Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti produces a constrained experience in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. Measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that struggles to maintain playable performance at higher quality presets, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck throughout. The data shows a combo ranking near the bottom of the tested pool, placing this configuration firmly in entry-level territory for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lives in this system. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 62 FPS average. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low reduces that to 42 FPS, a decline of roughly 32%. Moving further to 3840x2160 Low yields just 24 FPS, another 43% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern — from 62 to 42 to 24 — indicates that the GPU is being saturated as pixel count rises, with the frame rate falling nearly proportionally to the increase in rendered pixels.

The Medium settings row provides the most complete data set, including minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average sits at 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 32 FPS, with minimums at 27 and maximums at 37. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 18 FPS, with a minimum of 16 and maximum of 21. The consistent narrowing of the gap between minimum and maximum FPS as resolution increases suggests the GPU is running at near-full utilization, leaving little headroom for variance.

High settings show a similar trend: 38 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 26 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at 1080p Ultra the system cannot reach 30 FPS indicates that the GTX 1050 Ti's compute resources are simply insufficient for Evolve's higher-quality rendering paths, regardless of resolution.

The resolution scaling behavior strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting component. The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is unlikely to be the constraint at these frame rates. The GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth, appears to be the ceiling. The measured data shows no scenario where the CPU would become the bottleneck — even at 1080p Low with 62 FPS, the frame rate is modest enough that the processor's capabilities are not stretched.

FAQ

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 62 FPS average, Medium delivers 48 FPS with a 41 FPS minimum, and High delivers 38 FPS. Medium is the highest preset that maintains an average above 45 FPS, making it the recommended balance for smooth gameplay.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings produce only 24 FPS average. Medium drops to 18 FPS, High to 14 FPS, and Ultra to 10 FPS. None of these results approach playable frame rates, indicating 4K is not feasible with this hardware.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4193. It sits 0.6% above the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (4170), 1% above the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (4151), 1.1% below the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (4241), and 1.8% below the AMD Radeon Vega 3 (4268). This places it in a tightly clustered group of low-end GPUs.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 42 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 17 FPS. This represents a 25 FPS difference, meaning Ultra delivers roughly 60% lower performance than Low at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU capable of handling this game's demands?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has a passmark multithread score of 16908 and a single-thread score of 2981. Given the low frame rates observed, the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU's performance ceiling is reached well before the processor's capabilities are exhausted.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Evolve?

A: This configuration ranks 3644 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 1.5% of all systems tested for this game. The ranking reflects the GPU's limited performance rather than the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, though the benchmark results in Evolve rarely allow it to demonstrate its full potential. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this Rocket Lake processor offers strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 14340 multi-core and 2024 single-core, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 7737 and single-core score of 1777, indicate a capable gaming CPU.

The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for gaming workloads. The passmark physics score of 842 and floating point math score of 34127 further confirm its computational strength. However, in Evolve, the measured FPS values never exceed 62 FPS even at the lowest settings, suggesting the game's engine is not heavily CPU-bound at these performance levels.

The 3DMark results show the CPU scaling well with thread count: 1691 for 2 threads, 3171 for 4 threads, 4691 for 8 threads, and 5652 for max threads. This linear scaling indicates the processor can handle multi-threaded workloads efficiently. Yet the GTX 1050 Ti's modest output means the CPU rarely needs to work hard to keep up with frame generation.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 71 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher score) and Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower), indicating the i5-11400F is well-matched against other mid-range processors. In the context of Evolve, the data suggests the CPU is more than sufficient for this game's requirements, but the GPU prevents the system from achieving higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 3644 out of 3700 tested configurations places it in the bottom 1.5% of all systems tested for Evolve. This poor ranking is directly attributable to the GPU's limitations, as the CPU component alone ranks in the 71st percentile among all processors. The stark contrast between the CPU's relative strength and the combo's overall weakness highlights how severely the GTX 1050 Ti constrains the system.

The GTX 1050 Ti's percentile ranking of 25 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4193, explains this outcome. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (0.6% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (1% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (1.1% lower), and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (1.8% lower) — are all entry-level or older mobile parts. This positions the GTX 1050 Ti at the very bottom of the desktop GPU hierarchy.

