Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Evolve. This combination ranks in the lower tier of tested configurations, placing 1505th out of 1695 combos. The data indicates a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution climbs from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 77.3 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at High drops the average to 52 FPS, a reduction of roughly 33%. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 30.4 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus width struggle to feed the increasing pixel count.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, Low yields 123.4 FPS while Ultra drops to 50.2 FPS — a 73 FPS swing. At 1440p, Low produces 82.8 FPS versus 32.7 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the spread narrows to 49.7 FPS on Low versus 19.1 FPS on Ultra. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that even Low settings at 4K cannot overcome the raw pixel throughput limitations of the GPU. The i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here; its single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1016) is more than sufficient for a 2015 title like Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 1505 out of 1695 tested configurations, this system sits in the bottom 11% of all pairings. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU, which itself holds a percentileVsAllGpus score of 55, meaning it outperforms only about half of all GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer with a percentileVsAllCpus score of 84. This creates a significant imbalance: the i5-12600KF is capable of far more work than the GTX 1660 SUPER can feed it in gaming workloads.

The GPU’s nearest rivals highlight its mid-range standing. The GTX 1660 SUPER posts an average benchmark score of 14286, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, deltaPct -0.2) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, deltaPct -0.2). It is also close to the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352, deltaPct -0.5) and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, deltaPct -0.7). These rivals are all within 0.7% of the GTX 1660 SUPER’s average score, indicating that this GPU is at parity with a cluster of other entry-level to mid-range options. The CPU’s nearest rivals, meanwhile, are all high-end parts: the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829, deltaPct 0), i5-12600K (27851, deltaPct -0.1), Core Ultra 5 125H (27872, deltaPct -0.2), and i7-13700H (27716, deltaPct 0.4). The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27827 is effectively identical to these parts, confirming that the processor is not the performance limiter in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows suggest that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 95.2 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over High’s 77.3 FPS and still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, Medium yields 64 FPS, which is playable while maintaining higher visual fidelity than Low’s 82.8 FPS. At 4K, Medium drops to 35 FPS, which is borderline but still better than High’s 30.4 FPS.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low settings are the clear choice. At 1080p, Low achieves 123.4 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play. At 1440p, Low produces 82.8 FPS, and even at 4K it manages 49.7 FPS. Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p, where the average of 50.2 FPS is playable but not ideal; at 1440p Ultra drops to 32.7 FPS and at 4K it falls to 19.1 FPS, which is not a smooth experience. The data indicates that High settings are a reasonable middle ground at 1080p (77.3 FPS) and 1440p (52 FPS), but they become too demanding at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Evolve at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings the combo averages 123.4 FPS, and with Medium settings it reaches 95.2 FPS. Even High settings at 77.3 FPS exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra at 50.2 FPS falls short.

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a smooth experience?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (82.8 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) achieve this threshold.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14286 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, deltaPct -0.7) and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352, deltaPct -0.5), indicating near-identical performance.

Q: Will the i5-12600KF bottleneck the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27827 is virtually identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829, deltaPct 0). Given this parity with much higher-end CPUs, the processor is not the limiting factor; the GPU is.

Q: What is the lowest playable setting at 4K?

A: Low settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 49.7 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that approaches smooth gameplay. Medium drops to 35 FPS, and High falls to 30.4 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards but adequate for a game released in 2015. The GPU’s boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz are typical for the Turing architecture, and its FP32 throughput of 5.027 TFLOPS shows its mid-range positioning. The 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs are the hardware that must handle Evolve’s rendering, and the data shows they struggle at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus score of 55 places it just above the median, reinforcing its status as an entry-level to mid-range part. Its nearest rivals — the RX Vega 11 and Iris Xe MAX — are all integrated or low-end discrete solutions, which explains why the GTX 1660 SUPER only outperforms half of all GPUs. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 19.1 FPS, a clear sign that the GPU lacks the raw compute power for high-resolution gaming. The GPU’s end-of-life production status also suggests that users should not expect future driver optimizations to improve performance significantly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a high-performance processor that far outstrips the GPU’s capabilities in this context. With 10 cores and 16 threads running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, it offers substantial multi-threaded headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and single-core score of 3309 put it in the upper echelon of desktop CPUs, and its percentileVsAllCpus score of 84 confirms this. The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a flexible, future-proof part, though this flexibility is irrelevant for a 2015 title like Evolve.

The CPU’s nearest rivals are all high-end parts: the i9-10900K, i5-12600K, Core Ultra 5 125H, and i7-13700H are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score of 27827. This indicates that the i5-12600KF is not holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER in any meaningful way. The CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 1016 and Passmark single-thread score of 3925 show strong per-core performance, which is what matters for most game engines. The data suggests that even a much weaker CPU would not improve or worsen the frame rates in Evolve; the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The CPU’s launch MSRP of $264 reflects its positioning as a mainstream part, but its performance places it alongside much more expensive processors.