Evolve

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Evolve, with frame rates that scale predictably across its four quality presets. The data shows a system that is well-balanced at lower resolutions, but which becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs, ultimately struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. The CPU communicates with memory over a dual-channel DDR4 interface, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain a stable frame delivery floor, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The benchmark data indicates that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 166.2 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This suggests the i5-11400F provides ample headroom to push frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates. The processor’s single-thread performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2029, is a key factor here, as Evolve’s game logic and draw calls often rely on a few strong cores.

However, the CPU’s influence diminishes as the graphical load increases. From the Low preset at 1080p to the Medium preset, the frame rate drops to 126.4 FPS, and further to 104.1 FPS on High. This progression indicates that while the CPU can sustain high frame rates, the GPU is already beginning to take on more of the workload at these settings. The processor’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372, are more than sufficient for this title, ensuring that the system does not suffer from thread starvation during intense combat or when multiple AI characters are on screen. The data strongly suggests that the i5-11400F is not the limiting component in any of the tested resolutions or settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this configuration. It is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, specifically the Navi 33 chip, and is manufactured on a 6 nm process. The card features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. Its clock speeds are a base of 1980 MHz, a game clock of 2470 MHz, and a boost clock of 2755 MHz.

The GPU’s substantial memory capacity is a notable asset for Evolve, as the game’s detailed environments and character models can be memory-intensive at higher settings. The 16 GB frame buffer ensures that even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the card is not likely to encounter memory capacity limits, allowing the core to operate without swapping. The execution resources include 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, which together produce a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s.

The performance data clearly shows the GPU’s dominance in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 166.2 FPS, but when settings are elevated to Ultra, the average drops to 70.3 FPS. This 95.9 FPS swing is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload. The RX 7600 XT’s compute throughput of 22.57 TFLOPS is sufficient to handle Evolve’s DirectX 12 rendering pipeline, but the frame rate scaling indicates that the card’s raw pixel-pushing power is the primary constraint at higher resolutions and quality levels. The GPU’s performance percentile of 63 against all GPUs places it in the mid-to-upper tier, and its benchmark scores, such as a PassMark G3D score of 17132, confirm its capability for this generation of gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the system delivers 166.2 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 114.1 FPS at 1440p, and further to 63.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61.9% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, a substantial drop that highlights the increasing burden on the GPU.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher quality settings. With the High preset, the frame rate falls from 104.1 FPS at 1080p to 68.6 FPS at 1440p, and then to 37.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, a 45.5% reduction, which indicates that the RX 7600 XT is running out of pixel throughput at the higher resolution. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering resolution demands more from the card’s 176.3 GPixel/s pixel rate than it can sustain.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the system appears well-balanced, with the CPU able to feed the GPU effectively. As resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows quadratically with the pixel count, and the i5-11400F’s role diminishes. By 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, as evidenced by the drastic frame rate falls. For example, at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 28.2 FPS, a figure that is far below the 70.3 FPS achieved at 1080p Ultra, underscoring the GPU’s struggle to cope with the increased pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates provides a detailed picture of the system’s performance envelope.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 166.2, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. Moving to Medium yields 126.4 FPS, which is still well above the 100 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset delivers 104.1 FPS, maintaining excellent playability. The most demanding configuration at this resolution, Ultra, produces 70.3 FPS, which is perfectly playable and indicates that the CPU is not limiting performance, as the frame rate is still relatively high.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limitations. The Low preset averages 114.1 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still very smooth. Medium settings yield 89.9 FPS, which is comfortable for most displays. High settings produce 68.6 FPS, which is playable but requires a variable refresh rate display for the best experience. Ultra settings drop to 48.3 FPS, which is a noticeable reduction and suggests that users targeting 60 FPS will need to adjust settings.

At 3840x2160, the system’s performance becomes marginal. The Low preset is the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience, averaging 63.4 FPS. Medium settings drop to 47.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. High settings yield 37.4 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 28.2 FPS. These results clearly demonstrate that the RX 7600 XT is not designed for 4K gaming at high quality settings in Evolve, and users should consider this resolution out of reach for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Evolve, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT achieves a rank of 1098 out of 1695 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, which is a direct consequence of its performance at higher resolutions.

The ranking reflects the system’s overall capability, which is strong at 1080p and 1440p but weak at 4K. The GPU’s percentile of 63 against all GPUs, combined with the CPU’s percentile of 75 against all CPUs, positions this combo as a mid-range performer. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600, which is a delta of -0.6% in average benchmark score, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, which is 1.9% slower, suggest that the RX 7600 XT is a competent card in its class. However, its ranking in Evolve is dragged down by the 4K results, which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The rank of 1098 out of 1695 indicates that a significant number of other combinations can achieve higher frame rates in this title, likely due to more powerful GPUs. While this combo is perfectly capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, its position in the ranking serves as a warning for users considering 4K displays. The data shows that for Evolve, this combination is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p or standard 1440p gaming, where it can deliver excellent performance without compromise.