Evolve

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It carries a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus delivering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor sits on AMD Socket AM5 and includes integrated Radeon Graphics, though the benchmarked configuration uses a discrete GPU.

In the context of Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient to feed the paired GPU. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combination reaches 125.5 FPS average, which is the highest result across all tested resolutions and settings. This suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p; rather, the frame rate ceiling is determined by the GPU's rasterization capability. The Ryzen 5 7600's single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 999 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3246. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game's primary thread efficiently, which is critical for older FPS titles that often rely heavily on a single core.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22992 and a Passmark multithread score of 27058. However, Evolve's engine is unlikely to leverage all 12 threads effectively, so the additional headroom from the extra threads is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6499 and 8-thread score of 5508 show good scaling, but the game's performance at all settings is constrained by the GPU. When comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7600's average benchmark score of 26617 places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (score 26574) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 8024P (score 26555), while being 0.2% behind the Intel Core i9-12900HK (score 26672) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900K (score 26546). These margins are negligible, meaning the CPU's performance class is well established.

The processor's percentile ranking of 83 among all CPUs indicates it outperforms the vast majority of available processors. This high percentile, combined with the benchmark scores, confirms that the CPU is not the performance limiter in this combination. The measured FPS deltas between settings at a given resolution—for example, from 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops from 125.5 to 51.1—are driven by GPU load, not CPU capability. The CPU's role is to supply draw calls and physics data without stalling, and the data shows it does so effectively.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this CPU-GPU combination in Evolve?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 125.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600's average benchmark score is 26617, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D's score of 26574.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 ranks in the 83rd percentile, meaning it outperforms 83% of all CPUs in the benchmark database.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combination in Evolve?

A: The lowest average FPS is 17.6, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU support DDR5 memory?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 5 7600 supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded Cinebench R20 score compare to its single-thread score?

A: The multi-core Cinebench R20 score is 9656, while the single-core score is 1363, indicating a roughly 7:1 scaling ratio across its 12 threads.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how resolution scaling affects performance for this combination. At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 125.5. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 83.3, a reduction of 42.2 FPS (approximately 34% lower). At 4K Low settings, the average FPS further falls to 46.1, which is about 55% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the frame rate is inversely proportional to the number of pixels rendered.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 1080p yields 98.2 FPS, 1440p yields 63.3 FPS, and 4K yields 39.5 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35%, and from 1080p to 4K is about 60%. High settings show 1080p at 74.8 FPS, 1440p at 50.8 FPS, and 4K at 30.3 FPS, with drops of 32% and 59% respectively. Ultra settings exhibit the steepest decline: 1080p at 51.1 FPS, 1440p at 35.3 FPS, and 4K at 17.6 FPS, representing a 31% drop to 1440p and a 66% drop to 4K.

These consistent scaling percentages across all settings indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being saturated as pixel count increases. The GPU's 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 84.96 GPixel/s pixel rate are the relevant metrics, and the frame rate declines align with the increased pixel workload. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant across resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is proportional to the pixel count increase (4x pixels), not a CPU limitation.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the combination is still somewhat GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates above 100 FPS at Low settings. At 4K, even Low settings produce only 46.1 FPS, confirming that the GPU cannot handle 4K workloads adequately for smooth gameplay in Evolve. The 1440p results sit in a middle ground, where Medium settings deliver 63.3 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1493 out of 1695 tested combinations in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, which is a surprising result given the CPU's high performance percentile of 83. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's modest performance, as the GTX 1660 Ti sits in the 55th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 13925.

The GPU's nearest rivals illustrate its performance tier: the AMD Radeon RX 570X has an average score of 13871 (0.4% behind), while the NVIDIA Tesla K10 scores 14029 (0.7% ahead). The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 13821 (0.8% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 scores 13812 (0.8% behind). These small deltas indicate that the GTX 1660 Ti is positioned among mid-range GPUs from several generations ago, which explains the low combo ranking in a modern benchmark database.

