Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT pairing presents a fascinating case study in Evolve, a 2015 FPS that predates both components by several years. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by GPU load at higher resolutions, but which shows surprising CPU headroom at 1080p. This analysis will break down the measured frame rates, the role of each component, and what the data implies for gamers seeking a stable experience in this title.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, and its defining feature is the massive 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is the "X3D" differentiator, designed to reduce memory latency and improve performance in cache-sensitive workloads. The processor supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus, with a theoretical memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU in most tested scenarios, yet it provides the foundation for very high frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 235.7 FPS. This exceptionally high number suggests the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls, even in a game from 2015 that is not heavily threaded. The 5800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are likely overkill for this title, but the high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 884, ensures that the game's primary thread does not become a bottleneck before the GPU reaches its limits.

The data suggests that the CPU is a limiting factor only when the GPU is under very light load. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is nearly double what we see at 1440p High, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher settings. The processor’s strong showing in multithreaded benchmarks, such as a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 24063, means it has ample reserves for background tasks or more demanding modern titles, but in Evolve, those cores are largely idle. The percentileVsAllCpus of 83 places this CPU in the top 17% of all processors, reinforcing that its capabilities far exceed what this older game requires.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Evolve, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average is 235.7 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant jump from the next highest preset at the same resolution, which is Medium at 183.9 FPS.

Q: How does the 5800X3D compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-11900K?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an average score of 26574, while the Intel Core i9-11900K scores 26546. This results in a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the 5800X3D is just 0.1% faster in aggregate benchmarks, making them effectively equal in raw compute.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K when using High settings?

A: With High settings, the average frame rate drops from 142.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a performance reduction of over 61%, highlighting the immense load placed on the GPU at 4K resolution.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT's performance closer to the NVIDIA P104-100 or the AMD FirePro S9300 X2?

A: The RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 32619. The NVIDIA P104-100 has a score of 32747, which is a deltaPct of -0.4 (meaning the RX 7800 XT is 0.4% slower). The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 scores 32540, a deltaPct of 0.2 (meaning the RX 7800 XT is 0.2% faster). The data shows it sits almost exactly between the two, with the NVIDIA part being marginally closer in score.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo fail to maintain 60 FPS?

A: The only configuration that falls below 60 FPS is 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which averages 36.5 FPS. At 4K High, the average is 54.7 FPS, which is also below the 60 FPS target, but the Ultra preset is the only one that drops into the 30s.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 637th out of 1695 total tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 37.6% of all configurations tested for this game.

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

The relationship between resolution and frame rate is the clearest indicator of system balance. Examining the data for Low settings, we see a progression from 235.7 FPS at 1080p, to 156.3 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 90.9 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 33.7% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 41.8% reduction. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at lower settings, where the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates, but the GPU's rendering workload increases dramatically with pixel count.

The story changes slightly at High settings. Here, the frame rates are 142.8 FPS at 1080p, 95.7 FPS at 1440p, and 54.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33.0%, which is similar to the Low preset. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K is a steeper 42.9%. This suggests that as the settings increase, the GPU's fixed-function units (ROPs, TMUs) and memory bandwidth become more saturated, leading to a more pronounced decline at higher resolutions. The Radeon RX 7800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, is the key component managing these workloads.

Perhaps the most telling data point is the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K. The Low preset averages 90.9 FPS, while Ultra averages only 36.5 FPS. This 54.4 FPS gap at the same resolution is entirely attributable to the GPU's shading and texture work, not the CPU. The data shows a clear trend: the higher the resolution, the more the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor. The CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where it allows the GPU to stretch its legs, but it is never the primary bottleneck in the other tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The comboRankInGame field provides a useful, if abstract, measure of overall performance. With a rank of 637 out of 1695 combos, this configuration sits in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems for Evolve. This ranking is not surprising given the hardware's age relative to the game. The 5800X3D is from a generation released in 2022, and the RX 7800 XT from 2023, so they are modern parts, but the game itself is from 2015. The ranking suggests that while this combo is powerful, there are many other combinations (likely with even more recent and expensive GPUs) that achieve higher average frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra.

