Evolve

The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT pairing delivers a solid, if not spectacular, experience in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The data shows a combination that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, with the CPU demonstrating strong multi-threaded capability and the GPU providing ample bandwidth for high-refresh 1080p play. This analysis details the component roles, ranking context, and resolution scaling based exclusively on the provided benchmark data.

FAQ

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F scores 4,324 points in Cinebench R20 multi-core. This places it within a narrow band of its nearest rivals, as it trails the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C by 0.8% and the Intel Core i5-8500 by 1.1%, while leading the AMD EPYC 7552 by 0.4%.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and how does it rank?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30,097. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, achieving a nearly identical average score of 30,109, representing a 0% delta.

*Q: What is the best performance outcome for this combo in Evolve?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded for this combo is 216.4 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The most demanding scenario is 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 35.8.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance look?

A: In Cinebench R23, the i5-10400F scores 1,453 points in single-core. This is complemented by a 3DMark single-thread score of 688, indicating modest single-thread capability relative to its multi-core strength.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory bandwidth for high resolutions?

A: The RX 7700 XT features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The benchmark results show playable average FPS at 3840x2160 (48.3 FPS on High), indicating the memory subsystem is adequate for this title.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 746th out of 1,695 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of visual performance in this setup. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, it contains 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1435 MHz, a game clock of 2171 MHz, and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. This configuration is supported by 12 GB of GDDR6 memory running at an effective speed of 18 Gbps, delivering a substantial 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

This memory bandwidth is critical for Evolve, particularly as resolution increases. The GPU's raw computational power is evident in its 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, alongside 3,456 shading units and 96 ROPs. The data shows that the GPU's capability is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where the average FPS falls to 35.8. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the same hardware pushes frame rates to 216.4 FPS, demonstrating a wide performance envelope that scales with the demands of the scene.

The GPU's performance percentile of 73 places it on par with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which has an average benchmark score of 30,109 versus the RX 7700 XT's 30,097. This near-identical performance suggests that in Evolve, the Radeon's 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient, and its bandwidth is not a bottleneck at any tested setting. The transition from High to Ultra settings at 1440p illustrates the GPU's workload scaling: average FPS drops from 88.6 to 62.1, a significant 26.5-frame reduction that highlights the cost of higher visual fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Comet Lake architecture. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz can boost up to 4.30 GHz, supported by a 12 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's multi-threaded performance is its standout feature, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10,297 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 4,735.

This multi-threading capability is relevant for Evolve, which can utilize multiple cores for game logic and physics. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 12,115 indicates robust parallel processing, while its single-thread score of 2,541 is more modest. The data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck; frame rates scale consistently from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting the GPU remains the limiting component even at high frame rates.

However, the CPU's performance relative to its rivals is narrow. The i5-10400F trails the Intel Core i5-8500 by 1.1% in average benchmark score, but leads the AMD EPYC 7552 by 0.4%. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, making it a competent but not exceptional processor for this workload. Its memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for feeding the GPU, but the 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP suggest it is not optimized for extreme efficiency.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT earns a rank of 746 out of 1,695 tested combinations for Evolve. This places the combo in the 56th percentile of all configurations, indicating it outperforms a majority of systems while not reaching the top tier. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU's mid-pack standing and the GPU's stronger relative performance.

Interpreting this rank, the combo is positioned favorably for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the data shows average FPS consistently above 60 at High settings (136 FPS at 1080p, 88.6 FPS at 1440p). The rank of 746 suggests that while there are many faster systems, this pairing avoids the bottom quartile of performers. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, has a slightly higher average score (14,277 vs. 14,168), but the GPU's strength compensates for this in gaming scenarios.

The combo's position becomes less favorable at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS of 35.8 is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. This indicates that the rank, while respectable, does not guarantee high-end 4K performance. The gap between the GPU's percentile (73) and the combo's rank percentile (56) suggests that the CPU holds the combo back in certain CPU-bound scenarios, though the measured FPS data shows this is not a significant issue in Evolve at most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the severity depending on the settings preset. At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates: 216.4 FPS on Low, 169.7 FPS on Medium, 136 FPS on High, and 94.8 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 146.5 FPS (Low), 114.3 FPS (Medium), 88.6 FPS (High), and 62.1 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the performance falls significantly: 86.7 FPS (Low), 67.1 FPS (Medium), 48.3 FPS (High), and 35.8 FPS (Ultra).

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a 64.5% drop in average FPS (from 136 to 48.3). This substantial reduction indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale proportionally with pixel count. Conversely, the smaller drop from 1080p Low (216.4 FPS) to 1440p Low (146.5 FPS) — a 32.3% decrease — still points to GPU limitation, but the high absolute frame rates suggest the CPU can keep up with the data feed at these settings.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 35.8 confirms that the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for maximum settings at this resolution in Evolve. The data suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck across all tested configurations, as the CPU's performance remains consistent regardless of resolution. This is typical for a game of Evolve's era, where GPU throughput dominates frame rate at higher resolutions, while the i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient headroom to avoid becoming the primary constraint.