Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 presents a striking generational mismatch in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The data shows a configuration capable of extreme frame rates, but one where the CPU’s six physical cores and the GPU’s massive bandwidth interact in ways that shift the bottleneck depending on resolution and preset. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, explains the component roles, and offers practical settings guidance based solely on the recorded frames.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but with an unusual twist at the top end. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 306 FPS, a figure that drops to 240.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 133.6 FPS at 4K. This scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a 21.4% reduction, while the jump from 1440p to 4K is a much steeper 44.5% decline. The frame rate is clearly being throttled by the pixel-pushing demands of the GPU at higher resolutions, but the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high.

Moving to High settings, the pattern shifts. At 1080p, the average is 214.7 FPS, which falls to 146.5 FPS at 1440p (a 31.8% drop) and then to 79.8 FPS at 4K (a 45.5% drop from 1440p). The 4K High result is notable: it is nearly identical in percentage loss to the Low preset’s 4K scaling, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor regardless of visual complexity. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is larger on High than on Low, hinting that the added shading work at 1440p is starting to saturate the GPU’s compute units more aggressively.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the combo manages 146.7 FPS, which is lower than the 1080p High result by 31.7%. This indicates that Ultra settings introduce a significant CPU-side load, likely from increased draw calls and physics calculations, which the i5-12400F’s six cores struggle to feed to the RTX 5080. At 1440p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 100.2 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it bottoms out at 58.3 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p on Ultra is a 31.7% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K it is 41.8%. While the GPU is still the primary bottleneck at 4K, the CPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at Ultra presets in lower resolutions is a clear signal of its limitations in this title.

CPU Role

The i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial for a mid-range part. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,332 in single-core, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% faster) and the AMD EPYC 7773X (1.3% faster), showing that its multi-threaded capability is competitive with older high-end parts.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role becomes evident when examining the frame rate differences between presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the jump from Low (306 FPS) to Medium (272.8 FPS) is a modest 12.2% drop, but moving to High (214.7 FPS) is a 29.8% reduction, and Ultra (146.7 FPS) is a 52.1% drop from Low. This progression suggests that Ultra settings demand more per-frame CPU work—likely more complex AI, particle effects, and scene management—which the 12 threads can only partially handle. The fact that the 1080p Ultra result (146.7 FPS) is lower than the 1440p High result (146.5 FPS) is telling: the CPU is so loaded by Ultra settings that it cannot even push the GPU hard enough to match a lower preset at a higher resolution.

The CPU’s single-thread performance, reflected in its 2,332 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is adequate for this game, but its six cores are not enough to feed the RTX 5080 at Ultra settings. The data shows that the combo is CPU-limited at 1080p Ultra, where the frame rate is 146.7 FPS, because the GPU is capable of far more, as evidenced by the 306 FPS Low result. This is a case where the processor’s 65W TDP and mid-range positioning become the ceiling for maximum frame rates, not the GPU.

GPU Role

The RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2617 MHz, and it has 10,752 shading units. In synthetic tests, it achieves a Passmark G3D score of 36,565 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,637, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A580 (2.5% slower) and the Intel Arc Pro A60 (1.9% faster), which are dramatically less powerful in real-world terms, highlighting that the RTX 5080’s benchmark scores are in a different tier.

The GPU’s role in Evolve is best illustrated by the scaling from 1440p to 4K. On High settings, the frame rate drops from 146.5 FPS to 79.8 FPS, a 45.5% reduction. This is a near-linear scaling with pixel count (1440p has 3.7 million pixels, 4K has 8.3 million, a 2.25x increase), indicating that the GPU is saturated at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for any preset at any resolution in this game, so memory capacity is not a constraint. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is also ample, as the frame rate differences between presets are not caused by memory throughput issues.

