Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built around asymmetric multiplayer hunting, places distinct demands on a system: it needs strong raw CPU throughput for AI-driven monster behavior and player tracking, while the GPU must sustain high frame rates with effects-heavy environments. The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 produces a compelling dataset that reveals how this game scales across resolutions and settings, and where the bottleneck shifts between the two components. The measured results, drawn from a 2872-combo database, show this system ranking 755th overall, a position that reflects its strengths in both single-thread and multi-thread workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to stay above 100 FPS on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average is 102 FPS, which stays above the 100 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average drops to 58 FPS, so 1440p is the highest resolution that meets this target on High.

Q: How much of a frame rate penalty does Ultra settings impose compared to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the drop from High (153 FPS average) to Ultra (106 FPS average) is a 47 FPS reduction, or roughly a 31% decrease in average frame rate. This is a significant trade-off for the visual fidelity gain.

Q: Which settings preset at 1440p offers the best balance of smoothness and visual quality?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields a 130 FPS average with a measured minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 150 FPS. This provides a consistently smooth experience above 100 FPS while offering better visuals than Low, which reaches 168 FPS but with reduced detail.

Q: Is the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM a limiting factor in Evolve?

A: The data shows no evidence of VRAM-induced stutters or crashes, as the frame rate scales consistently with resolution and settings. The 10 GB GDDR6X memory, paired with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth, appears sufficient for this game's demands at all tested configurations, with the Ultra preset at 4K still producing a playable 40 FPS average.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F's CPU performance influence the 1080p results?

A: The CPU's strong single-thread score of 4691 and multi-thread score of 36470 on Passmark allow the system to reach very high frame rates at 1080p, such as 251 FPS on Low and 195 FPS on Medium. These numbers suggest the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do.

Q: What is the combo's overall standing compared to other tested systems?

A: This system ranks 755th out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 26% of all configurations. This position reflects a capable balance, though not a top-tier one, given the game's age and the hardware's specifications.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of visual output in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU's base clock of 1440 MHz and boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 8704 shading units, provide the raw compute power needed for Evolve's rendering tasks. With 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, the card offers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth—a figure that becomes critical as resolution increases and texture data demands more throughput.

The architecture, Ampere on Samsung's 8 nm process, delivers 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is substantial for a game from 2015. This headroom explains why the GPU can push 251 FPS at 1080p Low, where the workload is less demanding. As settings rise to Ultra, the GPU's texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s are taxed more heavily, leading to the observed frame rate drops. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 40 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated by the combination of high resolution and maximum detail.

The RTX 3080's percentile ranking of 68 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172, places it as a solid mid-to-high tier performer. Its nearest rivals—such as the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M—are within 0.4% of its score, showing that in synthetic tests, the card is competitive with those parts. However, in Evolve, the measured FPS data reveals that the GPU's real-world performance is more nuanced, with the 4K Ultra result being the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at the highest settings, but it maintains playable frame rates elsewhere.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across presets, and the choice of settings should depend on the user's display and preference for smoothness versus fidelity. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers a 153 FPS average, which is excellent for a 144 Hz monitor, while Medium offers 195 FPS for 165 Hz displays, and Low hits 251 FPS for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 106 FPS remains above 60 FPS, but the 47 FPS drop from High makes it a less attractive option unless visual detail is paramount.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset's 102 FPS average is ideal for high-refresh 1440p panels, and the Medium preset's 130 FPS (with a 111 FPS minimum) offers even more headroom for smoother motion. Low at 168 FPS is viable for esports-style play, but the visual compromise may be unnecessary given the GPU's capability. Ultra at 71 FPS is still playable, but the 31 FPS drop from High suggests diminishing returns for the extra effects.

At 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. High settings produce a 58 FPS average, which is borderline for a 60 Hz display, while Medium improves to 74 FPS with a 63 FPS minimum, making it the recommended preset for 4K gaming on this combo. Low at 96 FPS is smoother but sacrifices significant visual quality, and Ultra at 40 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot, balancing the 74 FPS average with a minimum that stays above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of 2872 tested combos for Evolve, this system holds the 755th position, placing it in the top 26% of all configurations. This rank is a composite of the CPU and GPU's capabilities, and it indicates that while the system is not a top-tier performer, it comfortably outranks the majority of tested hardware. The rank of 755 is notable because it places the combo ahead of many systems with newer or more expensive components, suggesting that the balance between the Ryzen 7 9700F and RTX 3080 is well-suited to Evolve's specific requirements.

The CPU's percentile of 94 among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 69996, is a strong contributor to this ranking. Its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster)—are all within a narrow performance band, indicating that the 9700F is competitive with high-end parts from the same era. The GPU's percentile of 68 is lower, but its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its score, showing that the RTX 3080 is a consistent performer in its class.

The rank of 755 out of 2872 means that 2117 other combos performed worse, which is a significant majority. This positioning suggests that users with this system will have a smooth experience in Evolve at most settings, with only the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration falling below 60 FPS. The data implies that the combo is well-optimized for the game's engine, which favors high clock speeds and ample VRAM bandwidth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor on the Granite Ridge codename, built on TSMC's 4 nm process. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This configuration provides strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4691, which is crucial for Evolve's game logic and AI calculations. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache further aids in reducing latency for frequently accessed data.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 36470 and an integer math score of 120788. These results indicate that the processor can handle the complex physics and entity tracking that Evolve requires, especially during chaotic multiplayer matches with multiple monsters and hunters on screen. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 251 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700F performs within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, with deltaPct values of 0.9% and 0.7% respectively. This places it in the same performance tier as those high-end parts, despite having fewer cores than the 7950X. The CPU's 65 W TDP is notably lower than those rivals, suggesting that it achieves this performance with greater efficiency, though the data does not include power consumption measurements for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 251 FPS, Medium produces 195 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 224 FPS, High produces 153 FPS, and Ultra produces 106 FPS. These numbers show a consistent scaling pattern, with each step up in settings reducing the average by approximately 40-50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains strong. Low settings yield 168 FPS, Medium yields 130 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 150 FPS, High yields 102 FPS, and Ultra yields 71 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of about 33% across most settings, which is expected given the increased pixel count. The Medium preset's minimum of 111 FPS is particularly notable, as it ensures a smooth experience even during intense combat sequences.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest. Low settings produce 96 FPS, Medium produces 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS, High produces 58 FPS, and Ultra produces 40 FPS. The 4K results reveal that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K, with a 74 FPS average and 63 FPS minimum, is the only configuration that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS experience at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K illustrates how the bottleneck shifts from the CPU to the GPU as the pixel count increases. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 251 FPS on Low, which is a clear indicator that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU more than enough data. The drop to 168 FPS at 1440p and 96 FPS at 4K on Low settings shows a reduction of 33% and 62% respectively, which is in line with the increased number of pixels (2.25x for 1440p and 4x for 4K).

On High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 153 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 62% drop from 1080p to 4K. The consistency of these percentages across settings suggests that the GPU's workload scales linearly with resolution, and the RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to handle the increased data transfer without significant bottlenecks.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset, which drops from 106 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p and 40 FPS at 4K. The 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K is slightly larger than the other presets, indicating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings pushes the GPU's shader and texture units to their limits. This analysis points to the GPU as the definitive limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures that frame rates remain high at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.