Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination. The measured data shows this pairing achieves a top-tier ranking, but the performance scaling reveals a nuanced story about where the bottlenecks lie in this older game engine. This analysis breaks down the raw numbers to understand the experience at each resolution and setting level.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combo for Evolve?

A: This pairing is ranked 1st out of 2872 tested combos in the database for Evolve, placing it at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy for this specific game.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-14901E and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (both scoring 37911 and 37904 respectively). It also leads the Intel Core 5 211E by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 by 0.4%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D falls into the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than the vast majority of the database's entries. Its average benchmark score is 77712.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The data includes min/max FPS only for the Medium settings preset. At 4K, the range is 102 to 138 FPS (avg 120). At 1440p, it's 179 to 242 FPS (avg 210), and at 1080p, it's 267 to 361 FPS (avg 314).

Q: Does the measured data include frame times or 1% lows?

A: No, the provided FACT PACK only includes average FPS figures for most settings, with minimum and maximum FPS values exclusively for the Medium preset at each resolution.

Q: What is the boost clock of the CPU and the base clock of the GPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X has a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has a base clock of 2017 MHz.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant force in this combination, equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is far beyond what a 2015 title like Evolve would typically require, suggesting the card is operating well within its comfort zone. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provide the raw computational power necessary to drive high frame rates.

The data shows a clear correlation between GPU load and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 405, which is a staggeringly high number that likely pushes the game's engine to its logical limits. As the resolution and settings increase, the GPU's workload becomes more demanding, and the frame rate drops correspondingly. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 65, which is a significant reduction but still playable. This pattern indicates that while the GPU is exceptionally powerful, the game's rendering engine is the ultimate ceiling, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU might have a more significant role.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its high-end status. Its Passmark G3D score is 44065, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 376915. These numbers place it in the 92nd percentile, but its nearest rivals are notably different in class, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB. This suggests that in the database's specific benchmark suite, the RTX 5090 D's performance is comparable to these other high-end parts, despite the generational and architectural differences.

How This Combo Ranks

The data unequivocally places this combo at the pinnacle for Evolve. With a combo rank of 1 out of 2872, it is the best-performing pairing in the entire database for this game. This is a significant achievement, as it outranks every other possible combination of CPUs and GPUs that have been tested, including those with potentially higher-clocked or more specialized hardware.

This top ranking confirms the combined strength of the Ryzen 7 9700X and the RTX 5090 D. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485 and Passmark multithread score of 37161, ensures it can feed the GPU with data without becoming a limiting factor. The GPU's immense power then takes over to render frames at the highest possible speed. The ranking suggests that for Evolve, there is no better combination currently available in the benchmark database, making it the definitive high-end choice for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high. The Low preset achieves an average of 405 FPS, while High reaches 246 FPS. The Medium preset averages 314 FPS, with a minimum of 267 FPS and a maximum of 361 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, but it still averages a very smooth 170 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 235 FPS, which is the largest of all resolutions, indicating that at 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom and the settings significantly influence the final frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive but begin to show the increased pixel load. Low settings still average 271 FPS, and High settings average 165 FPS. Medium settings provide an average of 210 FPS (min 179, max 242). The Ultra preset drops to an average of 114 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 157 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, showing the GPU is starting to work harder.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still strong but shows the most significant impact of resolution. The Low preset averages 154 FPS, while the High preset drops to 94 FPS. Medium settings average 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most taxing, bringing the average down to 65 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 89 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions, which confirms that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. The most dramatic drop occurs between 1080p and 1440p. For High settings, the average FPS falls from 246 to 165, a reduction of 81 FPS. For Low settings, it drops from 405 to 271, a reduction of 134 FPS. This significant decline indicates that the GPU is being pushed much harder at 1440p, but it is still far from being a bottleneck, as the frame rates remain very high.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is less severe in absolute terms but still substantial. High settings drop from 165 to 94 FPS (-71 FPS), and Low settings drop from 271 to 154 FPS (-117 FPS). This pattern shows that the performance penalty for each resolution step is diminishing, which is a classic sign that the GPU is approaching its limits. The fact that the frame rate doesn't halve when the pixel count roughly doubles suggests that other factors, such as the CPU or memory bandwidth, are beginning to play a more significant role in preventing a perfectly linear scaling.

The 4K Ultra result of 65 FPS is particularly telling. It is the only data point that falls below the 100 FPS mark, suggesting that this is the point where the GPU is fully saturated and the game's engine is being pushed to its absolute maximum. The relatively small gap between 1440p Ultra (114 FPS) and 4K Ultra (65 FPS) highlights the immense cost of rendering at 4K with the highest settings, making it the most demanding scenario for this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p and 1440p displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. At 1080p, it delivers an average of 170 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 114 FPS average is still excellent and provides a premium visual experience without a major performance compromise.

For 4K resolution, the choice is more nuanced. The Ultra preset's average of 65 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced competitive play. For users who prioritize smoothness, the High preset at 94 FPS offers a much better balance, providing a significant frame rate boost with a moderate visual downgrade. The Medium preset at 120 FPS is another excellent option for 4K, as it maintains a very high frame rate while still offering a substantial improvement in visual fidelity over the Low preset.

The Low preset is only recommended for users with extremely high refresh rate displays (240Hz or higher) at 1080p, where the 405 FPS average can be utilized. For the vast majority of users, the High or Ultra presets will provide the best combination of visual quality and performance, with the Medium preset serving as a strong middle ground for those who want to prioritize frame rate above all else.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X plays a crucial supporting role in this combination. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it provides a solid foundation for the game's logic and physics. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensure that it can handle both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads effectively. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for gaming.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate a well-rounded performer. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 1280, and its Geekbench single-core score is 3023. These scores are strong, but the data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in Evolve. The fact that the FPS scales so dramatically with resolution (from 405 FPS at 1080p Low to 65 FPS at 4K Ultra) is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component in this title. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to achieve these high frame rates, and it doesn't seem to be holding back performance at any resolution.

The CPU's performance relative to its closest rivals is remarkably close. Its average benchmark score of 37943 is only 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-14901E, which is a negligible difference. This indicates that for Evolve, the specific choice of high-end CPU is unlikely to produce a noticeable difference in frame rates, as the GPU is the dominant factor. The Ryzen 7 9700X's main contribution is ensuring that there is no CPU-induced frame stuttering or bottleneck, allowing the RTX 5090 D to operate at its full potential.