Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, presents a demanding load for the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB combination. The measured data shows that this pairing delivers a wide range of performance, from highly playable at 1080p to a challenging experience at 4K, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how sharply performance degrades as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 121.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset, the frame rate drops to 78.1 FPS, a reduction of 43.5 FPS. The jump to 4K at High settings yields 45.8 FPS, which is 75.8 FPS lower than the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is consistent across all four settings presets. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (194.7 FPS) to 1440p (132.9 FPS) is 61.8 FPS, and then to 4K (77.7 FPS) it falls another 55.2 FPS. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 154.6 FPS at 1080p, 103.7 FPS at 1440p, and 60.2 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, while starting lower at 83.2 FPS for 1080p, still scales down to 55.3 FPS at 1440p and 32.7 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads can feed the GPU adequately, though the scaling between presets shows the GPU is still the main driver of performance. However, the extreme drop from 1080p to 4K—where the High preset loses over 62% of its frame rate—points directly at the GPU being the bottleneck. The RX 9060 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are likely strained by the pixel count at 3840x2160, as the data shows the frame rate nearly halves when moving from 1440p to 4K on every preset.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance between visual quality and playability, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the best experience in the measured data. It delivers 103.7 FPS, which is smooth for an FPS, while still providing a significant step up from Low. At 1080p, the High preset is the standout choice, producing 121.6 FPS without the performance penalty seen at higher resolutions. The data shows that the Ultra preset is only viable for those prioritizing visuals over frame rate, as it drops to 83.2 FPS at 1080p and 55.3 FPS at 1440p.

At 4K, the measured results show that the High preset (45.8 FPS) is marginal, while Low (77.7 FPS) is the only setting that approaches a consistently playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 4K (60.2 FPS) is the most balanced option for this resolution, offering a compromise between the visual fidelity of High and the performance of Low. Given the data, the recommended path is to prioritize Medium or High at lower resolutions, and only use Low or Medium at 4K to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is the central figure in these results, with its specifications directly correlating with the observed performance. The GPU’s boost clock of 3130 MHz and game clock of 2530 MHz are high for a card in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, yet the data shows it struggles at 4K. The 8 GB memory size and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, where the card delivers 121.6 and 78.1 FPS on High, respectively, but they become limiting factors at 3840x2160.

The GPU’s 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 200.3 GPixel/s, which is evident in the 1080p performance. However, the 4K results show a stark contrast: the Ultra preset at 32.7 FPS indicates that the card’s processing power is overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels. The memory clock of 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) provides a bandwidth that is clearly inadequate for the 4K Ultra workload, as the frame rate drops by over 60% compared to 1080p Ultra. The FP32 throughput of 25.64 TFLOPS is respectable, but for a 2015 title like Evolve, the data suggests the game’s engine is not fully utilizing the card’s newer RDNA 4.0 architecture, leaving performance dependent on raw fill rate and memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1920x1080 is 194.7, which occurs with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of running Evolve at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the data shows playable results only on the Low preset (77.7 FPS) and Medium preset (60.2 FPS). The High preset drops to 45.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32.7 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p High preset compared to 1440p High?

A: The 1080p High preset averages 121.6 FPS, while the 1440p High preset averages 78.1 FPS, making the 1080p result 43.5 FPS faster.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 132.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 55.3 FPS, a difference of 77.6 FPS in favor of Low.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory size appear to affect 4K performance?

A: The 8 GB memory size is likely a factor, as the 4K Ultra preset produces only 32.7 FPS, which is the lowest score in the entire dataset, indicating the memory bus and capacity are strained at this resolution.

Q: What is the rank of this combo among all tested configurations for Evolve?

A: The combo rank is 889 out of 1695 combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its influence is most visible at lower resolutions. With 6 cores and 12 threads, base clock of 2.50 GHz, and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 194.7 FPS, which is near the ceiling for many displays, and the CPU’s single-thread performance—evident in its 3dmark_single_thread score of 909—helps maintain smoothness in this FPS title.

The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are standard for its class. Its benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore result of 16518, show it is a solid mid-range processor. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400F’s average benchmark score of 19221 is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-8700K and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U, but 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS. This means the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios.

At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The frame rate differences between presets at 3840x2160 (e.g., 77.7 FPS on Low vs. 45.8 FPS on High) are purely GPU-driven. However, at 1080p, the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU is tested; the jump from 121.6 FPS on High to 154.6 FPS on Medium shows that the CPU can handle the lower graphical loads without holding back the GPU. The data indicates that the i5-12400F is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming with this GPU, but it is not the component that limits performance above those resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 194.7 FPS, Medium averages 154.6 FPS, High averages 121.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 83.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 111.5 FPS, showing that graphical settings have a massive impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 132.9 FPS, Medium at 103.7 FPS, High at 78.1 FPS, and Ultra at 55.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p is significant—for example, High loses 43.5 FPS—but the frame rates remain playable on all presets except Ultra, which is borderline.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls sharply: Low averages 77.7 FPS, Medium averages 60.2 FPS, High averages 45.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 32.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only score below 40 FPS in the entire dataset, and the 4K High preset is the only other score below 50 FPS. This breakdown confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for lower settings presets.