Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a striking FPS curve in Evolve, one that clearly separates the GPU’s raw power from the CPU’s older architecture. At 1080p, the combo is often pushing well past 200 FPS, but the scaling to 4K reveals a different story about where the bottleneck truly lies.

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

The measured data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases, but the shape of that decline is not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 224 at 1920x1080 to 196 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28 FPS, and then to 128 at 3840x2160, a further drop of 68 FPS. This is a 96 FPS total loss from 1080p to 4K, which indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend, starting at 204 FPS at 1080p, falling to 174 FPS at 1440p, and then to 99 FPS at 4K. The High preset follows the pattern: 187 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, however, is the most dramatic. It begins at 141 FPS at 1080p, drops to 95 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 54 FPS at 4K. The percentage loss from 1080p to 4K is largest for Ultra, where the average FPS falls by over 60%, while the Low preset only loses about 43% of its performance over the same resolution span.

What does this imply about the limiting component? At 1080p Low, the FPS is so high (224) that it is likely constrained by the CPU’s ability to feed frames to the GPU, even though the RTX 4080 is a top-tier card. The Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has a strong multi-threaded score but a relatively modest single-thread performance for modern standards. As the resolution increases, the GPU’s workload per frame grows, and the FPS drops, suggesting that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the combo is producing only 54 FPS, a figure that is far below the 1080p Low result, confirming that the higher resolution demands are entirely on the graphics processor.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 brings a substantial amount of hardware to the table, which is reflected in the high FPS numbers even at demanding settings. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is likely more than sufficient for Evolve at any of the tested resolutions. The memory clock is listed as 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps, and this high-speed memory helps prevent texture streaming bottlenecks that could otherwise cap performance.

The GPU’s boost clock is 2505 MHz, with a base clock of 2205 MHz. These clocks, combined with 9728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units, allow the card to process the game’s effects efficiently. The data shows that the RTX 4080 can handle 4K High at 78 FPS, which is a playable frame rate, but the jump to Ultra reduces that to 54 FPS, a 24 FPS drop. This suggests that the Ultra preset likely enables more computationally expensive effects, such as advanced lighting or shadow techniques, that significantly tax the GPU’s compute units.

The RTX 4080’s 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present, but Evolve is a 2015 title that does not use ray tracing, so these cores are probably idle. Instead, the raw rasterization performance, measured by the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s, is what drives the results. The card’s 112 ROPs are critical for fill-rate-bound scenarios, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card is still delivering a playable 54 FPS, indicating that the ROPs are not completely overwhelmed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations, this specific pairing holds a rank of 582 out of 3700 combos for Evolve. This places it in the top 16% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s age relative to the GPU. The rank is likely pulled down by the CPU’s performance in lower-resolution scenarios, where its older architecture limits the maximum frame rate, but the GPU’s power ensures that higher resolutions remain competitive.

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 17035, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 17007 (a delta of 0.2%), and the Intel Core i5-11400, which scores 17067 (a delta of -0.2%). This means the Ryzen 5 3600 is effectively on par with those CPUs in synthetic tests, but its single-thread score of 696 in 3dmark is relatively low, which may impact frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios. The GPU, meanwhile, has an average benchmark score of 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER with a score of 54209 (a delta of 0.1%), showing that the regular 4080 is nearly identical in raw compute.

The combo rank suggests that while the GPU is a top performer, the CPU is holding the system back from reaching the very top of the rankings. Many of the combos ranked above this one likely feature newer CPUs with higher single-thread performance, which would allow the RTX 4080 to stretch its legs at 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Evolve?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 224, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 54, which is the lowest measured result across all tested configurations.

Q: Is the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM capacity as a bottleneck; the card’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are likely ample for Evolve, as the FPS drops are more closely tied to resolution and preset complexity.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 196 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 95 FPS, a difference of 101 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank higher or lower than the median tested system?

A: The combo ranks 582 out of 3700 tested combos, which places it well above the median (1850) and in the top 16% of all systems tested.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, which are modest numbers by current standards but were competitive at its 2019 release. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable asset, as it can help reduce memory latency in game workloads. The processor supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, yielding a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, which is low compared to the GPU’s memory bandwidth but typical for its era.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 224 FPS, but the RTX 4080 is capable of far more, suggesting that the CPU is limiting the frame rate. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by a 3dmark single-thread score of 696, is likely the culprit. Many modern games rely heavily on a few threads for game logic and draw call submission, and the Zen 2 architecture’s lower IPC compared to newer designs means the Ryzen 5 3600 cannot keep up with the GPU’s potential output.

The multi-threaded performance is stronger, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045, but Evolve may not scale perfectly across all 12 threads. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 54, which is a GPU-bound scenario, but at 1080p, the CPU is the constraining factor. This dual-bottleneck behavior is typical for a pairing of a mid-range 2019 CPU with a high-end 2022 GPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a smooth experience at 4K, the High preset is the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, while the Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS, which may be noticeable for users with high refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset at 4K yields 99 FPS, but the visual quality difference between Medium and High is often worth the slight frame rate cost in a fast-paced FPS.

At 1440p, the High preset is again the sweet spot, providing 137 FPS. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is still very playable, but the 42 FPS penalty over High is steep for what is usually a marginal visual improvement. The Medium preset at 174 FPS is excellent for competitive play, but High offers a better balance of fidelity and speed.

For 1080p, the High preset at 187 FPS is recommended for most users, as it provides a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Medium preset at 204 FPS is better for esports-oriented players who prioritize maximum frame rates, but the difference between 187 and 204 FPS is unlikely to be perceptible on most monitors. The Low preset at 224 FPS is the highest measured, but the visual downgrade is substantial. The Ultra preset at 141 FPS is playable but represents a significant performance hit for incremental graphical gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 224 FPS. The Medium preset produces an average of 204 FPS, with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. The High preset reaches 187 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 141 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the most demanding.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 196 FPS. The Medium preset averages 174 FPS, with a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 200 FPS. The High preset delivers 137 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 95 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear, with each preset losing between 28 and 46 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 128 FPS. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. The High preset achieves 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 54 FPS. The 4K results show the largest relative drops, particularly for Ultra, which loses 41 FPS compared to its 1440p result. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the frame rates are more consistent with the GPU’s raw compute capabilities rather than CPU limitations.