Evolve

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This chip features 12 MB of shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core. The CPU supports DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. It was released in March 2021 with a launch MSRP of $157, and it is now end-of-life. It is a locked multiplier part, so overclocking is not an option.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 14,340 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,024 in single-core. It also achieves 7,737 in Geekbench multi-core and 1,777 in single-core. The 3DMark results show 5,652 with max threads, 4,691 with 8 threads, 3,171 with 4 threads, and 1,691 with 2 threads. The single-thread 3DMark score is 868. The PassMark multi-thread score is 16,908, with a single-thread score of 2,981. Its average benchmark score is 17,177, placing it at the 71st percentile of all CPUs.

For a game like Evolve, which is a fast-paced FPS, the balance between single-thread and multi-thread performance matters. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the highest average frame rate is 176 FPS on Low settings. This suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly when the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 12 threads help maintain consistent frame pacing in scenes with multiple enemies or physics calculations. However, the CPU's 71st percentile ranking indicates it is mid-pack, not a top-tier gaming chip. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17,239 (0.4% higher), the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17,278 (0.6% higher), the AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17,120 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17,074 (0.6% lower). This places the i5-11400F in a very tight performance cluster, within 1% of all its direct competitors.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz helps in single-threaded tasks, which are common in game logic and physics. The measured results show that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 176 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound at that point. At higher settings, the frame rate drops, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is sufficient for Evolve, as the game was released in 2015 and does not heavily utilize many cores. The data shows that the CPU can handle the workload without becoming a severe bottleneck, especially when paired with a mid-range GPU like the RX 9060.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F powerful enough for Evolve at 1080p?

A: Yes. The measured data shows the combo achieves 176 FPS at 1080p Low and 107 FPS at 1080p High. This indicates the CPU can push high frame rates, especially at lower settings where the GPU is less stressed.

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17,177. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-12450H, scores 17,239, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17,278 (0.6% higher), while the AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17,120 (0.3% lower). The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17,074 (0.6% lower). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 4K Ultra, the combo only reaches 28 FPS, while at 4K Low it hits 67 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The CPU has enough headroom to handle the game logic.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a balance of performance and quality?

A: At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. This is a solid balance. At 1440p Medium, it hits 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS. For 4K, Medium delivers 52 FPS, which is playable but not high refresh rate.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16,129 (0.7% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15,862 (1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15,852 (1% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15,679 (2.1% lower). The RX 9060 sits in the middle of this group.

Q: Is the i5-11400F a good match for the RX 9060 in Evolve?

A: The measured data shows the combo ranks 1664 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the lower-middle range. The performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a top-tier combination for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 scales across resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 107 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 72 FPS, a reduction of 35 FPS. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 41 FPS. This represents a 66 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a 61.7% decrease. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

Looking at Low settings, 1080p delivers 176 FPS, 1440p drops to 118 FPS, and 4K hits 67 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 58 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 51 FPS. The scaling is more linear here, but the absolute numbers are higher, suggesting the CPU can keep up until the GPU becomes overwhelmed at 4K.

For Medium settings, the data shows 137 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 116, and at 1440p Medium it is 78. This indicates that the frame pacing remains stable, with the GPU being the bottleneck. At Ultra settings, the combo achieves 74 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 46 FPS, a 62.2% reduction.

The pattern is clear: as resolution increases, the GPU load rises, and the CPU's role diminishes. At 1080p Low, the 176 FPS result suggests the system is CPU-bound, as the GPU can render frames quickly. At 4K Ultra, the 28 FPS result is GPU-bound, as the RX 9060 struggles with the pixel count. The i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid severe CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions, but the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The data shows that the frame rate drops by roughly 60% from 1080p to 4K across most settings, which is typical for a mid-range GPU like the RX 9060.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 137 FPS average, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. This is a high refresh rate experience that remains smooth during intense gameplay. The High preset at 1080p drops to 107 FPS, which is still playable but not as fluid. The Ultra preset at 1080p hits 74 FPS, which is acceptable but loses the high refresh rate advantage.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 92 FPS average, with a minimum of 78 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a responsive experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 72 FPS, which is still smooth but with less headroom. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 50 FPS, which may feel less fluid. Given the data, Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot for a balance of visual quality and performance.

