Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a compelling, high-refresh-rate experience in Evolve, with the data clearly separating GPU-bound scenarios at high resolutions from CPU-bound scenarios at lower settings. The measured frame rates show a system that can handle competitive play at 1080p and 1440p with ease, while 4K demands a careful choice of graphics settings to maintain playability.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a classic GPU-bound progression at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 153 FPS at 1920x1080 to 102 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 33% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 58 FPS, which is a 62% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3080’s rendering workload is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low, the average frame rate goes from 232 FPS at 1080p down to 168 FPS at 1440p and finally 96 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset follows a similar curve, with averages of 195, 130, and 74 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic falloff, dropping from 106 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p and then to 40 FPS at 4K.

Interestingly, the delta between 1080p and 1440p is relatively smaller than the delta between 1440p and 4K across most settings. For example, at High, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 51 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs 44 FPS. This suggests that while the GPU is heavily taxed at all resolutions, the architectural limits of the GA102 chip become more pronounced as the fill-rate and shading demands increase exponentially at 4K.

The data indicates that at 1080p and lower settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The jump from 195 FPS at Medium 1080p to 232 FPS at Low 1080p suggests that the GPU is capable of much higher output, but the frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions is likely influenced by the Ryzen 7 3700X’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration. However, the fact that Ultra at 1080p still yields 106 FPS shows that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even in demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings-to-resolution trade-off for the RTX 3080 and Ryzen 7 3700X. For players targeting a 60 FPS baseline, the High preset at 4K is the best option, delivering an average of 58 FPS. This is a borderline playable experience, but the Medium preset at 4K offers a more comfortable margin with an average of 74 FPS and a minimum of 63 FPS, ensuring consistent performance above the standard refresh rate threshold.

For 1440p, the High preset stands out as the sweet spot. It achieves an average of 102 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 100 FPS and provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p is also viable, with an average of 130 FPS and a minimum of 111 FPS, but the visual quality gain from High is generally worth the 28 FPS average reduction. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with its 71 FPS average, is only recommended if visual fidelity is paramount and the player can tolerate frame rates that dip below 60 FPS in intense moments.

At 1080p, the High preset delivers an exceptional 153 FPS average, making it ideal for competitive play on 144Hz displays. The Medium preset pushes further to 195 FPS, which is beneficial for 240Hz panels, though the minimum of 165 FPS suggests that even the most demanding scenes remain well above 144 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 232 FPS, but the visual compromises are significant, and the benefit of going from 195 FPS to 232 FPS is marginal for most users.

The Ultra preset is the least efficient choice at every resolution. At 1080p, it yields 106 FPS, which is only slightly higher than the High preset at 1440p, but with substantially more demanding visuals. The performance cost of Ultra is steep, as evidenced by the 4K result of 40 FPS, which is unplayable for most users. The data strongly suggests that High is the optimal preset for this combination, offering the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a solid foundation for Evolve. The processor’s base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are sufficient to keep up with the RTX 3080 in most scenarios, as shown by the high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark data for the CPU shows a single-thread score of 2656 in PassMark and 204 in Cinebench R15, indicating that its per-core performance is adequate for a game that relies on a few primary threads.

The 3700X’s multi-threaded capabilities are strong, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 22458 and a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 2092. While Evolve may not utilize all 16 threads effectively, the presence of 8 physical cores ensures that background tasks and game logic do not create bottlenecks. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 232 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this title, as the GPU is capable of even higher output.

The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game’s assets. When compared to its nearest rivals, the 3700X performs within a narrow band. It scores 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4244P, while trailing the Intel Core i5-13450HX by 0.2% and leading the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H by 0.5%. This places the 3700X in a competitive position, though it is not a performance leader in synthetic benchmarks.

In practical terms, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p with lower settings, where the frame rates exceed what many other processors could sustain. The fact that the 3700X can support an average of 195 FPS at Medium 1080p and 153 FPS at High 1080p indicates that it is not the primary limiter at these settings. However, the data also shows that the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the dominant factor at 1440p and 4K.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with the High preset provides an average of 102 FPS, which is a strong balance of visual quality and performance. For higher frame rates, 1920x1080 with the High preset achieves 153 FPS, while 4K with the High preset averages 58 FPS.

