Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, presents an interesting stress profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination. The measured data shows a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with performance scaling that reveals a clear shift in bottleneck between the CPU and GPU as the workload changes. The following analysis breaks down the 12 measured data points to understand the character of this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about which component is under the most strain at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 107 FPS at 1920x1080 to 72 FPS at 2560x1440, a 33% reduction, and then to 41 FPS at 3840x2160, a 43% drop from 1440p. This steep, near-linear decline as pixel count increases points directly to the GPU becoming the limiting factor. The Radeon RX 9060 is having to work progressively harder to fill those extra pixels, and the frame rate suffers accordingly.

The pattern holds for other settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 137 at 1080p, to 92 at 1440p, and then down to 52 at 4K. The 4K result is only 38% of the 1080p figure. Similarly, at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 176 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p and 67 at 4K. The 4K result here is also 38% of the 1080p number. This consistent scaling ratio across different settings suggests that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at 4K, regardless of how much graphical detail is being requested.

Interestingly, the drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p in most cases. For example, at High settings, the move from 1080p to 1440p costs 35 FPS, while the move from 1440p to 4K costs 31 FPS. This is a slightly smaller absolute loss at the higher resolution step, but the percentage loss is larger, reinforcing that the GPU is getting closer to its absolute ceiling as resolution increases. The data implies that at 4K, the CPU has headroom to spare, and the RX 9060 is the sole arbiter of performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 5800XT and Radeon RX 9060 holds a rank of 1664 out of 2872 combos for this specific game. This places it in the 58th percentile of all tested pairings, meaning it outperforms a slim majority of other CPU-GPU combinations in Evolve. This is a mid-pack result, suggesting that while the components are capable, they are not at the top of the heap for this title.

Given the GPU's overall benchmark percentile of 59, this in-game rank is closely aligned with expectations. The combo is performing neither above nor below what the individual parts suggest. The CPU, with a percentile of 81, is clearly the stronger of the two components. The fact that the combo rank is much lower than the CPU's percentile indicates that the GPU is holding the pairing back from reaching a higher overall position. The data suggests that this system's performance in Evolve is effectively capped by the Radeon RX 9060, and the Ryzen 7 5800XT's extra headroom is not being fully utilized in this specific title.

The ranking also implies that many other tested combos have a more balanced or more powerful GPU to leverage the CPU's capabilities. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's mid-pack percentile is the most telling statistic. It shows a system where the processor is ready for more, but the graphics card sets the performance ceiling in this game. This is a classic bottleneck scenario, and the measured FPS data supports this conclusion.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the clear performance limiter in this pairing for Evolve. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, it provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clocks are listed with a base of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost of 2990 MHz. The large difference between the game clock and the boost clock suggests that the card has significant headroom to increase its frequency under load, which is a sign of a well-cooled design or a conservative default profile.

In the context of Evolve's measured results, the GPU's role is decisive. The consistent FPS drops with rising resolution point to the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the key factors. The 4K results, in particular, show the GPU struggling, with an average of just 41 FPS at High settings and 28 FPS at Ultra. This is a clear indication that the card's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface are not sufficient for smooth 4K gameplay in this title at higher detail levels. The 128-bit bus width is particularly narrow by modern standards, and this likely contributes to the performance cliff at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores also reflect its mid-range positioning. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3322, and its Passmark G3D score is 17631. These numbers, combined with its 59th percentile ranking, paint a picture of a capable 1080p and 1440p card that runs out of steam at 4K. The data shows that the GPU's performance in Evolve is directly tied to the resolution, with its role being the primary determinant of the final frame rate in all tested scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo for high refresh rates?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 100 in most settings. At Low settings, it hits 176 FPS, and at High settings, it reaches 107 FPS, making it the only resolution where a high refresh rate monitor can be fully utilized.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: The difference is stark. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 28. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 176. This represents a 148 FPS difference, or roughly a 6.3x improvement in frame rate when dropping resolution and settings to the minimum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p Medium?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter. The average FPS at 2560x1440 Medium is 92, which is significantly lower than the 137 FPS at 1080p Medium. This 45 FPS drop is a direct result of the increased pixel count stressing the Radeon RX 9060, not the Ryzen 7 5800XT.

Q: What is the combo's performance ranking relative to other tested systems?

A: This specific combination ranks 1664th out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the 58th percentile, meaning it performs better than 58% of all other tested CPU-GPU pairings in this game.

Q: What is the range of average FPS across all tested settings at 1440p?

A: The range is from 50 FPS at Ultra settings to 118 FPS at Low settings. This shows a wide performance envelope, with the Ultra preset being borderline playable and the Low preset being very smooth.

Q: How much faster is 1080p High compared to 4K High?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 107, while at 4K High, it is 41. The 1080p result is 66 FPS higher, or approximately 2.6 times faster than the 4K result.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers an average FPS of 92, with a minimum of 78 and a maximum of 105. This is a smooth, playable experience that offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that this setting provides a substantial improvement in frame rate over the High preset (92 vs 72 FPS) while likely offering a modest visual difference.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice for those seeking high visual quality. With an average of 107 FPS, it provides a great balance of detail and speed. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p, which averages 176 FPS, is the only option that can truly push frame rates into the upper echelon. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with 74 FPS, is also viable, but the High preset offers a better frame rate headroom.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests that Ultra settings should be avoided. The average of 28 FPS is not a playable experience. The Low preset at 67 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches a smooth 60 FPS, but it comes with significant visual compromises. The Medium preset, with an average of 52 FPS and a minimum of 44, is a borderline option for those who prioritize resolution over detail, but it will not be a consistently smooth experience. The measured data indicates that 4K is not this GPU's strong suit in Evolve.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a high-performance processor that is not the bottleneck in this system for Evolve. With 8 cores and 16 threads, it has substantial multi-threaded capability. Its boost clock of 4.80 GHz is high, and its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359. This is important for a game like Evolve, which likely relies on strong single-core performance for its main game logic.

The CPU's benchmark results show it is a top-tier part. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 28053, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 23794. Its overall average benchmark score of 29879 puts it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with a delta of 0%. This indicates that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU has ample headroom. The fact that FPS drops so consistently with resolution increases is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data to achieve 176 FPS at Low settings, which is a very high frame rate. The fact that the frame rate drops to 67 FPS at 4K Low settings is almost entirely due to the GPU's inability to render those frames, not the CPU's inability to calculate them. The Ryzen 7 5800XT is providing a solid foundation, but the Radeon RX 9060 is the component that determines the final performance in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for this combination in Evolve, organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080:

• Ultra: 74 FPS
• High: 107 FPS
• Medium: 137 FPS (minimum 116, maximum 157)
• Low: 176 FPS

2560x1440:

• Ultra: 50 FPS
• High: 72 FPS
• Medium: 92 FPS (minimum 78, maximum 105)
• Low: 118 FPS

3840x2160:

• Ultra: 28 FPS
• High: 41 FPS
• Medium: 52 FPS (minimum 44, maximum 60)
• Low: 67 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern. At each resolution, the frame rate scales down as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The differences between settings are also notable. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 39 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 30 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs another 33 FPS. At 4K, the same steps cost 15 FPS, 11 FPS, and 13 FPS respectively. This shows that the absolute cost of each settings tier is smaller at 4K, as the GPU is already struggling to maintain high frame rates. The minimum and maximum FPS data for the Medium settings at each resolution shows there is some frame time variance, but the averages are stable enough to characterize the system's performance.