Evolve

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER lands at rank 3151 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. That places this pairing in the lower 15th percentile of all configurations tested, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's modest standing. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 7700 performs at the 87th percentile among all CPUs. This is a classic bottleneck scenario — the processor has far more headroom than the graphics card can utilize in this title.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 40081 places it within 0.6% of several nearby rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40048 (0.1% slower), the Intel Core 5 221E at 40144 (0.2% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 9 270 at 40246 (0.4% faster). On the GPU side, the GTX 1660 SUPER's average score of 12986 puts it nearly level with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 (0.4% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12928 (0.4% slower). The data indicates that swapping this CPU for any of its nearest rivals would yield negligible performance changes, while the GPU's nearest competitors are similarly matched.

What matters for Evolve specifically is that this combo's rank reflects the GPU's 6 GB memory capacity and its position near the middle of the GPU performance distribution. The CPU's strong multi-threaded scores — 18760 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 34470 in Passmark multi-thread — are largely irrelevant when the frame rate is capped by the graphics subsystem. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 52 FPS, which is playable but far from the high-refresh territory that the CPU alone could support. The data suggests this pairing is balanced toward 1080p Medium or High settings, where the GPU can stretch its legs without the CPU holding it back.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows show a clear sweet spot for this combo. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average frame rate is 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. That minimum is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the average approaches the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz monitors while leaving room for 100 Hz displays. Dropping to Low at the same resolution yields 123 FPS average, but the visual fidelity loss is substantial for only a 27 FPS gain. The High preset at 1080p delivers 75 FPS average, which is still smooth but with tighter headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset produces 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS. This is borderline for competitive play, though it remains playable on most displays. The High preset at 1440p drops to 50 FPS average, which introduces noticeable stutter in fast-paced FPS moments. The data indicates that 1440p Medium is the maximum viable setting for a consistent experience, while 1440p High should only be considered if the player tolerates occasional dips below 60 FPS.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. The 3840x2160 Medium preset yields 37 FPS average with a minimum of 31 FPS — this is the only 4K setting with recorded minimum and maximum values, suggesting the measurement team deemed it the most stable option. The Low preset at 4K produces 47 FPS average, which is playable but requires significant graphical compromises. Given the data, the best overall experience for this combo is 1080p Medium: it delivers near-100 FPS averages, a solid minimum of 81 FPS, and retains enough visual quality for an FPS title from 2015. If the player prioritizes resolution over frame rate, 1440p Medium is the second-best choice, but 4K should be reserved for Low settings or single-player exploration rather than competitive matches.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 96 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 33% reduction — and then to 37 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 42% drop. This steep decline across resolution tiers is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload stays constant while the GPU pixel workload grows.

The Low preset tells a similar story: 123 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent — roughly 32-33% from 1080p to 1440p, then another 43-44% from 1440p to 4K. This proportional scaling is exactly what the data shows when the GPU is the primary constraint. The Ryzen 7 7700's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GTX 1660 SUPER's frame output at any resolution; the GPU simply runs out of pixel throughput as resolution climbs.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 52 FPS at 1080p drops to 35 FPS at 1440p (33% reduction) and then to 20 FPS at 4K (43% reduction). The High preset follows the same pattern — 75 to 50 to 29 FPS. Every preset exhibits the same relative drop pattern, confirming that the limiting component is the GPU. The CPU's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 5.30 GHz boost clock are never the constraint; the GTX 1660 SUPER's 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 1785 MHz boost clock define the performance ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results span a wide range depending on settings. Low produces 123 FPS average, Medium delivers 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 and maximum of 110, High achieves 75 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, which shows how heavily the higher presets tax the GPU. For a 2015 FPS title, these numbers indicate that 1080p is the native resolution for this combo — even Ultra stays above 50 FPS, though the minimum frame data is not recorded for that preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages compress downward: Low hits 83 FPS, Medium manages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74, High reaches 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 55 FPS is the only recorded minimum at this resolution, suggesting that the other presets had frame times too inconsistent to capture reliable lows. The 1440p results show that Medium is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS average, and even then, the minimum dips below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the results are predictably weaker. Low produces 47 FPS, Medium delivers 37 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 42, High manages 29 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 20 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max values, indicating it was the most stable of the 4K options. The data shows that 4K is only viable on Low settings for acceptable frame rates, and even then, the 47 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target that most FPS players prefer. The progression from 123 FPS at 1080p Low to 47 FPS at 4K Low represents a 62% reduction, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip manufactured on TSMC's 12 nm process. It contains 6,600 million transistors across a 284 mm² die, with 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU's base clock runs at 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and the memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus. This configuration yields 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is the critical figure for Evolve's texture-heavy environments.

The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is the most significant limitation for this game at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 20 FPS, and even 4K Medium struggles at 37 FPS — the memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel workload. The GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 157.1 GTexel/s texture rate are respectable for 1080p gaming, but they fall short when the render resolution climbs. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s explains why 4K is so demanding: each pixel requires more compute, and the GPU simply cannot keep up.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's passmark G3D score of 12699 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 place it at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, which is a middling position. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580, scores nearly identically at 12928 (0.4% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 is also within 0.4%. The data shows that this GPU is a capable 1080p performer but not a high-resolution solution. In Evolve, the measured FPS confirms this: the GPU holds 75 FPS at 1080p High, which is smooth, but drops to 50 FPS at 1440p High, indicating the GPU's limits are reached quickly as resolution increases. The 125 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU are modest, but the performance envelope is equally modest.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p in Evolve?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the measured average is 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS, and at High settings the average is 75 FPS. Even Ultra stays above 50 FPS at 52 FPS average, though the minimum is not recorded.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing in Evolve?

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At Medium settings, the combo delivers 96 FPS average with a recorded minimum of 81 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset drops to 64 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum, which is playable but less consistent.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 7700 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 40081 is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40048, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core 5 221E at 40144, and 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 270 at 40246. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM limit performance in Evolve?

A: Yes, the 6 GB GDDR6 memory is a constraint at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 20 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is only 37 FPS. The 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p but becomes a bottleneck as the pixel workload increases.

Q: What settings should be avoided with this combo?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 and above should be avoided, as the measured averages are 35 FPS at 1440p and 20 FPS at 4K. The High preset at 4K also produces only 29 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for an FPS title.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to the RX 580?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986 on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 12928 — a 0.4% difference in favor of the NVIDIA card. In Evolve, this translates to nearly identical performance, with neither card having a meaningful advantage.