At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 306 FPS, which is 128% higher than the 4K Low result of 133.6 FPS. This shows that the RTX 5080 has immense headroom at lower resolutions, and its compute capability is only fully utilized when pixel count rises. The texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s are far beyond what a 2015 title requires, so the GPU is never the bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p unless Ultra settings impose a CPU-side limit. The data confirms that the RTX 5080 is a future-proofing component for this game, offering 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra, which is the highest preset measured.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with a high-refresh monitor, the Low preset delivers 306 FPS, which is more than enough for any display, but Medium at 272.8 FPS offers a better visual experience with only a 10.9% frame rate penalty. High at 214.7 FPS is still exceptionally smooth and likely the sweet spot for 1080p, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining over 200 FPS. Ultra at 146.7 FPS is playable but represents a 31.7% drop from High, making it a poor trade for the visual gains.

At 1440p, the High preset at 146.5 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it balances visual fidelity with a frame rate that exceeds most 144Hz monitors. Medium at 182.1 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but the jump to High is only a 19.6% reduction, which is acceptable. Ultra at 100.2 FPS is still above 60 FPS but sacrifices the fluidity that the GPU can otherwise provide; the 31.6% drop from High is not justified unless maximum image quality is the priority. Low at 240.5 FPS is only for esports-style play, as the visual downgrade is severe.

For 4K, the situation is more nuanced. High at 79.8 FPS is the best balance, as it is above 60 FPS and offers good detail. Medium at 106.8 FPS is also excellent, providing a 33.8% higher frame rate than High with only a modest visual reduction. Ultra at 58.3 FPS is just below 60 FPS and may be acceptable for slower-paced play, but the 26.9% drop from High is noticeable. Low at 133.6 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rates, which 4K monitors rarely exceed 144Hz. The data suggests Medium is the optimal 4K preset, as it maintains 100+ FPS while still looking substantially better than Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In Evolve, this specific combination of the i5-12400F and RTX 5080 ranks 85th out of 1,695 tested combos, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations. This rank reflects the overall average performance across all measured settings and resolutions, and it is a strong showing for a CPU that is not a flagship part. The ranking is likely pulled down by the CPU’s limitations at 1080p Ultra, where the frame rate is lower than what a more powerful processor could achieve, but the sheer GPU power ensures that the combo remains highly competitive in most scenarios.

The rank of 85 out of 1,695 means that 1,610 other combos performed worse, which confirms the RTX 5080’s dominance. However, the data also implies that a stronger CPU paired with the same GPU would rank higher, as the 1080p Ultra results suggest a bottleneck. The i5-12400F’s 77th percentile CPU ranking and the RTX 5080’s 89th percentile GPU ranking combine to produce a top-tier result, but the gap between those percentiles highlights the imbalance. In a game like Evolve, which is not particularly CPU-intensive, this combo is a strong choice, but it leaves performance on the table at lower resolutions with high presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 306, Medium 272.8, High 214.7, and Ultra 146.7. The progression from Low to Medium is a 10.9% reduction, from Medium to High a 21.3% reduction, and from High to Ultra a 31.7% reduction, showing a compounding CPU load as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 240.5, Medium 182.1, High 146.5, and Ultra 100.2. The drop from Low to Medium is 24.3%, Medium to High is 19.6%, and High to Ultra is 31.6%. Compared to 1080p, the Medium preset at 1440p (182.1 FPS) is 33.2% lower than 1080p Medium (272.8 FPS), while the Ultra preset at 1440p (100.2 FPS) is 31.7% lower than 1080p Ultra (146.7 FPS), indicating that the GPU is taking over as the limiter.

At 3840x2160, the measured averages are: Low 133.6, Medium 106.8, High 79.8, and Ultra 58.3. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 20.1% reduction, Medium to High is 25.3%, and High to Ultra is 26.9%. The 4K Low result (133.6 FPS) is 44.5% lower than 1440p Low (240.5 FPS), while 4K Ultra (58.3 FPS) is 41.8% lower than 1440p Ultra (100.2 FPS). These figures confirm that at 4K, the RTX 5080 is fully utilized, with the CPU playing a minor role. The highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset is 306 FPS at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 58.3 FPS at 4K Ultra, providing a clear range of what this combo can deliver.