Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a highly constrained gaming experience in Evolve, where the measured frame rates are consistently low across all tested configurations. The data indicates that this combination is firmly positioned at the bottom of the performance hierarchy, making it suitable only for the most forgiving settings. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the system struggles to maintain playable framerates at higher quality presets, and even the best-case scenario at 1080p Low only reaches an average of 89 FPS. This analysis will break down the measured performance, the role of each component, and what the numbers imply for the overall experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo in Evolve reveals a narrow window of playability, with the most balanced experience found at the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low settings deliver an average of 89 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for any resolution or quality level in the dataset. This represents a substantial leap over the Medium preset at the same resolution, which averages 69 FPS, and it is more than double the 37 FPS average seen at Ultra. The data suggests that Low is the only preset that provides a consistently fluid experience at 1080p, as the jump to Medium introduces a 20 FPS drop, which is a significant sacrifice for marginal visual gains.

Moving to higher resolutions, the situation becomes more restrictive. At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to an average of 60 FPS, which is still technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 46 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the measured minimum of 39 FPS indicates that frame pacing could become inconsistent. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages only 34 FPS, making it borderline unplayable for a fast-paced FPS, while the Medium preset falls to 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively non-functional at every resolution, with averages of 37 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K.

The data implies that the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by prioritizing the Low preset, as it is the only setting that consistently pushes the average FPS above the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p. For users who cannot tolerate the visual downgrade, Medium at 1080p offers a compromise, but the 69 FPS average is still below the smoothness of Low. The High preset, which sits between Medium and Ultra, does not appear in the data as a viable middle ground, with scores of 54 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that High is strictly worse than Low in terms of performance, offering no clear benefit over Medium. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Low settings for any resolution above 1080p, and only consider Medium at 1080p if the visual fidelity is paramount.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The benchmark results for this CPU show a strong multithreaded performance, with a Passmark multithread score of 36470, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its single-thread score is 4691, and its average benchmark score is 69996, which puts it within close proximity to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163, deltaPct -0.2). This indicates that the CPU is a high-end part that is not the primary bottleneck in this system.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. Given the high single-thread and multithread scores, the Ryzen 7 9700F is more than capable of processing the game's workload. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of decreasing performance with increasing resolution and settings, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 89 FPS, but this drops to 54 FPS at High and 37 FPS at Ultra. This scaling suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops are directly correlated with the graphical load rather than CPU processing limits.

The data implies that the CPU has ample headroom, as the frame rates at 1080p Low do not exceed what a modern processor should be able to handle. The fact that the combo ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combos in this game suggests that the overall system is severely limited by the GPU, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700F's high benchmark scores, including a Passmark physics score of 2122 and an integer math score of 120788, confirm that it can handle complex calculations without breaking a sweat. Therefore, the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation, and the data indicates that it is performing admirably, with the bottleneck clearly residing elsewhere.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, operating on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with 12 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The memory is system-shared, meaning its bandwidth is system-dependent. The only benchmark score available is a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

This percentile ranking is crucial to understanding the GPU's role in Evolve. The Arc B390's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, deltaPct 1.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, deltaPct 1.5), which are both ancient, entry-level mobile parts. This indicates that the Arc B390 is an extremely weak GPU, and it is the clear bottleneck in this system. The measured FPS data corroborates this, as the frame rates are consistently low even at 1080p Low. The GPU's low pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are insufficient for modern gaming loads, and the system-shared memory further limits performance.

The data shows that the GPU's performance scales poorly with resolution. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 89, but this drops to 60 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K. This is a steep decline, indicating that the GPU is overwhelmed by the increased pixel count. The Ultra preset is essentially unplayable at all resolutions, with a 14 FPS average at 4K. The GPU's 3DMark score of 1482 is abysmal, and the fact that it is only 1.3% better than the GT 520MX, which is over a decade old, highlights its lack of power. Therefore, the GPU's role is to be the limiting component, and the data clearly shows that it cannot handle Evolve at any reasonable quality level.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combinations in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested, which is a clear indicator of poor overall performance. The rank is particularly striking given the CPU's high percentile ranking (94th), which suggests that the GPU is dragging the entire system down. The data implies that this combo is not viable for competitive play or even casual enjoyment at higher settings, as the frame rates are too low to provide a smooth experience.

When comparing to other combos, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (score 69515, deltaPct 0.7) and the Intel Core i7-14700K (score 69355, deltaPct 0.9), would likely perform similarly in Evolve when paired with a better GPU. However, the Arc B390's nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, deltaPct 2.7), are so weak that they would produce even worse results. The combo's rank of 2530 out of 2872 means that 342 other combos are even slower, but this is little consolation when the performance is still far below playable standards at 4K. The data suggests that the combo is only suitable for 1080p Low gaming, and even then, the 89 FPS average is barely acceptable for a fast-paced FPS.

The rank also implies that the system is heavily imbalanced. The CPU is a high-end part that is being wasted on a GPU that cannot utilize its full potential. The data shows that the combo's performance is not competitive with any modern gaming system, and it would be far better suited for office work or media consumption rather than gaming. The fact that the combo rank is in the bottom 12% is a damning statistic, and it underscores the need for a discrete GPU to unlock the CPU's capabilities.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Evolve?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 89 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F the bottleneck in this system?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile, making the GPU the clear limiting factor.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), indicating it is only marginally better than these very old parts.

Q: What settings are recommended for a playable experience at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 46 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 25 FPS, making them less desirable.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Evolve?*

A: The combo ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low?

A: The performance drops from 89 FPS at 1080p Low to 34 FPS at 4K Low, a decrease of 55 FPS, which represents a 61.8% reduction in average frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is the only configuration to exceed 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, indicating that it can dip below 60 FPS. The High preset averages 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This shows a clear degradation in performance as settings increase, with a 52 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 60 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, but the overall performance is lower. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 34 FPS, the Medium preset averages 26 FPS (with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS), the High preset averages 21 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 14 FPS. This resolution is clearly not playable at any setting, as even Low falls below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth motion.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, which are 59/79 at 1080p, 39/53 at 1440p, and 22/30 at 4K. This suggests that the Medium preset has the most consistent frame pacing, but it still cannot maintain a stable 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K. The Low preset has no recorded minimum or maximum, implying that the frame rate is relatively stable, but the averages are still too low at higher resolutions. Overall, the measured breakdown shows that the combo is only suitable for 1080p Low, with all other configurations resulting in suboptimal performance.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 89 at 1080p to 60 at 1440p, a 32.6% decrease, and then to 34 at 4K, a further 43.3% decrease. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound system, as the workload on the GPU increases quadratically with resolution. The CPU's performance is largely unaffected by resolution, so the fact that the FPS drops so significantly indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 69 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p (a 33.3% decrease) and then to 26 at 4K (a 43.5% decrease). The pattern is consistent, with a roughly 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the performance scaling is directly tied to the pixel count. The CPU's high benchmark scores, including a Passmark single-thread score of 4691, would be more than sufficient to handle the game's logic at any resolution, but the GPU's low pixel rate and texture rate prevent it from rendering frames quickly.

The data implies that the system is severely GPU-limited, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in resolution. At 4K, the GPU is only able to produce 34 FPS at Low settings, which is a 61.8% reduction from the 1080p Low score. This is a clear indication that the Intel Arc B390 is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and its performance degrades rapidly as the resolution increases. The CPU, on the other hand, would likely be able to maintain high frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU, as its benchmark scores suggest it has significant headroom. Therefore, the resolution scaling data confirms that the GPU is the limiting component, and any attempt to improve performance would require upgrading the graphics solution.