Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a unique case in the Evolve benchmark database. The CPU is a strong, modern desktop part, while the GPU is an integrated graphics solution from Intel’s Panther Lake mobile architecture. This combination produces a heavily GPU-limited experience across all resolutions and settings, with the measured FPS data showing a clear pattern of the graphics component constraining performance long before the six-core processor becomes a factor. The following analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, CPU role, measured FPS, and overall ranking for this specific combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K reveals a severe dependence on resolution, which is the classic signature of a system limited by its graphics processor rather than its CPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 89 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 60 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS, and then to 4K Low it falls further to 34 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low represents a 55 FPS drop, or roughly a 62% decrease in average frame rate. This is a steep decline that points directly at the Intel Arc B390’s fill rate and shading capabilities being overwhelmed as pixel count increases.

For Medium settings, the pattern holds. The average FPS at 1080p is 69, at 1440p it is 46, and at 4K it is 26. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 23 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 20 FPS. This near-linear drop suggests that the GPU is operating at full capacity even at 1080p Medium, and each additional resolution tier simply adds more work for the same hardware. The 4K Medium row also provides min/max data: 22 FPS minimum and 30 FPS maximum, showing a tight but low band of performance.

High settings show a similar trajectory. At 1080p High, the average is 54 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 36 FPS. At 4K High, it reaches just 21 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 18 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 15 FPS. The relative reduction from 1080p to 4K is 33 FPS, or about 61%, mirroring the Low preset’s scaling. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution is the dominant variable, not the quality preset.

Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 37 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 25 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 14 FPS. The 1080p to 4K drop is 23 FPS, which is a 62% reduction. The fact that all four presets show a similar percentage drop from 1080p to 4K—roughly 61-62%—strongly suggests that the Arc B390’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is likely idle or underutilized in these scenarios.

The limiting component is unambiguously the GPU. The Intel Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. These are entry-level parts from over a decade ago. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, but that compute is not translating into playable frame rates at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are modest figures that get saturated quickly as resolution climbs.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 60, and only at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 89 FPS average. At 1080p Medium, it drops to 69 FPS, and at 1080p High, it falls to 54 FPS. At 1440p, the highest average is 60 FPS at Low settings, which is borderline playable but not consistently fluid. At 4K, all presets deliver below 35 FPS, with Ultra at 14 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in Evolve with this GPU?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X has a 3DMark single-thread score of 917, a 2-thread score of 1793, and a max-thread score of 5588. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 11838. These are strong numbers, but the measured FPS data shows that performance scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, not with CPU load. The 20% FPS gap between 1080p Low (89 FPS) and 1440p Low (60 FPS) is a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is likely capable of far higher frame rates, but the Arc B390 cannot deliver them.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a discrete GPU?

A: No. The Arc B390 is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a bus interface of IGP, a slot width of IGP, and no power connectors. It uses System Shared memory, meaning it relies on the system’s DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. Its TDP is 80 W, and it is part of the Arc Graphics-M generation for Panther Lake. This integrated nature explains its low 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Q: What settings should be used for a 1440p gaming experience?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS at Low is 60, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay. Medium settings drop to 46 FPS, High to 36 FPS, and Ultra to 25 FPS. If a 60 FPS target is required, only Low settings at 1440p are viable. For a 30 FPS target, Medium and High are acceptable, but Ultra falls below that threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking and the fact that it only has one benchmark score (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1482) highlight its limited capability. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs does not compensate for the GPU’s low position.

Q: Why does 4K Ultra produce only 14 FPS?

A: At 4K Ultra, the Arc B390 is processing 8.3 million pixels per frame while also applying the highest quality textures and effects. The GPU’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are insufficient for this workload. The 14 FPS average is consistent with the GPU’s nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (which has a 3DMark score 2.7% lower) and GT 625 OEM (2.5% lower). The GPU is simply not designed for 4K gaming.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. This CPU is a capable modern part, as evidenced by its benchmarks: Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838, single-core of 1541, Geekbench multi-core of 9173, and single-core of 1989. It also handles data compression well with a Passmark score of 252306.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data, however, shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor. For example, at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 89 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at higher resolutions, since the CPU work per frame does not change much with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops to 60 at 1440p Low and 34 at 4K Low. This is purely a GPU limitation.

The CPU’s 3DMark scores provide context. The 4-thread score of 3363 and 8-thread score of 4811 indicate strong multi-threading for a 6-core part. The max-thread score of 5588 is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 5582, which is expected since the CPU only has 12 threads. For a game like Evolve, which is an FPS from 2015, the CPU’s single-thread score of 917 (3DMark) and Passmark single-thread of 3364 are more than adequate. The game’s release date of 2015-02-09 means it was designed for CPUs of that era, and the 5600X far exceeds those requirements.

