Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a performance curve in Evolve that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 198.9 FPS, which drops to 120.3 FPS at High settings and 84.2 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the same settings progression yields 132.8 FPS, 102.6 FPS, and 55.6 FPS at Ultra, respectively. At 4K, the frame rates compress significantly: Low settings produce 80.2 FPS, High drops to 47.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.1 FPS.

The scaling pattern between 1080p and 4K reveals where the bottleneck resides. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 198.9 to 80.2, a reduction that indicates the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. However, the gap between 1080p High (120.3 FPS) and 1440p High (81.3 FPS) is steeper than the gap between 1440p High and 4K High (47.1 FPS), suggesting that the CPU maintains sufficient headroom through 1440p but that the RTX 5060's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus begin to constrain performance as pixel count rises. The 4K Ultra result of 35.1 FPS is borderline playable, while 4K Medium at 58.2 FPS offers a more practical balance for demanding visual settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate behavior across resolutions points to a system that is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p but GPU-limited at 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 198.9 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than the display can likely show. The jump to 1440p Low reduces this to 132.8 FPS, a 33% decrease that tracks closely with the increased pixel workload. At 4K Low, the average drops to 80.2 FPS, indicating that the RTX 5060's compute resources are being saturated.

The settings scaling at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium to High reduces FPS from 198.9 to 158.2 to 120.3, a relatively gentle slope that implies the CPU can still deliver frames while the GPU handles increasing graphical complexity. The Ultra preset at 1080p cuts performance to 84.2 FPS, a larger drop that suggests the most demanding effects tax the GPU's 48 ROPs and 120 TMUs. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra range spans 80.2 FPS down to 35.1 FPS, a compression that occurs because the GPU is already near its limits at the lowest settings, leaving less room for additional graphical features to scale.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 863rd out of 1695 tested combinations for Evolve, placing it in the upper half of all configurations. The rank reflects the combination of the i5-12400's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 5060's mid-range rasterization capabilities. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and its percentile standing of 77th against all CPUs indicate that it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The GPU, which sits at the 73rd percentile against all GPUs, aligns closely with the overall combo ranking, suggesting that the graphics card is the more influential component in determining this game's performance.

The nearest rival data for the CPU shows that the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, delta -0.2%). This tight cluster indicates that the i5-12400 delivers comparable processing power to older high-end chips, which helps explain why the combo does not fall further in the rankings. For the GPU, the RTX 5060's average score of 30109 is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, delta 0%) and within half a percent of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969, delta 0.5%). This puts the RTX 5060 in a competitive mid-range tier where small performance differences between cards do not meaningfully alter the Evolve experience.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5060 in Evolve?

A: No. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 5890 and single-thread score of 910 indicate sufficient processing power. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 198.9 FPS, which is well above the GPU's ability to render frames at higher resolutions, showing the CPU can keep pace.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 81.3 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a smooth experience for most displays, and it drops to 55.6 FPS at Ultra, which may require a variable refresh rate monitor for optimal play.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 7700 XT?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical: 30109 for the RTX 5060 versus 30097 for the RX 7700 XT, a delta of 0%. In Evolve, this means users should expect comparable performance from either card.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 58.2, which is playable. High settings drop to 47.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.1 FPS. For consistent 60 FPS at 4K, Low settings at 80.2 FPS are required.

Q: What is the CPU's performance standing relative to other processors?

A: The i5-12400 scores at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. It sits within 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-9700, i7-8700, and i5-11600K, showing it is competitive with previous-generation high-end parts.

Q: Does the combo rank change with different settings in Evolve?

A: The combo rank of 863 out of 1695 is a single aggregate measure. The measured FPS data shows that the relative performance gap between this combo and others is consistent across settings, as the CPU and GPU both scale predictably with resolution and quality presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 198.9 FPS, Medium reaches 158.2 FPS, High achieves 120.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84.2 FPS. The 1080p results show a wide spread between presets, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to accommodate significant graphical upgrades without falling below playable thresholds.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 132.8 FPS at Low, 102.6 FPS at Medium, 81.3 FPS at High, and 55.6 FPS at Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result is the only preset in this resolution that dips below 60 FPS, making it a candidate for users who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness. At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens: Low averages 80.2 FPS, Medium 58.2 FPS, High 47.1 FPS, and Ultra 35.1 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that the RTX 5060's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but become limiting at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset that pushes the GPU to its limits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration, based on the Alder Lake architecture and built on Intel's 10 nm process, provides the computational foundation for this combo. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache, which supports the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the combo achieves 198.9 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the i5-12400 can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to exceed the refresh rates of most displays. The 3DMark scores reinforce this: the max-thread score of 5890 and the 16-thread score of 5873 show strong multi-threaded performance, while the single-thread score of 910 highlights the per-core efficiency that benefits games with lightly threaded workloads. The CPU's performance is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (0.1% delta) and slightly ahead of the i7-8700 (-0.2% delta), confirming that this 12th-generation chip holds its own against older high-end processors. As resolution increases and the GPU becomes the bottleneck, the CPU's contribution diminishes, but it never falls behind enough to drag the combo's ranking below the 863rd position out of 1695 tested configurations.