Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Evolve with the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions, with the CPU's headroom becoming more apparent at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 248.4 FPS, which drops to 163.4 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 93.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62.2% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

The scaling behavior changes notably when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the combo produces 148.5 FPS, falling to 100.9 FPS at 1440p and 58.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.1%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 42.2%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions suggests the RX 9070's rendering workload scales non-linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a game from 2015 that was designed around older GPU architectures.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario, with 101.6 FPS at 1080p, 70.8 FPS at 1440p, and 37.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered acceptable for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra shows a 30.3% performance loss, while the 1440p to 4K transition costs another 46.6%. This indicates that Ultra settings at 4K push the RX 9070 beyond its comfortable operating range for this title.

Medium settings show a similar pattern, with 193.9 FPS at 1080p, 126.4 FPS at 1440p, and 71.3 FPS at 4K. The resolution scaling here is more linear than at Ultra, with each step up in resolution costing roughly 35% performance. This suggests that Medium settings allocate GPU resources more evenly across the rendering pipeline, allowing the RX 9070 to maintain better scaling efficiency.

The data reveals that at 1080p, the CPU's Zen 4 architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads is capable of feeding the GPU adequately even at Low settings where the frame rate exceeds 248 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 146.8 FPS, which is substantial and indicates that the GPU is still the bottleneck even at lower resolutions. The 8400F's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and the system's DDR5 memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s appear sufficient to avoid CPU limitation in this scenario.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 248.4, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or lower settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 71.3, while 4K High produces 58.3 FPS and 4K Ultra drops to 37.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070's performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 34780, placing it slightly below the NVIDIA A2 (34866, deltaPct -0.2%) and slightly above the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 (34677, deltaPct 0.3%) and AMD Radeon HD 7970 (34541, deltaPct 0.7%).

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 163.4 FPS while Ultra produces 70.8 FPS, a difference of 92.6 FPS. This represents a 56.7% performance penalty for enabling Ultra settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to the Ryzen 5 7500F in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25064, which is 0.3% higher than the Ryzen 5 7500F's score of 24993. The 8400F also outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X by 0.01% (25057).

Q: Is the combo more GPU-limited or CPU-limited in Evolve?

A: The data shows GPU limitation is dominant. At 1080p Low, the 248.4 FPS result with a 4K Low result of 93.8 FPS demonstrates that resolution increases cause significant frame rate drops, indicating the RX 9070 is the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver playable performance, with even Ultra settings achieving 101.6 FPS. For players with high refresh rate monitors, Low settings at 248.4 FPS or Medium settings at 193.9 FPS provide the smoothest experience, while High settings at 148.5 FPS offer a good balance between visual quality and performance. Ultra at 1080p remains viable at 101.6 FPS, making it the best choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts based on preference. High settings at 100.9 FPS provide a solid experience for most players, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS threshold and approaching 100 FPS. Medium settings at 126.4 FPS offer additional headroom for smoother motion, while Low at 163.4 FPS is suitable for competitive play. Ultra at 1440p produces 70.8 FPS, which is playable but may not feel as fluid as the other presets; it remains the choice for players prioritizing image quality over frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the options narrow considerably. Ultra settings at 37.8 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the frame rate falls well below the 60 FPS standard. High settings at 58.3 FPS approach playability but may exhibit noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. Medium settings at 71.3 FPS provide the best balance at 4K, delivering smooth performance while maintaining moderate visual quality. Low settings at 93.8 FPS are the best choice for maximum smoothness at 4K, though visual fidelity is substantially reduced.

The data suggests that Medium settings offer the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with a scaling pattern that remains predictable. From 1080p to 1440p, the drop is 67.5 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K, the drop is 55.1 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the recommended preset for players who switch between resolutions or use dynamic resolution scaling. For players with 1440p monitors, High settings at 100.9 FPS provide the best overall experience, as the visual improvement over Medium is significant while the performance cost is manageable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 569 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. This percentile position reflects the GPU's strong rendering capabilities in this title, though the ranking is tempered by the game's age and the CPU's mid-range positioning. The RX 9070's percentile rank of 79 among all GPUs indicates it outperforms the majority of graphics cards, which contributes positively to the combo's overall standing.

The CPU's percentile rank of 82 among all processors shows that the Ryzen 5 8400F is well above average in general computing tasks, with an average benchmark score of 25064. This places it in the company of the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, deltaPct 0%) and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099, deltaPct -0.1%). The 8400F's performance is essentially equivalent to these rivals, with the largest delta being only 0.3% against the Ryzen 5 7500F.

