Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Evolve shows a steep performance curve as resolution climbs, with the gap between 1080p and 4K revealing where this system's bottleneck sits. At 1080p High settings, the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination delivers 99 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 66.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 33%. The jump to 4K High yields 40.1 FPS, which is about 60% below the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions — the frame rate penalty from 1080p to 1440p is significant, and the 4K result confirms the Radeon RX 6650 XT is carrying the load.

The Low preset tells a more revealing story about the CPU's headroom. At 1080p Low, the system hits 166.1 FPS average. That number falls to 112.7 FPS at 1440p Low and 65.7 FPS at 4K Low. The fact that even the Low preset at 4K cannot break past 66 FPS indicates the GPU is the limiting factor across all tested resolutions. Had the CPU been the constraint, the 1080p Low result would show less separation from the 1440p Low figure. Instead, the data shows a consistent drop-off as pixel count increases, which points squarely at the graphics card.

Ultra settings amplify this effect. The 1080p Ultra average of 67.5 FPS collapses to 49.4 FPS at 1440p and 24.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-30 FPS figure in the entire dataset, and it suggests that this combination is not viable for maxed-out 4K play. The spread between Low and Ultra at each resolution also widens with resolution: at 1080p the gap is 98.6 FPS, at 1440p it is 63.3 FPS, and at 4K it narrows to 40.9 FPS. This tightening spread at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint, leaving less room for settings-based performance differentiation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a 2015 FPS title like Evolve, which launched before the era of heavily threaded game engines, this processor's single-thread performance is what matters most. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and the Cinebench R23 single-core result of 2332 indicate solid per-core capability, which is directly relevant to a game that largely relies on one or two primary threads for simulation and game logic.

The CPU's multi-threaded headroom is substantial but largely irrelevant for Evolve's frame pacing at the resolutions tested. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and the 3DMark max-threads result of 5912 show that the i5-12400F is not a bottleneck in CPU-light scenes. However, the benchmark data indicates that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the system reaches 166.1 FPS but does not go higher. This suggests that either Evolve's engine has a frame rate ceiling tied to its 2015-era threading model, or the CPU's single-thread performance caps out around that range when the GPU is not the constraint.

The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate memory locality for a game of Evolve's age. The i5-12400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K at 19210 (a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS at 19364 (a -0.7% delta), placing it in a competitive mid-range tier. For Evolve specifically, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU without stalling, and the measured FPS data shows no scenario where the processor appears to hold back the graphics card — the GPU-bound scaling pattern at higher resolutions confirms this.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications align closely with the observed performance profile. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory subsystem is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K Ultra result of 24.8 FPS suggests the 8 GB frame buffer and bandwidth become strained at extreme resolutions. The card's base clock of 2055 MHz and boost clock of 2635 MHz, combined with 2048 shading units, produce a peak FP32 throughput of 10.79 TFLOPS.

Evolve's rendering demands scale heavily with both resolution and settings, and the RX 6650 XT's 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs determine how quickly the GPU can fill pixels and sample textures. The pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s are respectable for a mid-range card, but the 4K numbers show the limits. At 4K High, the card manages 40.1 FPS, which is playable but not smooth; at 4K Ultra, the 24.8 FPS result is a clear indication that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and effects.

The GPU's benchmark profile places it at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 29024. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 29011 (0% delta) and the Intel Arc A370M at 29175 (-0.5% delta), showing that the RX 6650 XT sits in a tightly contested performance band. For Evolve, the GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is forward-looking, but the game itself predates that API by several years, so the card relies on raw rasterization performance rather than modern features. The 7 nm process node from TSMC and 11,060 million transistors give the card efficiency, but the 176 W TDP suggests it draws enough power to sustain high clocks under load, which the measured FPS data confirms.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Evolve with the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 166.1 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire test suite. Medium settings reduce that to 127.8 FPS, High to 99 FPS, and Ultra to 67.5 FPS. The step-down from Low to Medium is 38.3 FPS, from Medium to High is 28.8 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 31.5 FPS, showing a fairly consistent penalty per settings tier.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low produces 112.7 FPS, Medium 84.4 FPS, High 66.7 FPS, and Ultra 49.4 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 63.3 FPS, which is narrower than the 98.6 FPS spread at 1080p. This compression indicates that the GPU's workload increases enough at 1440p that settings changes have less proportional impact. The 1440p High result of 66.7 FPS is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra result of 67.5 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's rendering budget is roughly equivalent for those two configurations.

The 3840x2160 results are the most demanding. Low settings yield 65.7 FPS average, Medium drops to 49.2 FPS, High to 40.1 FPS, and Ultra to 24.8 FPS. The 4K Low figure is notable because it is higher than the 1440p Ultra result of 49.4 FPS, but still below the 1080p High mark. The 4K Ultra result is the only average below 30 FPS in the dataset, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. Across all resolutions, the Low preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, which suggests that players seeking high frame rates should prioritize the Low setting, particularly at 1440p and above. The combo's overall rank in the game is 1135 out of 1695 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows 1080p is the strongest option, with all four settings presets averaging above 67 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings stay above 84 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 66.7 and 49.4 FPS respectively. For 4K, only the Low preset achieves a playable average of 65.7 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 99 FPS at 1080p High to 66.7 FPS at 1440p High, then to 40.1 FPS at 4K High. That represents a roughly 60% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at the High preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary constraint. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases at every settings preset, and the spread between Low and Ultra narrows at higher resolutions, which is a signature of GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and max-threads score of 5912 show ample headroom for a 2015 FPS title.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average at 4K Ultra is 24.8 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered minimally playable. The 4K High preset fares better at 40.1 FPS, but still falls short of the 60 FPS target that the 1080p and 1440p Low presets achieve.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in the database?

A: The CPU ranks at the 77th percentile with an average benchmark score of 19221, sitting within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS and 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-8700K. The GPU ranks at the 72nd percentile with an average score of 29024, matching the AMD Radeon RX 6800M within 0% and trailing the Intel Arc A370M by 0.5%.

Q: What settings preset offers the highest frame rate at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 1440p delivers 112.7 FPS average, which is the highest result at that resolution. Medium settings produce 84.4 FPS, High drops to 66.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49.4 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets maintain averages above 60 FPS at 1440p.