Evolve

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a combination that ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it near the bottom quartile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects a significant bottleneck: the data shows the Arc B390, despite being paired with one of the most powerful desktop CPUs available, produces frame rates that are often below playable thresholds. The benchmark results indicate that this is not a balanced pairing for Evolve, as the CPU’s immense compute potential is largely untapped while the GPU struggles to keep pace. This analysis explores the measured FPS data across resolutions and settings, the roles each component plays, and what the numbers reveal about system limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2530 out of 2872 tested combinations places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems for Evolve. This is a striking result given the CPU’s pedigree—the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 75779. The GPU, however, tells a different story: the Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of just 1482. The disparity between these two components is the defining characteristic of this pairing, and the in-game ranking reflects that imbalance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D (deltaPct 0.1), AMD EPYC 8224P (deltaPct 0.3), and Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (deltaPct 0.4). These rivals are all within 0.4% of the 9950X3D’s average score, meaning the CPU is essentially tied with them in synthetic workloads. The GPU’s nearest rivals are far less competitive: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (deltaPct 2.5), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (deltaPct 2.7). The Arc B390 is only slightly ahead of these older, entry-level GPUs, which explains why the combo ranks so poorly in a game like Evolve.

What the ranking implies is that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is not. In Evolve, a fast-paced FPS, the combination’s low rank suggests that users will experience significant performance limitations, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that this pairing is better suited for CPU-bound tasks rather than gaming, as the GPU bottleneck is severe. The rank also indicates that many other combinations—even those with far weaker CPUs—likely outperform this setup in Evolve, simply because they have more capable graphics hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Evolve?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 89, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, which is often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 14 (Ultra settings) to 34 (Low settings). The Medium preset yields 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30. None of the 4K results reach playable levels for a fast-paced FPS.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile, while the CPU is in the 95th percentile. The FPS data shows that lowering resolution and settings improves performance, which is typical of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded?

A: The only configurations with minimum FPS data are the Medium presets: 22 FPS at 3840x2160, 39 FPS at 2560x1440, and 59 FPS at 1920x1080. No minimum FPS data is available for Low, High, or Ultra settings.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2530 out of 2872 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for Evolve. This ranking reflects the GPU’s low percentile performance.

Q: Does the CPU’s high benchmark score translate to good gaming performance here?

A: No. Despite the CPU’s strong synthetic scores (Cinebench R23 multicore 42018, Geekbench multicore 26736), the in-game results are poor. The GPU bottleneck prevents the CPU from contributing meaningfully to frame rates in Evolve.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. The CPU features 128 MB of L3 cache, which is substantial for a desktop processor, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. It is built on TSMC’s 4 nm process and supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The processor also includes integrated Radeon Graphics, though this is not relevant for the discrete Arc B390 in this pairing.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9950X3D demonstrates exceptional multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42018 and Geekbench multicore score of 26736 place it at the top of the CPU hierarchy. The Passmark multithread score of 70255 and 3DMark max threads score of 17184 further reinforce this. Single-threaded performance is also strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3064 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2259. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 75779 and its 95th percentile ranking indicate it is among the best processors available.

However, in Evolve, the CPU’s role is minimal due to the GPU bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales with resolution and settings in a way that is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 89 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this level. But at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 14, which is far below what the CPU could theoretically support. The data implies that the CPU is not the constraint; rather, the Arc B390’s limited processing power is.

The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are overkill for Evolve, a game released in 2015 that is unlikely to utilize more than a few cores. The benchmark results indicate that the 9950X3D’s strengths—multi-threaded workloads, data compression (Passmark score 908421), and floating-point math (159724)—are irrelevant to this game’s performance. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.70 GHz and large L3 cache do not compensate for the GPU’s inability to render frames quickly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, 1920x1080) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo produces its best results: Low settings yield an average of 89 FPS, Medium yields 69 FPS (with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 79), High yields 54 FPS, and Ultra yields 37 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression—lowering settings improves performance, with Low being the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings produce 60 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold, while Medium produces 46 FPS (minimum 39, maximum 53). High settings yield 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 25 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p incurs a noticeable penalty, with the High preset losing 18 FPS and the Low preset losing 29 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is struggling to handle the increased pixel count.

