Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Evolve reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 204 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 137 FPS, a reduction of 67 FPS or roughly 33%. At 3840x2160, the High preset yields 78 FPS average, which is 126 FPS lower than the 1080p result.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system transitions from a CPU-bound state at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound state at higher resolutions. The 1080p results are exceptionally high, with Low settings reaching 305 FPS and Medium hitting 260 FPS. These numbers suggest the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates, but the gap between resolutions grows as pixel count increases. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS demonstrates a significant drop, showing that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor when pushing maximum detail at high pixel densities.

The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution provides additional insight. At 1080p, the spread is 164 FPS (305 to 141). At 1440p, the spread narrows to 130 FPS (225 to 95). At 4K, the spread compresses further to 74 FPS (128 to 54). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU workload dominates as resolution increases, while at 1080p, the CPU's ability to process frames becomes more relevant to the overall result.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high frame rates?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with 137 FPS at High and 174 FPS at Medium settings. The 4K results are playable but significantly lower, with the High preset averaging 78 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra delivers 95 FPS average, while High reaches 137 FPS. The 42 FPS difference represents a 30% reduction in performance when moving from High to Ultra at this resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU begins to limit performance at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 305 FPS, but the gap between Medium (260 FPS) and High (204 FPS) shows scaling that is less than linear, indicating the CPU cannot fully saturate the GPU's potential at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with some headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 299th out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8.1% of all configurations tested for Evolve. This is a strong ranking, though not at the absolute top tier.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark performance align with its gaming results?

A: The CPU's 3DMark max threads score of 5912 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 indicate solid multi-threaded capability. The gaming results at lower resolutions suggest this CPU can support high frame rates, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680. Multi-threaded performance is also respectable, with a Passmark multithread score of 19433.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates are highest. The 305 FPS result at Low settings indicates that the CPU can process frames quickly, but the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (305 to 141 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not the sole bottleneck at this resolution. The 3DMark scores for 2 threads (1699) and 4 threads (3067) show that the processor scales well with additional threads, which is relevant for a game like Evolve that can utilize multiple cores.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 73rd among all CPUs places it above average, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a delta of 0% and the Intel Core 3 201E at -0.1%. These close scores indicate that the i5-12400F is competitive with other mid-range processors. The CPU's 65W TDP and lack of integrated graphics mean it relies on the discrete GPU for all rendering, which is expected in this configuration.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes. The frame rate drops from 137 FPS at 1440p High to 78 FPS at 4K High, a reduction that aligns with the GPU's workload increasing by a factor of 2.25 in pixel count. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck until frame rates exceed roughly 200 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 299 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 8.1% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance of both components, though it is not a top-tier result. The GPU's percentile ranking of 86th among all GPUs is higher than the CPU's 73rd percentile, suggesting that the GPU contributes more to the overall gaming performance.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 scores 54247 on average, with the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209 (0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (-1.1% delta). The close scores indicate that the RTX 4080 is well-matched with its immediate competitors. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047 versus the i5-12400F's 19039, a 0% delta that shows near-identical overall performance.

The rank of 299 suggests that there are 298 other combinations that perform better in Evolve. Given that the GPU is in the 86th percentile, the ranking is likely held back by the CPU's lower percentile position. Configurations with higher-end CPUs would likely rank higher, as the 1080p results show some CPU limitation. However, the overall ranking is still strong, placing this combo in the upper echelon of tested systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with 9728 shading units and 304 TMUs. Its FP32 performance is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS.

In Evolve, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 4K, the difference between Low (128 FPS) and Ultra (54 FPS) settings is 74 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload scales significantly with graphical detail. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS, indicating that this setting provides a good balance between visual quality and performance.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Evolve, which was released in 2015 and has modest VRAM requirements. The 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering are not bottlenecked by memory throughput. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34457 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6567 confirm its high-end positioning.

At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized in terms of its maximum potential, as evidenced by the 305 FPS Low result. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully taxed, producing only 54 FPS. This range of performance shows that the RTX 4080 is capable of handling Evolve at any resolution, but the Ultra preset at 4K pushes it to its limits. The GPU's percentile ranking of 86th places it well above average, and its nearest rivals show minimal performance differences, with the RTX 4080 SUPER at just 0.1% higher average score.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 305 FPS, Medium averages 260 FPS with a range of 221 to 299 FPS, High averages 204 FPS, and Ultra averages 141 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decrease, with each preset step costing roughly 40-60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 225 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS with a range of 148 to 200 FPS, High averages 137 FPS, and Ultra averages 95 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 130 FPS, which is a 58% reduction. This demonstrates that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the results show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 128 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a range of 84 to 114 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K provides the most consistent frame times, with a 30 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it the most demanding setting in the entire dataset.

The Medium presets are the only settings with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 221 to 299 FPS, at 1440p it is 148 to 200 FPS, and at 4K it is 84 to 114 FPS. These ranges indicate that the Medium preset provides relatively stable frame pacing, with the spread increasing as resolution decreases, likely due to CPU involvement at higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience for this combo in Evolve. At 1440p, Medium delivers 174 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The minimum of 148 FPS ensures that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains high. At 4K, Medium achieves 99 FPS average with an 84 FPS minimum, which is still comfortably above playable levels.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, the High preset at 204 FPS is recommended, as it provides excellent visual quality while maintaining frame rates that can keep up with 144Hz or 165Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 141 FPS, which is still suitable for high-refresh gaming but offers diminishing returns over High for the performance cost.

At 4K, the High preset at 78 FPS is the recommended choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity while maintaining playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is playable but may suffer in fast-paced FPS scenarios where consistent 60+ FPS is desirable. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is the most balanced option, providing 99 FPS with good minimum performance.

For competitive play at 1440p, the Low preset at 225 FPS offers the highest frame rates, which can be beneficial for reducing input latency. However, the visual quality trade-off may not be worth it for most players, as the Medium preset at 174 FPS still provides very high performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p (95 FPS) is best reserved for players who prioritize graphical detail over frame rate, though it does drop below the 100 FPS threshold.

Overall, the Medium preset across all resolutions provides the most consistent experience, with the largest recorded minimum FPS values and reasonable average frame rates. The High preset is a close second, offering better visual quality at the cost of some performance. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it still achieves 141 FPS, but becomes increasingly demanding at higher resolutions.