Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a stark contrast in capabilities within the 2015 FPS title Evolve. The data shows a configuration where a top-tier GPU is held in check by a mid-range CPU, yet the absolute performance remains exceptionally high. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and optimal settings for this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases, but with a notable CPU-imposed ceiling at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 268 FPS, which drops to 234 FPS at 1440p and then significantly to 141 FPS at 4K. This progression indicates that at 1080p, the workload is light enough for the CPU to become the limiting factor, preventing the RTX 4090 from reaching even higher frame rates. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 34 FPS drop (from 268 to 234 FPS), which is a 12.7% reduction, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the load, but the CPU is still a bottleneck.

Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings shows a more substantial drop of 93 FPS (from 234 to 141 FPS), a 39.7% reduction. This steep decline confirms that at 4K, the GPU is now the dominant limiting component, as the pixel throughput demand significantly outweighs the CPU's ability to feed the frame. The same pattern is evident at High settings: 223 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 86 FPS at 4K. The performance gap between 1080p and 1440p is 72 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 65 FPS, showing a more balanced scaling curve at this preset.

The data suggests that for this particular game, the RTX 4090's massive rendering power is only fully utilized at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the Ryzen 5 5500's six cores and 12 threads are unable to keep up with the GPU's frame generation capacity, particularly on lower settings where the GPU load is minimal. The result is that the combo's performance at 4K Ultra (60 FPS) is a more representative measure of the GPU's capability, while the 1080p Low score of 268 FPS is artificially capped by the CPU's processing limit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are modest by modern standards, and its benchmark results reflect a mid-range standing, with a percentile ranking of 73 against all CPUs. In multi-threaded workloads, its Cinebench R23 score is 16429, while its single-core score is 2319, indicating a balanced but not exceptional performance profile.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. The measured FPS data at 1080p Low (268 FPS) compared to 1080p Ultra (156 FPS) shows that even with a massive reduction in GPU workload, the frame rate only increases by 112 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck at Low settings, as the GPU is not fully saturated. The CPU's performance is comparable to the Intel Core i5-12500 (0.4% faster) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (0.1% faster), but it is 0.5% slower than the Intel Core i7-10700F. This puts it in a performance class where it can deliver high frame rates, but it cannot push the RTX 4090 to its absolute limits in a lighter title like Evolve.

The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for gaming, but they are not the high-bandwidth, large-cache configurations that would help a top-tier GPU shine in CPU-bound scenarios. The benchmark results, such as a Passmark single-thread score of 3058 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1730, indicate that while the cores are capable, they lack the top-tier single-thread performance needed to fully drive a flagship GPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a competent gaming CPU, but it is clearly the weaker link in this specific combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an absolute powerhouse, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and featuring 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. It boasts a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its clock speeds are high, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, and its raw compute capability is rated at 82.58 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This hardware is designed to obliterate any resolution or setting, and its benchmark scores confirm this, with a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a percentile ranking of 88 against all GPUs.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is to render the scene, handle textures, and process shading effects. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4090 is capable of very high frame rates, but its performance is heavily influenced by the CPU and resolution. At 4K Ultra, it delivers 60 FPS, which shows that even this GPU is taxed by the highest settings at 4K. However, at 4K Low, it jumps to 141 FPS, demonstrating a significant performance headroom when settings are reduced. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is interesting, as it is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta) and 0.3% slower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, though these are likely professional-grade cards with different driver optimizations.

The GPU's true capability is best seen at 1440p and 4K, where it is not as heavily bottlenecked by the CPU. At 1440p High, it achieves 151 FPS, and at 4K High, it manages 86 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RTX 4090 is more than capable of handling Evolve at high settings and resolutions, and the primary constraint on its performance is the CPU's ability to feed it frames, especially at 1080p. The 24 GB of VRAM is far more than the game requires, ensuring no memory-related performance dips.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the desired balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. For a 4K display, the data shows that Ultra settings produce an average of 60 FPS, which is at the threshold of smoothness for many players. High settings at 4K yield 86 FPS, a significant improvement that suggests High is the better choice for a more fluid experience without a major visual sacrifice. Medium settings at 4K offer 110 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but the jump from High to Medium is only 24 FPS, suggesting that High provides a better balance of quality and speed.

At 1440p, the data recommends High settings as the sweet spot, delivering 151 FPS with a high level of visual detail. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 105 FPS, which is still very playable, but the 46 FPS gain from Ultra to High is substantial. Low settings at 1440p provide 234 FPS, which is overkill for most displays, but it demonstrates the GPU's headroom. For 1080p, the measured data shows that all settings are above 156 FPS, with Medium at 244 FPS and High at 223 FPS. Given the CPU bottleneck at this resolution, the recommendation is to use Ultra settings at 1080p to maximize visual quality, as even the most demanding preset provides a smooth 156 FPS.

In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is to prioritize High settings at 4K (86 FPS) and 1440p (151 FPS) for a balanced experience, or to use Ultra at 1080p (156 FPS) for maximum visual fidelity. The data shows that Low settings are unnecessary for this combination, as even the highest presets deliver playable frame rates across all resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 209 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 5.6% of all configurations tested, which is an impressive standing given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The ranking suggests that while the GPU is a top-tier performer, the CPU holds the combo back from achieving an even higher rank. The data implies that a more powerful CPU, such as one with higher single-thread performance, would likely push this combo into the top 100 or higher.

The combo's rank of 209 is a direct result of the CPU bottleneck observed at lower resolutions. If the combo were paired with a higher-end CPU, the 1080p scores would likely be significantly higher, improving the overall ranking. However, the current rank is still excellent, and it shows that the RTX 4090 is so powerful that even with a mid-range CPU, the combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems in this game. The data indicates that this pairing is a viable option for high-resolution gaming, where the GPU is the primary driver, but it is not optimal for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming due to the CPU limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination, along with the minimum and maximum FPS where recorded:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ | :------ | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | High | 86 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 141 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 110 | 93 | 126 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 60 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 151 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 234 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 193 | 164 | 221 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 105 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 223 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 268 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 244 | 207 | 281 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 156 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy across settings, with Ultra being the most demanding and Low being the least. The Medium settings provide the only rows with recorded minimum and maximum FPS, showing a variance of 33 FPS at 4K, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 1080p, which indicates a stable frame delivery. The performance deltas between Low and Ultra are 81 FPS at 4K, 129 FPS at 1440p, and 112 FPS at 1080p, showing that the GPU has significant headroom to spare when settings are reduced.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 1440p High settings is 151 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p Low, as the frame rate of 268 FPS is likely limited by the Ryzen 5 5500's processing power rather than the RTX 4090's rendering capability.

Q: What is the performance difference between 4K Ultra and 4K High settings?

A: The measured average FPS drops from 86 FPS at 4K High to 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, a difference of 26 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Evolve?

A: This combination ranks 209 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 5.6% of configurations.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 268 FPS at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 4K Medium settings is 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS.