Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, shows a striking performance curve with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but which transitions to a more CPU-sensitive state at 1080p, particularly with lower graphical presets. The measured frames per second (FPS) demonstrate that this pairing delivers exceptional performance, but the bottleneck shifts depending on the target resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the limiting component at each step. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 203.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces this to 133.4 FPS, a drop of 70.3 FPS (or roughly 34.5%). Scaling further to 4K yields 80.1 FPS, a further 53.3 FPS decline. This steady, significant decline as pixel count increases indicates a classic GPU-bound scenario; the RTX 4080 SUPER is being tasked with progressively heavier rendering loads.

However, the pattern shifts when looking at the lowest settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 302.2 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still achieves 224.7 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 77.5 FPS. But when scaling from 1440p to 4K Low, the FPS falls to 127.3, a more substantial 97.4 FPS reduction. This larger relative drop at 4K suggests that even at Low settings, the resolution demands become the primary constraint. The fact that 1080p Low (302.2 FPS) is nearly 2.4 times faster than 4K Low (127.3 FPS) underscores how the GPU's workload scales with pixel throughput.

The data indicates that at 1080p, especially on lower presets, the CPU begins to assert its influence. The transition from 1080p Medium (255.8 FPS) to 1080p High (203.7 FPS) is a 52.1 FPS drop, while the jump to 1080p Ultra (138.1 FPS) is another 65.6 FPS decline. These are massive swings caused purely by graphical settings at the same resolution, confirming the GPU is the dominant factor in determining output. The RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear performance driver, and its capabilities are best showcased at 1440p and 4K, where it still delivers high frame rates despite the heavy pixel load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its architecture is Alder Lake, built on a 10 nm process. In the context of this game's results, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3444. This is crucial for a game like Evolve, which often relies on one or two primary threads for game logic and physics.

The data suggests the i3-12100F is sufficient to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER well-fed at higher resolutions. At 4K High, the system produces 80.1 FPS, a result that is far more dependent on the GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of compute power than the CPU's 4 cores. However, the CPU's limits become apparent at 1080p on Low settings. The 302.2 FPS figure is likely near the ceiling of what this processor can command the GPU to render, as the frame time becomes increasingly limited by CPU processing speed rather than GPU rendering capacity.

The multi-threaded performance of the i3-12100F is modest by comparison, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 11912 and a passmark_multithread score of 14015. Its 4 cores and 8 threads are not a high-core-count solution. In Evolve, this means that while the game runs exceptionally fast, the CPU is not providing the headroom for the GPU to reach even higher frame rates in less demanding scenes at 1080p. The 4.30 GHz boost clock is the key asset here, allowing the processor to execute the game's primary thread logic quickly enough to sustain the very high FPS numbers seen at lower resolutions and settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 302.2, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 57. This is the most demanding configuration measured and is the only result below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the system better suited for 1440p or 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for high refresh-rate play. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 133.4 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 80.1 FPS. Both are playable, but 1440p offers a much higher frame rate.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS decreases from 302.2 on Low to 138.1 on Ultra. This represents a performance drop of 164.1 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest graphical preset.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point?

A: The evidence suggests a CPU limitation at 1080p with Low settings, where the 302.2 FPS result may be capped by the i3-12100F's processing power. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU is the clear limiting factor.

Q: How does the combo's overall rank compare to other tested systems?

A: This combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 124th out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the top 7.3% of all systems tested.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware, this specific pairing is a high performer. The combo ranks 124th out of 1695 total combinations in the database for Evolve. This places it in the top 7.3% of all systems tested, indicating that while it is not the absolute fastest, it is significantly faster than the vast majority. The GPU is a major contributor to this ranking, as its average benchmark score of 53610 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. This high GPU percentile is supported by its performance relative to rivals, where it is 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S in average score.

The CPU, while not as dominant, still holds its own. Its average benchmark score of 13516 places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. It performs nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, with a deltaPct of -0.1%, and is 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K. This shows that the i3-12100F is a competent mid-range processor that, when paired with a top-tier GPU, yields a system that is far more capable than its processor lineage might suggest. The high combo rank reflects the RTX 4080 SUPER's ability to carry the system in this GPU-intensive game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptionally high across the board. Low settings yield 302.2 FPS, Medium produces 255.8 FPS, High achieves 203.7 FPS, and Ultra still maintains a very playable 138.1 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the system's maximum frame rate potential lies.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down as expected. The Low preset produces 224.7 FPS, Medium hits 170.9 FPS, High reaches 133.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 93.4 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GPU is still able to push high refresh rates on all but the most demanding preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the definitive limit. Low settings deliver 127.3 FPS, Medium provides 99.7 FPS, and High yields 80.1 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below the 60 FPS mark, averaging 57 FPS. This demonstrates that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is powerful, 4K Ultra is a significant challenge for it in Evolve.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p high-refresh-rate monitor (e.g., 240Hz), the High preset is the best choice. It achieves 203.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience, and offers significantly better visual fidelity than the Low or Medium presets. The Ultra preset, while at 138.1 FPS, is also viable but offers diminishing returns in visual quality for a 65.6 FPS loss compared to High.

For 1440p displays with a 144Hz refresh rate, the High preset is again the recommended choice. The 133.4 FPS average is close to the 144Hz target and provides an excellent balance of image quality and performance. The Medium preset at 170.9 FPS could be used for a competitive advantage, but the visual upgrade to High is substantial for a 37.5 FPS cost.

At 4K, the game is best played on the High preset. The 80.1 FPS average is comfortably above 60 FPS and offers a far better visual experience than the Medium preset's 99.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K, as its 57 FPS average falls below the standard 60 FPS target, and the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically less noticeable than the frame rate penalty.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance leader in this pairing. Its benchmark data shows it is a top-tier component, with a passmark_g3d score of 34245 and a percentile rank of 88 among all GPUs. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring a massive 45,900 million transistors. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is crucial for high-resolution textures and data throughput.

The GPU's clock speeds are high, with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. Its 10240 shading units and 320 TMUs give it the raw compute power to handle the demands of Evolve at high resolutions. This is reflected in the measured FPS, where the card excels at 1440p and provides playable 4K performance. The RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary reason this combo ranks so highly. Its performance is within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 0.4% of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, showing it is a class-leading product. The GPU's role is to provide the immense rendering power that the i3-12100F can only partially utilize at lower resolutions, making it the star of this configuration.