Evolve

# Evolve with AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

This combo ranks 222nd out of 3,700 tested processor-and-graphics-card pairings for Evolve, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. The pairing of AMD's 6-core Zen 5 processor with NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace flagship-class GPU produces a system that handles this 2015 FPS with substantial headroom at most settings, though the data reveals interesting bottlenecks that shift depending on resolution and quality preset. The measured frame rates span from a low of 54 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 335 FPS at 1080p Low, showing both the game's age and the hardware's capability curve.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 222 of 3,700 tested combos, this configuration sits comfortably in the upper echelon for Evolve. The percentile placement suggests that roughly 94% of all possible pairings deliver worse performance in this title, which aligns with the raw numbers — even the most demanding preset tested (4K Ultra) maintains a playable 54 FPS average. The ranking reflects a balanced system where neither component drastically limits the other in most scenarios.

The CPU portion of this combo holds an 81st percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 29,713. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (0.2% higher score), AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (0.5% lower), AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (0.6% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (0.8% lower). This clustering within 1% of several 8-core parts highlights how the 9600X's strong single-thread performance compensates for its lower core count in many workloads.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 achieves an 86th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores within 0.1% — essentially identical in synthetic terms. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%, and the Radeon 8060S by 2.7%. For Evolve specifically, the measured FPS indicates the GPU is doing heavy lifting at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU begins to matter more.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 260 FPS average with a minimum of 221 FPS and maximum of 299 FPS — well above any display refresh rate currently available. Moving to 1440p Medium yields 174 FPS average with a 148 FPS minimum and 200 FPS maximum, still exceptionally smooth for competitive play.

High settings also remain viable, particularly at 1440p where the average of 137 FPS stays above 120 Hz territory. At 4K, High settings drop to 78 FPS average, which is playable but noticeably lower than the Medium preset's 99 FPS. The Ultra preset presents a significant visual upgrade cost: at 4K it drops to 54 FPS, which may fall below what some players consider acceptable for a fast-paced FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the 95 FPS average is workable but represents a substantial drop from Medium's 174 FPS.

For players prioritizing frame rate, Low settings at 1080p produce 335 FPS — likely hitting engine or display limits rather than hardware limits. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo in Evolve, offering 174 FPS with a minimum above 144 Hz. For 4K displays, Medium at 99 FPS is the recommended starting point, with High at 78 FPS as an alternative if visual fidelity takes precedence.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound system at higher resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom. At Medium settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 260 to 174 — a 33% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K Medium further reduces FPS from 174 to 99, another 43% reduction. This compounding decline indicates the RTX 4080 is the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

The Low settings preset shows even more dramatic scaling: 335 FPS at 1080p drops to 225 FPS at 1440p (33% reduction) and further to 128 FPS at 4K (43% reduction from 1440p). These consistent percentage drops across settings suggest the scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The High preset follows a similar pattern: 204 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p (33% drop), and 78 FPS at 4K (43% drop).

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest absolute decline: 141 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p (33% drop), and 54 FPS at 4K (43% drop). The uniformity of these scaling ratios — approximately one-third reduction from 1080p to 1440p, then another 43% from 1440p to 4K — strongly indicates that the RTX 4080's rendering throughput, not the Ryzen 5 9600X's processing capability, dictates performance at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo demonstrates exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 335 FPS average, Medium delivers 260 FPS with a 221-299 FPS range, High reaches 204 FPS, and Ultra still manages 141 FPS. These numbers suggest that at 1080p, even Ultra settings leave substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

Stepping up to 1440p, the results remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings yield 225 FPS, Medium offers 174 FPS with a 148-200 FPS range, High achieves 137 FPS, and Ultra drops to 95 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 148 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, this configuration stays above 144 Hz at 1440p Medium.

At 4K, the performance picture changes significantly. Low settings still deliver 128 FPS average, which is respectable for 4K gaming. Medium produces 99 FPS with an 84-114 FPS range, High drops to 78 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 99 FPS is notable — it suggests that players with 4K 120 Hz displays can approach the refresh ceiling with this settings choice, while 4K Ultra requires accepting 60 FPS-class performance or below.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows consistency across resolutions: 221 FPS at 1080p, 148 FPS at 1440p, and 84 FPS at 4K. These minimums represent 85%, 85%, and 85% of their respective averages, indicating stable frame pacing without severe drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 serves as the performance anchor for this combo in Evolve, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth — more than sufficient for a 2015 title that was designed around 4 GB consoles. The AD103 chip contains 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines, with boost clocks reaching 2,505 MHz.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows strong synthetic performance: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567, Geekbench OpenCL score of 214,739, and Vulkan score of 263,779. Its PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and GPU compute score of 20,671 place it well above average, with an 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores essentially identically (0.1% difference), suggesting that Evolve performance would not meaningfully improve with the SUPER variant.

The measured FPS scaling indicates the GPU's rendering limits become evident at 4K Ultra, where the 54 FPS average suggests the 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is being fully utilized. The 22.4 Gbps effective memory speed and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide the foundation for the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra result shows the game's heavier effects can still stress this hardware. The RTX 4080's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design reflect its performance class, though the data shows it delivers playable frame rates even in the most demanding scenario tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Evolve?

A: The data indicates 1440p Medium offers the best balance, delivering 174 FPS average with a 148 FPS minimum and 200 FPS maximum. This provides smooth gameplay above 144 Hz while maintaining visual quality.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 99, which is playable. High settings drop to 78 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. Low settings at 4K achieve 128 FPS, showing the hardware can exceed 120 FPS at 4K with reduced visuals.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival for this game?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 0.1% higher in average benchmarks, which is effectively identical. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%, and the Radeon 8060S by 2.7%. For Evolve specifically, these differences are unlikely to produce noticeable frame rate variations.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 9600X a bottleneck at any settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU provides sufficient performance at all tested configurations. The consistent 33% FPS reduction from 1080p to 1440p and 43% reduction from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What frame rates can players expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers 335 FPS on Low, 260 FPS on Medium (221-299 FPS range), 204 FPS on High, and 141 FPS on Ultra. These results are well above typical monitor refresh rates.

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

A: It ranks 222nd out of 3,700 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. The CPU holds an 81st percentile ranking, while the GPU holds an 86th percentile ranking among their respective categories.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X provides the processing foundation for this combo, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). With a base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz, this 4 nm processor from TSMC delivers strong single-thread performance that appears well-matched to Evolve's demands. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensure the CPU can feed the RTX 4080 without becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The CPU's benchmark results paint a picture of a processor that excels in both single-threaded and multithreaded workloads. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,253 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,183.5 demonstrate excellent per-core performance. Multithreaded results include a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17,528.5, Geekbench multicore score of 14,438, and PassMark multithread score of 30,027. These figures place the 9600X at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,713.

The nearest CPU rivals — all 8-core parts — score within 1% of the 9600X, showing that AMD's 6-core design competes effectively with higher-core-count alternatives in many workloads. The Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE scores 0.2% higher, while the Ryzen 7 7840H, 5800XT, and 8845HS trail by 0.5%, 0.6%, and 0.8% respectively. For Evolve, the game's 2015 release date suggests it was designed for far less capable processors, so the 9600X's modern architecture and high boost clock likely provide more than adequate performance.

The CPU's role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1080p Low, the 335 FPS result indicates the game engine, not the CPU, may be the limiting factor. The 5.40 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread performance ensure that even at these extreme frame rates, the CPU can maintain consistent physics, AI, and game logic updates without creating frame pacing issues. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier also suggest headroom for enthusiasts, though the measured data already shows excellent performance at stock settings.