Evolve

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It carries a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. The chip's cache configuration includes 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for a desktop part. Memory support is DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, offering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In the context of Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, this processor's high single-thread performance is likely the dominant CPU-side factor. The 7900X scores 1,093 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2,016.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These figures suggest strong per-core throughput, which matters for older game engines that may not scale perfectly across many threads. The 12-core/24-thread layout provides ample headroom for background tasks and any multithreaded game workloads, but the game's release date predates the CPU by seven years, so the engine likely leans on fewer cores.

The chip's multi-threaded capabilities are also notable: Cinebench R23 multicore yields 29,300, while Geekbench multicore reaches 19,267. In 3dmark_max_threads, the score is 12,536. The processor sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,288. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7313P (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (deltaPct -0.3), Intel Xeon 634 (deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Core i7-14700F (deltaPct -0.6). These deltas are tiny, indicating the 7900X is tightly grouped with these parts in overall CPU performance.

For Evolve specifically, the data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 147 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 62 FPS. This spread suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings; rather, the GPU becomes the bottleneck as settings increase. The 7900X's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz likely keeps frame pacing consistent in CPU-bound scenarios, but the measured FPS drops across settings indicate that the GPU workload dominates once visual fidelity rises.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1,626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2,491 MHz and a game clock of 2,044 MHz. Memory runs at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 28 ray-tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 159.4 GPixel/s, texture rate is 279.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is a critical consideration for Evolve at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 24 FPS, while at 4K Low it reaches 56 FPS. This 32 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K likely reflects both the GPU's compute limits and possibly VRAM pressure at higher settings. The memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is moderate, and at 4K resolutions, texture-heavy scenes may strain the 8 GB buffer. The RX 6600 scores 15,096 in Passmark G3D and 6,554 in Passmark GPU compute, placing it at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (deltaPct 0), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), NVIDIA Tesla K20m (deltaPct -0.3), and NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (deltaPct 0.4). These deltas are all within 0.4%, indicating the RX 6600 sits in a tightly competitive performance band. The card's DirectX 12 score in Passmark is 51, which is low relative to its DirectX 11 score of 152, suggesting that the architecture may not excel in all API paths—though Evolve's engine likely uses older DirectX versions.

The measured FPS data reveals that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, where even Low settings only produce 56 FPS. At 1080p, the GPU scales better: Low hits 147 FPS, but Ultra drops to 62 FPS. This pattern points to the GPU being saturated as resolution and settings increase, while the CPU's high single-thread performance remains adequate throughout.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2,877 out of 3,700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the bottom 22% of all configurations. This rank is notably low given the CPU's high percentile (91st) and the GPU's mid-range percentile (63rd). The disparity suggests that the GPU is the binding constraint in this pairing for this specific game.

The rank implies that most other combos in the database deliver higher average FPS in Evolve. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 147 FPS, which is respectable, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 62 FPS—a figure that many other combos likely exceed. The combo's 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS is below playable thresholds, further dragging its rank down. The combination's performance is heavily skewed by the GPU's limits at higher settings, despite the CPU's capability to push high frame rates at low settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its average score, but the combo's rank in this game does not reflect that closeness—it reflects the game's GPU-bound nature at higher settings. The RX 6600's nearest rivals are also within 0.4%, yet the in-game rank suggests that Evolve's specific demands are not well-served by this GPU, particularly at 4K. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly better ranks, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in most measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low yields 147 FPS, Medium yields 114 FPS (with a min of 97 and max of 131), High yields 89 FPS, and Ultra yields 62 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 85 FPS, a 58% reduction, indicating that the GPU's workload scales steeply with settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 98 FPS, Medium at 76 FPS (min 65, max 88), High at 60 FPS, and Ultra at 41 FPS. The transition from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 57, or 58%, mirroring the 1080p scaling pattern. The 1440p results show that High settings still maintain 60 FPS, which is a common target for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 56 FPS, Medium at 43 FPS (min 37, max 50), High at 34 FPS, and Ultra at 24 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 32 FPS, or 57%. Notably, only the Medium setting at 4K has min/max data (37 to 50), suggesting tighter frame pacing than other settings where min/max is not recorded. Across all resolutions, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is remarkably consistent at roughly 57-58%, indicating a uniform scaling behavior from the GPU.

