Evolve

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a playable but constrained experience in Evolve, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a steep performance cliff between 1080p and 4K, particularly under Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops by more than half. This combination ranks in the lower tier of tested configurations, placing 1540th out of 1695 combos, indicating that while the system is functional, it operates near the bottom of the performance spectrum for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 112 FPS, which drops to 74 FPS at 1440p and further to 44.9 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, suggesting that the GPU’s rendering pipeline becomes saturated as pixel count grows. The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average falls from 50.8 FPS at 1080p to 31.1 FPS at 1440p and finally to 18.1 FPS at 4K—a 64% drop across the resolution range.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a moderate decline from 68.8 FPS to 45.8 FPS, a 33% reduction. However, moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings yields a sharper 36% drop to 29.2 FPS. This non-linear behavior indicates that the 4 GB VRAM buffer and the 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth become limiting factors at 4K, as the GPU must manage larger texture sets and higher pixel workloads simultaneously. The frame rate gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution: at 1080p the spread is 61.2 FPS (112 vs 50.8), at 1440p it is 42.9 FPS (74 vs 31.1), and at 4K it narrows to 26.8 FPS (44.9 vs 18.1). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, even Low settings cannot escape the GPU’s fundamental throughput ceiling, making the component the definitive limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA107 chip manufactured on an 8 nm process. Its 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units provide a baseline for pixel and texture processing, with the GPU achieving a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s. The memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock of 1740 MHz and base clock of 1545 MHz define the operational envelope, but the data shows that raw clock speed is secondary to memory capacity and bandwidth in Evolve’s higher-resolution scenarios.

At 1080p, the GPU’s capabilities are sufficient to push average frame rates above 60 FPS on Medium (86 FPS) and High (68.8 FPS) settings, with Low reaching 112 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 3050 4 GB can handle the game’s geometry and shading workloads at standard HD resolutions without severe compromise. However, the 4 GB VRAM becomes a critical constraint at 1440p and 4K. The average FPS at 1440p Ultra is 31.1, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 18.1, both figures suggesting that the GPU is swapping textures or reducing LODs to fit within memory limits. The 128-bit memory bus further compounds this issue, as the 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to feed the 2048 shading units efficiently at higher pixel counts, leading to the observed frame rate collapse.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 50 against all GPUs places it in the median tier, but its performance in Evolve is highly dependent on settings. The 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate for 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain playable rates at 4K, where even Low settings yield only 44.9 FPS. The 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores are present but have minimal impact on this FPS title, as the workload is primarily rasterization-based. The 90 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient design, yet the performance ceiling is clear: the GPU delivers playable frame rates only up to 1440p Medium (58 FPS) or 1080p Ultra (50.8 FPS).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides 4 cores and 8 threads based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This processor features a 12 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core, with 80 KB L1 per core. Its benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2224 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681, while multi-threaded results include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a Passmark multithread score of 14015. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 72 against all CPUs indicates it outperforms the majority of processors, suggesting it is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data suggests that the i3-12100F is more than adequate at 1080p. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (112 FPS) and Medium (86 FPS) likely approaches the CPU’s frame generation limit, but the GPU remains the limiting factor. At higher resolutions, the CPU’s workload does not scale with pixel count, so its influence diminishes. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 indicate that the processor can handle the multi-threaded demands of a 2015-era FPS, which was designed for older dual-core and quad-core CPUs.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13516 is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462, delta 0.4%). It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10105 (13430) and 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280). These deltas are negligible in gaming terms, confirming that CPU performance is not a differentiator in Evolve for this combo. The 10 nm process node and 58 W TDP reflect a modern, efficient design, but the core count limits long-term scalability. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz provides sufficient single-thread responsiveness, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing in FPS titles.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1540th out of 1695 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 9% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM limitation and modest compute throughput, rather than the CPU’s performance. The CPU’s percentile rank of 72 suggests that many other processors in the database are slower, yet the combo still underperforms because the RTX 3050 4 GB holds the system back. The GPU’s percentile rank of 50 is average, but in Evolve, which appears to be memory-sensitive at higher resolutions, this average GPU falls short.

The rank implies that 154 other combos achieve better average frame rates in Evolve, likely featuring GPUs with larger memory buffers or higher bandwidth. The i3-12100F’s strong single-thread performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations, as the game becomes GPU-bound at 1440p and above. At 1080p, the combo’s performance is respectable—the 68.8 FPS at High settings is within the playable range—but the ranking reflects the overall experience across all settings and resolutions. The deltaPct values against CPU rivals (ranging from -0.1% to 1.8%) confirm that swapping the processor would yield minimal gains, whereas upgrading the GPU would likely produce a substantial improvement in frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average frame rates: Low 112 FPS, Medium 86 FPS, High 68.8 FPS, and Ultra 50.8 FPS. These figures show a smooth scaling curve, with each settings tier reducing performance by roughly 15-20% relative to the previous tier. The 1080p Low result is the only configuration that exceeds 100 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays, while Ultra remains above 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low 74 FPS, Medium 58 FPS, High 45.8 FPS, and Ultra 31.1 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 21.6%, while the drop from High to Ultra is 32.1%, indicating that Ultra settings introduce a disproportionately heavy load. None of these results reach 60 FPS except Low, which barely clears the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are: Low 44.9 FPS, Medium 31.9 FPS, High 29.2 FPS, and Ultra 18.1 FPS. The 4K results are universally below 45 FPS, with Ultra falling below 20 FPS, rendering the game unplayable at that setting. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is only 2.7 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth wall that negates the difference between these settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that 1080p High (68.8 FPS) and 1080p Medium (86 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, while 1440p Low (74 FPS) also clears this threshold. For 4K, only Low (44.9 FPS) approaches playability, but it remains below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Evolve?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 72 and its benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core 11912) are strong, but the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth cause frame rates to collapse at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 3050 4 GB’s memory capacity affect 4K performance?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 44.9 (Low) to 18.1 (Ultra), with a narrow gap between Medium (31.9) and High (29.2). This suggests that the 4 GB memory buffer is saturated, forcing the GPU to rely on slower memory management, which caps performance regardless of settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 68.8 at 1920x1080 to 45.8 at 2560x1440 and finally to 29.2 at 3840x2160. This represents a 57.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13516 is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534), 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462), 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i3-10105 (13430), and 1.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280). These differences are minimal and unlikely to affect gaming performance.

Q: Is the combo capable of running Evolve at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 50.8, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 31.1, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 18.1, which is not playable. Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p for this combo.