At 4K, the performance is marginal at best. Low settings produce 34 FPS, Medium produces 26 FPS (minimum 22, maximum 30), High produces 21 FPS, and Ultra produces 14 FPS. None of these results are suitable for a competitive FPS, as even the lowest preset fails to reach 35 FPS. The data shows that this combo is not viable for 4K gaming in Evolve, regardless of settings.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the GPU’s performance degrades as resolution increases, and settings have a proportional impact on FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, showing that at 1080p the minimum stays above 59 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 39, and at 4K it falls to 22. This indicates that frame pacing becomes more erratic at higher resolutions, further diminishing the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and revealing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 89 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 60 FPS (a 32.6% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 34 FPS (a 61.8% reduction from 1080p). The High preset shows a similar trend: 54 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p (33.3% lower), and 21 FPS at 4K (61.1% lower). The Medium preset goes from 69 FPS at 1080p to 46 FPS at 1440p to 26 FPS at 4K, while Ultra drops from 37 to 25 to 14.

These percentage drops are consistent with a GPU-bound system. The Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for modern gaming. As resolution increases, the number of pixels to render grows exponentially, and the GPU’s fixed processing capacity becomes the limiting factor. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck because the FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, which is expected when the GPU is saturated.

The resolution scaling also reveals that the combo is only marginally playable at 1080p with Low settings. At 1440p, even Low settings barely hit 60 FPS, and at 4K, no setting achieves 35 FPS. This suggests that users who want to play Evolve with this pairing should stick to 1080p and be prepared to lower settings. The GPU’s memory is system-shared, meaning it relies on the CPU’s DDR5 memory, which could further impact performance at higher resolutions due to increased memory bandwidth demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo in Evolve are 1080p with Low. This configuration yields an average of 89 FPS, which is the only result that provides a smooth experience for a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is a close second, with 69 FPS and a minimum of 59 FPS, which could be acceptable for less demanding players. However, the extra 20 FPS from Low settings makes it the clear choice for competitive play.

At 1440p, the Low preset produces 60 FPS, which is borderline playable but leaves no headroom for drops. The Medium preset at 1440p (46 FPS) is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and has a minimum of 39 FPS. At 4K, no settings are viable; even Low produces only 34 FPS, which is far too low for an FPS. The data suggests that users should avoid 4K altogether with this pairing.

The High and Ultra presets are poor choices at any resolution. At 1080p, High yields 54 FPS and Ultra yields 37 FPS, both below the playable threshold. At 1440p, High drops to 36 FPS and Ultra to 25 FPS. At 4K, High and Ultra produce 21 and 14 FPS, respectively. These presets are clearly intended for more powerful GPUs, and the Arc B390 cannot handle them. The recommendation is to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity: Low settings at 1080p provide the best experience, with Medium at 1080p as a compromise for those who want slightly better visuals.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and it has 12 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 15.36 TFLOPS. The GPU’s TDP is 80 W, and it uses system-shared memory, meaning it draws on the CPU’s DDR5 memory with bandwidth that is system-dependent.

The GPU’s benchmark performance is poor, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), GeForce 800M (1460), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all older, low-end GPUs, and the Arc B390 is only 1.3% to 2.7% faster than them. This context explains why the combo ranks so poorly in Evolve: the GPU is simply not designed for gaming at modern resolutions and settings.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s limitations are evident. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 89 FPS, which is the maximum the GPU can manage. The fact that lowering settings from Medium to Low at 1080p yields a 20 FPS improvement (from 69 to 89) indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The GPU’s system-shared memory could also be a factor, as it competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, potentially causing stutters or lower frame rates in complex scenes.

The GPU’s role in this pairing is to be the bottleneck. The CPU is vastly more powerful, but the Arc B390 cannot leverage that power. The data shows that the GPU’s performance is insufficient for Evolve at anything above 1080p Low, and even then, it barely reaches playable frame rates. For users considering this combo, the GPU is the component that needs upgrading to achieve better gaming performance.