Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that is severely constrained by its graphics component in Evolve, resulting in a bottom-tier ranking. The data shows this combo ranks 2639 out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 9% of all systems. This pairing produces playable frame rates only at 1080p with Low settings, and the performance ceiling drops sharply as resolution and graphical fidelity increase, making it unsuitable for 4K gaming.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and can boost up to 4.40 GHz, which provides solid single-threaded performance for game logic and physics calculations. The processor features an 18 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, which helps reduce memory latency during gameplay.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability, scoring 15989 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2257 in single-core. Its 3DMark scores scale predictably with thread count: 1692 with 2 threads, 3012 with 4 threads, 4745 with 8 threads, and 5873 with 16 threads, indicating efficient scaling. The processor ranks in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18683, placing it slightly behind the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697, -0.1%) and Intel Core i7-1355U (18730, -0.3%), but marginally ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519, 0.9%).

Given the measured frame rates in Evolve, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 80 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to just 13 FPS. This dramatic falloff across resolutions indicates that the processor has ample headroom, and the bottleneck lies elsewhere in the system. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 18747 and Geekbench multi-core score of 8564 further confirm that it can handle demanding workloads without becoming a performance ceiling in this game.

The i5-12400 supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with PCIe Gen 5 connectivity providing 16 lanes from the CPU. Its integrated UHD Graphics 730 is present but irrelevant here, as the system uses a discrete GPU. The processor's 65 W TDP reflects its efficiency, though this is not a primary factor in gaming performance. For Evolve specifically, the data suggests that even at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher, the CPU's contribution is adequate, and any performance gains would need to come from the graphics subsystem.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. This integrated GPU, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on Intel's 3 nm process, operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU's compute capabilities include 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12.29 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, with pixel and texture rates of 48.00 GPixel/s and 96.00 GTexel/s respectively.

Critically, the Arc B370 uses system shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. Memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which directly impacts performance in a game like Evolve that requires consistent memory bandwidth for textures and geometry. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring API compatibility, but its 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for low-power integrated use rather than high-performance gaming.

In the only available GPU benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%), with the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4%) trailing slightly. These comparisons place the Arc B370 in performance territory from over a decade ago, which explains its struggles in Evolve.

The GPU's performance in Evolve is poor across all settings. At 1080p, the highest achievable average frame rate is 80 FPS at Low settings, but this drops to 49 FPS at High and 34 FPS at Ultra. At 1440p, the best result is 54 FPS at Low, falling to 23 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results are uniformly unplayable, with the best being 31 FPS at Low and the worst being 13 FPS at Ultra. These numbers confirm that the GPU lacks both the raw compute power and memory bandwidth needed for modern gaming at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 80 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 54 FPS (a 32.5% decrease); and at 4K Low, it falls to 31 FPS (a 61.3% decrease from 1080p). This pattern holds across all settings, with the drop from 1080p to 4K being consistent regardless of quality preset.

At High settings, the progression is 49 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, representing a 61.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K. Medium settings show a similar trend: 62 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K, a 61.3% decrease. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 34 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K, a 61.8% drop.

The consistency of these percentage drops across different quality settings is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload is largely resolution-independent. Instead, the steep decline with each resolution step demonstrates that the Arc B370's rendering capabilities are being saturated, and the system shared memory bandwidth becomes increasingly inadequate as pixel count grows.

This scaling behavior also explains why the CPU's strong benchmark results do not translate to better gaming performance. The i5-12400 is capable of feeding the GPU with data, but the GPU simply cannot process it quickly enough, particularly at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that this combination is only viable for 1080p gaming at Low settings, where it produces 80 FPS, or Medium settings at 62 FPS. Anything beyond that requires sacrificing frame rate to a degree that most users would find unacceptable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1080p Low settings produce the highest average frame rate at 80 FPS, while 1080p Medium achieves 62 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings reach a playable 54 FPS, and all 4K configurations fall below 31 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it near the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%). It is slightly ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4%) but behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%), indicating performance levels from an older generation.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 holding back gaming performance in this configuration?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck. The i5-12400 ranks in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 18683, and the consistent FPS drops across resolutions point to the GPU as the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with this system?

A: At 1440p, the system achieves 54 FPS at Low settings, 42 FPS at Medium, 33 FPS at High, and 23 FPS at Ultra. Only Low settings approach the commonly accepted 60 FPS threshold, while Medium and above require compromises.

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

A: This combination ranks 2639 out of 2872 tested combos, placing it in the bottom tier of all systems. This ranking is consistent with the GPU's 5th percentile performance classification and the measured frame rates across all resolutions.

Q: Does the Arc B370 have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Arc B370 uses system shared memory. Its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," which contributes to its performance limitations in memory-intensive games like Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2639 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the bottom 8.1% of all systems. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's severe performance deficit, as the Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1184. The CPU, by contrast, performs respectably in the 72nd percentile, but its capabilities are wasted when paired with such a weak graphics processor.

The measured frame rates reinforce this low ranking. At 1080p, the system only achieves consistently playable results at Low (80 FPS) and Medium (62 FPS) settings, with High (49 FPS) and Ultra (34 FPS) falling short of smooth gameplay. At 1440p, even the best result of 54 FPS at Low settings is marginal, and at 4K, no configuration reaches 31 FPS, rendering the system unsuitable for high-resolution gaming.

This ranking places the combo in the company of systems that are typically a decade old, as evidenced by the GPU's nearest rivals. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M all score within 0.7% of the Arc B370, indicating that this modern integrated GPU offers performance equivalent to legacy discrete graphics cards. For Evolve, a 2015 title, this means the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at modern resolutions, despite the CPU's relatively strong benchmark performance.

The disparity between the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking and the combo's bottom-tier ranking highlights a fundamental imbalance. Users would need to upgrade the GPU significantly to unlock the i5-12400's potential, but with the Arc B370's constraints, the system's overall gaming capability remains firmly in the entry-level category.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system in Evolve are 1080p with Low or Medium quality presets. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 80 FPS, providing a smooth experience with the highest frame rate in the dataset. For those seeking better visual quality, 1080p Medium offers 62 FPS with minimum frame rates of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS, which remains playable while improving graphical fidelity.

At 1440p, only Low settings (54 FPS) approach acceptable playability, but users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 42 FPS with minimums of 35 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. High settings at 1440p yield 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS, both of which are too low for an enjoyable FPS experience.

4K gaming is not viable with this configuration. The best 4K result is 31 FPS at Low settings, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and all other settings at 4K produce frame rates between 13 and 24 FPS. Users should avoid 4K entirely unless they are willing to accept slideshow-like performance.

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot. It provides a 62 FPS average, which is 22.5% lower than Low settings but offers noticeably better graphics. If frame rate is the priority, 1080p Low at 80 FPS is the clear choice. At higher resolutions, the system's limitations become too pronounced to recommend anything beyond 1440p Low, and even that is a compromise. The measured data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at modest settings, and users should temper expectations accordingly.