Evolve

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti form an asymmetric pairing: a six-core Comet Lake CPU from 2020 alongside a top-tier Ampere GPU from 2021. In Evolve, a 2015 FPS, the measured frame rates across three resolutions and four presets show a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the GPU becomes the decisive factor. The data, collected from real benchmarks, provides a clear picture of where this combo excels and where it falls short.

Resolution Scaling

At 1080p, the Low preset averages 224.6 FPS, Medium 201.3, High 160.6, and Ultra 108.4. Stepping up to 1440p, those figures become 173.5, 138.5, 107, and 72.7. At 4K, the same presets yield 102.5, 78, 63.2, and 44.6. The drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial: the Low preset falls from 224.6 to 102.5 FPS, while Ultra falls from 108.4 to 44.6. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, especially on the Ultra preset, which demands the most from the graphics hardware. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is high enough to suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck; the i5-10400F's six cores and twelve threads can feed the RTX 3080 Ti at that resolution. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are fully taxed, resulting in 44.6 FPS.

The pattern holds across all presets: the 4K result is roughly half of the 1080p result for each setting. For Low, 102.5 versus 224.6; for Medium, 78 versus 201.3; for High, 63.2 versus 160.6; for Ultra, 44.6 versus 108.4. This consistent halving suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources scale predictably with pixel count, and that the CPU is not introducing a variable constraint. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance (a 3DMark single-thread score of 688) is sufficient to keep the GPU busy. At 4K, the GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 912.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth become the limiting factors, as evidenced by the steep drop in frame rates.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti is built on the GA102 chip with 28,300 million transistors on an 8nm process. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 384-bit bus, providing 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1365 MHz, boosting to 1665 MHz, and the card delivers 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These specifications are far beyond what Evolve, a 2015 title, requires. The measured frame rates reflect this headroom: even at 4K High, the combo averages 63.2 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 102.5 FPS. The GPU's average benchmark score of 41,224 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, and it sits within 0.5% of the RTX 3090's 41,441 and 1.1% of the RTX 5070's 41,687. The launch MSRP of the RTX 3080 Ti is 1,199 USD.

The card's memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient for Evolve's textures and geometry, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. The Ultra preset, however, pushes the GPU hard, dropping to 44.6 FPS at 4K, indicating that the card's compute and memory resources are fully engaged at that setting. The GPU's 10,240 shading units and 320 texture mapping units are likely the reason why the High preset at 4K still manages 63.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset's additional effects (likely more demanding shaders and post-processing) cut that number by nearly a third. The 12 GB VRAM is never a constraint in this game, as even the highest preset at 4K does not exceed the card's memory footprint.

How This Combo Ranks

Among 1,695 tested CPU-GPU combinations in Evolve, this pairing ranks 493rd. That places it in the upper third of all combos, but not among the top performers. The GPU's percentile of 83 is higher than the CPU's percentile of 73, suggesting that the i5-10400F is the weaker component in this pairing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14,168 is within 1.1% of the Intel Core i5-8500 (14,332) and 0.8% of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14,277), while the GPU's 41,224 is within 0.5% of the RTX 3090 (41,441) and 1.1% of the RTX 5070 (41,687). The rank of 493 indicates that many other combos with stronger CPUs achieve higher frame rates in Evolve, even if the GPU is similar.

This is consistent with the resolution scaling data, which shows that at 1080p the CPU can keep up, but at 4K the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The combo's overall rank reflects a system that is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming, but not optimized for maximum frame rates at lower resolutions. The CPU's nearest rivals in the database—the AMD EPYC 7552 (14,115, +0.4%), the Ryzen 3 7320C (14,277, -0.8%), and the i5-8500 (14,332, -1.1%)—all have similar average scores, indicating that the i5-10400F is a mid-range part. The GPU, by contrast, is within 1.6% of the Tesla M40 (41,897) and 0.5% of the RTX 3090, placing it firmly in the high-end tier. The rank of 493 out of 1,695 suggests that the CPU is holding back the GPU in Evolve, particularly in scenarios where the CPU's single-thread performance (a 3DMark single-thread score of 688) becomes a factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution. At 4K, the High preset delivers 63.2 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains a playable frame rate; Ultra drops to 44.6 FPS, which may be too demanding for smooth gameplay. Medium offers 78 FPS, but High provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium for a modest frame rate cost. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 72.7 FPS, making it a viable choice for maximum quality. At 1080p, even Ultra achieves 108.4 FPS, so users can max out the game without concern.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 4K yields 102.5 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 224.6 FPS. The data suggests that High at 4K and Ultra at 1440p and 1080p offer the best balance of quality and performance for this combo. At 1440p, High averages 107 FPS, while Ultra averages 72.7 FPS; both are smooth, but Ultra provides higher visual fidelity. At 1080p, the difference between High (160.6 FPS) and Ultra (108.4 FPS) is noticeable, but both are well above the threshold for a responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only setting that falls below 60 FPS, so users targeting 4K should stick with High or lower.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 108.4 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: It ranks 493rd out of 1,695 combos.

Q: What is the GPU's memory size and bus width?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F boosts to 4.30 GHz.

Q: What are the average FPS at 4K for High and Ultra presets?

A: High averages 63.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 44.6 FPS.