Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a broad performance spectrum in Evolve, with benchmark results spanning from a fluid 54 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 256 FPS at 1080p Low. The data reveals a system whose capabilities are heavily dictated by resolution and preset, but which never falls below playable thresholds, even under the most demanding settings. The measured frames per second show a clear hierarchy, but the relationship between resolution scaling and component bottlenecks is not always linear, prompting a closer look at what drives these numbers.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 203 FPS at 1920x1080 to 136 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 67 FPS, and then further down to 77 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62% decrease in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a significant scaling penalty that points directly at the GPU as the primary constraint. The RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, is being pushed harder as pixel count increases, and the data suggests it is the component that determines the ceiling at higher resolutions.

However, the scaling is not uniform across all presets. The Low preset shows a different pattern: 256 FPS at 1080p drops to 224 FPS at 1440p, and then to 127 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper here (a 43% reduction) compared to the High preset's drop from 1440p to 4K (a 43% reduction as well). This similarity in percentage drops suggests that the GPU workload is scaling consistently with pixel count, but the absolute headroom at lower settings means the CPU has more room to work. The fact that 1080p Low produces 256 FPS, while 1080p Ultra produces 140 FPS, indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant factor as resolution climbs.

The Medium preset provides the only complete data set with minimum and maximum frame times across all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average is 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS. At 2560x1440, this drops to an average of 173 FPS with a range of 147 to 199 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 99 FPS with a range of 84 to 113 FPS. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium (84 FPS) are still well above the 4K Ultra average (54 FPS), showing that the preset choice has a larger impact on performance than resolution alone in some cases. The variance between minimum and maximum frames also tightens at higher resolutions, suggesting that the frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, rather than the CPU causing spikes.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER's specifications directly correlate with the measured results. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and 10240 shading units provide the raw compute power, while the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the game does not run out of memory resources. The data shows a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra with 54 FPS, which is likely due to the GPU's computational limits on the most demanding settings rather than any memory constraint. In contrast, the 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth appears sufficient, as the 4K Medium preset still achieves 99 FPS, indicating that the game is not bandwidth-starved at that level.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals reinforces its position. The benchmark scores show the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54209, which is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 (54247) with a deltaPct of -0.1%. This means the SUPER variant offers no meaningful performance advantage over the standard 4080 in synthetic tests, and the measured FPS in Evolve likely reflects this parity. The deltaPct against the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is -1.1%, and against the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB it is -2.7%, suggesting the RTX 4080 SUPER is slightly behind these competitors in aggregate benchmark scores, though the real-world gaming results here are still strong.

The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is a high-end part, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (54 FPS) suggests that Evolve is a demanding title. The fact that the GPU can push 127 FPS at 4K Low shows that the hardware has headroom, but the Ultra preset's settings, likely involving heavy post-processing and shadow effects, are taxing the shader units and RT cores. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present, but Evolve from 2015 does not appear to leverage ray tracing or DLSS, meaning the GPU's performance is purely rasterization-based, which the data reflects.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 256 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The Medium preset achieves 233 FPS, High reaches 203 FPS, and Ultra drops to 140 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 4K Low?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, while the Low preset averages 127 FPS. This is a difference of 73 FPS, indicating that the Ultra settings impose a 135% heavier load on the GPU compared to Low settings at the same resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 136. Since this is a 33% drop from the 203 FPS at 1080p High, the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears capable of sustaining higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 224 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates at 4K Medium?

