Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2530th out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems evaluated. This is a low position that signals a fundamental imbalance: the CPU is a high-end desktop part, while the GPU is an integrated graphics solution with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The data suggests this combination is severely bottlenecked by the graphics processor, a point reinforced by the fact that the GPU’s nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 710 and GT 520MX. The overall rank reflects a system that can run the game, but only at settings and resolutions that minimize the GPU’s workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2530 out of 2872 is a clear outlier for a system built around the Ryzen 7 7700. This CPU alone sits in the 87th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 40081, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13905H. In contrast, the Intel Arc B390 GPU has an average benchmark score of only 1482, which is 1.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% above the GeForce GT 710. That juxtaposition — a top-tier CPU paired with a bottom-tier GPU — drags the whole combination down to the 12th percentile of all tested combos in this specific game. Benchmark results indicate that the GPU’s low standing is the single largest contributor to the combo’s poor rank, as the CPU’s performance class would normally place a system much higher.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 89 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. However, at 4K with Ultra settings, the average drops to a slideshow-like 14 FPS. This wide range shows that the combo is not uniformly weak; it can handle light loads but collapses under heavier graphical demands. The rank of 2530 reflects a system that is only marginally viable for Evolve, and only when the user is willing to sacrifice resolution and visual fidelity. In the context of all 2872 combos, this pairing is closer to the bottom than the middle, which is surprising given the CPU’s strength and suggests that the GPU is holding the entire system back.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 part with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, with 64 KB of L1 per core. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong scaling: a 3DMark 16-thread score of 8484, a max-thread score of 8479, and a single-thread score of 1049. Cinebench R23 results are similarly robust, with a multicore score of 18760 and a single-core score of 1930. For a game like Evolve, which is an FPS title from 2015, the CPU’s 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than sufficient to handle the game’s logic, AI, and physics.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 89 FPS, which indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough at lower resolutions. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the FPS drops disproportionately, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU’s 3DMark 4-thread score of 3931 and 8-thread score of 6933 suggest that it has ample headroom for gaming workloads, which typically rely on fewer threads. The Ryzen 7 7700’s passmark multithread score of 34470 and integer math score of 110295 further confirm that it is a high-throughput part. In this pairing, the CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU to render frames, as evidenced by the FPS scaling pattern: from 1080p Low at 89 FPS to 1440p Low at 60 FPS, a 33% drop, and then to 4K Low at 34 FPS, another 43% drop. That pattern is consistent with a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It has 12 ray tracing cores and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. The memory is system shared, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and instead relies on the system’s DDR5 memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The GPU’s pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. Despite these specs, the GPU’s benchmark score is a lowly 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, just ahead of the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M.

The GPU’s limitations are starkly visible in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 89 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 37 FPS. The gap widens at 4K, where Low settings produce 34 FPS and Ultra produces just 14 FPS. The memory being system shared is a likely culprit, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for bandwidth on the dual-channel DDR5 bus, which has a theoretical bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution above 1080p Low, as FPS drops are consistent with the GPU’s inability to handle higher pixel counts and more demanding settings. The GPU’s nearest rivals are all low-end parts, and its performance in Evolve reflects that: it can manage 60 FPS at 1440p Low, but that is the ceiling for smooth gameplay. The 2500 MHz boost clock is high for an iGPU, but the shared memory and low ROP count (24) limit its fill rate, which is critical for 4K rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 89 FPS on Low, 69 FPS on Medium, 54 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 59 and a maximum of 79, showing some variance but staying playable. At 2560x1440, the numbers drop: 60 FPS on Low, 46 FPS on Medium (with a min of 39 and max of 53), 36 FPS on High, and 25 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the combo struggles: 34 FPS on Low, 26 FPS on Medium (with a min of 22 and max of 30), 21 FPS on High, and 14 FPS on Ultra.

The data reveals that the combo is only capable of smooth gameplay (above 60 FPS) at 1080p Low and 1440p Low. The 1080p Medium average of 69 FPS is also playable, but the minimum of 59 FPS suggests occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Medium, the average of 46 FPS is borderline, and anything above Medium at 1440p or any setting at 4K is not fluid. The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is effectively unplayable, while 4K Low at 34 FPS is still below the 40 FPS minimum for a decent experience. The FPS scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution is steep: at 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 58%; at 1440p, it is 58%; and at 4K, it is 59%. This consistent percentage drop indicates that the GPU is uniformly stressed by the settings, regardless of resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p Low (89 FPS) and 1440p Low (60 FPS). At 1080p Medium, the average is 69 FPS, but the minimum dips to 59 FPS, so it is not a guaranteed 60 FPS experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as it offers the highest FPS across all settings. At 1080p, even High settings achieve 54 FPS, which is better than 1440p Medium at 46 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40081, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048) and 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i9-13905H (40313). It is also 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 270.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). It is also 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The CPU is a high-end 8-core part, while the GPU is an integrated solution with a 9th percentile ranking. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU limitation, not CPU.

Q: What is the worst performance scenario for this combo?

A: The worst scenario is 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the average FPS is 14. This is unplayable, and even 4K Low at 34 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the best experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields 89 FPS. This is the only setting that provides a high refresh rate experience with no risk of dropping below 60 FPS. If the user prefers visual quality over raw FPS, 1080p High at 54 FPS is a viable alternative, as it offers better graphics while staying above 50 FPS. The Medium setting at 1080p (69 FPS average) is a compromise, but the 59 FPS minimum means it is not guaranteed to stay smooth. At 1440p, the only playable option is Low at 60 FPS, but this is exactly at the threshold, so any scene complexity could cause dips. For a consistent experience, the data suggests that 1080p Low or 1080p Medium are the best choices, with 1080p Low being the safest for maintaining high FPS.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces 37 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. These numbers are below the playable threshold for a fast-paced FPS like Evolve. The High preset is only feasible at 1080p (54 FPS), while at 1440p it drops to 36 FPS and at 4K to 21 FPS. The data indicates that the combo is best served by lowering settings to Low or Medium, even at 1080p, to maximize frame rates. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a good balance of visuals and performance, with a 69 FPS average, but the minimum of 59 FPS is a warning sign for competitive play. For the most stable experience, 1080p Low is the benchmark-recommended setting.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the system goes from 89 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop) and then to 34 FPS at 4K (a 43% drop from 1440p). At Medium, the progression is 69 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and 26 FPS at 4K (a 43% drop). At High, it goes from 54 FPS at 1080p to 36 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop) and 21 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop). At Ultra, the numbers are 37 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p (a 32% drop), and 14 FPS at 4K (a 44% drop). This pattern shows that the performance penalty for moving from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 33%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 43%.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the FPS drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count. From 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by 78%, but the FPS drops by only 33%, which suggests that the GPU is not purely fill-rate limited at this step. However, from 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 125%, and the FPS drops by 43%, which is closer to a linear relationship. The discrepancy suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU can partially compensate, but at 4K, it hits a hard wall. The CPU’s role is negligible here, as its 8 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient for Evolve’s workload. The data implies that the system’s performance is entirely dictated by the Intel Arc B390’s ability to render pixels, and its system-shared memory architecture is likely the root cause of the steep 4K penalty. For users targeting 4K, the combo is not viable, as even Low settings produce only 34 FPS. The sweet spot is 1080p, where the GPU can keep up with the CPU’s frame delivery, but beyond that, the GPU’s limitations become the dominant factor.