Evolve

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti presents a classic 1080p-focused configuration, and the measured frame rates in Evolve confirm this dynamic with striking clarity. Across the board, the data shows a predictable and steep performance penalty as resolution climbs, with the gap between settings narrowing as pixel count increases, ultimately revealing a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions while the CPU holds its ground at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is brutal for this combo, but the pattern is highly informative. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 75 FPS at 1080p to 50 FPS at 1440p, a 33% reduction, and then collapses to 29 FPS at 4K, a further 42% loss from the 1440p figure. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario; the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering throughput is being saturated as the pixel workload quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The Low settings row tells an even more revealing story. At 1080p, the combo achieves a commanding 123 FPS average, which drops to 83 FPS at 1440p and 47 FPS at 4K. The fact that Low settings at 4K (47 FPS) still outperforms High settings at 4K (29 FPS) by 62% indicates that the graphics card's fill rate and shading capacity are the dominant constraints. The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, is not the limiting factor here; the i3-12100F's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 893, is more than adequate to feed the GPU at these lower graphical loads.

The medium preset offers the most granular look at this scaling. With average FPS of 95 at 1080p, 64 at 1440p, and 36 at 4K, the deltas are consistent (roughly 33% and 44% respectively). The minimum FPS figures for Medium settings also scale proportionally, with 81 FPS at 1080p falling to 54 FPS at 1440p and 31 FPS at 4K. This uniformity suggests that the rendering pipeline is being taxed evenly across the board, with no sudden frame-time spikes that would indicate a CPU-related bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data strongly suggests that to achieve a playable experience at 4K, the user must aggressively lower settings, but even then, the 47 FPS average at Low is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, is the definitive bottleneck in this pairing for Evolve. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p textures but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU's benchmark profile, with a Passmark G3D score of 12871 and a percentile ranking of 41 among all GPUs, places it in the lower-midrange tier, and the measured FPS reflects this positioning.

The core clock behavior is relevant here. With a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, the card has a modest overclocking headroom, but the data shows that raw clock speed is not the saving grace at high resolutions. The pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s are simply overwhelmed by the 8.3 million pixels at 4K. The card's FP32 performance of 5.437 TFLOPS is a reasonable indicator of its shading power, yet the Ultra preset at 4K yields only 20 FPS, a figure that is unplayable by any standard.

Interestingly, the GTX 1660 Ti's nearest rivals, according to the benchmark database, are the AMD Radeon 540, AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100, and AMD Radeon R7 250, all of which have lower average benchmark scores. The deltaPct values are small (0.7%, 1.9%, and 2.2% respectively), indicating that the 1660 Ti sits at the top of a cluster of low-end cards. This is a crucial context: while the card is not the weakest option, it is nowhere near the mid-range or high-end tier required for 4K gaming. The VRAM capacity of 6 GB is adequate for 1080p and 1440p in Evolve, but the 4K Ultra results (20 FPS) suggest that texture memory and bandwidth are being exhausted, leading to the severe frame rate collapse.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a surprisingly capable partner in this configuration, and the benchmark data confirms that it is not the primary constraint in Evolve. With 4 cores and 8 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, the processor delivers strong single-threaded performance that is critical for game logic and draw calls. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 and Geekbench single-core score of 1932 are respectable, and its 3DMark single-thread score of 893 places it well above the threshold needed for smooth 60+ FPS gameplay in most titles.

The CPU's passmark multithread score of 14015 and its 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicate that it is a solid mid-pack performer, but its nearest rivals—the Intel Core 3 N355, Intel Core i5-9500, and Intel Core 5 120UL—all have nearly identical average benchmark scores (within 1.1% deltaPct). This clustering suggests that the i3-12100F is not a standout in multi-threaded workloads, but for Evolve, a game from 2015, the 8 threads are more than sufficient. The L3 cache of 12 MB shared is ample for this workload.

The evidence for the CPU's adequacy lies in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 123 FPS, which is a high refresh rate territory. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see this figure cap out regardless of settings, but instead, we see a clear progression from 52 FPS at Ultra to 123 FPS at Low. This inverse relationship between graphical fidelity and frame rate is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 show that it can handle the game's threading model without issue, and its 68th percentile ranking means it outperforms a majority of CPUs in the database, making it a future-proof choice for this generation of gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset is the clear sweet spot. With an average of 75 FPS, it provides a smooth, responsive experience that is well above the 60 FPS baseline. The jump to Ultra at 1080p yields only 52 FPS, a 30% drop, which is not worth the marginal visual improvement in a fast-paced FPS like Evolve. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 95 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but High provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

For 1440p, the situation is more delicate. The High preset delivers 50 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a twitch shooter. The Medium preset at 64 FPS is the better recommendation here; it offers a 28% improvement over High while maintaining a playable frame rate. The Low preset at 83 FPS is the best option for players who prioritize refresh rate over visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1440p (35 FPS) should be avoided entirely, as the frame rate dips below the playable threshold.

At 4K, the data is unequivocal: this combo is not suited for high-fidelity gaming. The Low preset at 47 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, and even that is borderline. The Medium preset at 36 FPS and High at 29 FPS are stutter-prone, and Ultra at 20 FPS is a slideshow. The recommendation is to stick to 1080p or 1440p with this pairing. The measured data shows that the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K textures, and the 12 nm Turing chip simply lacks the raw compute power (5.437 TFLOPS) to handle the pixel shader workload at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 3185 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the 14th percentile of all configurations, meaning that 86% of tested systems perform better in this specific title. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a relatively strong performer in its own right.

The combo's rank is consistent with the GPU's individual standing. The GTX 1660 Ti's percentile rank of 41 among all GPUs is a low bar, and when paired with a mid-range CPU, the combined result is a system that is firmly in the entry-level segment for modern gaming. The CPU's rank of 68th percentile is significantly higher, which further underscores the GPU bottleneck. Had the i3-12100F been paired with a more powerful graphics card, the combo's rank would likely be much higher, but the data shows that the 1660 Ti holds this system back.

This ranking is not a condemnation of the setup for 1080p gaming, however. The measured FPS at 1080p High (75 FPS) and Medium (95 FPS) are perfectly serviceable for a smooth experience. The rank of 3185 is a reflection of the system's inability to handle 4K or high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, not its capability at its native resolution. For a budget-conscious gamer targeting 1080p, this combo is a viable option, but the benchmark data clearly shows its place in the hierarchy is near the bottom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo in Evolve is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 52 FPS, while High produces 75 FPS, Medium produces 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS and maximum of 110 FPS, and Low produces 123 FPS. These figures show a clear linear progression, with Low being 136% faster than Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 35 FPS, High to 50 FPS, Medium to 64 FPS (with minimum and maximum of 54 and 74 FPS respectively), and Low to 83 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all settings, with an average reduction of roughly 33%, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses further. Ultra averages 20 FPS, High averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS (with a minimum of 31 FPS and maximum of 42 FPS), and Low averages 47 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced, with an average reduction of approximately 44% across all settings. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (31 FPS) is particularly telling, as it indicates that even the frame pacing is unstable at this resolution. The data conclusively shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a stretch and 4K being largely unplayable except at the lowest settings.