Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination places 357th out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve, putting it in the top 21% of all pairings tested. This is a strong result for a 2015 FPS title, indicating that the pairing provides a smooth experience even at demanding settings. The data shows a configuration that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s capabilities become more relevant at 1080p where frame rates climb significantly.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 357 out of 1695 tested combinations is a solid position, reflecting a system that can handle Evolve with room to spare. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of 38358, sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, which is notably higher than the CPU’s 77th percentile ranking (average score 19850). This disparity suggests that in this pairing, the graphics card is the more dominant component in terms of raw benchmark muscle. The measured frame rates support this, as the system achieves triple-digit FPS at 1440p and even pushes past 280 FPS at 1080p on Low settings. However, the ranking also reveals that many other combinations deliver higher performance, likely due to more powerful CPUs that can better feed the GPU at lower resolutions where the CPU workload is relatively higher.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this hardware?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 on High settings, the system averages 114.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160 on High, the average drops to 65.5 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the minimum acceptable range for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, a -0.2% difference). It is also within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX, despite that being a much higher-end processor.

Q: Is the GPU’s performance consistent with its benchmark percentile?

A: The RX 7900 XT has a percentile rank of 82 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 38358. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, scores 38349 (0% difference), showing that the GPU’s synthetic performance aligns closely with its market position.

Q: What settings preset provides the highest frame rate?

A: Across all three resolutions, the Low preset yields the highest average FPS, with 281.2 FPS at 1920x1080, 191.5 FPS at 2560x1440, and 105.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This is expected, as lower settings reduce the graphical load on the GPU.

Q: How large is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference is substantial: Low averages 281.2 FPS while Ultra averages 120.4 FPS, representing a drop of over 57%. At 3840x2160, the gap narrows in relative terms, with Low at 105.7 FPS and Ultra at 47.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 55%.

Q: Does the data suggest the CPU or GPU is the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extremely high (281.2 FPS on Low), which indicates that the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU’s performance becomes more critical. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to drive these high frame rates, though the ranking implies other CPUs may push even higher.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At High settings, the system delivers 169.3 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 114.5 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 32.4% decrease), and then to 65.5 FPS at 3840x2160 (another 42.8% decrease from 1440p). This steady decline indicates that the RX 7900 XT is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, which is typical for a modern GPU paired with a mid-range CPU. The trend is similar for all settings presets, but the absolute drop is more pronounced at lower settings. For instance, at Low settings, the system goes from 281.2 FPS at 1080p to 191.5 FPS at 1440p (a 31.9% drop) and then to 105.7 FPS at 4K (a 44.8% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage decreases suggest that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth (800.0 GB/s) are the limiting factors, rather than the CPU’s processing power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets: Low averages 281.2 FPS, Medium 219.8 FPS, High 169.3 FPS, and Ultra 120.4 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 191.5 FPS for Low, 149.4 FPS for Medium, 114.5 FPS for High, and 78.7 FPS for Ultra. At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: Low still manages 105.7 FPS, Medium 83.3 FPS, High 65.5 FPS, and Ultra 47.8 FPS. The data shows that even at 4K with High settings, the system maintains a playable average above 60 FPS, but Ultra settings at 4K dip below that threshold, making them less suitable for competitive play. The scaling between presets is consistent, with Ultra typically offering about 42-45% of the frame rate of Low at each resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmarks show strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 910) and multi-thread capability (cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15935). In Evolve, the CPU’s role becomes evident at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1080p Low, the system hits 281.2 FPS, which places significant demand on the CPU to process game logic and draw calls. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831), suggesting that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-12400 performs on par with older i7 models. However, the 12 threads provide better multi-tasking headroom compared to the 9700’s 8 threads, which may help maintain smoother frame times in demanding scenes. The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory also contribute to its ability to feed data to the GPU efficiently.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the standout choice, delivering 114.5 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while retaining graphical fidelity. At 1920x1080, High settings at 169.3 FPS are excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, though players could push to Ultra at 120.4 FPS if they prefer maximum visuals. At 3840x2160, High settings at 65.5 FPS are the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 83.3 FPS at 4K and 219.8 FPS at 1080p, but the jump from Medium to High is relatively small in performance cost (from 83.3 to 65.5 FPS at 4K) while providing better visuals. Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p (120.4 FPS) and 1440p (78.7 FPS), but the frame rate at 4K (47.8 FPS) is too low for a responsive experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, with an average benchmark score of 38358 and a percentile rank of 82. Its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus provides 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Evolve’s 2015-era textures and geometry. The GPU’s boost clock of 2394 MHz and 5376 shading units deliver substantial raw compute power, reflected in the high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings drop to 105.7 FPS from 281.2 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the resolution scaling is directly tied to the GPU’s rendering capabilities. The card’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, scores nearly identically (38349 vs 38358, a 0% difference), suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7900 XT is on par with a high-end mobile GPU. However, the desktop card’s higher power envelope (300 W TDP) and larger memory pool (20 GB vs typically smaller mobile memory) may give it an advantage in sustained gaming loads, which the measured FPS data supports.