Evolve

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings six cores and twelve threads to this pairing, running Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm process. The base clock sits at 2.90 GHz with a boost ceiling of 4.30 GHz, and the CPU carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache. For a game released in 2015, this 2020 processor is substantially overprovisioned in thread count and clock speed. Cinebench R23 multi-core performance lands at 10297, while single-core reaches 1453; these figures place the chip in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs in the database.

The benchmark data shows a pattern consistent with a CPU that is rarely the bottleneck in Evolve. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 153.1 FPS — a figure that climbs far beyond what a 2015 title would typically demand from a single thread. The PassMark single-thread score of 2541 and 3DMark single-thread score of 688 reinforce the idea that the i5-10400F has ample per-core headroom. Even the most demanding measured configuration, 4K Ultra at 27.1 FPS, shows the workload shifting almost entirely to the graphics subsystem rather than the processor.

The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores include the AMD EPYC 7552 at 0.4% above, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C at 0.8% below, and the Intel Core i5-8500 at 1.1% below. These deltas are tiny, suggesting that the i5-10400F's compute characteristics are well understood relative to its peers. In Evolve specifically, the 12-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game logic do not starve the render pipeline, even when frame rates approach 150 FPS at 1080p Low. The 65 W TDP also indicates the CPU is not thermally constrained in a way that would cause clock throttling during extended sessions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is a Battlemage-generation GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. Memory bandwidth reaches 456.0 GB/s, and the memory clock runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 13.67 TFLOPS. The card draws up to 190 W and connects via PCIe 4.0 x8.

In the context of Evolve, the B580's 12 GB frame buffer is entirely unnecessary at the resolutions tested — even 4K Ultra rarely exceeds 6-8 GB in a 2015 title. The GPU's percentile ranking of 66 places it slightly above the midpoint of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 760M at 0.1% above, the NVIDIA P106-100 at 0.3% above, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 0.7% below. The RTX 4060 comparison is particularly useful: the B580 trails by less than one percent in aggregate benchmarks, yet the measured FPS in Evolve at 1080p Ultra (65.0) suggests the game's rendering paths are well optimized for Intel's Xe2-HPG architecture.

The GPU clearly becomes the limiting component as resolution scales. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 153.1 FPS, but at 4K Ultra that figure drops to 27.1 FPS — a 82% reduction. The B580's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is generous for this workload, yet the pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s begins to show strain at 4K, where fill-rate demands multiply. The 20 RT cores are irrelevant for Evolve, which predates real-time ray tracing in mainstream titles.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so sharply between 1080p and 4K?

A: The measured data shows a 1080p Low average of 153.1 FPS versus a 4K Low average of 59.2 FPS. This 61% reduction indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as pixel throughput requirements outpace the B580's 213.6 GPixel/s fill rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the 1080p Ultra result of 65 FPS?

A: The CPU's 3DMark max-threads score of 4735 and Cinebench R23 multi-core of 10297 suggest ample headroom, while the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 15748 is modest relative to the i5-10400F's 73rd percentile CPU ranking. The data points to the GPU as the limiting factor.

Q: How does the B580 compare to the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: In aggregate benchmarks, the B580 trails the RTX 4060 by 0.7%. In Evolve specifically, the measured 1080p Ultra average of 65 FPS is consistent with that small aggregate delta, though the game's performance profile cannot be fully extrapolated from synthetic scores.

Q: What does the 4K Ultra result of 27.1 FPS imply about playability?

A: It falls below the 30 FPS threshold commonly considered minimum for playable frame rates. The 4K Medium average of 43.6 FPS and 4K High average of 34.8 FPS are also marginal, suggesting 4K is only viable at Low settings (59.2 FPS).

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM useful for this game?

A: No. Evolve released in 2015 and its texture demands are far below 12 GB at any tested setting. The VRAM headroom does not influence the measured FPS; the GPU's compute and fill-rate capabilities are the limiting factors.

Q: How does the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking relate to its gaming performance here?

A: The percentile reflects aggregate synthetic benchmarks, not gaming-specific results. In Evolve, the i5-10400F's six cores and 4.30 GHz boost are more than sufficient; the measured FPS differences across settings are driven by GPU load, not CPU capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F + Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 1326th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the bottom 22% of all configurations. This low ranking is surprising given the individual component percentile positions — CPU at 73rd percentile and GPU at 66th percentile. The discrepancy suggests that Evolve's performance profile favors combinations with different characteristics, possibly favoring NVIDIA GPUs or higher-end Intel/AMD processors.