Given this ranking, the measured FPS results in Evolve are unsurprising. A combo in the bottom 1.5% of all tested systems would be expected to struggle with demanding titles, and the data confirms this. The 4K results are particularly telling — even at Low settings, the system cannot maintain 25 FPS, and Ultra settings produce a slideshow-like 10 FPS. The 1440p results are marginally better but still inadequate for smooth gameplay at any preset above Low. Only at 1080p does the system approach playability, and only at Low or Medium settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the decisive factor in this combo's Evolve performance. Based on the GP107 chip with Pascal architecture, this GPU features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. Its base clock of 1291 MHz and boost clock of 1392 MHz, combined with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 112.1 GB/s bandwidth, define its processing capabilities.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores illustrate its modest standing. The passmark G3D score of 6340 and directx 11 score of 45 indicate limited DirectX performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is particularly low, reflecting the GPU's age and entry-level positioning. Its 25th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4193, places it alongside mobile and low-power parts.

In Evolve, the GPU's limitations become immediately apparent through the measured FPS data. The 4 GB VRAM capacity, while sufficient for 1080p gaming, becomes a constraint at higher resolutions. The texture-heavy environments of Evolve, combined with the GPU's 112.1 GB/s memory bandwidth, create a situation where frame rates collapse as resolution increases. The pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s are insufficient for the demands of 1440p and 4K rendering at acceptable quality levels.

The GPU's power characteristics — a 75 W TDP with no external power connectors — further confirm its entry-level status. The FP32 performance of 2.138 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, explaining why even 1080p Ultra settings (26 FPS) cannot maintain a stable 30 FPS. The data consistently shows the GPU as the bottleneck, with frame rates dropping proportionally to the computational demands of each resolution and settings combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system's performance varies significantly across settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 62 FPS, representing the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 48 FPS, with a measured range of 41 to 55 FPS. High settings achieve 38 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 26 FPS. The spread from 62 FPS at Low to 26 FPS at Ultra demonstrates the substantial performance cost of higher quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline noticeably. Low settings average 42 FPS, Medium averages 32 FPS with a range of 27 to 37 FPS, High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 25 FPS, representing a 60% performance reduction for the highest quality settings. None of the 1440p configurations reach 60 FPS, and only Low settings exceed 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal at best. Low settings average 24 FPS, Medium averages 18 FPS with a range of 16 to 21 FPS, High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 10 FPS. Even the lowest settings at 4K fail to reach 25 FPS, making this resolution unusable for actual gameplay. The 4K Medium data shows the tightest FPS range (16-21), indicating the GPU is operating at maximum capacity with minimal variation.

The complete dataset reveals a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution at the same settings costs roughly 30-40% of the frame rate, while each step up in settings at the same resolution costs a similar percentage. This dual scaling confirms the GPU is the limiting factor, as both resolution and quality settings directly impact the GPU's workload.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, the data clearly points to 1920x1080 as the only viable resolution. At 1080p, Medium settings provide the optimal balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 48 FPS and a minimum of 41 FPS. This configuration maintains frame rates above the critical 30 FPS threshold with headroom for occasional drops, making it the recommended preset.

Low settings at 1080p offer the highest frame rates at 62 FPS average, which is beneficial for competitive play or if the user prioritizes smoothness over visual fidelity. However, the visual quality reduction from Low to Medium is typically noticeable in a game like Evolve, where environmental detail and effects contribute to the experience. The 14 FPS difference between Low and Medium (62 vs 48) is acceptable given the visual improvement.

High settings at 1080p produce 38 FPS average, which is playable but may exhibit stuttering during intense scenes. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 26 FPS, which falls below the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay and is not recommended. At 1440p, only Low settings (42 FPS) approach playability, but the visual quality tradeoff makes 1080p Medium a better overall choice. The 1440p Medium configuration at 32 FPS is borderline, while 1440p High (25 FPS) and Ultra (17 FPS) are not viable. All 4K settings are unsuitable for gameplay.

The measured data supports a clear recommendation: use 1920x1080 with Medium settings for the best combination of visual quality and performance. This configuration provides a stable 41-55 FPS range, keeping the experience smooth while maintaining reasonable graphical fidelity. Users seeking maximum performance can drop to Low settings for 62 FPS, while those willing to accept lower frame rates can try High settings at 38 FPS, though the Medium preset remains the optimal choice based on the measured results.