Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric FPS, places very different demands on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 depending on the resolution and settings chosen. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial headroom becomes evident only at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to determine the optimal configuration and the role each component plays.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this combo shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate across all three tested resolutions. At 4K (3840x2160), the Ultra preset delivers an average of 23 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset improves this to 34 FPS, but Medium is the first setting to push the average above 40 FPS, hitting 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. For a playable experience at 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it offers the best balance between the measured average and the minimum frame rate, which is crucial for maintaining stability in a fast-paced FPS.

Stepping down to 2560x1440, the situation improves significantly. The Ultra preset still struggles at 41 FPS, but High achieves a solid 60 FPS average. The Medium preset at this resolution delivers 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. The data suggests that High is the optimal setting for 1440p, as it provides a stable 60 FPS experience without the performance cost of Ultra, while Medium offers an even higher frame rate for competitive play if visual fidelity is less of a priority.

At 1920x1080, the CPU’s strength becomes apparent, and the GPU has more room to operate. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 62 FPS, which is playable, but the High preset nearly reaches 90 FPS (89 FPS average). The Medium preset further increases this to 113 FPS, with a tight minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. For the best experience at 1080p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers a high and consistent frame rate that takes advantage of the CPU’s capability, while High remains a strong option for those prioritizing visual quality over the extra performance headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node. Its specifications include a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The GPU features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. Memory is a key factor, with 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications place the RTX 2060 in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is most pronounced at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 23 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily stressed. Even at 4K Medium, the average is only 43 FPS, suggesting that the 6 GB VRAM and the GPU's compute capabilities are limiting factors at this resolution. The GPU's performance metrics, such as its FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s, are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings. The nearest rivals for the RTX 2060 include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a 0% delta in average score, the AMD Radeon 680M with a 0.1% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM with a 0.6% delta, showing that it sits in a specific performance tier that is not designed for 4K gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a significant drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component in this combination. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 146 FPS at 1080p to 98 FPS at 1440p, and then to 56 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. The trend is consistent across other settings. For High settings, the averages are 89 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU, with its high multithreaded performance, is not the limiting factor at these resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would not scale so dramatically with resolution. The data shows that the frame rate drops by roughly half when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The 6 GB VRAM capacity of the RTX 2060 may also contribute to the performance degradation at 4K, as the higher resolution demands more memory for textures and frame buffers.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 146 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo achieve a stable 60 FPS with the High preset?

A: The combo achieves a 60 FPS average at 2560x1440 with the High settings preset. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average is 89 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average drops to 34 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the Medium preset compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves an average of 76 FPS, which is 35 FPS higher than the Ultra preset’s average of 41 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 4K?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is 37 FPS, with a maximum of 50 FPS and an average of 43 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU show signs of bottlenecking at any resolution in the measured data?

A: No. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the average of 146 FPS is the highest measured, and the performance drops as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 146 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, a difference of 84 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2247 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve. This places the combo in the lower-mid range of all possible pairings, which is primarily a reflection of the GPU's performance tier. The RTX 2060, being in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, limits the overall potential of the system in this game.

The CPU, however, is a top-tier performer. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF with a -0.6% delta in average score, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K with a 1.3% delta, and the Intel Xeon 6505P with a 2% delta. This indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo. The low rank of 2247 out of 2872 is almost entirely due to the GPU's inability to keep up with the CPU's potential at higher resolutions and settings. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would result in a significantly better ranking for this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU features a large 128 MB L3 cache, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739. The CPU also achieves a Geekbench multicore score of 22884 and a single-core score of 3041.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as frame rates reach up to 146 FPS on Low settings. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4646, is sufficient for the game's engine. The massive 128 MB L3 cache and 12 cores ensure that the CPU can handle any background tasks or game logic without stuttering. Given that the CPU is in the 91st percentile and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, has a slightly lower average score, it is clear that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D provides ample performance for this game. The limiting factor is entirely on the GPU side, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table outlines the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset. Minimum and maximum values are only available for the Medium preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 56 FPS.
• Medium: Average 43 FPS, Minimum 37 FPS, Maximum 50 FPS.
• High: Average 34 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 98 FPS.
• Medium: Average 76 FPS, Minimum 65 FPS, Maximum 87 FPS.
• High: Average 60 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 41 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 146 FPS.
• Medium: Average 113 FPS, Minimum 96 FPS, Maximum 130 FPS.
• High: Average 89 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 62 FPS.

This data confirms that the combo is most playable at 1080p and 1440p, with the Medium and High presets providing the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 4K, only the Low preset approaches a playable frame rate, and the Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 40 FPS. The frame rate differences between settings are more pronounced at lower resolutions, showing that the GPU has more headroom at 1080p. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution also indicate that the frame pacing is consistent, with the 1080p Medium preset showing a minimum of 96 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target.