The ranking implies that this combo is not optimized for Evolve's specific rendering demands. While the i5-10400F performs within 1.2% of its nearest CPU rivals, and the B580 within 1.3% of its nearest GPU rivals, the combination lands in the lower quartile of tested systems. This could reflect the game's age — a 2015 title may not utilize the B580's newer architectural features effectively, or driver overhead on the Arc GPU could be penalizing frame times.

The data shows that the combo's 1080p Ultra result of 65 FPS is respectable in isolation, but the ranking context reveals that many other pairings achieve higher scores. The GPU's 66th percentile is the weaker link; at 4K Ultra, the 27.1 FPS result drags the combo's aggregate standing down considerably relative to systems with stronger GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 153.1 FPS; at 1440p Low, 102.5 FPS (33% drop); at 4K Low, 59.2 FPS (61% drop from 1080p, 42% drop from 1440p). The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. From 1080p to 4K, pixel count increases roughly fourfold, and the Low-setting FPS drops from 153.1 to 59.2 — a 61% reduction rather than the 75% that perfect linear scaling would predict. This suggests some CPU headroom at lower resolutions that gets absorbed as GPU load increases.

The High settings show a different pattern: 1080p at 95.3 FPS, 1440p at 63.1 FPS (34% drop), and 4K at 34.8 FPS (63% drop from 1080p). The Ultra settings compress the range further: 1080p at 65.0 FPS, 1440p at 45.3 FPS, and 4K at 27.1 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher settings and resolutions reinforce the GPU-limited nature of this combo. The CPU's consistent performance across resolutions — evidenced by the small delta between 1080p and 4K Low relative to the pixel count increase — indicates it is never the primary constraint.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 153.1 versus 65.0 FPS (58% reduction), while at 4K the same settings gap is 59.2 versus 27.1 FPS (54% reduction). The consistency of this percentage drop across resolutions suggests the B580's shading units and ROPs scale predictably with workload, without unexpected architectural bottlenecks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces the following averages: Low 153.1 FPS, Medium 121.0 FPS, High 95.3 FPS, and Ultra 65.0 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 21% reduction, while High to Ultra is a 32% reduction — the latter being the steepest single-setting drop at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 102.5 FPS, Medium 79.9 FPS, High 63.1 FPS, and Ultra 45.3 FPS. The Medium-to-High drop is 21%, and High-to-Ultra is 28%. The percentage reductions are smaller than at 1080p, indicating that pixel count begins to dominate over setting complexity.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 59.2 FPS, Medium 43.6 FPS, High 34.8 FPS, and Ultra 27.1 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop is 26%, Medium-to-High is 20%, and High-to-Ultra is 22%. At 4K, the setting-to-setting deltas compress into a narrow band, with all configurations falling between 27.1 and 59.2 FPS.

The data reveals that the B580's performance envelope spans from comfortably playable (1080p Ultra at 65 FPS) to borderline (4K Medium at 43.6 FPS) to unplayable (4K Ultra at 27.1 FPS). The 1440p results are the sweet spot: even Ultra settings maintain 45.3 FPS, which is above the 30 FPS baseline.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 65 FPS is the best choice — it delivers smooth frame rates while maximizing visual quality. The step down to High at 95.3 FPS is significant, but the jump from High to Ultra is only a 32% FPS cost, which is acceptable for the visual fidelity gained. Medium at 121 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes refresh rates above 120 Hz.

At 1440p, the High preset at 63.1 FPS offers the best balance. Ultra at 45.3 FPS is playable but approaches the threshold where fast motion in an FPS becomes less fluid. Medium at 79.9 FPS is viable for competitive play, but High provides a better visual experience at a still-smooth frame rate. Low at 102.5 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for a marginal frame rate gain.

At 4K, only the Low preset at 59.2 FPS is recommended for general play. Medium at 43.6 FPS is playable but requires the user to accept reduced visual fidelity relative to what the settings suggest. High at 34.8 FPS and Ultra at 27.1 FPS fall below the 30 FPS threshold for Ultra, making them unsuitable for an FPS where tracking moving targets demands consistent frame delivery.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most predictable scaling: 121 FPS at 1080p, 79.9 FPS at 1440p, and 43.6 FPS at 4K. This setting tier appears to align with the B580's architectural strengths, avoiding the fill-rate bottlenecks that drag down High and Ultra at higher resolutions. For users who want a consistent experience without adjusting settings per resolution, Medium is the pragmatic choice — though 1440p High at 63.1 FPS is the single best measured configuration for visual fidelity and playability.