Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti delivers a performance profile that is firmly mid-pack for Evolve, ranking 2088th out of 3700 tested combinations. This places the combo in the 56th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not at the top of the leaderboard, it sits above the median and offers a baseline capable of handling the game’s demands. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 18683 places it within 0.7% of its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F, showing that the processor is competitive with other mid-range options. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 15548 is 1.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, yet 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, suggesting the graphics card holds its own against newer architectures.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2088 out of 3700 tested combinations places it in the lower-middle segment of the database, meaning it outperforms roughly 56% of all tested systems in Evolve. This is not a top-tier configuration, but it is far from inadequate; the data indicates that the pairing is balanced enough to run the game at playable framerates across most settings. The CPU’s performance percentile of 72 against all CPUs highlights that the i5-12400 is a strong processor relative to the broader market, while the GPU’s percentile of 58 against all GPUs shows the GTX 1080 Ti is slightly above average but not exceptional. The delta between the CPU’s and GPU’s percentiles suggests the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing, as it trails the processor’s relative standing by 14 percentile points. When compared to the nearest rivals, the CPU’s deltaPct values are minimal—ranging from -0.7% to 0.9%—indicating that the i5-12400’s performance is virtually indistinguishable from its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks. For the GPU, the deltaPct against the RTX 2060 is 1.7%, meaning the 1080 Ti holds a slight edge, but the Radeon Pro W5500 leads by 0.8%, showing the gap between these cards is narrow.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture with a GP102 chip, featuring 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 raster operation pipelines. Its memory subsystem consists of 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s, which is substantial for a card of its era and proves sufficient for Evolve’s texture-heavy environments. The GPU’s base clock of 1481 MHz and boost clock of 1582 MHz are modest by modern standards, but they are complemented by a memory clock of 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective), allowing the card to maintain consistent throughput in demanding scenes. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s role becomes increasingly critical at higher resolutions; at 1080p, the card achieves 181 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 76 FPS on Ultra, a 58% reduction that underscores how pixel count stresses the hardware. At 4K, the card manages 69 FPS on Low but only 29 FPS on Ultra, demonstrating that while the 11 GB frame buffer prevents memory-related stutters, the raw compute throughput is insufficient for maximum settings at that resolution. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 11.34 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s are the key metrics behind these results, as Evolve’s fast-paced action requires both high fill rates and shader throughput to maintain smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on High settings drops from 110 to 74, a 33% decrease, while from 1440p to 4K, it falls further to 42, a 43% decrease. This scaling is steeper than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor, indicating that the GTX 1080 Ti’s compute resources are being saturated as resolution rises. On Low settings, the transition from 1080p (181 FPS) to 1440p (121 FPS) shows a 33% drop, and then to 4K (69 FPS) shows another 43% drop, maintaining a consistent pattern across settings. The Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, provides additional insight: at 1080p, the range is 119 to 161 FPS, at 1440p it narrows to 80 to 108 FPS, and at 4K it tightens further to 45 to 62 FPS. This compression of the FPS range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming the sole limiting factor, as the variance between frame times decreases when the card is fully utilized. The data shows that the i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the bottleneck at 1080p, as the system achieves 181 FPS on Low, but at 4K, the GPU’s limits are exposed, with Ultra settings producing just 29 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution, with the data showing that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, Medium delivers an average of 140 FPS with a minimum of 119 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense firefights, while High achieves 110 FPS and Ultra drops to 76 FPS—all playable, but Medium provides the highest framerate without compromising stability. At 1440p, Medium yields 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for competitive play, whereas High falls to 74 FPS and Ultra to 51 FPS, the latter being marginal for a fast-paced FPS. For 4K, the data indicates that Medium is the highest setting that maintains playability, with an average of 54 FPS and a minimum of 45 FPS, while High drops to 42 FPS and Ultra to an unplayable 29 FPS. Low settings at 4K produce 69 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant, so Medium is the recommended preset for 4K users seeking a balance. The measured data shows that Ultra is only viable at 1080p, where it still delivers 76 FPS, but for 1440p and above, Medium is the ceiling for a consistent experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 181 FPS, which is the maximum measured for this resolution, indicating that the CPU and GPU are both well within their limits. Medium settings yield an average of 140 FPS, with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS, showing a tight range that indicates stable frame pacing. High settings reduce the average to 110 FPS, while Ultra drops to 76 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold but with less headroom for demanding scenes. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings achieve 121 FPS, Medium averages 94 FPS with a range of 80 to 108 FPS, High falls to 74 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 51 FPS. The 1440p Medium range of 28 FPS (80 to 108) is wider than at 1080p, suggesting increased GPU load variability. At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits are fully exposed. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS with a range of 45 to 62 FPS, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra can only manage 29 FPS. The 4K Medium range of 17 FPS (45 to 62) is the narrowest of any resolution, indicating that the GPU is consistently saturated and frame times are more uniform.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that 1080p and 1440p are the only resolutions where 60+ FPS is achievable across multiple settings. At 1080p, all settings including Ultra (76 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while at 1440p, Low (121 FPS), Medium (94 FPS), and High (74 FPS) all stay above 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings (69 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, with Medium dropping to 54 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti compare to the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: Based on the nearest rival data, the GTX 1080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 15548, which is 1.7% higher than the RTX 2060’s score of 15290. This indicates the 1080 Ti holds a slight performance advantage, though the gap is small enough that real-world differences in Evolve would be minimal.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The measured FPS at 1080p Low (181 FPS) suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck, as this framerate is high enough to indicate the GPU is still the limiting factor. The i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provide sufficient processing power for Evolve’s FPS gameplay.

Q: What settings should be used for 4K gaming?

A: The data shows that Medium settings at 4K produce an average of 54 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is the highest preset that remains playable. High settings drop to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo’s rank in Evolve compare to its overall percentile?

A: The combo ranks 2088th out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the 56th percentile for Evolve specifically. The CPU’s percentile against all CPUs is 72, and the GPU’s percentile against all GPUs is 58, indicating that the combo’s in-game rank is lower than what individual component percentiles might suggest, due to the game’s specific demands.

Q: What is the FPS range at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows that 1440p Medium settings produce an average FPS of 94, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 108. This range of 28 FPS indicates moderate frame time variability, but the minimum of 80 FPS ensures smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3, which provides ample bandwidth for Evolve’s game logic and AI calculations. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23, is 2257 points, while its multi-core score is 15989 points, showing a strong balance between single and multi-threaded workloads. In Evolve, which is a fast-paced FPS, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle game physics, AI, and frame pacing, while the GPU handles rendering. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not a limiting factor, as evidenced by the 181 FPS on Low settings, which is well above the refresh rates of most monitors. However, the CPU’s performance percentile of 72 against all CPUs indicates it is a capable processor, but its nearest rivals—the AMD EPYC 7643, Intel Core i7-1355U, AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, and Intel Core i3-14100F—all have average scores within 0.9% of the i5-12400’s 18683, showing that this processor is competitively positioned. The CPU’s 12 threads ensure that Evolve’s background tasks do not cause stuttering, even when the GPU is under heavy load at higher resolutions. The data suggests that the CPU’s performance is more than sufficient for Evolve at all tested settings, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, particularly on Ultra settings where the FPS drops to 51 and 29, respectively.