Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, shows a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600. The measured data reveals a component balance that shifts dramatically depending on resolution, with the GPU taking on increasing responsibility as pixel count rises. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to determine which component is the primary driver of performance in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a steep performance cliff that clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 160.3 FPS, but dropping to 1440p Low reduces this to 107 FPS—a 33.2% decline. Pushing further to 4K Low yields 59.6 FPS, which is just 37.2% of the 1080p Low score. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, with the 4K High result of 35.5 FPS representing a 64.7% drop from the 1080p High score of 100.6 FPS.

The frame rate degradation from 1440p to 4K is particularly revealing. At Medium settings, the 1440p score of 85 FPS falls to 47.8 FPS at 4K—a 43.8% reduction. The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 46.5 FPS at 1440p dropping to 28.6 FPS at 4K. This consistent percentage loss across all quality levels suggests the RX 7600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are being saturated by the 4K pixel count, rather than any specific setting causing a bottleneck.

What the data implies is that 1080p and 1440p represent the sweet spot for this combination, while 4K pushes the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range. The 4K Low score of 59.6 FPS barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold, and any quality increase at that resolution immediately compromises playability. The measured numbers indicate that the RX 7600's 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K, particularly when texture quality increases demand on the 8 GB frame buffer.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides six cores and twelve threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show a strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a 3DMark max threads score of 4735. The CPU's percentile ranking of 73 among all tested processors indicates it sits above the median, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher average score) and the Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% lower).

In Evolve, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU based on the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the 160.3 FPS result suggests the i5-10400F is capable of feeding frames well beyond the GPU's output at higher resolutions. The single-thread performance, measured at 1453 in Cinebench R23 and 688 in 3DMark single thread, is sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor in this game. The 12 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data flow for the CPU's six physical cores.

The benchmark data indicates the i5-10400F's multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R20 multi-core: 4324) are respectable for a 10th generation part, but Evolve's engine seems to rely more on GPU throughput than CPU compute. The fact that frame rates scale so predictably with resolution—rather than showing erratic behavior that would indicate CPU stalls—suggests the processor is never the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 14 nm Comet Lake architecture deliver consistent performance without thermal throttling concerns in typical desktop scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the dominant performance driver in this pairing, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS variations across resolution and settings. Its RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, includes 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20258. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher average score) and the Intel Arc B570 (1.5% lower), indicating the RX 7600 sits in a competitive mid-range tier. The measured FPS data shows the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra with 28.6 FPS, while its floor is demonstrated at 1080p Low with 160.3 FPS—a 5.6x spread that highlights the GPU's sensitivity to workload.

The RX 7600's 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are substantial for a card in this class, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity appears to be the limiting factor at 4K. The transition from High to Ultra at 1440p causes a 30.2% FPS drop (66.7 to 46.5), while the same setting change at 1080p causes a 29.7% drop (100.6 to 70.7). This consistency suggests VRAM capacity, not compute throughput, is the primary constraint when texture quality increases, as the 8 GB buffer fills up and forces memory swapping.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination ranks 1162 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 68.6th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects a mid-tier position that aligns with the individual component rankings—the CPU at the 73rd percentile and the GPU at the 63rd percentile. The combo's rank is slightly lower than the CPU's individual percentile, suggesting the GPU holds back the overall system in this specific game.

The data implies that this pairing is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the measured FPS results are competitive with higher-ranked combos. At 1080p High, the 100.6 FPS result would likely place this configuration above many rivals that prioritize CPU performance over GPU. However, the 4K results, particularly the 28.6 FPS at Ultra, would drag the combo down in rankings that emphasize higher resolutions.

The rank of 1162 out of 1695 suggests that while this is not a top-tier configuration, it is also far from the bottom. The combo outperforms approximately 68.6% of all tested systems in Evolve, which is a respectable showing for a CPU from 2020 paired with a GPU from 2023. The ranking implies that users with this configuration should target 1080p or 1440p for the best experience relative to other systems, rather than attempting 4K where the GPU becomes the clear weak link.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows 1440p provides the best balance, with 107 FPS at Low settings and 66.7 FPS at High, while 4K drops below 60 FPS at all settings except Low (59.6 FPS).

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RX 7600 scores 0.6% lower than the RX 7600 XT in average benchmark score, indicating nearly identical performance in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the i5-10400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low score of 160.3 FPS suggests the CPU can feed frames well above the GPU's comfortable output range, indicating no CPU bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The difference is 60.5 FPS, with Low at 107 FPS and Ultra at 46.5 FPS, representing a 56.6% reduction in performance.

Q: Does the combo rank higher or lower than the CPU's individual percentile?

A: The combo ranks in the 68.6th percentile (1162 of 1695), while the CPU alone is at the 73rd percentile, indicating the GPU slightly lowers the overall ranking.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The RX 7600 has a launch MSRP of 269 USD.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 100.6 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and only 37.2% lower than the Low preset's 160.3 FPS. At 1440p High, the 66.7 FPS result remains playable, while the 4K High score of 35.5 FPS falls below acceptable levels.

For users prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1440p provides 107 FPS and remains the highest playable option at 4K with 59.6 FPS. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 124.3 FPS at 1080p and 85 FPS at 1440p, but the 47.8 FPS at 4K is marginal. The Ultra preset, while visually demanding, only achieves 70.7 FPS at 1080p and drops to 28.6 FPS at 4K, making it the least recommended option for this hardware.

The data suggests that High settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, balancing visual quality with the 66.7 FPS average. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1440p offers the highest frame rate above 60 FPS (107 FPS) without sacrificing resolution. Users with 1080p monitors can comfortably use Ultra at 70.7 FPS, but the 4K Ultra result of 28.6 FPS is unplayable for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 160.3 FPS on Low, 124.3 FPS on Medium, 100.6 FPS on High, and 70.7 FPS on Ultra. These results show a consistent degradation of approximately 20-25% with each quality tier increase, with the largest single drop occurring from Medium to High (23.7 FPS or 19.1%). The spread from Low to Ultra is 89.6 FPS, representing a 55.9% reduction in performance.

At 2560x1440, the measured FPS values are 107 FPS on Low, 85 FPS on Medium, 66.7 FPS on High, and 46.5 FPS on Ultra. The percentage drops are slightly steeper than at 1080p, with the Low to Medium reduction being 20.6% (22 FPS) and the High to Ultra reduction being 30.2% (20.2 FPS). The overall spread from Low to Ultra is 60.5 FPS, a 56.5% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the results are 59.6 FPS on Low, 47.8 FPS on Medium, 35.5 FPS on High, and 28.6 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Medium drop is 19.8% (11.8 FPS), while the High to Ultra drop is 19.4% (6.9 FPS). The total spread is 31 FPS, representing a 52.0% reduction from Low to Ultra. Notably, only the Low preset at 4K exceeds 60 FPS, and it barely does so at 59.6 FPS.