The 1080p Medium setting shows a min of 97 FPS and max of 131 FPS, a 34 FPS variance. The 1440p Medium shows a min of 65 and max of 88, a 23 FPS variance. The 4K Medium shows a min of 37 and max of 50, a 13 FPS variance. This decreasing variance with resolution suggests that at higher resolutions, frame times are more consistent, likely because the GPU is uniformly saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings achieve playable frame rates, with Low at 147 FPS and even Ultra at 62 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 41 FPS, and at 3840x2160, only Low (56 FPS) and Medium (43 FPS) are above 30 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance relate to Evolve's frame rates?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X scores 1,093 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2,016.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, both strong figures. Given that Evolve is from 2015, the engine likely does not scale across all 24 threads, so this single-thread strength is crucial; the data shows no CPU-bound bottlenecks even at 1080p Low, where 147 FPS is achieved.

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

A: The measured FPS scaling points to the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p, FPS drops from 147 (Low) to 62 (Ultra), a 58% reduction, while the CPU's high single-thread score suggests it can handle the frame rates. At 4K, the GPU's limits are even clearer, with Ultra at 24 FPS.

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

A: The combo ranks 2,877 out of 3,700 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 22%. This low rank is driven by the GPU's modest performance at higher settings, despite the CPU's high percentile ranking.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The data shows a steep drop at 4K, with High at 34 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS. While the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory (with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth) may be sufficient for some titles, the 4K results suggest that the GPU's compute limits, rather than VRAM alone, are the primary constraint, as even Low settings only reach 56 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score is 19,036, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at a deltaPct of 0. The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% behind, and the Tesla K20m is 0.3% behind. These tiny deltas indicate near-identical synthetic performance, yet the in-game rank suggests Evolve does not favor this GPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data offers a clear hierarchy of settings for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides 114 FPS with a min of 97 and max of 131, which is a strong balance of smoothness and visual quality. High yields 89 FPS, which is also playable, but Medium offers a higher average with a reasonable min. Ultra at 62 FPS is playable but drops below the 90 FPS mark that many players prefer.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 60 FPS, which is the standard target for many displays. Medium at 76 FPS is smoother, but the jump from Medium to High is a 16 FPS drop, suggesting that High may be the sweet spot for visual fidelity without sacrificing the 60 FPS target. Ultra at 41 FPS is borderline, and Low at 98 FPS is fast but visually compromised.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low at 56 FPS is the only setting above 50 FPS, while Medium at 43 FPS is the next best. Given the data, the best experience at 4K is Low, as it is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate, though the visual trade-off is significant. For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the 1080p Medium preset offers the best combination of average FPS (114) and frame consistency (min 97), making it the recommended choice across all measured rows.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The data shows that at Low settings, FPS drops from 147 at 1080p to 98 at 1440p, a 33% reduction, and then to 56 at 4K, a 43% reduction from 1440p. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 91 FPS, or 62%. At Medium settings, the progression is 114 (1080p) to 76 (1440p) to 43 (4K), a 62% total drop. At High settings, it goes from 89 to 60 to 34, a 62% total drop. At Ultra, it goes from 62 to 41 to 24, a 61% total drop.

The consistency of the percentage drop (61-62%) across all settings is striking. This uniformity indicates that the GPU's performance scales almost linearly with the pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p would be minimal, as the CPU's workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the data shows that every resolution step incurs a proportional FPS loss, regardless of settings, which strongly suggests the RX 6600 is the sole bottleneck.

The CPU's role is further clarified by the fact that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 147 FPS, which is a high frame rate that many CPUs could not sustain. The Ryzen 9 7900X's 5.60 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread scores (1,093 in 3dmark_single_thread) likely allow it to feed the GPU efficiently at this resolution. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and the FPS drops accordingly. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield higher frame rates at all resolutions, as the CPU has headroom to spare. Conversely, the GPU's 63rd percentile ranking explains why the combo rank in Evolve is so low—the GPU simply cannot keep up with the game's demands at higher settings. The 4K results, particularly the 24 FPS Ultra figure, underscore that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates across most settings.