The nearest rivals to the 5600X in the CPU benchmark database are the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (avg score 21749, delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (21874, delta -0.5%), Intel Core i7-11700 (21891, delta -0.5%), and AMD EPYC 9554P (21899, delta -0.6%). All of these are within a 0.6% performance delta, meaning the 5600X is effectively on par with them. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is a solid performer. But in this combo, its power is wasted because the Arc B390 cannot keep up.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy—64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB L3—is ample for gaming. The 32 MB L3 cache is particularly useful for holding game assets that are frequently accessed. However, the Arc B390’s System Shared memory bandwidth is listed as “System Dependent,” which means it relies on the same DDR4 memory as the CPU. This shared memory architecture can lead to contention, but the data does not show any unusual CPU stalls. The FPS drops are consistent with GPU compute limits, not memory latency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings yield an average of 89 FPS, which is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings produce 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 79 FPS. High settings drop to 54 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The 1080p data shows that the Arc B390 can handle Evolve at playable frame rates only when settings are kept low.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 60 FPS, which is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS. High settings average 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. The 1440p data indicates that the GPU is struggling to maintain smooth gameplay. The Medium preset’s minimum of 39 FPS would be noticeable in fast-paced FPS action, and Ultra at 25 FPS is borderline unplayable.

At 3840x2160, the combo is not viable for gaming. Low settings average 34 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS (min 22, max 30), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. The 4K data shows that the Arc B390 cannot deliver even a consistent 30 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset’s maximum of 30 FPS is the best case at 4K, but the average of 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS means there will be frequent dips below 30 FPS.

Comparing the presets within each resolution reveals the cost of quality. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 52 FPS (89 to 37). At 1440p, the difference is 35 FPS (60 to 25). At 4K, the difference is 20 FPS (34 to 14). The absolute gap narrows as resolution increases because the GPU becomes more and more the sole bottleneck. At 4K, even Low settings overwhelm the GPU, so the additional load from Ultra settings has a smaller absolute impact.

The min/max data is only provided for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 59 to 79 FPS, which is a 20 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 39 to 53 FPS, a 14 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 22 to 30 FPS, an 8 FPS spread. The tightening range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is running at full utilization, leaving less variance in frame times. This is another sign of a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU cannot push frame rates higher to smooth out the variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this configuration in Evolve is 2530 out of 2872 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. The CPU’s percentile rank is 75, meaning it is better than 75% of all CPUs in the database. The GPU’s percentile rank is 9, meaning it is better than only 9% of all GPUs. This stark contrast explains the low combo rank: a strong CPU is paired with a very weak GPU, and the overall performance is dragged down by the graphics component.

The GPU’s only benchmark score is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, delta 1.3%), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, delta 1.5%), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, delta 2.5%), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, delta 2.7%). All of these GPUs are within a 2.7% performance delta of the Arc B390, which means the Arc B390 is functionally equivalent to a GT 710 or GT 625 OEM in this benchmark. These are not gaming GPUs by any modern standard.

The CPU’s nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its average benchmark score of 21771. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U, Intel Core i7-11700, and AMD EPYC 9554P are all comparable in CPU performance. This confirms that the CPU is not the issue. The combo rank of 2530 is a direct reflection of the GPU’s 9th percentile standing. If the GPU were replaced with anything in the 50th percentile or higher, the combo rank would likely improve dramatically, given the CPU’s headroom.

The dataIsMeasured field is true, meaning these FPS numbers come from actual testing, not estimation. This lends credibility to the ranking. The combo rank is calculated based on the measured FPS across all tested combos, and 2530 out of 2872 means there are 342 combos that perform worse. Those worse combos likely feature even older integrated graphics or very low-end discrete GPUs. For Evolve, a 2015 FPS, this combo is near the bottom of the barrel.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the best experience is achieved at Low settings, which provides an average of 89 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 1080p also offer a playable experience at 69 FPS average, with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is just below 60. If visual quality is a priority, Medium is a reasonable choice, but Low ensures the highest frame rate.

For 1440p, the data shows that only Low settings reach 60 FPS average. Medium settings at 46 FPS are playable but not ideal, and the minimum of 39 FPS will cause noticeable stutter in action scenes. High at 36 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 25 FPS is not recommended. For a 1440p display, the choice is between Low for smoothness or Medium for better visuals. High and Ultra are not viable for competitive play.

For 4K, none of the presets provide a playable experience. Low settings average 34 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable performance, and the minimums are likely lower. Medium at 26 FPS is not smooth, High at 21 FPS is slideshow-like, and Ultra at 14 FPS is unplayable. The recommendation for 4K is to avoid this resolution entirely with this combo, or to use an external solution such as lowering the render scale, which is not measured here.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Low, with an average of 89 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor with significant headroom. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, even 1080p Low at 89 FPS will not fully utilize the display’s capabilities, but it is the maximum this combo can achieve. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 69 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and might be preferable for better textures and effects.

In summary, the settings recommendations are clear: prioritize 1080p and keep the preset at Low or Medium. The GPU’s low pixel rate and texture rate make higher resolutions and presets a losing battle. The CPU is not a factor in these decisions, as the Arc B390 is the sole bottleneck. For users who own this combo, the practical advice is to play Evolve at 1080p Low or Medium, and to avoid any attempt at 4K gaming. The measured data does not support any other conclusion.