Evolve

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER lands at rank 1042 out of 1695 tested combinations in Evolve. That slot places this pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database, which is a fair reflection of the hardware mix: a modern, high-IPC processor shackled to a Turing-generation GPU that was already aging when this title’s benchmark suite was assembled. The combo outperforms roughly 38% of all recorded pairings, but the data shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint in nearly every measurable scenario.

What makes this rank notable is the asymmetry between the two components. The Ryzen 5 9600X sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at only the 65th percentile among GPUs. In a game like Evolve, which is a 2015 FPS with relatively modest CPU demands, that gap means the processor’s headroom is largely wasted. The pairing’s rank is dragged down by the graphics card, not lifted by the CPU. If you are looking at this combo for Evolve specifically, the conclusion is straightforward: the CPU is overqualified for the workload, and the GPU sets the ceiling.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 9600X brings six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Those are strong specs on paper, and the benchmark scores confirm it. The chip posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603, while Geekbench shows 15182 multi-core and 3363 single-core. In PassMark, the multi-thread score is 30027 and single-thread is 4570. These are top-tier numbers for a desktop processor, and the 85th percentile ranking across all CPUs reflects that.

But Evolve does not need that much compute. The game was released in February 2015, and its engine is not built to scale with twelve threads or a 5.40 GHz boost. The measured FPS data shows almost no scenario where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the average frame rate hits 177.3 FPS — a number that suggests the CPU is comfortably feeding the GPU. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core i5-13490F and AMD Ryzen 5 230, both within 0.3% of its average score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS at -0.4%. This is a processor that trades blows with chips that have different core counts and clock strategies, but in Evolve, those differences do not surface because the GPU saturates first.

The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for this game’s memory access patterns. There is no scenario in the measured data where the CPU’s cache or memory throughput would be a limiting factor. The processor is simply not the story here.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the component that defines this combo’s performance in Evolve. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1605 MHz and the boost clock is 1770 MHz. The chip has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its FP32 throughput is 9.062 TFLOPS. These are mid-range figures by today’s standards, and the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects that.

In Evolve, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth matter more than raw compute, because the game’s environments and effects can be texture-heavy at higher settings. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows it starts to struggle at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 30.3. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX A400 at -0.5%, the GeForce GTX TITAN Z at +0.9%, and the RTX 4060 Mobile at -2.3%. The deltaPct values are small, meaning this GPU is clustered with a group of cards that perform similarly in synthetic tests. But in Evolve, the specific mix of rasterization and memory bandwidth determines the outcome, and the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 448.0 GB/s is sufficient for smooth play only up to certain settings and resolutions.

The GPU’s 12 nm process node and 215 W TDP are worth noting because they explain why the card runs hot and why its performance ceiling is lower than newer architectures. But for Evolve, the practical takeaway is that the GPU is the limiting component in all measured rows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a wide spread of results depending on settings. Low settings average 177.3 FPS, Medium averages 140 FPS, High averages 108.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 76.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra is a 101 FPS drop, which indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by the game’s higher-quality effects and textures. Even at Ultra, the frame rate is playable for most users, but it is far from the high-refresh territory that the CPU could theoretically support.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 119.4 FPS, Medium averages 90.9 FPS, High averages 74 FPS, and Ultra averages 50.3 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p drops below 60 FPS, which is a critical threshold for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low averages 65.9 FPS, Medium averages 52.6 FPS, High averages 42.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 30.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is essentially unplayable for a competitive FPS, and even 4K High sits below 45 FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU’s performance degrades predictably as resolution increases, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra settings. The CPU’s contribution is constant across all rows, meaning the FPS differences are entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Evolve at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 High is 108.6, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

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

A: 2560x1440 at Medium settings yields an average of 90.9 FPS, which balances visual quality and performance. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 65.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X scores 28246 on average, which is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and AMD Ryzen 5 230, and 0.4-0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Intel Core i5-14500T.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER averages 22206, which is 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A400, 0.9% ahead of the GeForce GTX TITAN Z, 2.3% behind the RTX 4060 Mobile, and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700.

Q: Is this combo bottlenecked by the CPU or GPU in Evolve?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck in every measured scenario. The CPU’s benchmark scores place it at the 85th percentile, while the GPU sits at the 65th percentile, and FPS scaling with resolution confirms GPU limitation.

Q: Can this combo hit 60 FPS at 4K in Evolve?

A: No. The highest 4K average is 65.9 FPS at Low settings, but Medium drops to 52.6 FPS. To maintain 60 FPS at 4K, only Low settings are viable.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 2560x1440 Medium as the best balance for this combo in Evolve. At that settings and resolution, the average FPS is 90.9, which provides smooth gameplay with a noticeable visual upgrade over Low. Pushing to 1440p High drops the average to 74 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for scene complexity. At 1080p, Medium at 140 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh displays, while High at 108.6 FPS is acceptable if visual fidelity is the priority. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution: at 1080p it dips to 76.3 FPS, at 1440p it falls to 50.3 FPS, and at 4K it collapses to 30.3 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is disproportionate to the visual gains in this title. For competitive play, 1080p Low at 177.3 FPS is the optimal choice, but for a balanced experience, 1440p Medium is the data-backed recommendation.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 177.3 at 1080p to 119.4 at 1440p (a 32.7% drop) and then to 65.9 at 4K (a further 44.8% drop from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the drop is even more severe: from 76.3 at 1080p to 50.3 at 1440p (a 34.1% drop) and then to 30.3 at 4K (a 39.8% drop from 1440p). The pattern shows that the GPU’s rendering load scales almost linearly with pixel count, which is expected for a rasterization-bound title like Evolve.

The data also reveals that the CPU does not become a limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would stay flat as resolution increased. Instead, the FPS drops consistently, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is working at its full capacity in every measured row. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores are effectively wasted headroom in this game. For users who plan to play Evolve primarily at 1080p or 1440p, this combo is adequate, but the GPU’s age shows at 4K, where even Medium settings cannot hold 60 FPS. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that any future upgrade to this pairing should focus on the GPU, not the CPU.