Evolve

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT produces a highly variable experience in Evolve, with performance swinging dramatically based on resolution and quality preset. The data shows a system that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes heavily constrained at 4K, making it a versatile but resolution-dependent pairing for this 2015 FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, indicating that the RX 5700 XT becomes the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 157 FPS, but this drops by 33% to 105 FPS at 1440p and further to 60 FPS at 4K — a total reduction of 62% from the baseline. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU that has ample headroom at lower resolutions but runs out of pixel-pushing capacity as the workload shifts entirely to the renderer.

The gap between settings narrows as resolution climbs, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. At 1080p, the spread between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (66 FPS) is a massive 91 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU at all settings. At 4K, that same Low-to-Ultra spread shrinks to 35 FPS (60 vs 25), showing that even the Low preset is now limited by the graphics card's compute and memory throughput rather than the API draw call overhead. The 4K High result of 36 FPS sits just 11 FPS below the 4K Low result, while at 1080p that same settings gap is 62 FPS — clear evidence that the GPU is the limiting component at 2160p.

Using the Medium preset as a midpoint reference, the resolution scaling is nearly linear: 121 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium frame time of 39 FPS minimum versus a 53 FPS maximum shows noticeable variance, but the average stays playable. For 1440p High, the 64 FPS average is comfortable, while 4K Ultra at 25 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The data strongly suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, with 1440p being viable only at Medium or lower settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process from TSMC, is the dominant factor in Evolve's performance at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game's textures but becomes a limiting factor when combined with the card's raw compute throughput. The GPU's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs produce a pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s, which explains why 4K Ultra (25 FPS) falls so far below the 1080p Low result of 157 FPS.

The clock behavior of the RX 5700 XT is worth noting: a base clock of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed. These figures indicate that the card has a reasonable overclocking headroom out of the box, but in Evolve, the sustained performance at 4K suggests it is hitting thermal or power limits. The 225 W TDP and dual-slot cooler with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors are typical for this class, and the data shows the card holding up well at 1440p Medium (81 FPS) but struggling to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Low.

In the broader GPU benchmark landscape, this RX 5700 XT scores an average of 16361, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, scores 16351 with a deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning they are effectively performance twins in synthetic tests. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scores 16408 (deltaPct -0.3%), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scores 16415 (deltaPct -0.3%), all within a 0.6% band. This tells us the RX 5700 XT is a mid-pack performer, and Evolve's 4K results reflect that positioning — capable but not exceptional at extreme resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides a solid foundation for Evolve, though its influence wanes as resolution increases. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this Rocket Lake processor is well-suited to the game's threading model. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache, paired with 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core, ensures that frequently accessed game data stays close to the execution units. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for feeding the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 157 FPS Low result.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU's strengths. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is critical for game physics and AI. The Geekbench multicore result of 7737 and single-core of 1777 further confirm this. The Passmark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread of 2981 show balanced performance across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. In Evolve, the CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 versus the 2-thread score of 1691 (a 3.3x scaling) suggests it can handle multiple simultaneous game systems without bottlenecking.

At 1080p, the CPU's influence is clear: the difference between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (66 FPS) is 91 FPS, and even the jump from Medium (121 FPS) to High (95 FPS) shows a 26 FPS drop that is likely due to increased draw calls and physics calculations. However, at 4K, the CPU becomes secondary. The 4K Low result of 60 FPS is identical to what would be expected from a GPU-bound scenario, and the 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS is purely a graphics card limitation. The CPU's percentile rank of 71 against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 17177, places it in the upper third of the market. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, scores 17120 (deltaPct 0.3%), while the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239 (deltaPct -0.4%) — all within a 1% band, confirming this is a well-rounded mid-range chip.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination in Evolve depend heavily on the target display resolution. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 95 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, offering a 44% improvement over Ultra (66 FPS) while retaining most of the graphical fidelity. If competitive play is the priority, the Low preset at 157 FPS provides the highest frame rate, but the Medium preset at 121 FPS is a strong middle ground that ensures frame times stay above 100 FPS.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 81 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. The High preset at 64 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, but the Ultra preset at 44 FPS dips too low for consistent responsiveness. At 1440p Low, the 105 FPS result is excellent for esports-style play, but the visual downgrade is significant.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset at 60 FPS is truly playable, and even that is borderline. The Medium preset at 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum may cause noticeable stutter in intense combat, while High (36 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) are not recommended for anything other than screenshots. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, the experience will be less smooth than at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Evolve at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 60 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum, and High (36 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) are below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate play?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset produces 157 FPS, and Medium produces 121 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (105 FPS) exceeds 100 FPS, while Medium (81 FPS) is the highest playable preset there.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 5700 XT scores 16361 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408) and AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415).

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Its closest competitor, the AMD EPYC 7H12, scores 17120 (deltaPct 0.3%).

Q: Is there a settings preset that provides a consistent frame time?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 103 FPS and maximum of 140 FPS, giving a 37 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the variance is 25 FPS (69 to 94 FPS), while at 4K Medium it is 14 FPS (39 to 53 FPS).

Q: Why does performance drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The drop is due to the GPU becoming the limiting factor. At 1080p, the CPU provides headroom (157 FPS on Low), but the RX 5700 XT's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 121.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for 4K, reducing even Low settings to 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS results for the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT in Evolve is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 157 FPS average
• Medium: 121 FPS average (minimum 103, maximum 140)
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 66 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 105 FPS average
• Medium: 81 FPS average (minimum 69, maximum 94)
• High: 64 FPS average
• Ultra: 44 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 60 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average (minimum 39, maximum 53)
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 25 FPS average

The data shows a clear tiering: 1080p delivers excellent performance across all presets, 1440p is playable only up to Medium, and 4K requires Low settings for a playable frame rate. The combo ranks 2752 out of 3700 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the lower half of the field. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier status (59th percentile) rather than a CPU deficiency, as the i5-11400F's 71st percentile rank shows it is more than capable for this workload. Ultimately, this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p as a secondary option at reduced settings and 4K as a last resort for non-competitive play.