Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a performance profile in Evolve that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. The measured data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but one that struggles to maintain fluid motion at 4K Ultra settings, indicating a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions and a more balanced workload at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a significant performance drop across all settings, confirming that the Radeon RX 9060 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 107 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 35 FPS, and then further down to 41 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61.7% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern that is typical for a GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit bus.

The Low preset scaling is even more pronounced, with average FPS dropping from 176 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p, and finally to 67 at 4K. This steep decline — a 109 FPS difference between the lowest and highest resolutions — suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU's raw shading power and memory bandwidth are challenged by the 3840x2160 pixel count. The RX 9060's boost clock of 2990 MHz and FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS are substantial, but the 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth appears to be a limiting factor when filling over 8 million pixels per frame.

Medium settings show a similar trend, with average FPS of 137 at 1080p, 92 at 1440p, and 52 at 4K. The minimum FPS at Medium also scales predictably, from 116 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p and 44 at 4K. The Ultra preset produces the lowest absolute numbers, with average FPS of 74 at 1080p, 50 at 1440p, and 28 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is barely playable, while even the 1080p Ultra frame rate of 74 FPS indicates that this preset demands more from the GPU than it can reliably deliver at higher resolutions.

The data indicates that the i5-12400F with its 6 cores and 12 threads is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The consistent FPS drops across all presets when moving from 1440p to 4K point squarely at the GPU's fillrate and memory subsystem, not the CPU's processing power.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average FPS of 137 with a minimum of 116 and maximum of 157 provides a smooth experience that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, and the 116 FPS minimum ensures that frame pacing remains stable even during intense combat sequences.

For 1440p, the Medium preset again proves to be the optimal choice, delivering an average of 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 105. This is the highest resolution at which the Medium preset maintains an average above 90 FPS, making it a viable option for gamers with 1440p displays. The High preset at 1440p drops to 72 FPS average, which is still playable but less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only configuration that achieves an average above 60 FPS, hitting 67 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K produces 52 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset at any resolution provides the worst experience, with 4K Ultra producing just 28 FPS average, 1080p Ultra at 74 FPS, and 1440p Ultra at 50 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is not a practical choice for this combo, even at 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip, is clearly the dominant component in this pairing for Evolve. The GPU's 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units provide the computational foundation for the observed frame rates. The boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz indicate a highly tunable silicon that can scale its frequency under load.

The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration appears to be a limiting factor at 4K, where the Ultra preset likely exceeds the available memory capacity or bandwidth, resulting in the dramatic drop to 28 FPS average. The 4K Medium result of 52 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum further suggests that the GPU is working near its memory bandwidth limits at this resolution.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in a specific performance tier. The PassMark G3D score of 17631 and a percentile ranking of 59 versus all GPUs indicate a mid-range performer. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129, and 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322, combined with the Geekbench Vulkan score of 39476, shows that the GPU handles modern API workloads reasonably well. However, the PassMark DirectX 12 score of 44 is notably low, which may indicate driver overhead or architectural inefficiencies in certain workloads. The GPU's TDP of 132 W and dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector suggest it is a power-efficient card, but this does not translate into excessive performance headroom in Evolve at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 176 FPS, Medium produces 137 FPS with a 116 minimum and 157 maximum, High produces 107 FPS, and Ultra produces 74 FPS. The spread from 74 to 176 FPS demonstrates a wide performance range that scales predictably with preset complexity.

The 2560x1440 results show a noticeable step down. Low settings average 118 FPS, Medium averages 92 FPS with a 78 minimum and 105 maximum, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that this resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as the Medium preset still maintains an average above 90 FPS while providing better visual fidelity than 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become substantial. Low settings average 67 FPS, Medium averages 52 FPS with a 44 minimum and 60 maximum, High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. The 4K results show that only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, and even that result is relatively low compared to the 1080p and 1440p numbers.

The minimum FPS data, available only for the Medium preset, shows consistent behavior across resolutions. The 1080p minimum of 116 FPS, 1440p minimum of 78 FPS, and 4K minimum of 44 FPS all represent roughly 15-20% drops from their respective averages, indicating stable frame pacing without severe spikes.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best experience, delivering 137 FPS average with a 116 FPS minimum. At 1440p, the Medium preset still achieves 92 FPS average, making it a viable alternative for higher-resolution displays.

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

A: Only at Low settings, where it produces 67 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 52 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum, while High and Ultra fall to 41 FPS and 28 FPS respectively, which are below acceptable playability thresholds.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its closest GPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129. It scores 1% higher than both the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 74 FPS average, which is playable but significantly lower than the 137 FPS achieved at Medium settings. The 63 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra at 1080p suggests that the visual improvements from Ultra may not justify the performance cost.

Q: What does the GPU's percentile ranking indicate about its performance?

A: The RX 9060 ranks in the 59th percentile versus all GPUs, placing it in the mid-range segment. This is consistent with its measured performance in Evolve, where it delivers solid 1080p and 1440p results but struggles at 4K.

Q: How stable are frame rates across different presets?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum FPS values are 116 at 1080p, 78 at 1440p, and 44 at 4K. These minimums represent stable drops of roughly 15-20% from the average FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing without major hitches.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting role in this combo's Evolve performance. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this Alder Lake-S processor provides ample computational headroom for the game's engine. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680, which are crucial for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's cache hierarchy, featuring 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache, supports efficient data access that helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions. The PassMark multithread score of 19433 and the 3DMark max threads score of 5912 demonstrate that the processor can handle the multi-threaded workloads common in modern FPS titles.

The i5-12400F's percentile ranking of 73 versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039, places it in a favorable position. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, has an average score of 19047, showing a negligible 0% delta, while the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056 is 0.1% lower, and the Intel Core i5-1335U at 18982 is 0.3% higher.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 100 FPS. The fact that the combo still achieves 176 FPS at Low settings 1080p indicates that the i5-12400F is not limiting performance at this resolution. The 12 threads provide enough parallelism to handle the game's background tasks while the GPU renders frames. However, the CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node suggest it is not an extreme performer, but rather a balanced mid-range chip that pairs well with the RX 9060.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking of tested hardware combos for Evolve, this configuration of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 holds the 1664th position out of 2872 total combinations. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, ranking in the 58th percentile of the tested pool. While not a top-tier combination, its position indicates that it outperforms the majority of other hardware pairings for this game.

The ranking reflects the measured FPS data, which shows the combo's strengths at 1080p and 1440p but exposes its limitations at 4K. The 1080p Medium result of 137 FPS average is competitive with many higher-end systems, while the 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is a significant weakness that pulls the overall ranking down.

Given the GPU's 59th percentile ranking and the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking, the combo's 58th percentile game ranking is slightly lower than what either component achieves individually. This suggests that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for Evolve, likely due to the GPU's memory bandwidth constraints at high resolutions. The combo's rank of 1664 out of 2872 means there are 1208 tested combinations that perform better, but also 1208 combinations that perform worse, making this a solid mid-pack performer with clear upgrade paths for those seeking better 4K performance.