Evolve

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a broad spread of frame rates in Evolve, ranging from a fluid 222 FPS average at 1080p Low to a playable 38 FPS average at 4K Ultra. This combination of a 6-core Comet Lake processor and a Navi 32-based graphics card produces results that are heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with the GPU clearly becoming the primary constraint as pixel count rises. The measured data shows a consistent pattern: lower resolutions and settings yield very high frame rates, while 4K Ultra pushes the system to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the Radeon RX 7800 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 222 at 1920x1080 to 159 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 63 FPS, and then to 90 at 3840x2160, another drop of 69 FPS. This represents a 59% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a clear sign that the GPU’s rendering workload is scaling with pixel count. The data suggests the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, as the frame rates at 1080p are exceptionally high, but the GPU cannot maintain those levels when pixel count quadruples.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 184 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% from 1080p to 1440p and 43% from 1440p to 4K. The minimum FPS at Medium settings also shows this trend, with 156 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. These minimums are notably higher than the averages at 4K Ultra, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being taxed progressively harder.

The High preset follows the same trajectory: 144 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 47 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 42 FPS. This nearly linear decline in performance with resolution indicates that the RX 7800 XT is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads appear sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 100 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The 62 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K Ultra is the largest absolute drop in the dataset, confirming that Ultra settings at 4K overwhelm the GPU.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s single-thread performance, measured at 688 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1451 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, likely plays a role in capping maximum FPS. However, at 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s become the dominant factors. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high refresh rates, while 4K is only viable at lower settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the star of this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS figures. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for Evolve, a 2015 FPS that can be demanding at higher settings. The 16 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the game’s textures and assets fit comfortably within VRAM, avoiding any memory-related stuttering. The measured minimum FPS of 60 at 4K Medium and 105 at 1440p Medium indicates that the GPU maintains stable frame delivery, likely due to this ample memory pool.

Clock speeds also play a role. The GPU’s base clock is 1295 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz. The boost clock is what the card sustains under load, and the data shows that this frequency is sufficient to push frame rates above 200 at 1080p Low. The difference between base and boost clocks, roughly 1135 MHz, allows the GPU to scale its performance dynamically based on thermal and power headroom. The TDP of 263 W and the suggested PSU of 600 W indicate that this is a power-hungry card, but the benchmark results do not show any throttling-related frame drops, as the minimum FPS figures remain proportional to averages.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are substantial: 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs deliver 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Evolve, this translates to high fill rates, as evidenced by the 222 FPS average at 1080p Low. The pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s are more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the pixel throughput becomes a limiting factor. The 38 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a direct consequence of the GPU’s ROP count and pixel rate struggling to process four times the pixels of 1080p.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 51 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11627, places it in the mid-range of tested hardware. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, which scores 11680 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT, which scores 11842 (1.8% higher). These close scores in synthetic tests contrast sharply with the measured FPS in Evolve, where the RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth provide a clear advantage in real-world gaming. The data shows that synthetic benchmark scores do not fully capture the GPU’s gaming performance, particularly in a title like Evolve that benefits from large memory allocations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its specifications reveal a balanced partner for the RX 7800 XT. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It is built on a 14 nm process and belongs to the Comet Lake architecture, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The 65 W TDP indicates a modest power draw, which is typical for a mid-range desktop processor.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. At 1080p Low, the 222 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of high throughput, but the single-thread performance is likely the ceiling. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 688 and the passmark_single_thread score of 2541 indicate decent, but not exceptional, single-core capabilities. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz helps in this regard, as Evolve, like many FPS titles, relies heavily on one or two primary threads.

