Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers a highly resolution-dependent experience in Evolve, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary constraint at higher settings. The data indicates a capable 1080p setup that progressively loses ground as pixel count rises, ultimately falling below playable thresholds at 4K with maximum quality.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent performance decline as resolution increases, a pattern typical of GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 123 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops this to 83 FPS, a reduction of 40 FPS or roughly 32.5%. Pushing further to 4K at Low settings yields 47 FPS, representing another 36 FPS drop from the 1440p figure.

This scaling behavior points squarely at the GPU as the limiting factor. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are being saturated as resolution increases, while the Ryzen 5 5600F’s six Zen 3 cores have ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions. The 1080p to 1440p transition costs about 32.5% of performance, while the 1440p to 4K transition costs about 43.4% — the widening gap indicates the GPU is working progressively harder relative to the CPU.

At Medium settings, the resolution scaling is slightly less severe in absolute terms but still pronounced. The 1080p Medium average of 96 FPS falls to 64 FPS at 1440p (a 33.3% drop) and then to 37 FPS at 4K (a 42.2% drop from 1440p). This consistency across settings reinforces that resolution, not quality preset, is the dominant variable in this pairing.

The High preset shows a similar trajectory: 75 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The percentages here are 33.3% and 42.0% respectively, nearly identical to the Medium pattern. Ultra settings follow suit with 52 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can keep the GPU well-fed, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the bottleneck as resolution climbs, and the 4K results at all settings except Low fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable frame pacing.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the observed scaling behavior. The card features a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs. These figures are modest by modern standards but sufficient for 1080p gaming in a 2015 title like Evolve.

The 6 GB GDDR6 memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a double-edged sword: it provides enough capacity for 1080p and 1440p textures, but the 192-bit bus width limits the card’s ability to sustain high frame rates at 4K, where the pixel throughput demands more memory transactions per frame.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range positioning. It achieves a PassMark G3D score of 12699 and a PassMark DirectX 12 score of 50, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct 0.4), the AMD Radeon RX 580 (deltaPct 0.4), and the AMD Radeon 740M (deltaPct 0.9), indicating that this card sits in a crowded performance band.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 20, which is below the threshold for smooth play. Even at Low settings, 4K only reaches 47 FPS, suggesting that the GPU’s fill rate — 85.68 GPixel/s — is insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels of a 4K frame. The texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s and FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS are similarly stressed at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5600F, while a competent processor, plays a secondary role in this pairing. Its six cores and twelve threads operate at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration delivers strong single-thread performance, as indicated by a PassMark single-thread score of 2872, which is crucial for frame pacing in FPS titles.

The CPU’s overall benchmark scores position it well above average. It achieves a PassMark multithread score of 19236 and an average benchmark score of 36945, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.4), all within a narrow performance band.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The PassMark physics score of 1043 suggests adequate compute for game logic. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combination reaches 123 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the CPU is likely keeping pace without bottlenecking. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across resolutions at a similar value, but the steady decline from 123 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 4K indicates the GPU is the constraint.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR4 interface is sufficient for this workload, and its PCIe Gen 4 support (20 lanes) provides ample bandwidth for the GPU’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2450 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the GPU’s age and mid-range positioning rather than any deficiency in the CPU. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 53rd percentile among GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5600F sits at the 85th percentile among CPUs, creating an imbalance where the CPU is significantly stronger than the GPU.

This ranking suggests that the combo is better suited for 1080p gaming, where the GPU can keep up with the CPU’s frame generation capability. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 96 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. At 1440p, the combo still manages respectable frame rates at Medium (64 FPS) and High (50 FPS), but the Ultra preset drops to 35 FPS, which could be problematic for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

The 4K results are consistently below the 30 FPS threshold except at Low settings (47 FPS), which means the combo is not viable for 4K gaming in Evolve without significant graphical compromises. The ranking of 2450 out of 2872 reflects this limitation, as many other combos with more modern GPUs would rank higher.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, achieving 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. This frame rate range ensures smooth gameplay even in intense combat scenes. The High preset at 1080p still delivers a solid 75 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, but the Medium preset’s higher headroom is preferable for maintaining consistent frame pacing.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, with an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 55 FPS. This provides a playable experience, though the lower minimum frame rate could cause occasional stutters. The High preset at 1440p yields 50 FPS, which is borderline for competitive play but acceptable for casual sessions. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 35 FPS, which is likely too low for an FPS title.

For 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset (47 FPS) approaches playable territory. The Medium preset at 4K averages 37 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold, and the High (29 FPS) and Ultra (20 FPS) presets are not viable for gameplay. Players targeting 4K should either accept the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for Evolve with this combo is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 123 FPS. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. The High preset averages 75 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 83 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS. The High preset averages 50 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 35 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 47 FPS. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. The High preset averages 29 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 20 FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: every step up in resolution or settings costs a significant number of frames. The 1080p Low to Ultra transition spans 123 FPS down to 52 FPS, a 71 FPS range. At 1440p, the range is 83 FPS down to 35 FPS, a 48 FPS spread. At 4K, the range narrows to 47 FPS down to 20 FPS, a 27 FPS spread, indicating that the GPU is so constrained that even lowering settings cannot fully recover performance.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 1440p with high settings?*

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 50 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is playable, though not ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a more comfortable 64 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 provides an average of 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS, offering the best balance of visual quality and smooth performance. The High preset at 75 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset’s higher minimum frame rate provides more consistent frame pacing.

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 47 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 37 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 29 FPS and 20 FPS respectively, which are not suitable for an FPS game.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986, which is 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and AMD Radeon RX 580, and 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla M2090. It lags the AMD Radeon 740M by 0.9%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p. The data shows a consistent FPS decline as resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s high single-thread score (2872) and 85th percentile ranking indicate it can handle the game’s logic without limiting frame rates.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 averages 50 FPS, which is playable. However, the Medium preset at 64 FPS is recommended for a smoother experience, as its minimum of 55 FPS is closer to the average, reducing the risk of noticeable frame drops.