Evolve

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 54,762. It sits 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55,093) and 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54,053). It also leads the Intel Xeon 6505P (53,701) by 2% and the Intel Core i7-14700F (53,620) by 2.1%.

Q: What is the performance percentile for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT among all GPUs?

A: The GPU sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 13,745, which places it 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon 660M (13,812) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13,821), and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13,871). It is 1.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13,543).

Q: How many cores and threads does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D have, and what is its boost clock?

A: The CPU has 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features 128 MB of L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the Radeon RX 7900 XT?

A: The GPU has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz.

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

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 515th out of 2,872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 17.9% of all tested configurations.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings in Evolve?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 115 FPS. For comparison, at the same resolution, Low settings produce 189 FPS, Medium produces 147 FPS, and Ultra produces 80 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are substantial, but the defining feature for gaming is the 128 MB L3 cache, which helps feed the GPU in scene-heavy moments. The CPU's benchmark profile shows a strong multi-threaded showing: Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47,737 and a single-core score of 6,739. The Geekbench multi-core score is 22,884, while single-core is 3,041.

In Evolve, the CPU's performance ceiling matters most at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the primary limiter. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 282 FPS, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. This indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates. The CPU's cache configuration and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame delivery, particularly in a fast-paced FPS where physics and AI computations can spike.

The CPU's percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs places it in the top tier of processors. Its average benchmark score of 54,762 is competitive with the nearest rivals, though it trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by a marginal 0.6%. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1,269 single-thread to 13,795 max-thread, indicating efficient utilization of its 24 threads. In a game like Evolve, which was released in 2015 and is not particularly thread-hungry by modern standards, the CPU's single-thread strength (3dmark single-thread score of 1,269) is likely more relevant than its multi-thread capability.

The 120W TDP and dual-CCX design with 16,630 million transistors on two 70.6 mm² dies mean the CPU runs efficiently under load. The L3 cache of 128 MB is notably large, which helps with game asset streaming and can reduce latency when the GPU requests data. For Evolve specifically, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and handle the game's simulation logic without bottlenecking the GPU. The data suggests it does this effectively, as the FPS scales predictably with GPU load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 515th out of 2,872 tested configurations in Evolve, placing it in the 82nd percentile overall. This is a strong result, but not an absolute top-tier ranking. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, and the data shows that while the CPU is a high performer (91st percentile), the GPU is more mid-pack (55th percentile). This asymmetry means the combo's rank is likely held back by the GPU's relative standing among all GPUs.

In the context of Evolve, a game from 2015, the CPU is more than sufficient to drive the GPU to its limits. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking is surprising given its specifications, but benchmark scores for the GPU (PassMark G3D of 29,009 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 of 5,623) suggest it performs well in synthetic tests. The combo rank of 515 out of 2,872 indicates that roughly 18% of tested combos outperform this one, which is a respectable position for a high-end pairing.

The ranking also implies that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the combo to rank higher relative to other pairings with similar CPUs. The data supports this: at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 45 FPS, which is a significant reduction from the 119 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This GPU-bound behavior is typical for a game like Evolve, which has moderate CPU demands but can be demanding on the GPU at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 282, which drops to 219 at Medium, 172 at High, and 119 at Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 252 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery. At 2560x1440, the averages scale down: 189 FPS at Low, 147 at Medium, 115 at High, and 80 at Ultra. The Medium setting at 1440p shows a minimum of 125 and a maximum of 169.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings produce 108 FPS, Medium drops to 84 FPS (with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96), High yields 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 174 FPS, a 61.7% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p (119 FPS) to 4K (45 FPS) is 74 FPS, a 62.2% reduction. This consistency in percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, not the CPU.

The Medium settings at each resolution provide the most complete data with min/max values. At 1080p Medium, the min of 186 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 1440p Medium, the min of 125 FPS remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. At 4K Medium, the min of 71 FPS is still playable, but the average of 84 FPS suggests some variability. The Ultra setting at 4K, with an average of 45 FPS, falls below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, indicating that this setting is not recommended for 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture (Navi 31) built on a 5 nm process. It has 5,376 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The GPU's boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. Memory configuration includes 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, providing 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4.

In Evolve, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear relationship: as resolution increases, FPS decreases proportionally, while CPU load remains relatively constant. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests it is a mid-to-high tier performer, but not a top-tier card. Its PassMark G3D score of 29,009 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5,623 indicate strong rasterization performance, but the percentile ranking shows there are many faster GPUs.

The GPU's 20 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Evolve, which was released in 2015 and has modest VRAM requirements. The 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also ample for the game's texture streaming. The GPU's pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s suggest it can handle high-resolution rendering without texture bottlenecks. However, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (45 FPS) indicates that the GPU's raw compute power is the limiting factor at maximum settings.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is substantial, but Evolve's rendering pipeline may not fully utilize this compute capability. The game's age means it likely relies more on traditional rasterization than on compute-heavy effects like ray tracing, which the GPU supports with 84 RT cores but which are not a focus in this title. The GPU's performance at 1080p (282 FPS at Low) shows that it is not CPU-bound at lower resolutions, confirming that the GPU has headroom to push higher frame rates when the CPU can keep up.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, all settings produce playable frame rates, with Low at 282 FPS, Medium at 219 FPS, High at 172 FPS, and Ultra at 119 FPS. For competitive play, Low or Medium settings at 1080p provide the highest frame rates, with Medium offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium setting's minimum of 186 FPS ensures no frame drops below 144 Hz refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, the recommended setting is High, which produces 115 FPS average. This is above 100 FPS and provides solid visual fidelity. Medium at 1440p (147 FPS) is also viable for players prioritizing frame rate, with a minimum of 125 FPS. Ultra at 1440p (80 FPS) is playable but may not be optimal for fast-paced FPS gameplay where higher frame rates are beneficial. Low at 1440p (189 FPS) is excessive for most displays and sacrifices visual quality unnecessarily.

At 3840x2160, the recommended setting is Medium, which produces 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. High at 4K (66 FPS) is borderline playable but risks dropping below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. Ultra at 4K (45 FPS) is not recommended for a competitive FPS, as the frame rate falls below what most players would consider smooth. Low at 4K (108 FPS) is playable but severely compromises visual quality.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the display refresh rate. For 144 Hz displays, 1440p High (115 FPS) is the sweet spot. For 60 Hz displays, 4K Medium (84 FPS) provides the best visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay. For competitive 240 Hz displays, 1080p Low (282 FPS) or Medium (219 FPS) maximizes frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 282 at 1080p to 189 at 1440p (a 33.0% reduction) and then to 108 at 4K (a 42.9% reduction from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 119 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p (a 32.8% reduction) and then to 45 at 4K (a 43.8% reduction from 1440p). This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the CPU's frame generation capability would cap performance. Instead, the FPS continues to scale with resolution changes, confirming that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU's high single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 1,269 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 6,739) ensures it can feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

The scaling also shows diminishing returns at higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in roughly a 33% FPS drop, while the transition from 1440p to 4K results in roughly a 43% drop. This is consistent with the pixel count increase: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p. The FPS drop is slightly less than the pixel count increase, indicating some efficiency gains at higher resolutions due to reduced CPU overhead.

The data suggests that for this combo, the GPU is the limiting component across all settings and resolutions. The CPU has sufficient headroom to push even higher frame rates if the GPU were faster. This is evident at 1080p Low, where 282 FPS is achieved, but the GPU's percentile ranking (55th) suggests other GPUs could achieve higher frame rates with the same CPU. The combo's rank of 515 out of 2,872 reflects this GPU-bound characteristic.