A: The data shows a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS for the 3840x2160 Medium preset, with an average of 99 FPS. This consistency suggests stable frame pacing.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, while the RTX 4080 scores 54247. The deltaPct is -0.1%, meaning the SUPER is effectively identical in performance to the standard 4080.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 274th out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the top 9.5% of all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results show a wide spread across presets. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 256 FPS, followed by Medium at 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 and maximum of 268 FPS. High settings produce 203 FPS, and Ultra drops to 140 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 45% reduction in performance, which is a significant hit for visual fidelity. The minimum frame rate at Medium (198 FPS) is still higher than the Ultra average (140 FPS), indicating that even the lowest recorded frame on Medium is more than adequate for high refresh rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings output 224 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS with a range of 147 to 199 FPS, and High reaches 136 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, with an average of 94 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 130 FPS, which is a 58% drop, showing that the resolution increase amplifies the differences between presets. The 1440p Medium minimum of 147 FPS is still above the 1440p High average, suggesting that Medium is a sweet spot for maintaining high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly strained. Low settings produce 127 FPS, which is impressive for 4K, but Medium drops to 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS. High settings average 77 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. The delta between 4K Low and 4K High is 50 FPS, while the delta between 4K High and 4K Ultra is 23 FPS. This shows that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy load compared to High. The 4K Medium minimum of 84 FPS is notable, as it remains above the 4K Ultra average, meaning a player could experience more consistent performance on Medium than on Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 233 FPS, which is only 23 FPS less than Low but likely provides significantly better visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium's 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes, and the 199 FPS maximum shows there is headroom. At 4K, Medium's 99 FPS average and 84 FPS minimum are both above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the highest preset that guarantees a consistent high-refresh experience at this resolution.

The High preset is a viable alternative for those prioritizing visuals over raw frame rate, but it comes with trade-offs. At 1080p, High's 203 FPS is still excellent, and at 1440p, 136 FPS is playable. However, at 4K, High's 77 FPS average is below the 100 FPS mark, and while it is still fluid, it may not be ideal for competitive play. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p or 1440p use, where it achieves 140 FPS and 94 FPS respectively, but at 4K, the 54 FPS average is the only measured result that dips below 60 FPS, making it the least desirable option for smooth gameplay.

For players with high refresh rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p, the Low preset is unnecessary, as Medium provides significantly higher frame rates without sacrificing too much. The data indicates that the gap between Low and Medium is relatively small (23 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p), but the visual improvement from Medium is substantial. Therefore, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, with adjustments to High or Ultra only if the display and personal preference allow for lower frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D's specifications provide context for its role in these results. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.00 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, the CPU is a capable mid-range part. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable feature, as it is a large amount of cache that can benefit gaming workloads by reducing memory latency. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for games like Evolve that may not fully utilize all 12 threads.

The nearest rival data shows the 5500X3D is closely matched with other mid-range CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37018 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938), and within -0.2% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093). This suggests that the CPU is not a unique performance outlier, but rather sits in a competitive pack. The benchmark results in Evolve indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 256 FPS at 1080p Low, but at higher resolutions, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it is a solid performer, but its role in this combo is to feed the GPU without holding it back. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU can push frame rates beyond 250 FPS, which is a strong indicator of its gaming capability. However, the fact that the 4K Ultra result is only 54 FPS suggests that the CPU's clock speed of 4.00 GHz is not the constraint; the GPU's rendering load is. The CPU's process node of 7 nm and 105 W TDP are secondary factors, but they do not show up directly in the FPS numbers.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined system ranks 274th out of 2872 tested configurations for Evolve, placing it in the top 9.5% of all tested combos. This is a strong ranking, indicating that the pairing of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and RTX 4080 SUPER is well-suited for this game. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 85th percentile and the GPU's 86th percentile, showing that neither component is dramatically underperforming relative to the other. The fact that the combo achieves this rank despite the GPU being end-of-life and the CPU being a newer release suggests that the combination is well-matched for Evolve's engine.

The rank of 274 is notable because it places the combo above the vast majority of tested systems, but it also implies there are 273 configurations that perform better. The nearest rival CPUs and GPUs are all within a tight performance band, so the ranking is likely influenced by the specific game's optimization for certain architectures. The RTX 4080 SUPER's performance relative to other GPUs, with a deltaPct of -0.1% against the standard RTX 4080, means that swapping the SUPER for the non-SUPER variant would likely yield a nearly identical rank. Similarly, the CPU's close rivals would not significantly change the outcome, as the deltaPct values are all within 0.3% of the 5500X3D's score. This suggests that the combo's rank is robust and representative of a high-end system that can handle Evolve with ease at most settings.