Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 pairing delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Evolve. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution climbs, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, while at lower resolutions the CPU's capability is exposed. This combination ranks 1436th out of 1695 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second reveal a steep performance curve across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 130.7 FPS, which drops to 86.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 48.9 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GTX 1070's pixel throughput is the limiting factor when resolution increases.

The scaling pattern intensifies with higher graphical presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 82.3 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p, then to 27.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is particularly telling—it sits just 4.9 FPS above the 22.7 FPS recorded at 4K Ultra, suggesting the GPU is saturated regardless of modest preset changes. This is a GPU-bound scenario where the 8 GB GDDR5 memory and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the 3840x2160 pixel count.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 104.4 FPS at 1080p, 69.1 FPS at 1440p, and 41.9 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Medium is 35.3 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K Medium is 27.2 FPS. This non-linear drop confirms that the GTX 1070's 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate hit diminishing returns beyond 1440p.

At 1080p, the picture changes. The jump from Low to Ultra costs 77.4 FPS, but even the 53.3 FPS at Ultra remains playable. The 130.7 FPS Low result suggests the Ryzen 5 3600 can push the GPU to its limits at this resolution. With 6 cores and 12 threads running at a 4.20 GHz boost clock, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GTX 1070, as evidenced by the 27.9 FPS difference between 1080p Low and 1440p Low—a smaller gap than the 37.2 FPS difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low.

For 4K gaming, the data is unambiguous: only the Low preset at 48.9 FPS approaches smoothness. High at 27.6 FPS and Ultra at 22.7 FPS are below the threshold for consistent playability. This makes the GTX 1070 a 1080p-to-1440p card for Evolve, with 4K reserved for reduced settings.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 3600's specifications play a significant role in these results. With 6 cores, 12 threads, and a base clock of 3.60 GHz boosting to 4.20 GHz, this Zen 2 processor provides solid single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 696 and PassMark single-thread score of 2562 indicate adequate IPC for game logic and draw calls, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 4605 and max-thread score of 4603 show strong multi-threaded scaling, though Evolve is a 2015 title that may not fully utilize 12 threads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and single-core score of 2124 demonstrate that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios tested here.

At 1080p Low, the 130.7 FPS result suggests the GPU is the limiting component, but the CPU still has to process each frame. The Ryzen 5 3600's 32 MB shared L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing, which is evident in the stable results across resolution changes. The 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for a 2015-era game, and the dual-channel DDR4 support aligns with the game's requirements.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 76 versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18129, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, scores 18150—just 0.1% higher—while the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS trails by 0.2% at 18101. This means the 3600 is effectively on par with these alternatives for CPU-bound scenarios, though the GPU becomes the deciding factor in Evolve.

The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes. The frame rate differences between Low and Ultra at these resolutions are primarily driven by GPU load. At 1440p, the gap between Low (86.1 FPS) and Ultra (39.5 FPS) is 46.6 FPS, reflecting the GTX 1070's compute limits rather than any CPU constraint. The Ryzen 5 3600's 7 nm TSMC process and 3,800 million transistors provide enough headroom that it never appears as the primary limiter in this game.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings stay above 60 FPS, while 4K only offers playable performance at Low.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331, placing it 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490). It also trails the GTX 1650 SUPER by 1.4% (12504).

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the 130.7 FPS result suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1361 and single-thread score of 696 indicate sufficient performance for this game's engine, with the GPU reaching its limits before the CPU does.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 51 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is below the 60 FPS target but above the 30 FPS minimum for playability, making it a compromise between visual quality and smoothness.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance affect this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 scores 4605 in 3DMark 16-thread and 4603 in max-thread tests, showing strong scaling. However, Evolve likely benefits more from the single-thread score of 696, as the game's frame rate scales more with resolution than with core count in the measured data.

Q: Does the 4K Ultra preset deliver acceptable performance?

A: No. The 22.7 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra is below playable thresholds. Even the 27.6 FPS at 4K High is marginal, while 4K Low at 48.9 FPS is the only 4K option approaching smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports specific preset choices based on resolution targets. For 1080p, the High preset at 82.3 FPS offers the best balance, while Ultra at 53.3 FPS remains viable if visual fidelity is prioritized. The 104.4 FPS Medium preset is a strong alternative for competitive play, though the 130.7 FPS Low result shows diminishing returns for frame rate chasers.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 69.1 FPS is the recommended choice, providing smooth gameplay above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 51 FPS is playable but requires accepting a lower frame rate, while the Low preset at 86.1 FPS sacrifices visual quality for responsiveness. The 39.5 FPS Ultra result is not recommended for sustained play.

For 4K, the Low preset at 48.9 FPS is the only sensible option, though it still falls short of the 60 FPS ideal. The 41.9 FPS Medium and 27.6 FPS High presets are below smoothness thresholds, and the 22.7 FPS Ultra is effectively unplayable. The data indicates that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Evolve beyond the lowest settings.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: the GTX 1070 loses approximately 60-70% of its frame rate when moving from the lowest to highest preset. At 1080p, this range spans from 130.7 FPS to 53.3 FPS; at 1440p, from 86.1 FPS to 39.5 FPS; and at 4K, from 48.9 FPS to 22.7 FPS. This suggests that players should adjust settings based on their display's native resolution, prioritizing Medium or High at 1080p and 1440p, while accepting Low at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1436th out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the bottom 15% of the database, reflecting the game's age and the GPU's mid-range positioning. The rank is influenced by the GTX 1070's percentile of 51 among all GPUs, which is below average, while the CPU's percentile of 76 is above average.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how close the 3600 is to its competition. The Intel Core i5-11400 scores 18150, a 0.1% difference, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 18101, a 0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 at 18158 is 0.2% behind, and the AMD EPYC 9274F at 18189 is 0.3% behind. This tight grouping means the CPU choice has minimal impact on the final ranking.

The GPU's rivals tell a different story. The GTX 1070's 12331 average score is 0.7% ahead of the Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.3% behind the GTX 880M (12490). The GTX 1650 SUPER at 12504 is 1.4% ahead. These small deltas suggest that swapping the GPU for any of these alternatives would produce similar results in Evolve, given the game's GPU-bound nature at higher resolutions.

The rank of 1436 reflects the combo's overall capability across all tested settings. At 1080p, it performs respectably with most presets above 50 FPS, but the 4K results drag down its standing. The combo's average benchmark score of 18129 (CPU) and 12331 (GPU) indicates a balanced pairing, but Evolve's specific demands favor GPUs with higher pixel rates and memory bandwidth than the GTX 1070 offers at 4K.