Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, is tested here with the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. The measured data shows a combination that is heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher resolutions and settings, while the processor's strength emerges at lower graphical loads. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a robust foundation, but the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and Turing architecture becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and visual fidelity increase. This results in a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but a struggle to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K with high or ultra settings. The data provides a clear picture of where this combo excels and where it falls short.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 97. This is a solidly playable frame rate for a fast-paced FPS, indicating the combo handles this common configuration well.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops significantly. With Low settings, it achieves 61 FPS, but this falls to 47 on Medium, 37 on High, and only 26 on Ultra. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable on the lowest settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 65 FPS, while the Medium preset provides 83 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is the best choice, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rate scales significantly with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. For example, dropping from 1080p Low to 4K Low reduces the average FPS from 160 to 61, a performance drop that points to the graphics card struggling with the increased pixel count.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations for Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 2604 out of 3700 tested combinations. This places it in the lower 30th percentile of all tested systems for this specific game, indicating that many other hardware pairings provide better performance in Evolve.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 160 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 68 FPS. This represents a significant 92 FPS drop, demonstrating the heavy performance cost of the Ultra preset's visual enhancements on this GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the central component determining Evolve's performance in this configuration. The data shows that its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, is sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p and 1440p, but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's core clocks, with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz, are the engine driving the frame rates, and the measured results show a clear pattern of performance scaling with settings.

At 1080p, the GPU is able to produce high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting an average of 160 FPS. This indicates that at this resolution, the GPU has enough headroom to push many frames. However, as the settings increase to Medium and High, the average FPS drops to 124 and 97, respectively, showing the increased load from more complex shading and effects. The Ultra preset, at 68 FPS, shows a significant performance hit, suggesting that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 2176 shading units are fully taxed by the highest visual fidelity.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU's workload increases as it must render more pixels. The average FPS at High settings drops to 65, and at Low settings to 107. The data indicates that the GPU is still capable of providing a smooth experience at this resolution with adjusted settings. However, at 4K (3840x2160), the GPU is clearly overburdened. Even the Low preset only manages an average of 61 FPS, and the High preset falls to 37 FPS, with Ultra at just 26 FPS. This sharp decline highlights the RTX 2060 SUPER's limitations with the 8.3 million pixels at 4K, where its pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are insufficient for high-detail rendering.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends entirely on the target resolution. For a 1080p display, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 97 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and offers a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset's 124 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, is not recommended for competitive play as its 68 FPS average may cause noticeable dips in frame pacing.

For 1440p users, the High preset is again the best option, delivering an average of 65 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, ensuring the game remains fluid. The Medium preset, at 83 FPS, is a viable alternative for those who prioritize higher frame rates over graphical fidelity. The Ultra preset, at 45 FPS, is not recommended as it falls below the 60 FPS target.

At 4K resolution, no preset provides a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset achieves an average of 61 FPS, which is technically playable but may suffer from dips in demanding scenes. The Medium preset drops to 47 FPS, and High and Ultra are not viable for consistent gameplay. Therefore, for 4K, only the Low preset is recommended, and even then, users should expect a less stable frame rate. The data clearly shows that this GPU is not intended for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 160 on Low to 68 on Ultra. The Medium preset shows an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 143, indicating some frame time variance. The High preset achieves a stable 97 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset yields an average of 107 FPS. The Medium preset provides 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96. High settings drop to an average of 65 FPS, and the Ultra preset is significantly lower at 45 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU is still capable of delivering high frame rates at this resolution when settings are managed.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the GPU's limitations. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, with an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 55, showing noticeable dips. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 26 FPS. The data indicates a consistent pattern where each increase in settings at 4K results in a roughly 10 FPS drop, making the game unplayable at higher presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Evolve, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER holds a rank of 2604 out of 3700 combos. This places the system in the 30th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that approximately 70% of other combos deliver better performance in this game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's age and performance tier relative to other contenders.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end processor, as evidenced by its 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs and its performance in benchmarks. However, in Evolve, the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, and the RTX 2060 SUPER sits at only the 62nd percentile among all GPUs. This mismatch in relative performance is why the combo ranks lower than the CPU's potential would suggest. The data shows that a more powerful GPU would be necessary to unlock the full potential of this CPU in a game like Evolve.

The combo's ranking is more heavily influenced by the GPU's average benchmark score of 18093, which is lower than many more modern graphics cards. The CPU's high performance, with an average benchmark score of 58386, cannot compensate for the GPU's bottleneck in a graphically intensive title. Therefore, this system is best suited for gamers who prioritize CPU-heavy tasks and are willing to play at lower resolutions and settings for a smooth FPS experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is a powerful processor that prevents any CPU-related bottlenecks in Evolve. The data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU has more headroom, the CPU is able to feed frames efficiently. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 160 FPS, a frame rate that requires a capable processor to handle the game's physics and AI calculations.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and large 96 MB of shared L3 cache are key factors in its performance. The benchmark results, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228, demonstrate its strength in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. In Evolve, which is a last-gen title from 2015, the game is unlikely to utilize all 16 threads effectively, but the strong single-core performance ensures that the primary game logic thread runs without stalling.

The data indicates that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this test. When comparing the FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low (from 160 to 61 FPS), the massive reduction is clearly due to the GPU's rendering load, not the CPU's ability to process the game state. The CPU's high PassMark single-thread score of 4704 and multithread score of 41318 support the conclusion that it provides ample processing power for this game, leaving the GPU as the sole performance constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of average FPS from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 107 at 1440p, and then to 61 at 4K. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This pattern of diminishing returns with increasing resolution is a hallmark of a GPU-limited system.

The trend is similar at High settings, where the average FPS falls from 97 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p, and finally to 37 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33%, and from 1440p to 4K is 43%. This consistent scaling pattern across different settings presets further confirms that the GPU is the component being pushed to its limits at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the performance loss is not linear with pixel count. Moving from 1080p (2.1 million pixels) to 4K (8.3 million pixels) represents a 4x increase in pixel count, but the FPS does not drop by a factor of 4. For instance, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 160 to 61, a factor of 2.6. This suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiter, it is not fully saturated at 1080p, allowing for some scaling until the fill-rate and memory bandwidth constraints become more pronounced at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the key factors that become insufficient at 4K, particularly at higher settings.