Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a balanced mid-range configuration for Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that scales predictably, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint at higher settings while the CPU holds its ground at lower loads. This analysis breaks down the performance data, isolating the roles of the processor and graphics card in determining the final output.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates the expected inverse relationship between pixel count and performance. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 115.7 at 1080p to 79.3 at 1440p, a decline of roughly 31%. Moving to 4K, the average falls to 43.6 FPS, representing a further 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steepening curve indicates that the rendering load grows super-linearly with resolution, a typical characteristic for a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling pattern shifts significantly when examining Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 193.1 FPS, which drops to 128.5 at 1440p and 73.4 at 4K. The percentage drops between successive resolutions are 33% and 43%, respectively. The absolute numbers remain high enough to suggest that even at 4K Low, the configuration is playable, but the relative performance loss is consistent with the GPU working harder at higher pixel counts. The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck at 1080p Low, as the 193.1 FPS figure is well beyond typical 60 Hz refresh rates.

At Ultra settings, the bottleneck becomes more pronounced. The 1080p result of 77.4 FPS collapses to 53.0 at 1440p and 29.9 at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is below 30 FPS, indicating that this preset is not viable for smooth gameplay at that resolution. The scaling from 1080p to 4K Ultra shows a 61% reduction, which is steeper than the 62% reduction seen at High settings. This suggests that the additional graphical features enabled by Ultra have a disproportionate impact at higher resolutions, pushing the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is the primary driver of frame rate in Evolve. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The GPU’s 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines operate at a boost clock of 2460 MHz, delivering a theoretical FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS. These specifications place the RTX 4060 at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181.

Comparing the RTX 4060 to its nearest rivals in the database, the performance delta is narrow. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23321, which is 0.6% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 23338, 0.7% higher. The Intel Arc B580 trails by 0.7% with a score of 23021, and the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.8% lower at 22999. These margins are within the noise of synthetic benchmarks, yet the measured FPS in Evolve shows the RTX 4060 handling 1080p High at 115.7 FPS, which is a strong result for a game from 2015.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is a key determinant of 4K performance. At 4K High, the average of 43.6 FPS suggests that the 128-bit bus is saturated, as the pixel throughput required at that resolution exceeds the available bandwidth for the given settings. The 4K Ultra result of 29.9 FPS reinforces this, as the added texture detail and shadow quality increase the memory footprint. The GPU’s 15.11 TFLOPS of compute power is not the limiting factor at 4K; rather, it is the memory subsystem that constrains the frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S family, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU in Evolve. The CPU’s 3DMark scores show a single-thread result of 910 and a max-thread score of 5890, indicating strong per-core performance that is critical for older game engines. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score of 15935 and single-core score of 2249 further confirm its capability.

The i5-12400 sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 with a score of 19831 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-8700 at 19894 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX at 19928 (0.4% higher). The Intel Core i5-11600K trails by 0.4% with a score of 19771. These tight margins indicate that the i5-12400 is competitive with older high-end processors, but its advantage in Evolve comes from its modern architecture and high boost clock.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 193.1 FPS. This figure suggests that the processor is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond the 60-144 Hz range, meaning the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower settings. At 4K Ultra, the CPU’s influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. However, the 6-core, 12-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game logic do not introduce stutters, as evidenced by the consistent average FPS figures without reported minimums.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 193.1 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings reduce this to 145.3 FPS, still a comfortable margin above 120 Hz. High settings yield 115.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 77.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the capability of the RTX 4060, even at the highest quality preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 128.5 at Low, 97.0 at Medium, 79.3 at High, and 53.0 at Ultra. The Low and Medium presets remain playable for competitive play, while High is suitable for most users. The Ultra preset at 53.0 FPS is borderline, suggesting that users may need to adjust a few settings to maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is uniform across settings, with an average reduction of about 33%.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 73.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. Medium drops to 58.5 FPS, High to 43.6 FPS, and Ultra to 29.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 30 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for this combination, and even then, the frame rates are modest.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this configuration in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent performance, with all settings above 77 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings yield 79.3 FPS, which is playable, but Ultra drops to 53.0 FPS. For 3840x2160, only Low and Medium settings are viable, at 73.4 and 58.5 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. It outperforms the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8%. These differences are minimal, indicating similar raw performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck in Evolve?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 193.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not limiting performance at lower settings. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the limiting component. The i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient throughput for this 2015 title.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Evolve?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 29.9, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playable performance. Users should select Medium or Low settings at 4K to achieve frame rates above 58 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance affect Evolve?

A: The i5-12400 scores 910 in 3DMark single-thread and 2249 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These scores indicate strong per-core performance, which is important for game logic in older engines. The high boost clock of 4.40 GHz contributes to the 193.1 FPS result at 1080p Low.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i5-12400 and the i7-9700?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, while the i7-9700 scores 19831. This represents a 0.1% difference in favor of the i5-12400. In Evolve, the i5-12400’s architecture provides no measurable advantage over its rival in the measured FPS data, as the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate.