Evolve

The Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B580 pairing in Evolve presents a classic case of resolution-dependent bottlenecking. At 1080p, the system is overwhelmingly CPU-limited at lower settings, but the GPU takes over as the primary constraint as resolution and graphical load increase. The data shows a dramatic shift in performance scaling from 1080p to 4K, revealing how this combo behaves under different types of stress.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate trajectory across resolutions is steep and telling. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers a robust 154.1 FPS average. This high ceiling indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU ample data, but it also suggests the GPU is not being fully taxed at this level. Moving to Medium settings at the same resolution drops the average to 116.6 FPS, a 24% reduction, while High settings yield 94.4 FPS. The most demanding 1080p preset, Ultra, still manages a playable 64.9 FPS average.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 introduces a more pronounced GPU load. The Low preset at this resolution still achieves a smooth 100.4 FPS, but the scaling from 1080p Low is a 35% decline. Medium at 1440p produces 78.3 FPS, and High drops to 62.0 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 41.2 FPS, which is a 37% drop from its 1080p counterpart. This pattern indicates that while the CPU remains strong, the Arc B580 is beginning to work harder, and the frame rate is becoming more sensitive to settings changes.

The transition to 3840x2160 reveals the true bottleneck. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 60.1, which is exactly the kind of performance that suggests the GPU is now the limiting factor. The scaling from 1440p Low to 4K Low is a 40% reduction. High settings at 4K produce a marginal 36.2 FPS, while Medium manages 45.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is nearly unplayable at 22.9 FPS. The data clearly shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly at higher resolutions, a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 89.2 FPS; at 4K, that difference shrinks to 37.2 FPS, confirming that the CPU’s influence wanes as pixel count rises.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Core i5-11400F and Arc B580 holds a rank of 1344 out of 1695 combos. This places it in the lower percentile of tested systems, which is surprising given the individual components' specifications. The comboRankInGame data suggests that this pairing is not optimized for this particular title, likely due to the game’s age and its engine’s interaction with the newer hardware architecture.

The CPU itself sits at the 75th percentile among all processors, indicating it is a strong performer in general compute tasks. However, its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltaPct values of 0 and -0.2 respectively. This means the i5-11400F is not a standout in raw processing power; it is merely average for its class. The GPU, meanwhile, is at the 66th percentile, with its closest competitor being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which is 0.7% faster on average. This modest GPU performance, combined with the game’s specific requirements, explains the lower combo rank.

The rank of 1344 suggests that a significant number of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better frame rates in Evolve. This is likely because the game, released in 2015, may not fully utilize the Arc B580’s modern feature set or the i5-11400F’s multi-threading capabilities. The data implies that users seeking top-tier performance in this specific title would find better results with other combinations, even if those parts score similarly in synthetic benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 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. These specifications are solid for a mid-range desktop CPU, and its synthetic benchmarks reflect that. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14372 in multi-core and 2029 in single-core, demonstrating balanced performance. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 868, while the 16-thread score is 5619.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p. The jump from Low to Ultra settings at this resolution shows only a 58% decrease in frame rate, which is relatively mild. This suggests that the CPU is able to keep up with the game’s physics and AI calculations, even at higher settings, without becoming a bottleneck. However, the data indicates that the CPU’s performance ceiling is reached around the 154.1 FPS mark at 1080p Low. The fact that the same CPU can push 100.4 FPS at 1440p Low suggests that there is headroom, but the GPU starts to limit the output as resolution increases.

The 12 threads of the i5-11400F are likely beneficial for Evolve, which can use multiple cores for enemy AI and environmental interactions. The processor’s 75th percentile standing among all CPUs means it outperforms a quarter of the market, but its nearest rivals show that it is not exceptional. The deltaPct of 0.2 against the Intel Core i5-1240U indicates that a lower-power mobile chip can match its performance in some workloads. In this game, the CPU provides a stable foundation, but it is not the star of the show.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo in Evolve?*

A: The highest recorded average is 154.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance ceiling for this pairing under the measured conditions.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 22.9 FPS. This is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the GPU is severely overloaded at this configuration.

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

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra settings are relatively small compared to the resolution scaling. The CPU’s ceiling appears to be around 154 FPS, which the GPU can exceed if given the chance.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-11400F compare to its closest rival in synthetic tests?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U’s 17189, with a deltaPct of 0. It is also 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1260P and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 62.0, while at 3840x2160 High, it is 36.2. This represents a 42% decrease in performance when moving to 4K, highlighting the GPU’s struggle at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Arc B580’s 12 GB VRAM help at higher resolutions?

A: The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the frame rate data shows that memory capacity is not the limiting factor. The GPU’s compute power, as evidenced by the 36.2 FPS at 4K High, is what prevents higher frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture using a 5 nm process, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. It has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This GPU is capable of 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, and its synthetic benchmarks show a Passmark G3D score of 15748. In the database, it sits at the 66th percentile, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 being 0.7% faster.

In Evolve, the GPU’s influence is most evident at 4K. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at this resolution is stark, with a 62% drop in frame rate. This indicates that the B580 is the limiting component when the pixel count is high, as the game’s shaders and post-processing effects overwhelm the GPU. The 36.2 FPS at 4K High is a clear sign that this card is not designed for 4K gaming in this title, despite its 12 GB VRAM.

The GPU’s performance at 1440p is more respectable, with 100.4 FPS on Low and 62.0 FPS on High. This suggests that the B580 is well-suited for 1440p gaming. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is not linear, indicating that the GPU’s compute capabilities are being taxed. The 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 power is adequate for this game at mid-range resolutions, but the card’s 66th percentile ranking shows that it is not a top-tier performer. The Arc B580’s role in this combo is to provide solid 1080p and 1440p performance, but it falls short at 4K, making the CPU the more capable component at lower resolutions.