Evolve

# Evolve — Intel Core i5-11400F + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a combination that ranks near the bottom of the tested database for Evolve, sitting at position 2639 out of 2872 combos. The Arc B370, with its 3 nm Panther Lake chip and Xe3-LPG architecture, delivers performance that places it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-11400F sits at the 71st percentile among CPUs. This pairing yields playable frame rates only at 1080p with lower settings, with the GPU acting as the clear performance limiter across all resolutions tested.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance decline as resolution increases, characteristic of a system heavily constrained by GPU throughput. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 80 FPS average, which drops to 54 FPS at 1440p Low (a 32.5% reduction) and further to 31 FPS at 4K Low (a 61.3% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates that the Arc B370's fill-rate and shading capabilities are being saturated well before the CPU becomes a bottleneck.

Moving to High settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The 1080p High result of 49 FPS falls to 33 FPS at 1440p High (a 32.7% drop) and plummets to 19 FPS at 4K High (a 61.2% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across both Low and High settings suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources scale predictably with pixel count, with no evidence of CPU limiting at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but at lower absolute frame rates. Starting at 34 FPS in 1080p, the combo drops to 23 FPS at 1440p (a 32.4% reduction) and reaches just 13 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 61.8% reduction). The near-uniform ~32% penalty for stepping from 1080p to 1440p and ~61% penalty for stepping to 4K across all quality presets strongly indicates that the Arc B370's rendering pipeline is the limiting component — the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are not being taxed by the increased pixel workload.

At Medium settings, where min/max FPS data is available, the scaling continues: 62 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (32.3% lower), and 24 FPS at 4K (61.3% lower). The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 20 FPS and maximum of 27 FPS, a narrow band that further confirms the GPU is operating at its performance ceiling. The consistent ~32% and ~61% degradation percentages across all four settings presets provide strong evidence that resolution, not CPU capability, governs the frame rate curve in Evolve.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Panther Lake chip. Its 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation pipelines deliver a theoretical FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS. The GPU's boost clock reaches 2400 MHz from a 300 MHz base, and it relies on System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth — a configuration that inherently limits performance in memory-intensive scenarios like Evolve's large-scale battles.

The Arc B370's benchmark profile is modest: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster). This grouping of scores within a 2% band shows that the Arc B370's compute capabilities are comparable to decade-old discrete parts, which aligns with the measured Evolve frame rates.

In Evolve specifically, the GPU's 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are likely the primary constraints. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s seem adequate for 1080p at moderate settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 13 FPS suggests that the combination of fill-rate demands and shared memory bandwidth collapses under high-resolution, high-detail loads. The System Shared memory configuration means the GPU competes with the CPU for DDR4 bandwidth (the i5-11400F supports dual-channel memory at 51.2 GB/s), which further hampers performance in scenes with heavy texture streaming.

The fact that the Arc B370's performance percentile (5th) is drastically lower than the CPU's percentile (71st) explains why the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU could theoretically keep pace, the 80 FPS result is far below what the i5-11400F's 3DMark scores (5619 in 16-thread, 5652 in max-thread) would suggest is possible for a CPU-limited scenario. The GPU's 10 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support do not translate into practical benefits for Evolve, as the game's demands are primarily rasterization-based.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. With a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the CPU delivers strong single-threaded performance (3DMark single-thread score of 868) and respectable multi-threaded results (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340). The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 80 KB L1 cache per core support the game's AI and physics computations, while the 65 W TDP keeps thermal headroom ample for sustained loads.

The CPU's benchmark positioning shows it within 0.6% of several rivals: the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120, 0.3% higher), the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239, 0.4% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17278, 0.6% lower). This tight grouping around the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17177 indicates that the CPU is a mid-pack performer relative to all tested processors, with a percentile ranking of 71.

In Evolve, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS deltas between settings at the same resolution (e.g., 1080p Low at 80 FPS versus 1080p Ultra at 34 FPS, a 57.5% reduction) are consistent with GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rate would show less variation across quality presets. The CPU's 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, while shared with the GPU, is sufficient to feed the Arc B370's demands at 1080p, as evidenced by the playable 49 FPS High result.

