Evolve

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers playable performance in Evolve, but the data reveals a clear bottleneck shift depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combination is heavily CPU-bound, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiter. The measured frame rates show that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it balances the capabilities of both components effectively.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits an average of 260 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 205 FPS, a 21% reduction, and then to 4K Low it falls to 117 FPS, a 43% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, but the sheer magnitude of the 1080p numbers suggests the CPU is limiting performance there.

At High settings, the pattern shifts. The 1080p result is 186 FPS, which drops to 125 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and then to 71 FPS at 4K (a 43% reduction from 1440p). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is much larger than the drop from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the transition to 1440p is where the GPU starts to become the limiting factor. The 4K High result of 71 FPS is still playable, but it shows that the RX 7900 XTX is being pushed hard.

Ultra settings reveal the most extreme scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 129 FPS. This drops to 86 FPS at 1440p Ultra (a 33% reduction) and then to 49 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 43% reduction). The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only configuration in the measured data that is not comfortably playable. The consistent ~33% drop from 1080p to 1440p across High, Medium, and Ultra settings suggests that the CPU is still contributing at 1080p, but the GPU workload scales predictably as resolution increases.

The data indicates that the i5-11400F is the limiting component at 1080p, especially at lower settings where the GPU has headroom. The 260 FPS Low result is far beyond what the GPU should be able to produce if it were fully utilized, pointing to a CPU ceiling around that mark. At 4K, the RX 7900 XTX's raw compute power becomes the defining factor, and the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Evolve?*

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. At High settings, the combo delivers 125 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold and only 33% lower than the 1080p result. At 4K High, the frame rate drops to 71 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra result is the weakest in the measured dataset, averaging just 49 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, indicating that this configuration is not recommended for 4K Ultra. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor here, as the CPU has sufficient headroom at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. The evidence is the 260 FPS average at Low settings, which is an extremely high frame rate that the GPU alone could not sustain if it were the bottleneck. The 129 FPS Ultra result at 1080p also shows that the CPU is capping performance, as the GPU should be capable of more at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 205 FPS, while Ultra averages 86 FPS. This is a 119 FPS difference, representing a 58% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings. The Medium preset sits in between at 159 FPS.

Q: Does the combo have enough power for high-refresh-rate monitors?

A: Yes, at 1080p and 1440p. The 1080p Medium result of 237 FPS and the 1440p Low result of 205 FPS are both suitable for 144Hz or 165Hz displays. The 1440p High result of 125 FPS is also adequate for a 120Hz monitor, though it falls short of 144Hz.

Q: How does the minimum FPS data compare across settings?

A: The only min FPS values provided are for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 201, at 1440p Medium it is 135, and at 4K Medium it is 77. These figures show that the Medium preset maintains a solid frame rate floor even at 4K, staying above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to the High preset as the best overall experience for this combo. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 125, which is nearly double the 4K High result of 71 FPS and still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium, which averages 159 FPS at 1440p, but the 34 FPS difference between them is relatively small compared to the jump from High to Ultra, which drops to 86 FPS.

For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1440p delivers 205 FPS and is the best choice for competitive play. However, the Medium preset at 1440p (159 FPS) provides a better balance between visual quality and performance, with a minimum FPS of 135 that ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The 1080p Medium result of 237 FPS is also outstanding, but the CPU bottleneck at this resolution means that the GPU is not being fully utilized.

At 4K, the High preset is the only viable option besides Low. The 4K High result of 71 FPS is playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 49 FPS is not recommended. The 4K Medium result of 90 FPS is actually the best 4K option in the data, offering a higher average FPS than High while still maintaining a minimum of 77 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset at 4K is the optimal choice for users who want to play at 4K without sacrificing too much performance.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where it achieves 129 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rate drops to 86 FPS and 49 FPS respectively, making it a poor choice for those resolutions. The data clearly shows that the High preset is the most versatile option, providing excellent performance at both 1080p and 1440p, while the Medium preset is the best fallback for 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 584th out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations in the database. This is a strong result, reflecting the synergy between the i5-11400F and the RX 7900 XTX. The rank is particularly impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2021, while the GPU is a high-end flagship from 2022.

The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 71 against all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 71% of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 17177 is remarkably close to its nearest rivals, with the AMD EPYC 7H12 scoring 17120 (0.3% higher) and the Intel Core i5-12450H scoring 17239 (0.4% higher). This tight grouping shows that the i5-11400F is a well-balanced processor that performs exactly in line with its expected tier.

The GPU has a percentile rank of 64 against all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU's rank. Its average benchmark score of 19410 is also very close to its nearest rivals, with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB scoring 19334 (0.4% higher) and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp scoring 19177 (1.2% lower). This suggests that the RX 7900 XTX is a solid performer, but its raw benchmark scores are not as dominant as its hardware specifications might suggest.

The combo's rank of 584 out of 3700 indicates that the pairing works well for Evolve specifically. The game is an FPS title from 2015, and the data shows that the combination is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, which is likely why it ranks in the top 16% of all tested combos. The rank also reflects the fact that the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions, allowing the GPU to perform to its full potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration is typical for a mid-range desktop processor from the Rocket Lake generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. The CPU has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p resolution. The data shows that the combo achieves 260 FPS at Low settings, which is a very high frame rate that suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a 3dmark single-thread score of 868 and a cinebench r23 single-core score of 2024, is strong enough to drive high frame rates in this game.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also relevant. The cinebench r23 multicore score of 14340 and the geekbench multicore score of 7737 indicate that the CPU can handle the game's threading requirements. Evolve is an older title, and the 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient to feed the RX 7900 XTX at most settings and resolutions.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The frame rate differences between 1080p and 1440p at each settings level are consistent, showing that the CPU is not causing any unusual scaling behavior. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is likely being utilized effectively, as the data shows no signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame drops at higher resolutions.

The CPU's 65W TDP and end-of-life production status are notable, but they do not directly affect gaming performance. The processor's memory support for DDR4 and PCIe Gen 4 connectivity are adequate for the RX 7900 XTX, which uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. Overall, the i5-11400F plays its role well, providing enough CPU power to avoid being a significant bottleneck until the GPU is fully saturated at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 260 FPS, which is the single highest result in the entire measured dataset. The Medium preset averages 237 FPS with a minimum of 201 FPS and a maximum of 272 FPS, showing excellent consistency. The High preset averages 186 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 129 FPS. These results show that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has enough headroom to render the game at very high speeds.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but show a clear GPU influence. The Low preset averages 205 FPS, a 21% drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS. The High preset averages 125 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 86 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more pronounced at higher settings, with the Ultra preset dropping by 33% compared to the 21% drop for Low.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Low preset averages 117 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The High preset drops to 71 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages only 49 FPS, which is below the playability standard and represents the worst result in the dataset.

The Medium settings provide the only complete set of min/max FPS data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 201 FPS and the maximum is 272 FPS, showing a 71 FPS range. At 1440p, the minimum is 135 FPS and the maximum is 183 FPS, a 48 FPS range. At 4K, the minimum is 77 FPS and the maximum is 104 FPS, a 27 FPS range. This data shows that frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, likely because the GPU workload becomes more uniform and the CPU has less impact on frame pacing.

The 4K Ultra result of 49 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS. This is a significant data point, as it shows that the combo cannot handle the highest settings at 4K. The 4K High result of 71 FPS is the next lowest, but it is still playable. For users who want to play at 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides the best balance of performance and visual quality in the measured data.