Evolve

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 in Evolve produces a dataset that clearly delineates the boundaries between CPU and GPU workload. The measured frames per second (FPS) across three resolutions and four settings presets reveal a system that is overwhelmingly capable at standard high-refresh 1080p and 1440p play, while still managing to hold its own at 4K, albeit with a significant compromise in visual fidelity. This analysis breaks down the measured results, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the limiting factors within this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is stark and tells a definitive story about the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS scales from 153 at 1080p down to 102 at 1440p, and finally to 58 at 4K. This represents a performance reduction of 62% from 1080p to 4K, a substantial hit that points directly at the GPU struggling with the pixel throughput required at the highest resolution. The data suggests that at 1080p, the load is light enough for the CPU to remain more relevant, but as resolution climbs, the sheer volume of fragments and shading work overwhelms the graphics card.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly revealing. Dropping from 102 FPS to 58 FPS at High settings is a 43% reduction, which is a more significant percentage loss than the 33% drop observed when going from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling indicates that the RTX 3080 is hitting a hard computational wall at 4K; the memory bandwidth and shader throughput are no longer sufficient to maintain the frame pacing seen at lower resolutions. The game becomes heavily GPU-bound, and the performance cost of each additional pixel at 4K is disproportionately high.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds but with a slightly different slope. The 4K average of 74 FPS is a massive 46% drop from the 1440p average of 130 FPS. Even at Low settings, the 4K average of 96 FPS is nearly half the 1080p result of 251 FPS. This consistency across all presets confirms that the resolution is the single greatest determinant of performance in this configuration. The data leaves no room for doubt: the RTX 3080 is the limiting component in this setup for 4K gaming, while the i5-12400 has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. In Evolve, the 4K Ultra setting yields a measured average of just 40 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the card's raw compute and memory subsystem are being taxed to their absolute limit. The architectural strength of the Ampere chip, with 8704 shading units and 68 RT cores, is insufficient to brute-force the game at this extreme preset, resulting in a frame rate that is playable but far from smooth for a fast-paced FPS.

The GPU's clock behavior, with a base of 1440 MHz and a boost of 1710 MHz, is likely to be sustained in this title, but the data indicates that the card is working as hard as it can. The jump from 74 FPS at 4K Medium to 58 FPS at 4K High is a 22% performance hit, which is a substantial price to pay for the visual uplift. This suggests that the higher presets are not just increasing texture quality but are also introducing more complex shader effects and geometry that directly impact the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities.

The benchmark results position the RTX 3080 at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, have an average score of 23273, a delta of -0.4%, indicating that this specific card is performing precisely in line with its expected class. The 4K performance in Evolve underscores the GPU's role as the primary constraint at that resolution, as the measured 40 FPS at Ultra is a clear outlier compared to the more fluid results at lower settings. The 10 GB VRAM appears adequate for this game, as there is no single metric in the data suggesting a capacity spillover, but the raw processing power is what limits the highest-end experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400, a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake family, plays a supporting role in this pairing. With a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the processor has sufficient single-threaded performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck at 1080p. The measured 251 FPS at 1080p Low settings reflects the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls quickly, as this setting reduces the GPU load, allowing the CPU to push a very high frame rate. The data implies that even at this entry-level setting, the i5-12400 is not holding the RTX 3080 back.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. The fact that FPS drops consistently from 1080p to 4K across all settings, regardless of the CPU load, proves that the processor is not the limiting factor in this title. The multi-threaded performance of the i5-12400, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989, is more than enough to feed the GPU. The CPU's percentile rank of 72 against all CPUs, and its benchmark scores like the 3DMark max threads score of 5890, suggest it is a highly capable mid-range part that will not be the source of frame pacing issues in a 2015 title like Evolve.

The data shows that the i5-12400 is a strong partner for the RTX 3080, but it is not the star of the show. In a scenario where the GPU is less powerful, this CPU would likely extend its relevance at lower resolutions, but here, the bottleneck is clearly the graphics card. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 2.50 GHz base clock are more than sufficient for the game's engine, and its performance relative to rivals like the Intel Core i3-14100F, which is 0.9% slower in average benchmark scores, confirms that it is a solid, balanced choice. The CPU is ready to deliver high frame rates, but the RTX 3080 cannot sustain them at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the i5-12400 and RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 1039 out of 3700 combos in Evolve. This places it comfortably in the top 28% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end, though previous-generation, GPU. The ranking reflects the GPU's inability to dominate at 4K Ultra, which prevents the combo from reaching the upper echelons of the list, yet the excellent 1080p and 1440p performance keeps it well above the median.

The rank of 1039 suggests that while this is a very capable gaming system, there are many other combinations that can outperform it, particularly at 4K. The data indicates that the system is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it delivers an average of 102 FPS at High settings. The combo's position in the rankings is a direct consequence of the RTX 3080's 68th percentile performance, as the CPU is ranked higher at the 72nd percentile. This discrepancy highlights that the GPU is the weaker link in this specific pairing, preventing the combo from ranking higher than the sum of its parts might suggest.

The nearest rival CPUs, such as the AMD EPYC 7643, show a negligible -0.1% difference in average score, reinforcing that the i5-12400 is a predictable performer. The combo's overall rank is not a reflection of a poor pairing, but rather a realistic assessment of the RTX 3080's limitations in a demanding 4K scenario. For a benchmark database, this rank serves as a useful guide: users with this combo should expect excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but should temper their expectations for 4K unless they are willing to dial down the settings significantly.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination depends entirely on the user's target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear sweet spot, delivering an average of 153 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most high-end monitors, providing a smooth and responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p still yields a very playable 106 FPS, but the 31% performance drop from High to Ultra is a significant cost for visual gains that may be imperceptible in the heat of a match. The data suggests that High settings offer the best balance of frame rate and visual quality at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset appears to be the most pragmatic choice, with an average of 130 FPS and a minimum of 111 FPS. This ensures that frame times remain consistently low, avoiding any noticeable stutter. While the High preset at 1440p produces a respectable 102 FPS, the Medium preset provides a 27% performance headroom, which is invaluable for maintaining a locked frame rate on a 120 Hz or 144 Hz display. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with an average of 71 FPS, is playable but sacrifices the high-refresh advantage that this hardware is capable of delivering.

For 3840x2160, the data is unequivocal: the Low preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, yielding an average of 96 FPS. The Medium preset at 74 FPS is serviceable, but the High preset drops to 58 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 40 FPS, which is not ideal for a competitive FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to accept the visual compromises of the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate, or to cap the resolution at 1440p to enjoy the higher fidelity presets. The measured data points clearly indicate that this combo is not designed for 4K Ultra gaming in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination in Evolve.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 251 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 195 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 153 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 106 FPS. This resolution shows a wide spread of performance, from the high-octane Low setting to the still-smooth Ultra setting.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 168 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 130 FPS, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS. The High preset averages 102 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. The scaling here is more gradual, with each preset tier offering a meaningful step down in performance.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 96 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The 4K data reveals the GPU's hard limits, with the Ultra preset falling below the 60 FPS threshold and the High preset barely crossing it. This breakdown confirms that the RTX 3080's performance is directly tied to the pixel count, with the processor playing a minimal role in the final frame output at this resolution.