In the context of Evolve specifically, the combo's rank of 569 out of 1695 means that roughly two-thirds of tested combinations deliver higher frame rates. This is consistent with the game's release date of 2015, as modern hardware tends to excel in older titles. The data indicates that the RX 9070's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for Evolve's requirements, allowing the GPU to operate without memory constraints.

The ranking position suggests that while this combo is capable, it does not represent the absolute top tier for this game. The 1080p Low result of 248.4 FPS demonstrates the combo's ceiling, but configurations with more powerful CPUs or GPUs may achieve higher frame rates. The gap between the combo's rank and the top performers is likely attributable to the CPU's 6-core, 12-thread configuration rather than the GPU, as the RX 9070's general benchmark scores are competitive with its rivals.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 plays the dominant role in determining Evolve's performance across all measured configurations. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth provides ample memory bandwidth for the game's textures and geometry, which is reflected in the consistent frame rates even at 4K resolution. The memory clock of 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) ensures that memory bandwidth does not become a bottleneck, as evidenced by the relatively smooth scaling between resolutions.

The RX 9070's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz, based on the Navi 48 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, deliver substantial compute throughput. The 3584 shading units and 224 texture mapping units contribute to the GPU's ability to maintain high frame rates at lower settings, while the 128 ROPs handle pixel output efficiently. The GPU's FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS provides raw compute power that benefits the rendering pipeline, though Evolve's 2015-era engine may not fully utilize all available features.

The GPU's general benchmark scores support its strong performance in Evolve. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 165532 indicate robust DirectX 12 and Vulkan capabilities, though Evolve primarily uses earlier API features. The Passmark G3D score of 25381 places the RX 9070 well above average, with a percentile rank of 79 among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the NVIDIA A2 (34866, deltaPct -0.2%), NVIDIA Quadro GV100 (34677, deltaPct 0.3%), and AMD Radeon HD 7970 (34541, deltaPct 0.7%).

The GPU's TDP of 220 W and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate that it draws substantial power, but this is not reflected in the measured FPS data. The 4K Ultra result of 37.8 FPS shows that even with 16 GB of VRAM, the GPU reaches its limit when all graphical features are enabled at maximum resolution. The fact that 4K Medium achieves 71.3 FPS while 4K High achieves 58.3 FPS suggests that specific Ultra settings impose a significant additional load, likely related to shadow quality, post-processing, or anti-aliasing features that heavily tax the GPU's compute units.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values across settings are as follows: Low produces 248.4 FPS, Medium produces 193.9 FPS, High produces 148.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 101.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium represents a 54.5 FPS drop, from Medium to High a 45.4 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra a 46.9 FPS drop. These differences indicate that each settings tier imposes a similar relative cost on the GPU, with Ultra being approximately 59.1% slower than Low at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the measured results are: Low at 163.4 FPS, Medium at 126.4 FPS, High at 100.9 FPS, and Ultra at 70.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 92.6 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at 1080p where the gap is 146.8 FPS. The percentage reduction from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 56.7%, compared to 59.1% at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU's rendering overhead scales slightly differently with resolution. High settings at 1440p produce 100.9 FPS, which is nearly identical to Ultra at 1080p at 101.6 FPS, indicating that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p at High settings costs roughly the same performance as the settings increase from High to Ultra at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the measured results are: Low at 93.8 FPS, Medium at 71.3 FPS, High at 58.3 FPS, and Ultra at 37.8 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 22.5 FPS, from Medium to High is 13.0 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 20.5 FPS. The Ultra result of 37.8 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The 4K Low result of 93.8 FPS is higher than the 1440p Ultra result of 70.8 FPS, demonstrating that resolution has a less severe impact on performance than settings quality at this hardware level.

Comparing across resolutions, the 1080p Low result of 248.4 FPS is 2.6 times higher than the 4K Low result of 93.8 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result of 101.6 FPS is 2.7 times higher than the 4K Ultra result of 37.8 FPS. This consistent ratio indicates that the GPU's workload scales predictably with pixel count, with the RX 9070 maintaining similar efficiency across resolutions. The highest measured FPS in the entire dataset is 248.4 at 1080p Low, while the lowest is 37.8 at 4K Ultra, representing a 210.6 FPS range across all tested configurations.