Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Evolve, with the data showing a clear shift from CPU-bound performance at lower resolutions to GPU-bound performance at 4K. This pairing ranks in the 56th percentile of all tested combos for this game, placing it above the median but not among the top-tier systems.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 115.4, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and represents a comfortable margin for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the CPU perform in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i5-12400 scores 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,249 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 19,850, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RX 6700 XT features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Evolve's textures at all settings.

Q: Is this combo better for 1440p or 4K gaming?

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot, with 78.0 FPS on High settings, while 4K High drops to 45.6 FPS, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

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

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 33,721, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 6800 and 1.3% higher than the RTX A5000, showing it performs competitively in its class.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play?

A: Low settings at 1080p achieve 193.2 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset, making it ideal for maximum responsiveness over visual fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, running on a 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide the single-thread performance needed for Evolve's game logic and physics simulation. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency in fast-paced FPS scenarios.

In synthetic workloads, this processor demonstrates balanced performance across thread counts. The 3DMark results show a progression from 910 points in single-thread to 5,890 in max-threads, indicating good scaling as more cores are utilized. This scaling is relevant because Evolve can leverage multiple threads for AI-controlled monsters and environmental effects, though the game's core loop still depends heavily on strong single-core performance.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 77 places it above most desktop processors, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 (0.1% ahead) and the Core i7-8700 (0.2% behind). This suggests the i5-12400 sits in a performance tier where it will not bottleneck the RX 6700 XT in most gaming scenarios. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a sensible pairing for a mid-range gaming system, though the data does not indicate any thermal throttling concerns in the measured results.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, featuring 2,560 shading units and 64 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2581 MHz and game clock of 2424 MHz deliver substantial compute throughput, with the FP32 performance rated at 13.21 TFLOPS. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is a notable asset, providing ample headroom for high-resolution textures without hitting VRAM limits in Evolve.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s is critical for maintaining consistent frame rates at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that the RX 6700 XT's average benchmark score of 33,721 places it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the RX 6800 at 0.7% higher performance. This close margin indicates that the 6700 XT offers near-flagship performance in this game's context.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for Evolve's rendering pipeline. The 40 ray accelerators are present but the game does not appear to use ray tracing based on the measured FPS values, which are consistent with traditional rasterization. The 230 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest adequate cooling is required, but the performance data shows no signs of thermal throttling affecting average FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo exhibits a wide performance envelope across settings. Low settings produce 193.2 FPS average, while Medium drops to 148.4 FPS, and High reaches 115.4 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding preset, yielding 80.3 FPS average. These numbers indicate that even at the highest quality settings, the system maintains playable frame rates at Full HD.

Moving to 1440p, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings achieve 129.5 FPS, Medium delivers 101.4 FPS, and High holds at 78.0 FPS. Ultra drops to 52.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and suggests that Ultra presets at this resolution require careful consideration for competitive play.

At 4K (3840x2160), the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low settings still manage 73.3 FPS, but Medium falls to 55.5 FPS, High to 45.6 FPS, and Ultra to 32.3 FPS. These results clearly show that 4K gaming is only viable with lower quality presets, and even then, the frame rates are not ideal for fast-paced FPS action.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the system produces 193.2 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 73.3 FPS, representing a 62% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the RX 6700 XT's compute resources are being saturated as pixel count increases, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant.

Comparing High settings across resolutions, the 1080p result of 115.4 FPS drops to 78.0 FPS at 1440p (32% reduction) and further to 45.6 FPS at 4K (61% reduction from 1080p). The non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units become the limiting factor at higher resolutions, rather than the CPU's processing capability.

The data supports the conclusion that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p, where the i5-12400's strong single-thread performance allows the GPU to run at high utilization. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the balance shifts toward GPU limitation. This is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a capable modern CPU.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, High settings at 1440p represent the optimal choice. The measured 78.0 FPS average is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience while maintaining good image quality. This preset leverages the GPU's 12 GB VRAM effectively without pushing the render pipeline to its limits.

At 1080p, High settings are recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity, as the 115.4 FPS average offers a substantial margin above refresh rate requirements. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, Low settings at 1080p deliver 193.2 FPS, which is nearly double the High preset's output and minimizes input latency.

Ultra settings should be avoided at all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra yields 80.3 FPS, which is a 30% drop from High with marginal visual improvements. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 52.6 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 32.3 FPS, both of which are below acceptable levels for an FPS title. The data suggests that Medium settings at 4K (55.5 FPS) provide a better experience than Ultra at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 954th out of 1,695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 56th percentile. This ranking indicates that while the system is above average, there is significant headroom for improvement with more powerful components.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 19,850 and the GPU's average of 33,721 both sit in the 77th percentile of their respective categories, suggesting that neither component is the primary weakness. The combo ranking is slightly lower than the individual component percentiles, which may reflect the game's specific optimization patterns that favor certain hardware configurations.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the Intel Core i7-9700 (0.1% faster) and the Core i5-11600K (0.4% faster), while the GPU's closest competitor is the RX 6800 (0.7% faster). These small deltas indicate that this combo is well-matched with its peers, and the measured FPS data confirms that it delivers a solid gaming experience in Evolve across most settings and resolutions.