The combo rank of 1493 out of 1695 means that 202 other combinations perform better in Evolve. Given that the game was released in 2015, many modern mid-range and high-end systems will outpace this configuration. The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability—the Ryzen 5 7600 is a top-tier processor—but rather a consequence of pairing it with an older, end-of-life GPU. The GTX 1660 Ti's production status is listed as "End-of-life," and its release date of 2019-02-21 places it at a significant technological disadvantage compared to contemporary GPUs.

The data indicates that if this combination is used for Evolve, the GPU is the bottleneck, and upgrading the GPU would yield substantial performance improvements without requiring a CPU change. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking suggests it would not constrain any GPU upgrade, as it has ample headroom for even the most demanding modern graphics cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers the following average FPS: Low settings produce 125.5 FPS, Medium settings produce 98.2 FPS, High settings produce 74.8 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 51.1 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a drop of 74.4 FPS, representing a 59% reduction in frame rate. The gap between Low and Medium is 27.3 FPS, between Medium and High is 23.4 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 23.7 FPS. This relatively even spacing suggests that each settings tier imposes a similar incremental load on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 83.3 FPS, Medium at 63.3 FPS, High at 50.8 FPS, and Ultra at 35.3 FPS. The total drop from Low to Ultra is 48.0 FPS, which is a 58% reduction. The deltas between settings are 20.0 FPS (Low to Medium), 12.5 FPS (Medium to High), and 15.5 FPS (High to Ultra). The relative percentage drops are similar to 1080p, confirming consistent GPU scaling.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values drop significantly: Low at 46.1 FPS, Medium at 39.5 FPS, High at 30.3 FPS, and Ultra at 17.6 FPS. The total drop from Low to Ultra is 28.5 FPS, a 62% reduction. The deltas are 6.6 FPS (Low to Medium), 9.2 FPS (Medium to High), and 12.7 FPS (High to Ultra). The smaller absolute deltas at 4K reflect the GPU's diminishing capacity to handle higher settings as pixel count increases.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings, the scaling is consistent. For Low settings, 1080p to 1440p is a 42.2 FPS drop (34%), and 1440p to 4K is a 37.2 FPS drop (45%). For Medium settings, the drops are 34.9 FPS (36%) and 23.8 FPS (38%). For High settings, the drops are 24.0 FPS (32%) and 20.5 FPS (40%). For Ultra settings, the drops are 15.8 FPS (31%) and 17.7 FPS (50%). The 4K Ultra result of 17.6 FPS is the only sub-20 FPS measurement, indicating that this setting is effectively unplayable.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 125.5 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays or competitive play. The Medium preset at 98.2 FPS is also excellent, providing a smoother visual experience while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. The High preset at 74.8 FPS is still very playable and offers a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 51.1 FPS is slightly below the 60 FPS threshold, so it may cause noticeable stuttering on standard 60 Hz monitors. For 1080p, the Medium or High presets provide the best experience, with Medium offering a 31% FPS advantage over High while retaining decent visuals.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 83.3 FPS is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 63.3 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 50.8 FPS falls below 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 35.3 FPS is marginal. For 1440p, the Low preset is recommended for maintaining smooth gameplay, with Medium being acceptable for those who prioritize visual quality over a strict 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, all settings produce frame rates below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 46.1 FPS is the most playable, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset at 39.5 FPS and High preset at 30.3 FPS are increasingly less fluid, while the Ultra preset at 17.6 FPS is effectively unplayable. For 4K, the Low preset is the only reasonable choice, and even then, the experience will be suboptimal for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved at 1080p with the Medium preset, which delivers 98.2 FPS. This provides a 31% frame rate advantage over High settings while maintaining a significant improvement in visual fidelity compared to Low settings. For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 83.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the only setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 4K, the combination is not recommended for Evolve, as even the lowest settings cannot achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience.