Evolve

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 represents a significant bottleneck scenario in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The benchmark data reveals a system where the integrated-class GPU is the primary constraint, with the capable six-core processor left largely underutilized at higher graphical loads. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the hardware dynamic at play.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a stark and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline is the key indicator of the system's limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 89 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low setting drops the average to 60 FPS, a reduction of approximately 32.6%. The jump to 4K at Low settings further crushes performance to 34 FPS, which is a 43.3% drop from the 1440p figure and a 61.8% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern is a textbook sign of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's performance, measured by its 3DMark scores, remains constant regardless of resolution, but the GPU's workload increases exponentially with pixel count. The Arc B390's results confirm this; its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating very low absolute performance. The frame rate halving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (89 to 34 FPS) is far more severe than what a CPU bottleneck would produce, as the processor's frame generation capability is not affected by resolution in the same way.

The trend holds across all settings. At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is from 54 to 36 FPS, a 33.3% reduction. From 1440p to 4K High, the average falls from 36 to 21 FPS, a 41.7% reduction. The pattern is consistent: each step up in resolution yields a roughly 30-40% performance penalty. This consistent scaling strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390's fillrate and shading capabilities, represented by its 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, are the definitive limiting factor. The CPU, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz and a Passmark multithread score of 16908, is not the constraining component; it is the GPU that struggles to keep up with the increasing pixel workload.

Settings Recommendations

The data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware combination, with the primary goal being to achieve a playable frame rate. The only configuration that breaks the 60 FPS barrier is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 89 FPS. This is the clear "best experience" for smooth gameplay, as it is the only measured point that comfortably exceeds the standard 60 FPS target.

At 1080p, the Medium preset offers a 69 FPS average with a minimum of 59 FPS. This is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual fidelity over a large FPS cushion, as it stays above the 60 FPS average threshold and its minimum is close to it. The High preset at 1080p drops to 54 FPS, which is playable but starts to show the GPU's limitations. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 37 FPS, is not recommended for a smooth experience, as it represents a 58.4% performance drop from the Low preset's 89 FPS.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset achieves a 60 FPS average, making it the only 1440p option that hits the standard target. The Medium preset's 46 FPS average (minimum 39 FPS) is playable on a variable refresh rate monitor but will feel less smooth. The High (36 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) presets at 1440p are not recommended for competitive or action-oriented play, as they fall well below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, all presets are effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS. The Low preset's 34 FPS average is the best case, but the 14 FPS average at Ultra is a slideshow. The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings, as dropping to 1080p and Low settings yields a far better experience than 4K with any preset.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is, by the data, the decisive component in this system's Evolve performance. Its integrated nature is a critical factor; the memory is "System Shared" and the bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it uses the system's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory configuration inherently limits the GPU's ability to handle large textures and high-resolution framebuffers, contributing to the severe performance drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU's core specifications paint a picture of a low-end part. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, it has a wide clock range but its raw throughput is limited by its 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is the only GPU benchmark available, and it places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in this benchmark are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (score 1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (score 1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (score 1443, 2.7% slower). This cluster of scores indicates that the Arc B390's performance is on par with decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, confirming its position as an integrated solution that is not designed for demanding gaming.

The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is a direct consequence of this limited hardware. The GPU's fillrate (60.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s) are insufficient for the pixel and texture workload at 3840x2160. The fact that the GPU has 12 ray tracing cores is irrelevant in this context, as the sheer rasterization workload is too high. The system's reliance on shared memory further compounds the issue, as the CPU and GPU compete for the same memory bandwidth, which is a bottleneck in itself.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for the Intel Core i5-11400F + Intel Arc B390 in Evolve?*

A: Based on the measured data, the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 89 FPS, the highest of any measured combination. The 1440p Low preset also achieves 60 FPS, but the 1080p Low preset provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to other GPUs in its performance class?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA entry-level parts from years ago, such as the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower) and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). This indicates that its performance is comparable to these very old, low-end discrete GPUs.

*Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the main bottleneck in this system for Evolve?*

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The FPS drops by roughly 30-40% with each step up in resolution from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, regardless of settings. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads and a Passmark multithread score of 16908, is far more capable than the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU performance.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: No. The highest 4K average FPS measured is 34 at the Low preset, which is below playable standards for a fast-paced FPS. The 4K Ultra preset averages only 14 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at that resolution. The GPU's shared memory architecture and low compute throughput are insufficient for 4K workloads.

Q: What is the FPS range for the 1080p Medium preset?

A: The measured data shows that the 1080p Medium preset has an average FPS of 69, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. This makes it the only preset other than Low at 1080p that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance relate to the game's results?

A: The CPU's single-threaded performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024, is more than sufficient for the game. The fact that frame rates scale so heavily with resolution, despite this strong single-core capability, confirms that the CPU is not holding the system back; the GPU is the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture and built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmark scores are solid for a mid-range desktop part; for example, it scores 14340 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2024 in single-core, and 16908 in Passmark multithread. Its average benchmark score of 17177 places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs.

The data indicates that this CPU is not the performance limiter in Evolve. The game is from 2015, and its workload is not heavily multi-threaded, but the i5-11400F's strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 868) is more than enough to feed frames to the GPU. The evidence for this is in the resolution scaling: if the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would be constant. Instead, we see a consistent 30-40% drop in FPS with each resolution increase, which is a classic GPU-bound signature.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals further supports this. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (avg score 17120, 0.3% slower), Intel Core i5-12450H (avg score 17239, 0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (avg score 17278, 0.6% faster). These are all within a 1% performance band, showing that the i5-11400F is a consistently capable processor. The fact that it is paired with a GPU that sits in the 9th percentile means that, in Evolve, the CPU is effectively idling while the GPU struggles. The 65W TDP and 4.40 GHz boost clock show it is a power-efficient part that can deliver high clock speeds when needed, but in this specific scenario, its performance headroom is not being utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-11400F + Intel Arc B390 combination in Evolve. All data points are measured averages, with minimum and maximum values provided where available.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 89 FPS.
• Medium: Average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• High: Average 54 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 37 FPS.

At 1080p, the performance spread across presets is significant. The jump from Low to Medium costs 20 FPS (22.5% reduction), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 15 FPS (21.7% reduction). The Ultra preset is a further 17 FPS drop from High (31.5% reduction). This shows that the GPU's performance degrades rapidly as graphical complexity increases, even at the lowest resolution tested.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS.
• High: Average 36 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 25 FPS.

The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p but at a lower absolute level. The Low preset just manages to hit the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset is 14 FPS lower than Low (23.3% reduction), and the High preset drops another 10 FPS (21.7% reduction). The Ultra preset's 25 FPS average is a 30.6% drop from High, showing that the GPU is struggling to maintain playable frame rates at this resolution with higher settings.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 34 FPS.
• Medium: Average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS.
• High: Average 21 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 14 FPS.

At 4K, all presets are below playable thresholds for a competitive FPS. The Low preset's 34 FPS is the only result above 30 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 26 FPS, and the High preset drops to 21 FPS. The Ultra preset's 14 FPS average represents a 58.8% reduction from the Low preset at the same resolution, demonstrating the GPU's complete inability to handle high-fidelity 4K rendering.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Evolve, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B390 has a measured rank of 2530 out of 2872 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 11.9% of all systems tested for this game, which is consistent with its performance profile: a strong CPU paired with a very weak integrated GPU.

The combo's GPU-centric bottleneck is clearly reflected in this rank. The 9th percentile GPU performance (3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482) drags the entire system down, despite the CPU's 71st percentile ranking. The GPU's nearest rivals—the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710—are all ancient, low-end parts, and the Arc B390's performance is in that same tier. The system's rank of 2530 suggests that the vast majority of other tested combinations, even those with older CPUs, are able to outperform it in Evolve because they have more capable discrete GPUs.

The data shows that the i5-11400F is not the reason for this low rank. Its performance is competitive with its nearest rivals, all of which are within a 1% performance margin. The rank is almost entirely a consequence of the Arc B390's limitations. This is a classic example of a CPU-GPU mismatch, where the processor has far more performance headroom than the graphics solution can utilize. In a game like Evolve, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, this integrated GPU simply cannot deliver a high-quality experience, and the system's overall rank of 2530 out of 2872 reflects that hardware reality.