The multi-threaded performance is more robust. The 3dmark_max_threads score of 4735 and the cinebench_r23_multicore score of 10283 show that the CPU can handle parallel workloads. The passmark_multithread score of 12115 confirms this, and the 12 threads allow the CPU to manage background tasks without impacting gaming performance. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as frame rates exceed 144 FPS on High settings, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor, and the CPU’s utilization likely drops.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, provided by dual-channel DDR4, is sufficient for this game. Evolve’s data demands are not extreme, and the 12 MB L3 cache helps reduce memory latency. The PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes is a potential limitation, as the GPU supports PCIe 4.0, but the measured FPS figures do not indicate any bandwidth-related performance loss. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 68 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185, places it slightly above mid-range. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.6% lower), showing that the i5-10400F is competitive with newer and more expensive processors in synthetic tests, though its gaming performance is more dependent on the GPU pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 1282 out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve, placing it in the 65th percentile of all combos. This position is respectable, given that the 3700 combos include many high-end pairings with newer CPUs and GPUs. The rank suggests that this combo outperforms the majority of tested systems, but it does not reach the top tier, which is reserved for combinations with more powerful processors or graphics cards.

The rank is influenced by the GPU’s mid-range percentile of 51 and the CPU’s percentile of 68. The RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth provide an advantage in Evolve, but its synthetic benchmark score of 11627 is only slightly above average. The i5-10400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, but they do not offer the headroom of higher-core-count CPUs. The combo’s rank of 1282 indicates that it sits comfortably in the upper-middle range, outperforming combos with weaker GPUs or CPUs, but falling short of those with flagship hardware.

The measured FPS data reinforces this ranking. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 144 FPS, which is above the threshold for smooth gameplay on a 144 Hz monitor. At 1440p High, it achieves 97 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high refresh rates. At 4K High, it drops to 55 FPS, which is playable but requires settings adjustments for a smoother experience. These results place the combo in a position where it can handle competitive gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not a 4K powerhouse. The rank of 1282 out of 3700 reflects this balance, showing that the combo is a versatile mid-range performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 222 FPS, Medium produces 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS, High produces 144 FPS, and Ultra produces 100 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 122 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution. The minimum FPS at Medium (156 FPS) is higher than the average at High (144 FPS), indicating that the game’s frame pacing is stable at lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain high. Low settings average 159 FPS, Medium averages 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 142 FPS, High averages 97 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings (63 FPS) and least pronounced at Ultra (33 FPS). The minimum FPS at Medium (105 FPS) is still above 100, making 1440p Medium a viable option for high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the combo begins to struggle. Low settings average 90 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (60 FPS) is exactly at the threshold for console-like smoothness, while the Ultra average of 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that 4K is only playable at Low and Medium settings, with High and Ultra requiring significant sacrifices in visual quality for playable frame rates.

The settings scaling at each resolution is linear. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium is 38 FPS, between Medium and High is 40 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 44 FPS. At 1440p, the differences are 36 FPS, 26 FPS, and 30 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the differences are 20 FPS, 15 FPS, and 17 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s performance headroom decreases as resolution increases, making each settings tier more costly at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 144 FPS, which is ideal for a 144 Hz monitor. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices 44 FPS for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 184 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, as it offers a significant frame rate advantage over High with only a minor reduction in visual fidelity. The Low preset at 222 FPS is excessive for most displays, but it provides the highest possible frame rate for esports scenarios.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 97 FPS, which is smooth on a 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitor but not ideal for 144 Hz. The Medium preset at 123 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a 26 FPS improvement over High while maintaining a minimum of 105 FPS. This makes 1440p Medium the recommended setting for players seeking a balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is playable but noticeably less smooth, and the Low preset at 159 FPS is recommended only for players prioritizing frame rate over visuals.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistently playable experience, with an average of 70 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. The Low preset at 90 FPS offers more headroom, but the visual downgrade is substantial. The High preset at 55 FPS is borderline, with frame rates dipping below 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 38 FPS is not recommended for anything other than screenshots or slow-paced exploration. For 4K gaming, the data shows that Medium settings provide the best experience, as they maintain a minimum FPS of 60 while offering moderate visual enhancements over Low.

The overall recommendation is to use Medium settings at 1440p for the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, as it delivers 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS. At 1080p, High settings are sufficient for most players, but Medium offers a substantial performance boost. At 4K, Medium is the only settings tier that consistently stays above 60 FPS, making it the default choice for 4K displays. The combo’s 16 GB VRAM ensures that even Medium settings at 4K will not encounter memory issues, as the game’s assets fit comfortably within the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth.