Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, presents an interesting test case for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination. The measured data reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy where the GPU's substantial 16 GB VRAM and high memory bandwidth become the primary assets, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures high framerates are achievable without becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of how the quality presets impact performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 100 FPS, which is playable but represents a significant drop from the High preset's 144 FPS. The Medium preset offers a substantial increase to 184 FPS, while Low reaches 237 FPS. For users with 1080p displays, the High preset appears to be the optimal balance, providing a 44% performance uplift over Ultra while still maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. The data suggests that the jump from High to Ultra is particularly costly, likely due to the increased GPU load from certain effects that are not visually proportional to their performance impact.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. The High preset achieves 97 FPS, which is just below the 100 FPS mark that many users consider the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset delivers 123 FPS, offering a comfortable margin above 100 FPS. Given that the difference between High and Medium at this resolution is 26 FPS, the Medium preset seems to be the sweet spot for 1440p gaming, as it maintains high framerates while still providing acceptable visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 67 FPS, which is noticeably lower and may introduce stutter on high refresh rate displays.

For 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The High preset only manages 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset achieves 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, making it the only preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. The Ultra preset falls to 38 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a fast-paced FPS. Therefore, for 4K users, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides the best balance between visual quality and playable framerates. The Low preset at 4K reaches 90 FPS, but the visual compromise may be too severe for many users.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is a critical factor in Evolve's performance. The game's large environments and numerous particle effects place significant demands on memory bandwidth, and the data suggests that this GPU's memory subsystem is well-suited to handle these loads. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz indicate a high operating frequency, which contributes to its compute throughput of 37.32 TFLOPS FP32.

The benchmark results show that the RX 7800 XT's performance scales predictably with settings changes. The PassMark G3D score of 24176 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, which is a modest ranking. However, the measured FPS in Evolve shows that this GPU is capable of delivering high framerates at lower resolutions, with the 1080p Low preset reaching 237 FPS. The GPU's 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs are sufficient for the game's rendering demands, and the 60 ray tracing cores, while not heavily utilized in this title, provide future-proofing for other games.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the performance drop from Low to Ultra is dramatic, with the average FPS falling from 90 to 38. This indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the increased pixel count places a heavy burden on the rendering pipeline. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Evolve, as the game likely does not exceed 8 GB even at 4K Ultra, but the sheer computational load of rendering at 3840x2160 is what causes the performance degradation.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern across resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 237 at 1080p to 159 at 1440p to 90 at 4K. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 43% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear, which suggests that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as resolution increases. At Medium settings, the pattern is similar, with FPS dropping from 184 at 1080p to 123 at 1440p to 70 at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% and 43% respectively, matching the Low settings pattern almost exactly.

The High settings show a slightly different trend. From 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drops from 144 to 97, a 33% decrease. However, from 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 97 to 55, a 43% decrease. This consistency across all settings presets indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, as the CPU's performance headroom is not being exhausted at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less of a performance drop when moving from 1440p to 4K, as the higher resolution would shift more of the load onto the GPU.

The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with FPS dropping from 100 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p to 38 at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% and 43% respectively, again matching the other presets. This uniform scaling pattern strongly suggests that the RX 7800 XT is the sole limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. The CPU's performance is sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 237 FPS, indicating that the Ryzen 7 9700F has significant headroom for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 900th out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 69th percentile of all tested systems. This is a respectable ranking, indicating that this combo performs better than roughly two-thirds of all other tested configurations. The ranking suggests that while this combination is not at the absolute top tier of performance, it is well above average and capable of delivering a smooth gaming experience at most settings.

The CPU's individual performance contributes to this ranking. The Ryzen 7 9700F achieves an average benchmark score of 69996, which places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX with a score of 69875 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a score of 70163 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with a score of 69515 (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700K with a score of 69355 (0.9% lower). This indicates that the CPU is performing at a level comparable to some of the best desktop processors available.

The GPU's ranking is less impressive. The RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score of 11627 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with a score of 11680 (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with a score of 11528 (0.9% lower), the NVIDIA Tesla K20c with a score of 11479 (1.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT with a score of 11842 (1.8% higher). This suggests that the GPU is performing at an average level, which is somewhat surprising given its 16 GB of VRAM and high memory bandwidth.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the GPU's average ranking explains why this combo ranks in the 69th percentile overall. The CPU is clearly capable of driving higher performance, but the GPU limits the system's overall capability in Evolve. This is particularly evident at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score of 4691. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for gaming workloads that often have irregular memory access patterns.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is primarily to manage the game's physics and AI calculations. The PassMark physics score of 2122 and the PassMark multithread score of 36470 indicate that the CPU has substantial processing power for these tasks. The 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for Evolve, which is a game from 2015 and likely does not utilize more than 4-6 threads effectively. This means that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this game.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals reinforces this assessment. The Ryzen 7 9700F's average benchmark score of 69996 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875, the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70163, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515. The largest difference is only 0.9% compared to the Intel Core i7-14700K. This indicates that the CPU is performing at the top tier of current processors, and its capabilities are not being fully utilized by Evolve.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for the GPU to access data. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes ensures that the GPU has a high-bandwidth connection to the CPU, reducing any potential data transfer bottlenecks. In Evolve, the CPU's role is to maintain high framerates by ensuring that the GPU is always fed with data, and the benchmark results show that it excels at this task, allowing the GPU to reach its full potential at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 237 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the system is not constrained by any component at this resolution. The Medium preset drops to 184 FPS, still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of many gaming monitors. The High preset reaches 144 FPS, which is exactly at the 144 Hz threshold, making it a viable option for high refresh rate gaming. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, which is still smooth but represents a significant compromise for the visual improvements.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. The Low preset achieves 159 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold. The Medium preset delivers 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 142, indicating good frame pacing. The High preset reaches 97 FPS, which is close to the 100 FPS target but may require adaptive sync to eliminate tearing. The Ultra preset drops to 67 FPS, which is noticeably lower and may cause issues on high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high framerates. The Low preset achieves 90 FPS, which is playable but requires a significant visual compromise. The Medium preset delivers 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81, making it the only preset that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset drops to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutter. The Ultra preset falls to 38 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a fast-paced multiplayer game.

The data shows that the system is capable of delivering high framerates at 1080p and 1440p, but requires careful settings management at 4K. The Medium preset at 4K appears to be the best option, as it provides a minimum of 60 FPS while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The High preset at 1440p is also a good option for those with 144 Hz monitors, as it provides a high average FPS with a comfortable margin above the refresh rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming in Evolve with this combo?

A: The Medium preset is the recommended choice at 3840x2160. It achieves an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. The High preset only reaches 55 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 38 FPS, making Medium the only preset that consistently maintains playable framerates at 4K.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875, 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70163, 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515, and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700K at 69355. This places it in the same performance tier as these top-tier processors.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in Evolve?

A: The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. This is evident from the consistent 33% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and the 43% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings presets. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the performance scaling with resolution would be less pronounced.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 237 at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This indicates that the system has significant performance headroom at lower resolutions and settings, making it suitable for high refresh rate gaming at 1080p.

Q: How does the GPU's performance ranking compare to its rivals?

A: The RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 11627, placing it in the 51st percentile. It is 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, 0.9% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA Tesla K20c, and 1.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 900th out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 69th percentile, meaning it performs better than approximately two-thirds of all other tested configurations in this game.