Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents an interesting case study for the pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 5 7600 with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily influenced by the graphics card’s age, yet the processor’s modern architecture ensures the combo remains viable across various resolutions and settings. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, but the CPU’s strength prevents it from becoming a liability, even at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 181 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 121 FPS, a reduction of 33.1%. The jump to 4K further reduces the average to 69 FPS, which is a 42.9% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K strongly suggests that the GTX 1080 Ti’s rendering capabilities are exhausted at higher pixel counts, making the GPU the definitive limiting component.

The data for High settings reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p High, the average is 110 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 74 FPS, and at 4K High, it plummets to 42 FPS. The percentage drops are 32.7% and 43.2% respectively, mirroring the Low settings pattern. This consistency across different quality presets indicates that the resolution is the dominant factor in performance scaling, not the game’s graphical complexity. The GTX 1080 Ti, with its 11 GB of GDDR5X memory and 352-bit bus, provides sufficient bandwidth, but its raw compute power (11.34 TFLOPS FP32) is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

The Ultra settings tell an even more telling story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 76 FPS. This drops to 51 FPS at 1440p, a 32.9% decrease, and then to 29 FPS at 4K, a 43.1% decrease from 1440p. The 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, confirming that this resolution is not practical for this combo. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively linear, but the 4K results show a more pronounced penalty, indicating the GPU is hitting a hard performance wall.

GPU Role

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture card with a base clock of 1481 MHz and a boost clock of 1582 MHz. The data shows that its performance is the primary determinant of the frame rates in Evolve. The 4K Medium result of 54 FPS is interesting, as it shows the card can handle 4K if the settings are moderated, but the 31.6% drop from 1440p Medium’s 94 FPS highlights the high pixel cost. The memory configuration of 11 GB GDDR5X with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth is not the bottleneck here, as the VRAM capacity is ample for a 2015 title. The limiting factor is the GPU’s shader throughput, with 3584 shading units struggling to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame at 4K.

The GPU’s percentile rank versus all GPUs is 58, and its average benchmark score is 15548. In the context of Evolve, the card’s DirectX 12 score of 66 is notably low compared to its DirectX 11 score of 151, which could indicate driver overhead or architectural limitations in newer APIs. This is a legacy card from 2017, and the data suggests that its performance in modern titles is constrained by its age. The card’s 58th percentile ranking places it in the lower half of all GPUs, which is consistent with the observed difficulty in maintaining high frame rates at 4K. The boost clock of 1582 MHz is far below the 5.10 GHz boost of the CPU, yet the GPU still dictates the overall performance envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2088 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the 56.4th percentile of all measured systems. This ranking is surprisingly mid-pack, given the CPU’s high performance. The Ryzen 5 7600 has a percentile rank of 78 versus all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 26324. This means the CPU is in the top 22% of all processors, yet the combo as a whole is only in the top 44% of systems. The discrepancy highlights how the GTX 1080 Ti drags down the overall performance, preventing the CPU from reaching its full potential in gaming.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, which has an average score of 26274, a delta of only 0.2% from the 7600. This shows that the 7600 is a very strong performer, even compared to higher-tier mobile chips. The Intel Core i9-11900KF is also close, with a delta of 0.4%. However, these CPU comparisons do not translate into a high combo rank because the GPU is the limiting factor. The data implies that if this CPU were paired with a more modern GPU, the combo rank would be significantly higher. The 3700 total combos include many with weaker CPUs and stronger GPUs, which explains why this pairing lands in the lower-middle portion of the rankings.

FAQ

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 110 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is a smooth experience for most displays.

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

A: The data shows the combo can achieve 42 FPS at 4K High and 29 FPS at 4K Ultra. While 4K is technically playable at High settings, the 29 FPS at Ultra is below the 30 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay. The 4K Low setting yields 69 FPS, which is more playable.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26324, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900KF. This indicates the CPU is a top-tier performer in its class.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting produces an average of 121 FPS, while the Ultra setting produces 51 FPS. This is a difference of 70 FPS, or 137% more performance at Low settings.

Q: Does the 11 GB of VRAM on the GTX 1080 Ti cause any issues?

A: The 11 GB GDDR5X memory with 484.4 GB/s bandwidth is not a limiting factor in Evolve. The data shows that performance degrades due to compute limits, not memory capacity, as the game is from 2015 and does not require that much VRAM.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings except Ultra (76 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (121 FPS) and Medium (94 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, none of the settings reach 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a comprehensive set of average FPS figures across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high, with Low producing an average of 181 FPS, Medium at 140 FPS, High at 110 FPS, and Ultra at 76 FPS. The Medium preset also has measured minimum and maximum values of 119 and 161 FPS, respectively, showing a stable frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain respectable. Low leads with 121 FPS, followed by Medium at 94 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 51 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS, indicating a wider variance than at 1080p but still a playable experience. The 1440p results show a more pronounced gap between settings, with Ultra being only 42.1% of the Low performance.

At 3840x2160, the averages are significantly lower. Low is the only setting that breaks 60 FPS, achieving 69 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 62, showing that the hardware is struggling to maintain consistent frame times. High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS. The 4K results clearly demonstrate that this setting is borderline for the GTX 1080 Ti, with only the lowest preset providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.10 GHz. In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 181 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires strong CPU performance to achieve. The 7600’s single-thread score of 999 in 3DMark and 298 in Cinebench R15 indicate excellent per-core performance, which is crucial for this game’s main thread.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12735 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 13413. However, Evolve, being a 2015 title, likely does not utilize all 12 threads effectively. The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom, as the FPS drops are entirely attributable to the GPU’s limits when resolution increases. The 65W TDP and 5 nm process node make it an efficient processor, but its performance is not fully utilized in this pairing. The CPU’s 78th percentile rank and 0.2% delta from its nearest rival, the Ryzen 9 6900HX, confirm that it is a high-end part that is being held back by the legacy GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 76 FPS is a valid choice for users with high refresh rate monitors, as it remains above 60 FPS. The High preset at 110 FPS is an excellent choice for competitive play, offering a significant boost in frame rate with a minimal visual sacrifice. The Medium preset at 140 FPS is the best option for maximum smoothness, as the data shows a tight frame time distribution with a minimum of 119 FPS.

For 1440p, the High preset at 74 FPS is the recommended setting, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that is still above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 94 FPS is also a strong choice for users who prioritize performance over fidelity. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS target and may introduce noticeable stutter. The Low preset at 121 FPS is an option for esports-style play, but the visual downgrade is substantial.

For 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset at 69 FPS is a viable option for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 45 FPS that could be distracting. The High and Ultra presets at 42 and 29 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for an enjoyable experience. The data implies that 4K is not this combo’s strong suit, and users should either drop to 1440p or accept significant compromises in visual quality to achieve playable frame rates. Overall, the best experience for the majority of users will be at 1080p with High or Ultra settings, where the combo delivers a smooth and visually appealing result.