157 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 107 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 74 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 118 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 92 | 78 | 105 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 72 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 67 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 52 | 44 | 60 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 41 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra across all resolutions. The 1080p results are the strongest, with all presets except Ultra exceeding the 60 FPS mark. At 1440p, Low and Medium presets remain above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below. At 4K, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an unplayable 28 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 52 FPS and a minimum of 44 FPS.