The rank also implies that for a game like Evolve, this combo is not overkill, but it is also not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The data shows that the weakest link is the GPU, especially at higher resolutions. While the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 83, indicating it is a high-end part, the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 76, which is slightly lower. This discrepancy hints that the GPU is the component that holds this combo back from achieving even higher frame rates and a better rank. The fact that the combo is in the 637th position means that a significant number of other tested systems are able to push more pixels, likely due to more powerful GPUs that can maintain higher FPS at 4K Ultra settings.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across 12 different configurations. Below is a detailed breakdown.

1920x1080 (Full HD): This is where the combo shines brightest.

• Low: 235.7 FPS average.
• Medium: 183.9 FPS average.
• High: 142.8 FPS average.
• Ultra: 96.4 FPS average.

The spread between Low and Ultra is 139.3 FPS, showing a massive impact from graphical settings. Even at Ultra, the frame rate is well above 60 FPS, indicating a highly playable experience at this resolution.

2560x1440 (Quad HD): Performance remains strong, but the GPU load increases.

• Low: 156.3 FPS average.
• Medium: 123.6 FPS average.
• High: 95.7 FPS average.
• Ultra: 64.6 FPS average.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset just barely stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The drop from Low to Ultra is 91.7 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, but still a significant 58.7% reduction.

3840x2160 (4K Ultra HD): The GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck.

• Low: 90.9 FPS average.
• Medium: 72.2 FPS average.
• High: 54.7 FPS average.
• Ultra: 36.5 FPS average.

At 4K, the High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset dips to 36.5 FPS, which is likely to feel stuttery in a fast-paced FPS. The Low preset remains playable, but the quality trade-off is substantial.

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

The data points to different optimal presets depending on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a gamer with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the High preset at 142.8 FPS offers a strong balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, staying above the 144Hz threshold only with the Low preset. The Medium preset at 183.9 FPS is also an excellent choice, providing a comfortable margin above 144Hz. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, still offers 96.4 FPS, which is a very good experience.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The High preset averages 95.7 FPS, which is ideal for a 100Hz or 120Hz display. The Ultra preset at 64.6 FPS is also viable for a 60Hz monitor, but for higher refresh rates, High is the better choice. The Low preset at 156.3 FPS is overkill for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that the Ultra preset is not a viable option, as the 36.5 FPS average is below the playable threshold for most users. The High preset at 54.7 FPS is borderline; it is close to 60 FPS but may not be stable enough. The Medium preset at 72.2 FPS is the best choice for 4K, offering a playable frame rate with moderate visual settings. The Low preset at 90.9 FPS is the only way to achieve high frame rates at 4K, but the image quality will be significantly reduced. The most balanced experience across all resolutions is the Medium preset, which provides a good mix of quality and performance, never dropping below 72 FPS even at 4K.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary driver of performance in Evolve. It is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The GPU has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The card is equipped with 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is most evident in the resolution scaling. The 16 GB VRAM is likely not a limiting factor at any tested setting, as the game from 2015 is unlikely to exceed 8 GB even at 4K Ultra. Instead, the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the key constraints. The drop from 54.7 FPS at 4K High to 36.5 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a 33.3% performance hit, which is a direct result of the increased shading and texture work the GPU must perform. The 96 ROPs and 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate are the units that handle these tasks, and they are clearly saturated at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 76, indicating it is a high-performing card, but it is not the absolute fastest. Its nearest rival in the database, the NVIDIA P104-100, is 0.4% slower in average benchmark scores, showing that the RX 7800 XT is competitive with other high-end parts. However, the FPS data shows that for Evolve, the GPU's capabilities are stretched to their limits at 4K, especially with the Ultra preset enabled. The card's 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but the game's engine seems to be heavily dependent on the memory subsystem and ROP throughput, which is where the performance degradation is most visible.