The i5-11400F's 12 threads are well-suited for Evolve's multi-threaded engine, but the data suggests the game does not heavily tax the CPU at any resolution. The lack of min FPS data for most configurations prevents a detailed frame-time analysis, but the Medium preset results (1080p: 53-72 FPS, 1440p: 35-48 FPS) show reasonable frame pacing that would not indicate CPU hitches. At 4K, where the GPU is severely constrained, the CPU's headroom is completely unused, as the 13-31 FPS range across settings is entirely GPU-limited.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its most usable results. Low settings produce 80 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 62 FPS with a min/max range of 53-72 FPS, providing a smooth experience. High settings drop to 49 FPS, still playable for most users. Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold but remaining technically functional.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes marginal. Low settings achieve 54 FPS, which is acceptable but no longer smooth. Medium settings produce 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), showing noticeable frame pacing variability. High settings drop to 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS — both below the 30 FPS playability threshold for most gamers.

At 3840x2160, the combo is not viable for Evolve. Low settings manage 31 FPS, barely playable. Medium settings produce 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), with frame times that would feel stuttery. High settings yield 19 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 13 FPS. None of the 4K configurations meet the 30 FPS minimum standard for acceptable gameplay.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent penalty: at 1080p, Ultra is 57.5% slower than Low; at 1440p, Ultra is 57.4% slower; at 4K, Ultra is 58.1% slower. This uniformity confirms the GPU is the sole determinant of performance, with no CPU-side variability across settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2639 out of 2872 tested combinations places it in the bottom 8.1% of all systems tested in Evolve. This low ranking is directly attributable to the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU performance, which far outweighs the i5-11400F's 71st percentile CPU standing. The GPU's nearest synthetic rivals — the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770 — are both from the early 2010s era, illustrating how far behind modern discrete GPUs the integrated Arc B370 falls.

In the context of the database, this combo would be expected to compete with systems featuring entry-level integrated graphics or very old discrete GPUs. The i5-11400F's strong CPU scores (e.g., Geekbench multi-core 7737, Passmark multi-thread 16908) do not compensate for the GPU's limitations in a GPU-bound title like Evolve. The rank implies that 233 other tested combos perform worse, likely featuring even older or more constrained GPUs paired with weaker CPUs.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals (ranging from -0.7% to 1.4% difference) indicate that the Arc B370 is essentially tied with several legacy parts, meaning the combo's rank could shift slightly depending on driver optimizations or game patch changes. However, the absolute FPS numbers at 4K (13-31 FPS) and even 1440p Ultra (23 FPS) are so far below playable thresholds that small rank fluctuations would not change the overall assessment.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where acceptable frame rates are achieved. Low settings produce 80 FPS, Medium produces 62 FPS, and High produces 49 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low settings exceed 50 FPS (54 FPS), and at 3840x2160, all settings fall below 32 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F or the Intel Arc B370 the bottleneck in Evolve?

A: The Arc B370 is the clear bottleneck. The GPU sits in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 71st percentile. The consistent ~32% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~61% drop to 4K across all settings confirms the GPU limits performance, not the CPU.

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 60 FPS in any configuration?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the measured average FPS is 80. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 62 FPS, which still exceeds 60, but the minimum of 53 FPS means frame drops below 60 will occur.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). These are all within a 2% band, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: What is the impact of the System Shared memory configuration on Evolve performance?

A: The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, meaning it shares the i5-11400F's dual-channel DDR4 bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. This shared configuration likely contributes to the severe performance drop at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase.

Q: What 4K performance can be expected from this combo?

A: 4K performance is not playable. Low settings achieve 31 FPS, Medium 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), High 19 FPS, and Ultra 13 FPS. All 4K results fall below the 30 FPS minimum threshold for acceptable playability.

Settings Recommendations

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The measured 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS stays above the 60 FPS target for most of the experience, and the min/max range of 53-72 FPS indicates stable frame delivery. Low settings at 80 FPS are smoother but sacrifice visual fidelity unnecessarily, while High at 49 FPS drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, Low settings are the only viable option, producing 54 FPS. Medium drops to 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which may be acceptable for players willing to tolerate occasional dips below 40 FPS. High and Ultra at 33 FPS and 23 FPS respectively are not recommended, as they fall below the 30 FPS playability floor for the former and far below it for the latter.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset is recommended for actual gameplay. Low at 31 FPS is technically above 30, but the frame pacing would likely be inconsistent given the GPU's constraints. Medium at 24 FPS (min 20, max 27) suffers from noticeable stutter, and High and Ultra at 19 FPS and 13 FPS are unplayable. Users with 4K displays should run the game at 1080p resolution with Medium settings for the best experience, as the measured data shows this configuration delivers 62 FPS with acceptable frame times.