Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric FPS, places distinct demands on the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B570 combination. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor, with the CPU providing ample headroom across all tested resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, component roles, and practical settings recommendations based solely on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 83 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 27 FPS, and then further to 32 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load increases substantially with pixel count.

The scaling behavior across different settings reveals how the bottleneck shifts. At the Low preset, the system achieves 137 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 62%, nearly identical to the High preset's 61% drop. This consistency suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput capability is the limiting factor across all settings. The Arc B570's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s are the likely constraints, as the workload becomes more memory and fill-rate intensive at higher resolutions.

At the Medium preset, the data includes min and max FPS values, providing additional insight into scaling consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 106 FPS with a range of 90 to 122 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 71 FPS with a range of 60 to 82 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 40 FPS with a range of 34 to 47 FPS. The frame time consistency appears to scale proportionally with the average, suggesting no unexpected stuttering or thermal throttling behavior emerges at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with average FPS falling from 58 at 1080p to 39 at 1440p and 22 at 4K. This 62% total reduction from 1080p to 4K matches the pattern of other settings, reinforcing that the GPU is consistently the limiting component. The CPU's role appears secondary, as the 6-core/12-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost clock does not show signs of bottlenecking at any resolution, evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale smoothly with resolution rather than plateauing.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the dominant factor in Evolve's performance. The GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a 2015 title. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the game remains playable at 22 FPS average, suggesting the memory capacity is not exhausted, as the frame rates are consistent with compute-bound rather than memory-swap-bound behavior.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable for its consistency: the base and boost clocks are both listed at 2500 MHz, meaning the card operates at a fixed frequency without dynamic boosting. This is relevant for Evolve, as the game's performance will be deterministic at any given resolution and settings combination. The 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units provide the raw compute throughput, with the FP32 performance rated at 11.52 TFLOPS. This compute level is what drives the measured frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the system achieves 137 FPS at Low settings.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and Passmark G3D score of 14195 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Arc A750 with a delta of -0.1%, indicating near-identical average benchmark scores. This parity suggests that the Arc B570's performance in Evolve should be representative of this performance class, and the measured FPS reflects a GPU that is well-matched to the game's engine requirements.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support, along with Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6, means it is fully capable of running Evolve's rendering paths efficiently. The measured data shows no anomalies that would suggest driver overhead or API translation issues. The 4K High result of 32 FPS average is a typical result for this GPU class, and the 1080p Low result of 137 FPS indicates the GPU can deliver high refresh rates when the settings are reduced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides the processing foundation for this combination, and the data indicates it is not a limiting factor in Evolve. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the CPU offers substantial single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of dual-channel memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's data streaming requirements.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 demonstrate strong performance for a desktop processor. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and max-thread score of 5652 show the CPU scales well with thread count, while the single-thread score of 868 indicates solid IPC. The Passmark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 place the CPU in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD EPYC 7H12 at a 0.3% delta.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The fact that FPS scales linearly with resolution—rather than remaining flat—proves the CPU is not a bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the 1080p and 4K results would be nearly identical, but the data shows a 61-62% reduction in FPS across settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded game logic runs smoothly, and the 12 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks and game engine threads.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the highest frame rates, with 137 FPS at Low, 106 FPS at Medium, 83 FPS at High, and 58 FPS at Ultra. This resolution keeps all settings above 58 FPS, which is the most consistently playable experience.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's memory capacity affect Evolve's performance?

A: The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for Evolve, as evidenced by the smooth scaling between resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS does not show any sudden drops that would indicate memory swapping, confirming that the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and 10 GB capacity are adequate for this game.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F bottlenecking the Intel Arc B570?

A: No. The FPS scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent 61-62% reduction across all settings. This is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would not drop as significantly with increasing resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 71 FPS with a range of 60 to 82 FPS. The High preset averages 56 FPS. This represents a 15 FPS advantage for Medium, which is a 21% performance increase over High at the same resolution.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other tested combinations?

A: This combination ranks 2294 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems. This indicates that while the system is fully playable, there are many faster combinations in the database.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with any settings?

A: Yes. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 92 FPS, and the Medium preset achieves 71 FPS. The High preset falls short at 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS. Therefore, Medium or lower settings are required for a stable 60 FPS experience at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience for this combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, averaging 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay with no drops below 60 FPS. The High preset at 83 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset's 23 FPS advantage over High makes it the more sensible choice for competitive play, where higher frame rates provide more responsive input.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, averaging 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS. This exactly hits the 60 FPS floor, providing a playable experience without compromising too much on visual quality. The Low preset at 92 FPS is an option for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but Medium offers a 21% visual quality improvement for a 30% frame rate reduction, which is a reasonable trade-off.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS. The Low preset at 52 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it requires significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 40 FPS is borderline, while High at 32 FPS and Ultra at 22 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience. For 4K, the data suggests that users should either reduce to 1440p or accept the Low preset's 52 FPS.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it provides the lowest frame rates with marginal visual improvements over High. At 1080p, Ultra achieves 58 FPS, which is 25 FPS less than High and 48 FPS less than Medium. The performance cost is disproportionate to the visual gain, making it a poor choice for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 137 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset averages 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS, providing a stable experience above 90 FPS. The High preset averages 83 FPS, which is smooth but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset averages 58 FPS, which is at the edge of playability for players sensitive to frame rate fluctuations.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 92 FPS, maintaining high frame rates. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, providing a solid 60 FPS experience. The High preset averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter on some displays. The Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly GPU-bound. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is playable but requires reduced settings. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS, indicating variable performance that may dip below comfortable levels. The High preset averages 32 FPS, which is marginal for a slow-paced game but will feel sluggish in fast action. The Ultra preset averages 22 FPS, which is only suitable for screenshot purposes or very tolerant players.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Evolve, this combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2294 out of 2872 tested combos. This places it in the lower 20% of all tested systems, indicating that while it is fully functional, it does not stand out among the broader ecosystem of hardware combinations. The rank reflects the mid-tier positioning of both components: the CPU sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The ranking suggests that for Evolve specifically, many other combinations deliver higher frame rates. This is not surprising given the game's age and the modern hardware in this combo. The Arc B570's performance class, as evidenced by its nearest rivals (RTX 3070 Mobile at 0.1% delta, Arc A750 at -0.1% delta), is competitive, but the rank indicates that the game's engine favors other architectures or configurations.

The 2872 total combos in the database provide a broad comparison field. Being ranked 2294 means that 578 combos (20%) perform worse, while 2293 combos (80%) perform better. This positions the combo as a capable but not exceptional performer in Evolve. The data suggests that players seeking higher frame rates would need to upgrade either the GPU to a higher-tier card or the CPU to a more recent generation, though the measured FPS indicates the GPU is the primary upgrade path for this game.