Evolve

The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a stark contrast in raw capability, placing a 6-core Zen 3 processor from 2021 in front of one of the most powerful consumer GPUs ever produced. In Evolve, this combination produces a wide spectrum of frame rates that reveal a system heavily influenced by both the game's engine and the significant bottleneck created by the CPU at lower resolutions. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets offer a clear picture of where this configuration excels and where its performance collapses under specific loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combo shows that performance is profoundly tied to resolution, but not in the way one might expect from a GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings yields a substantial drop from 226.5 FPS to 152.2 FPS. This 32.8% reduction indicates that the RTX 4090 is still being fed enough data to work harder as pixel count increases, though the CPU is already limiting the absolute ceiling. At 4K, the High preset frame rate falls to 88.3 FPS, a further 42% decrease from the 1440p result, showing that the GPU is finally taking on a more dominant role as the resolution climbs.

The most telling data point for the bottleneck is the scaling of Low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 276.3 FPS, but at 1440p Low it drops to 245.6 FPS, a reduction of only 11.1%. This small delta suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is saturated and cannot push frames much higher, regardless of the GPU's immense headroom. At 4K Low, the frame rate is 141.8 FPS, which is still a massive number but represents a 42.2% drop from 1440p Low, indicating that the GPU is now the primary constraint at that resolution.

The Ultra preset reveals the most severe scaling penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 158.6 FPS, but this falls to 103.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra, a 34.5% drop. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate plummets to 58.7 FPS, which is a 43.5% reduction from the 1440p Ultra result. This pattern across all presets shows that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K. The RTX 4090's sheer power is evident at 4K, where even the most demanding preset still yields a playable output, but the CPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions is the defining characteristic of this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in Evolve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 276.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This represents the absolute ceiling for this configuration, limited by the CPU's processing power.

Q: How does the Ultra preset performance compare between 1080p and 4K?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 158.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 58.7 FPS. This represents a 63% reduction in performance from the lowest to the highest resolution tested.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 being fully utilized at 1080p?

A: No, the data suggests it is not. The difference between Low and High settings at 1080p is only 49.8 FPS (276.3 vs 226.5), and between Medium and High it is 25.9 FPS (252.4 vs 226.5), indicating that the CPU is holding back the GPU from reaching its full potential at this resolution.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate?

A: The 2560x1440 High preset offers a strong balance, delivering 152.2 FPS. This is significantly above the 1440p Ultra result of 103.9 FPS while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity.

Q: What is the lowest measured frame rate across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 58.7 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset. This is the only configuration that drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo's performance rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 78th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 4.6% of all tested systems.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark data shows a single-thread score of 872 in 3dmark and 2365 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are respectable figures but far from the top-tier performance of the latest desktop parts. The multicore results, such as a Cinebench R23 score of 16758, indicate a capable mid-range processor, but one that lacks the sheer throughput required to keep pace with the RTX 4090.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most evident in the 1080p results. The fact that the frame rate only increases by 49.8 FPS when moving from High to Low settings at 1080p suggests that the game's simulation and draw-call processing are hitting a wall. The 5600G's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are sufficient for many tasks, but they appear insufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's percentile ranking of 78th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19983, places it in the upper echelon of processors, yet its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-11800H, show only a 0.2% difference in average score, highlighting the competitive but not dominant position of this chip.

The measured results show that at 4K, the CPU's limitations become less relevant. The frame rate differences between the Low and Medium presets are 33.6 FPS (141.8 vs 108.2), and between High and Ultra are 29.6 FPS (88.3 vs 58.7), which are more substantial than the 1080p differences. This indicates that the GPU's workload scales with resolution, allowing the CPU to keep up more effectively. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K are still limited by the GPU's architecture and the game's engine, not the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

For users seeking the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 276.3 FPS, which is far beyond any display's refresh rate and provides no practical benefit. A more sensible approach is to prioritize visual quality while maintaining a high frame rate. At 1440p, the High preset offers 152.2 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a fast-paced FPS. This preset provides a significant visual upgrade over Low and Medium while still delivering frame rates well above the 144 FPS target for high-refresh-rate monitors.

The Medium preset at 1440p, yielding 195.9 FPS, is also a strong choice for those who prefer even smoother motion, as it sits between the Low and High quality presets. At 4K, the High preset is the recommended option, delivering 88.3 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for most users and offers a much better visual experience than the Medium preset at 108.2 FPS, which is only 19.9 FPS higher. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 58.7 FPS, is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS standard, and its visual improvements over High are likely not worth the significant performance penalty of 29.6 FPS.

The data shows that the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by using the High preset at 1440p. This configuration maximizes the GPU's capabilities without being overly constrained by the CPU, and it provides a frame rate that is both smooth and visually impressive. For 1080p users, the High preset at 226.5 FPS is the best option, as the lower presets offer diminishing returns in performance while sacrificing visual quality. The Ultra preset is only recommended for those who prioritize image quality above all else, and only at 1080p or 1440p, where the frame rate remains above 103.9 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 78th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 4.6% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result given the age of the CPU. The ranking reflects the fact that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU, capable of producing high frame rates at any resolution, but the CPU's limitations prevent this combo from achieving the absolute top spots.

The GPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad score of 9223. Its percentile ranking of 91st among all GPUs, with an average score of 66473, puts it in the elite class of graphics cards. The CPU's percentile ranking of 78th, with an average score of 19983, is also above average but not exceptional. The combination of a top-10% GPU with a top-25% CPU results in a system that is better than the vast majority of tested configurations, but it is held back from the top 50 ranks by the CPU's inability to sustain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

In comparison to other combos, the data indicates that the 5600G's performance is closely matched by its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i7-11600H has an average score that is 0.2% higher, while the Intel Core i7-11800H and AMD EPYC 7713P have scores 0.2% lower. This suggests that the CPU's overall compute performance is not the sole determinant of its ranking in Evolve. Instead, the game's specific CPU demands, likely related to single-threaded performance and cache latency, play a significant role. The combo's rank of 78th indicates that while the RTX 4090 is a massive advantage, the 5600G is the limiting factor in this specific title, preventing the system from achieving the frame rates that the GPU is theoretically capable of delivering.