Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers measured frame rates in Evolve ranging from 194.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 28.6 FPS at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks 941st out of 1695 tested configurations in the game. The CPU is a 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake part with a 4.90 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is a RDNA 2.0 part with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 384.0 GB/s bandwidth.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is built on the Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. It has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The L3 cache is 20 MB shared, and the CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. It has no integrated graphics, which is expected for a KF-series part.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 23,444 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 3,309 in single-core. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1,016, while the max-thread score reaches 7,952. The Passmark multithread score is 27,575, and the single-thread score is 3,925. The average benchmark score is 27,827, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has an average score of 27,829 with a 0% delta, meaning the two are effectively tied. The i5-12600K is 0.1% behind, the Core Ultra 5 125H is 0.2% behind, and the i7-13700H is 0.4% ahead.

For Evolve, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for a 2015 FPS title. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 194.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 3,309 Cinebench R23 single-core score, helps maintain high frame rates in a game that likely relies on a few primary threads. The 20 MB L3 cache provides ample room for game data. The launch MSRP for the CPU is $264.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows show clear differences across presets. At 1080p, Low delivers 194.1 FPS, Medium 148.4, High 115.3, and Ultra 78.5. At 1440p, Low delivers 129, Medium 99.9, High 78.4, and Ultra 56.4. At 4K, Low delivers 75.1, Medium 58.2, High 47.9, and Ultra 28.6.

For the best experience, the data suggests High at 1080p is a strong choice: 115.3 FPS is smooth, and the visual upgrade from Medium is meaningful. At 1440p, High delivers 78.4 FPS, which remains fluid. At 1440p, Medium delivers 99.9 FPS, which is a strong balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 4K, only Low reaches 75.1 FPS; Medium drops to 58.2, and High falls to 47.9. Players targeting 4K should use Low to stay smooth, or accept Medium at 58.2 FPS if they prefer visual quality.

Ultra is the most demanding preset, dropping to 78.5 FPS at 1080p, 56.4 at 1440p, and 28.6 at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra is substantial: at 1080p, the drop is from 115.3 to 78.5, a significant reduction. This suggests Ultra carries a heavy rendering cost that may not be justified for the visual gain.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep across all presets. At High settings, the combo delivers 115.3 FPS at 1080p, 78.4 at 1440p, and 47.9 at 4K. At Low settings, the numbers are 194.1, 129, and 75.1 respectively. The pattern is consistent: each resolution step produces a significant drop at the same preset.

This scaling behavior indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The RX 6700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K, but the raw compute throughput — 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 — is the constraint. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant across resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p Low result of 194.1 FPS is far above the 4K Low result of 75.1 FPS; if the CPU were the bottleneck, the 4K result would be closer to the 1080p result.

At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 28.6 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. The 4K Medium result of 58.2 FPS is close to the 4K High result of 47.9, indicating diminishing returns at higher presets. The data shows that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in this game, with the GPU bearing most of the load as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: High delivers 115.3 FPS, which is smooth and visually strong. Medium reaches 148.4 FPS if higher frame rates are preferred, while Ultra drops to 78.5 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K in Evolve?

A: Only the Low preset reaches 75.1 FPS at 4K. Medium drops to 58.2, High to 47.9, and Ultra to 28.6. For 4K, Low is the only preset that remains smooth.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,827, matching the Intel Core i9-10900K at a 0% delta. The i5-12600K is 0.1% behind, and the Core Ultra 5 125H is 0.2% behind.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 33,721. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is 0.7% ahead, while the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480 are each 1% behind. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 is 1.3% ahead.

Q: What is the combo's rank in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 941st out of 1695 tested configurations, placing it in the middle of the field.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. At High settings, FPS drops from 115.3 at 1080p to 47.9 at 4K, a reduction that tracks with GPU load rather than CPU capability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU clock runs at 2,321 MHz base, 2,424 MHz game, and 2,581 MHz boost. Memory is 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 413.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 13.21 TFLOPS.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 19,786 in Passmark G3D and 9,336 in GPU compute. The Geekbench Vulkan score is 108,032, and OpenCL is 100,730. The Passmark DirectX 11 score is 173, while DirectX 12 is 77, showing the GPU's API performance profile. The average benchmark score is 33,721, placing it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, is 0.7% ahead, while the HD 7950 and RX 480 are each 1% behind. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 is 1.3% ahead.

For Evolve, the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is ample for the game's textures at all presets. The 384.0 GB/s bandwidth supports high-resolution rendering, but the compute throughput becomes the constraint at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (28.6) versus 1080p Ultra (78.5) shows a steep drop, consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The launch MSRP for the GPU is 479 USD.

The GPU's 77th percentile ranking and the 0.7% delta to the RX 6800 indicate it sits just below the upper tier of Radeon cards. In Evolve, the data shows the GPU is the component that determines frame rates at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower settings.