Evolve

# Evolve — Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The measured frame rates for this combination reveal a system that scales predictably with resolution, but with some surprising twists in how settings impact performance. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 234.9 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 35.8 FPS — a 6.6x reduction in raw throughput. The data suggests a GPU-bound experience at higher resolutions, but the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration begins to show its limits at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. This is a pairing that rewards careful settings selection, as the gap between Low and Ultra presets varies dramatically depending on resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about which component dominates in Evolve. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (146 FPS) to 1440p (97.1 FPS) represents a 33.5% drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K (55.6 FPS) costs another 42.7%. This is steeper than linear scaling would suggest, indicating that the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K.

The Low preset shows a different pattern. From 1080p (234.9 FPS) to 1440p (158.4 FPS) drops 32.6%, but from 1440p to 4K (92.7 FPS) falls 41.5%. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot maintain 100 FPS suggests the GPU's pixel throughput — rated at 233.3 GPixel/s — becomes the limiting factor. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 234.9 FPS figure approaches the practical ceiling for the i3-12100F's single-thread performance, which scores 893 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1681 in Cinebench R23 single-core.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty. The 4K Ultra result of 35.8 FPS is 64.4% below 1440p Ultra (65.3 FPS), which itself is 35.1% below 1080p Ultra (100.6 FPS). This nonlinear degradation points to memory bandwidth pressure — the 624.1 GB/s figure becomes insufficient when pixel shading demands increase with both resolution and settings complexity.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT's specifications directly explain its behavior in Evolve. With a base clock of 1295 MHz and boost up to 2430 MHz, the GPU shows a 47% clock headroom that manifests in the scaling between Medium and High presets. At 1440p, Medium produces 119.9 FPS while High yields 97.1 FPS — a 23.5% difference that reflects the additional shader work at higher settings.

The 16 GB VRAM allocation appears sufficient for this game, as no min FPS data suggests memory-related stuttering. However, the 256-bit memory bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth create a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra, where the 35.8 FPS result aligns with the GPU's 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 throughput being saturated by the game's effects. The 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs provide enough texture and pixel processing for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K demands more than the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate can sustain alongside heavy shading.

Comparing to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score of 32619 sits within 0.2% of the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (32540) and 0.4% below the NVIDIA P104-100 (32747). These margins are negligible in synthetic tests, but the measured FPS data shows this GPU performing well above the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p High — a result that neither rival's specs would guarantee given their older architectures.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 184.4 FPS — 21.5% below Low but 26.3% above High — suggesting the preset's visual improvements come at a moderate cost. At 1440p, Medium's 119.9 FPS comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS target while maintaining a 23.5% margin over High's 97.1 FPS.

For 4K, the choice becomes more constrained. High settings at 55.6 FPS nearly achieves 60 FPS, while Medium at 69.8 FPS provides a safer buffer. Ultra at 35.8 FPS is only viable for players prioritizing visual fidelity over smoothness. Low at 92.7 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 90 FPS at 4K, but it sacrifices the graphical quality that the RX 7800 XT was designed to deliver.

The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, offering 184.4 FPS at 1080p, 119.9 FPS at 1440p, and 69.8 FPS at 4K. This consistency across resolutions — never dropping below 60 FPS — makes it the most predictable choice for varied display configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum shows the GPU's headroom: Low hits 234.9 FPS, Medium reaches 184.4 FPS, High maintains 146 FPS, and Ultra produces 100.6 FPS. The 134.3 FPS difference between Low and Ultra represents a 57.2% performance penalty for maximum visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same settings ladder compresses: Low at 158.4 FPS, Medium at 119.9 FPS, High at 97.1 FPS, and Ultra at 65.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 93.1 FPS (58.8% penalty), but the relative ordering remains consistent.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results show the GPU's limits: Low at 92.7 FPS, Medium at 69.8 FPS, High at 55.6 FPS, and Ultra at 35.8 FPS. The penalty from Low to Ultra grows to 56.9 FPS (61.4%), reflecting the exponential cost of rendering at 4K with enhanced effects. Notably, the 4K High result of 55.6 FPS falls just short of the 60 FPS target, while 4K Medium provides a 16.2% margin above it.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which produce 69.8 FPS. High settings drop to 55.6 FPS, falling below the target.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable at 1080p?

A: Low settings deliver 234.9 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: How does the RX 7800 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU scores 32619 on average, which is 0.2% above the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (32540) and 0.4% below the NVIDIA P104-100 (32747).

Q: Is the i3-12100F a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: At 1080p Low (234.9 FPS), the CPU's single-thread performance may become a constraint, but at higher resolutions the GPU is clearly the limiting factor.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: 1440p High produces 97.1 FPS, while 4K High produces 55.6 FPS — a 42.7% reduction.

Q: Does the combo support ray tracing in this game?

A: The GPU has 60 RT cores, but the measured FPS data does not include any ray tracing benchmark results for Evolve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, based on Alder Lake architecture, provide the foundation for this combo's results. Its 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock deliver strong single-thread performance, evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. These figures place the CPU in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516.

The CPU's nearest rivals highlight its positioning: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX scores 13534 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13462 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i7-7700K scores 13280 (1.8% lower). This tight clustering in synthetic scores suggests the i3-12100F punches above its 4-core configuration, but the measured FPS data reveals where it might struggle.

At 1080p Low, the 234.9 FPS result approaches the CPU's practical limit for feeding frames to the GPU. The 8-thread count handles Evolve's workload adequately, as the 3dmark_8_threads score of 4026 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023 show minimal scaling beyond 8 threads. The 12 MB shared L3 cache provides sufficient data locality for the game's assets, but the 58W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform suggest a mainstream positioning that prioritizes efficiency over extreme throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this pairing of the i3-12100F and RX 7800 XT ranks 620th out of 1695 combos in Evolve. This places it in the 63rd percentile, meaning 63% of tested configurations perform worse. Given that the GPU alone ranks in the 76th percentile of all GPUs and the CPU in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, the combined rank is slightly lower than each component's individual standing — suggesting the pairing does not fully leverage the GPU's potential in this specific game.

The rank of 620 out of 1695 reflects the measured FPS data, which shows the combo delivering playable performance at 1440p High (97.1 FPS) and 4K Medium (69.8 FPS) but falling short of top-tier combinations at 4K Ultra (35.8 FPS). The GPU's 16 GB VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are substantial, yet the CPU's 4-core architecture appears to limit the ceiling at lower resolutions. This is a combination that offers balanced performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K viability dependent on settings compromise.