*Q: Is the RTX 3080 capable of running Evolve at 4K?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 58 FPS, which is just below a standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 4K averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is more comfortable. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 40 FPS, which is not recommended.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X perform relative to other CPUs in the database?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and the AMD EPYC 4244P, 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-13450HX, and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H.

Q: What is the difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 102 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. This represents a 31 FPS average difference, with Ultra providing higher visual fidelity at a significant performance cost.

*Q: Can this system achieve 240 FPS in Evolve at 1080p?*

A: The data shows that the Low preset at 1920x1080 averages 232 FPS, which is below 240 FPS. The Medium preset averages 195 FPS, and the High preset averages 153 FPS. None of the measured settings achieve a 240 FPS average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p with High settings?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary bottleneck at 1080p High, as the average frame rate of 153 FPS is consistent with the GPU’s capabilities. The CPU appears capable of higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 232 FPS result at Low settings, but the GPU’s workload at High settings limits the output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, which provide ample raw compute power for Evolve’s rendering demands. The boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with a base clock of 1440 MHz, ensures that the GPU can sustain high throughput under load.

The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s, which is critical for high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU’s 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance is more than sufficient for a game released in 2015, allowing the RTX 3080 to deliver high frame rates even at 4K when settings are managed appropriately.

The GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 and a PassMark G3D score of 25086. Its percentile rank of 68 among all GPUs indicates it is a high-end part, though its nearest rivals in the database are notably weaker. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 0.3% higher on average, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 and Radeon RX 6600M score 0.3% and 0.4% lower respectively. This suggests that the RTX 3080 is positioned at a performance tier where small differences in benchmark scores do not translate to meaningful FPS differences in Evolve.

The GPU’s role is most apparent in the scaling from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 102 FPS to 58 FPS, a 43% reduction. This is consistent with the 2.25x increase in pixel count from 1440p to 4K, as the GPU’s fill-rate and shading capabilities become saturated. The RTX 3080’s 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial, but they are finite, and the data shows that 4K Ultra is beyond its practical limits for this title.

At 1080p, the GPU still plays a significant role, but the frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s influence becomes measurable. The RTX 3080’s ability to render at 232 FPS on Low settings shows its raw capability, while the 106 FPS result on Ultra demonstrates the cost of enabling all visual features. The GPU’s 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but Evolve does not appear to utilize them heavily, as the frame rates are primarily driven by traditional rasterization performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates span a wide range depending on settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 232 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 195 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS. The High preset averages 153 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with each step up in settings costing a significant number of frames.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but at lower absolute values. The Low preset averages 168 FPS, the Medium preset averages 130 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS, the High preset averages 102 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is notable for its tight minimum-to-maximum range, indicating consistent performance without major dips.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more variable. The Low preset averages 96 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is the only option that guarantees a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for a smooth experience.

The data also reveals that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 126 FPS, while at 4K, it is 56 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings to Low cannot fully compensate for the pixel count, whereas at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to benefit substantially from lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1103 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the top 30% of all configurations in the database, which is a solid result for a pairing of a mid-range 2019 CPU with a high-end 2020 GPU. The ranking reflects the strong performance of the RTX 3080, which is the primary driver of frame rates in this game.

The rank of 1103 indicates that while this combo is capable, there are many configurations that achieve higher frame rates. These are likely to include newer CPUs with higher single-thread performance and more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 3080’s successors. However, the data shows that this combo is well above the median, and its performance is sufficient for smooth gameplay at most resolutions and settings.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 84 and the GPU’s percentile rank of 68 provide context for the combo’s overall position. The CPU is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the GPU, but in Evolve, the GPU is the more critical component. The combo’s rank of 1103 suggests that the system is balanced, with neither component being a severe bottleneck at the tested settings. The 3700X’s ability to support frame rates up to 232 FPS at 1080p Low means it does not hold back the RTX 3080, which is itself limited by its rendering workload at higher resolutions.

The ranking also reflects the age of the components. The Ryzen 7 3700X was released in July 2019, and the RTX 3080 in August 2020, meaning this combo represents a previous generation of hardware. Despite this, the measured frame rates remain competitive, and the system is well-suited for playing Evolve at high settings with high refresh rates, provided the user selects the appropriate resolution and preset based on the data presented.