At 4K, the Medium preset yields 52 FPS average, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. This is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The High preset at 4K drops to 41 FPS, which is borderline. The Ultra preset at 4K is only 28 FPS, which is not recommended. For 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only option that maintains playable frame rates, but it sacrifices visual fidelity.

For the best experience, the data suggests using Medium settings. At 1080p, it provides 137 FPS, which is 30 FPS higher than High and 63 FPS higher than Ultra. At 1440p, Medium offers 92 FPS, which is 20 FPS higher than High and 42 FPS higher than Ultra. The minimum FPS values at Medium (116 at 1080p and 78 at 1440p) indicate stable frame pacing without significant drops. This makes Medium the most reliable preset for maintaining smooth gameplay across resolutions.

If a player has a 144 Hz monitor, 1080p Low at 176 FPS is the only preset that fully saturates it, but Medium at 137 FPS is close enough for most. For 1440p 60 Hz displays, Medium at 92 FPS provides ample headroom. For 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only reasonable option, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it. The data clearly points to Medium as the best all-around choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1664 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms 42% of combos but is beaten by 58%. This is a mid-range ranking, reflecting the balanced but not exceptional performance of this pairing.

To contextualize this rank, the CPU itself is at the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 59th percentile of all GPUs. The combo rank of 1664 suggests that the pairing is slightly worse than the sum of its parts. This could be due to the game's optimization or the specific interaction between these two components. The CPU's 6-core, 12-thread design is sufficient for Evolve, and the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is adequate for the game's requirements.

The combo rank of 1664 means there are 1208 combos that perform better in this game. This puts it firmly in the middle of the pack. For a game released in 2015, this combination is capable, but not top-tier. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p High, it hits 107 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is below the playable threshold for many gamers.

Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-11400F is within 1% of the i5-12450H, Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, EPYC 7H12, and Core Ultra 7 164U. This means the CPU is not the differentiating factor in the combo's ranking. The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 3060 Ti, which is 0.7% faster, and the RX 7700, which is 1% faster. The RX 9060's performance in Evolve is average, and the combo rank reflects this.

The 1664 rank out of 2872 combos indicates that for Evolve specifically, this system is below average. However, it is not a poor performer. The 1080p Medium result of 137 FPS is a solid gaming experience. The 1440p Medium result of 92 FPS is also good. The issue is that many other combos achieve higher frame rates, pushing this one down in the rankings. For a builder looking at this CPU-GPU pair, the data shows it is a capable mid-range setup, but not one that will top any charts in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates. On Low settings, it reaches 176 FPS average. This is the highest result in the entire dataset. On Medium settings, it drops to 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. The High preset delivers 107 FPS average. The Ultra preset falls to 74 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain playable. Low settings produce 118 FPS average. Medium settings yield 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. High settings drop to 72 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings achieve 67 FPS average. Medium settings produce 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. High settings fall to 41 FPS. Ultra settings are the lowest at 28 FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: the higher the resolution, the lower the frame rate. The Medium preset consistently provides the best balance, with minimum FPS values that indicate stable performance. At 1080p Medium, the 116 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable stutters. At 1440p Medium, the 78 FPS minimum keeps gameplay smooth. At 4K Medium, the 44 FPS minimum is borderline but playable.

The Low preset at 4K (67 FPS) is surprisingly strong, outperforming Medium at 4K (52 FPS) by 15 FPS. This suggests that the GPU can handle the pixel count when the graphical load is reduced. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it drops below 60 FPS at 1440p and below 30 FPS at 4K.

The maximum FPS values show the potential ceiling: 157 FPS at 1080p Medium, 105 FPS at 1440p Medium, and 60 FPS at 4K Medium. These peaks indicate the system can push higher frame rates in less demanding scenes. The minimum FPS values are more important for gameplay smoothness, and they show that Medium settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions.

For a 1080p gamer, the Medium preset at 137 FPS is ideal. For 1440p, Medium at 92 FPS is the sweet spot. For 4K, Low at 67 FPS is the only playable option, but the visual trade-off is significant. The data supports the conclusion that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with Medium settings providing the optimal balance of performance and visual quality.