Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a playable experience in Evolve, though the data indicates a clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions. Across the measured configurations, the combination shows strong capability at 1080p, with average frame rates ranging from 71 FPS at Ultra settings to 169 FPS at Low settings. The 1440p results remain respectable, while 4K performance drops significantly, suggesting the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, settings scaling, and component roles to characterize this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS degradation from 1080p to 4K reveals a pronounced GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 103 FPS at 1920x1080 to 69 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 39 FPS, representing a 64 FPS loss compared to the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5050's rendering throughput is the limiting component as resolution increases, with the i5-12400 providing sufficient headroom at lower pixel counts.

The Low settings preset shows similar resolution scaling behavior. The average frame rate at 1080p is 169 FPS, which drops to 113 FPS at 1440p and 64 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The consistent proportional drops across settings presets suggest that resolution scaling is primarily governed by the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth, rather than any CPU-side constraint.

At Medium settings, the measured data includes minimum and maximum frame rates, providing additional insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the average is 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 150 FPS, showing a relatively tight frame time distribution. The 1440p Medium preset averages 88 FPS with a range of 75 to 101 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 50 FPS with a range of 42 to 57 FPS. The widening frame time range at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU's increasing workload burden.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic resolution scaling. At 1080p, the average is 71 FPS, falling to 48 FPS at 1440p and 27 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS falls below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that this preset is not viable at that resolution with this hardware. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra represents a 62% reduction in average frame rate, highlighting the extreme demand of Ultra settings at high pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three tested resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves an average of 131 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay with ample headroom above typical refresh rate targets. The 1440p Medium result of 88 FPS remains comfortably playable, while the 4K Medium average of 50 FPS is acceptable for less demanding scenarios. The availability of minimum and maximum frame rates for Medium settings also indicates more predictable performance than other presets.

The High preset represents a reasonable alternative for users prioritizing visual quality over maximum frame rates. At 1080p, High delivers 103 FPS average, which is still well above playable thresholds. The 1440p High result of 69 FPS is playable, though it approaches the lower boundary for fast-paced FPS gameplay. At 4K High, the 39 FPS average falls below ideal playability, making this preset less recommended at that resolution.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates but sacrifices visual fidelity. At 1080p, Low achieves 169 FPS average, which would benefit high refresh rate displays. The 1440p Low result of 113 FPS remains very smooth, and even 4K Low at 64 FPS is playable. This preset is most suitable for competitive play where frame rate takes precedence over graphical detail.

The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where the 71 FPS average is playable. At 1440p, the 48 FPS average is marginal for an FPS title, and at 4K, the 27 FPS result is not recommended for active gameplay. Users seeking maximum visual quality should restrict Ultra settings to 1080p with this hardware combination.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This processor is based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and max-thread score of 5890 indicate consistent scaling across thread counts.

In Evolve, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, particularly at higher resolutions where the measured FPS drops align with GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p Low settings, the 169 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at lower pixel counts. The i5-12400's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3456, supports adequate frame pacing in this title.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide ample capacity for game-level data. The PassMark physics score of 1105 indicates moderate physics processing capability, which is relevant for a game like Evolve that features dynamic environments. However, the data shows that resolution scaling has a more significant impact on FPS than settings changes at the CPU level, confirming that the processor is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683 places it near the AMD EPYC 7643 (score 18697, deltaPct -0.1) and Intel Core i7-1355U (score 18730, deltaPct -0.3). The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811 (deltaPct -0.7), while the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519 (deltaPct 0.9). These small percentage differences indicate that the i5-12400 performs competitively within its peer group.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Evolve?*

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 offers the highest average frame rates across all settings, ranging from 71 FPS at Ultra to 169 FPS at Low. This resolution provides the most consistent performance headroom for the RTX 5050.

Q: How does the 4K performance compare to 1080p at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 103 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 4K, representing a 64 FPS decrease. This substantial reduction indicates that 4K gaming is only viable at lower settings presets with this hardware.

Q: Does the i5-12400 bottleneck the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 indicate sufficient processing capability for this title.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The 1440p Medium preset achieves an average of 88 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 75 and 101 FPS respectively. This falls within a comfortable range for smooth FPS gameplay.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra achieves an average of 71 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p, the average drops to 48 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 27 FPS, making Ultra impractical at resolutions above 1080p.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark performance compare to similar cards?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, with a PassMark G3D score of 17326. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153 (deltaPct -0.6), while the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (deltaPct 1.6).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. Its boost clock of 2572 MHz and base clock of 2317 MHz contribute to a peak FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features, though the measured data for Evolve focuses on traditional rasterization performance.

The GPU's memory configuration appears sufficient for the tested resolutions, as the 8 GB capacity handles the game's demands without evident capacity-related stuttering in the measured data. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth supports the pixel throughput required at 4K, though the resolution scaling data shows clear performance degradation as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average of 27 FPS indicates the GPU's computational limits are reached at maximum settings and pixel count.

The RTX 5050's PassMark DirectX 12 score of 66 and DirectX 11 score of 150 provide context for its API-level performance. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 90334 and Vulkan score of 89381 demonstrate compute capability. The GPU's percentile ranking of 66 among all tested GPUs places it in the upper-middle tier, which aligns with the measured FPS results in Evolve.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is slightly below the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (score 21153, deltaPct -0.6) and AMD Radeon HD 8970M (score 21237, deltaPct -1.0). It outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (score 20713, deltaPct 1.6) and is close to the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (score 21379, deltaPct -1.6). These small deltas indicate the RTX 5050 performs within a tight competitive band.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 169 FPS at Low, 131 FPS at Medium, 103 FPS at High, and 71 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 150 FPS, indicating stable frame delivery. These 1080p results demonstrate the RTX 5050's capability to handle the game at high frame rates, with even the most demanding Ultra preset remaining above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease across all presets: 113 FPS at Low, 88 FPS at Medium, 69 FPS at High, and 48 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's frame range of 75 to 101 FPS shows more variance than at 1080p, reflecting increased GPU workload. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS average falls below ideal playability for an FPS title, though it remains technically usable.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are significantly lower: 64 FPS at Low, 50 FPS at Medium, 39 FPS at High, and 27 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a range of 42 to 57 FPS, indicating notable frame time variability at this resolution. The 4K results clearly show that this hardware combination is best suited for lower settings at this resolution, with only the Low preset achieving consistently playable performance.

The progression from Low to Ultra settings shows a consistent FPS penalty across all resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 98 FPS, at 1440p it is 65 FPS, and at 4K it is 37 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload, as the absolute FPS values compress as the rendering resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1749 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 60th percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of both components, with the CPU's percentile ranking of 72 and the GPU's percentile ranking of 66 contributing to the overall standing.

The combo rank suggests that while this configuration performs adequately, there are numerous other hardware pairings that achieve higher frame rates in this title. The measured FPS data supports this assessment, showing that the combination excels at 1080p but struggles at 4K with demanding settings. The rank of 1749 indicates that roughly 1123 tested combos perform worse, while 1748 perform better.

Given the component specifications, this ranking aligns with expectations. The i5-12400's competitive benchmark scores place it near the top of its price-performance segment, while the RTX 5050's benchmark results position it as a capable 1080p and 1440p GPU. The combination's performance in Evolve reflects these characteristics, with strong results at lower resolutions and settings, and diminishing returns as graphical demands increase.