Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable experience in Evolve, but the data clearly shows a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. This combination ranks 2604 out of 3700 tested combos in this title, placing it in the lower-mid tier of configurations. The benchmark results indicate a pairing that can handle 1080p gaming with high refresh rates, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K, where the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Medium preset drops the average to 83 FPS, a reduction of 41 FPS, while the minimum falls to 71 FPS and the maximum to 96 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset yields just 47 FPS average, with minimums of 40 FPS and maximums of 55 FPS. This represents a 62% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings, indicating that the rendering load is scaling far faster than this GPU can handle.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 97 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p, and further to 37 at 4K. The Low preset shows the same trend: 160 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at 68 FPS at 1080p, falling to 45 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to 26 FPS at 4K.

This data strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component at 1440p and 4K. The 1080p results, particularly at Low and Medium settings, show frame rates high enough that the Ryzen 7 9700X’s strong single-thread performance is able to keep the GPU well fed. However, the dramatic FPS drops at higher resolutions are characteristic of a GPU that has run out of pixel pushing power, not a CPU limitation. The 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraining factor here; the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus are being saturated by the increased resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card’s FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS.

In Evolve, these specifications translate to a card that is capable at 1080p but clearly outclassed at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable concern for 4K gaming, as modern titles at that resolution with High or Ultra textures can easily exceed this amount. The benchmark data supports this: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 26, which is effectively unplayable. Even at 4K High, the average of 37 FPS is below the 40 FPS minimum seen at 4K Medium, showing that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame times.

The nearest rivals for this GPU, based on aggregate benchmark scores, are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (a delta of -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (-0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (-1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (-1.6%). This places the RTX 2060 SUPER in a performance tier where it is roughly equivalent to a mobile RTX 3060, which is a reasonable expectation given its age. The 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs further confirms that this is a mid-range card by modern standards.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is a double-edged sword. It is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the 83 FPS average at 1440p Medium. However, at 4K, the combination of limited bandwidth and 8 GB capacity results in the significant frame rate drops observed. The texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s are also indicative of a card that was designed for 1080p/1440p gaming, not 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p, the data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without dipping below 100 FPS. The High preset at 1080p still provides 97 FPS average, which is playable, but the 27 FPS difference between Medium and High is significant. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 68 FPS average, is the first point where the experience becomes less fluid, though it remains technically playable.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. The 83 FPS average with a 71 FPS minimum is acceptable for most players, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 1440p drops to 65 FPS average, which is borderline, especially in hectic firefights where frame drops can be noticeable. The Low preset at 1440p, at 107 FPS average, is an option for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the visual downgrade is substantial.

For 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable. The 61 FPS average at 4K Low is the only preset that reaches a playable threshold. The Medium preset at 4K, at 47 FPS average with a 40 FPS minimum, is a marginal experience that will feel stuttery. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, at 37 FPS and 26 FPS respectively, should be avoided entirely.

The data indicates that the “best experience per the measured rows” is the Medium preset at 1080p. It provides the highest average FPS that still maintains a minimum above 100 FPS, which is a strong indicator of consistent frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium is the only reasonable choice for a smooth experience, while at 4K, users should accept Low settings or consider upgrading the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 4K 60 FPS?

A: No. The data shows that at 4K with the Low preset, the average FPS is 61, which is barely above 60. However, the Medium preset at 4K drops to 47 FPS average, and the High preset falls to 37 FPS. The Ultra preset is only 26 FPS. To maintain 60 FPS at 4K, you would need to use the Low preset, which still may not hold consistently.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a 144Hz monitor?

A: The data shows that at 1080p with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 124, with a maximum of 143 FPS. This is the only measured combination that approaches 144 Hz. The Low preset at 1080p does hit 160 FPS average, but it comes with a significant visual quality reduction. For a 144Hz monitor, 1080p Medium is the recommended starting point.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: Based on aggregate benchmark scores, the RTX 2060 SUPER is nearly identical to the RTX 3060 Mobile, with a deltaPct of -0.4%. It is also very close to the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (-0.5%), AMD Radeon RX 460 (-1.5%), and Intel Arc A770M (-1.6%). This means in Evolve, you can expect similar performance to those cards, with the RTX 2060 SUPER being slightly faster or slower depending on the specific workload.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X or the RTX 2060 SUPER the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K. The FPS drops dramatically as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. At 1080p, the CPU is likely sufficient, as the FPS at Low settings (160 FPS) is high enough that the GPU is still the primary constraint. The Ryzen 7 9700X’s strong single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark suggests it can handle the game’s logic, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and compute power are insufficient for higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Evolve?

A: This combo ranks 2604 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 29th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning about 70% of tested combos perform better. This is a lower-mid tier ranking, consistent with the GPU’s age and the demanding nature of the game at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 SUPER matter for this game?

A: Yes. The data shows a sharp drop in performance between Medium and High settings at 4K. The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 40, while 4K High drops to 37 FPS average. The 4K Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS. This suggests that the 8 GB VRAM is being exhausted at higher settings, causing the GPU to fall back to slower memory operations, which hurts frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination is ranked 2604 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 30th percentile of all configurations, meaning that roughly 70% of tested combos achieve higher performance. This is a modest ranking that reflects the GPU’s mid-range status rather than the CPU’s capabilities.

To contextualize this ranking, the Ryzen 7 9700X is a very strong processor. It ranks in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E (0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (0.1% delta), Intel Core 5 211E (0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (0.4% delta). This means the CPU is in the top 14% of all processors, offering excellent multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

However, the GPU is only in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3060 Mobile (-0.4% delta), Radeon Pro 5700 (-0.5% delta), Radeon RX 460 (-1.5% delta), and Arc A770M (-1.6% delta). This is a significant mismatch: the CPU is far more capable than the GPU. In Evolve, this imbalance is exposed at higher resolutions, where the GPU’s limitations drag the overall combo ranking down. If the same CPU were paired with a higher-end GPU, the combo ranking would likely be much higher, as the 9700X has ample headroom to feed a faster graphics card.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 65 watts and supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor is part of the 9000 series, released on 2024-08-07, and uses the AMD Socket AM5. It also supports PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes and includes integrated Radeon Graphics.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and AI. The benchmark data shows that this processor is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 160 FPS average, which is a high frame rate that typically stresses the CPU. The fact that the FPS is still high at this setting indicates that the 9700X’s single-thread performance is sufficient. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211 are strong indicators of excellent per-core performance, which is critical for older FPS titles like Evolve that may not fully utilize many cores.

The 9700X’s multi-threaded performance is equally strong, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485 and Geekbench multicore score of 17906. However, these scores are less relevant in Evolve, which is a game that primarily relies on a few threads for the main game loop. The data confirms that the CPU can easily keep up with the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, as the FPS drops are entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering limits. At 4K, the CPU’s advantage is even less important, as the GPU is so heavily loaded that the CPU has plenty of idle time.

The processor’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E (0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (0.1% delta), Intel Core 5 211E (0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (0.4% delta). These deltas are all within 0.4%, meaning the 9700X is essentially tied with these CPUs in aggregate performance. For Evolve, any of these processors would deliver similar frame rates when paired with the same GPU, further confirming that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance in this game. The 9700X’s 65-watt TDP and 8 cores make it an efficient choice, but in this specific pairing, its capabilities are largely underutilized due to the GPU’s constraints.