Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti presents a fascinating case study in how a balanced mid-range platform handles a 2015-era FPS title. The measured results in Evolve reveal a system that is clearly capable of high refresh rates at standard resolutions but begins to show its limitations as the pixel count climbs. This combination lands at rank 1189 out of 1695 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database, yet the data suggests that the experience is highly dependent on the user's resolution and settings choices. The performance scaling across the measured points indicates a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU's strong single-thread capabilities allow it to keep pace at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the data is how average frame rates collapse as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "Low" preset, the system delivers 162.4 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 109.3 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 63.6 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60.8% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a steep decline that points directly at the GPU as the limiting factor. The RTX 3060 Ti, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160.

The scaling pattern is even more telling when examining the "Ultra" preset. Here, the frame rate drops from 67 FPS at 1080p to 43.2 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 26.2 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is a 35.5% decrease, while the jump to 4K costs another 39.4% of the remaining performance. This nonlinear decline suggests that at Ultra settings, the combination of high-detail shaders and 4K resolution is pushing the GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute to its absolute limit. The data implies that 4K Ultra is simply not a viable configuration for this combo in Evolve.

Interestingly, the CPU appears to have little trouble feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 162.4 FPS demonstrates that the i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 16 threads, boosted to 4.90 GHz, are more than sufficient for the game's logic. The bottleneck at 1080p is almost certainly the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity, not the processor. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced pairing for 1080p gaming, where the CPU has headroom to spare and the GPU does the heavy lifting.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 162.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration in the data that exceeds the 160 FPS mark, indicating that the system is capable of very high refresh rates when visual fidelity is reduced.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 26.2 FPS on Ultra to 63.6 FPS on Low. The Medium preset yields 46.6 FPS, while High produces 37.7 FPS. None of these configurations reach the 60 FPS threshold except for Low, suggesting that 4K gaming requires significant compromises.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 109.3 FPS, while Ultra averages 43.2 FPS. This is a 153% performance advantage for Low over Ultra, highlighting the massive cost of the highest preset level on this hardware.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data points to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1920x1080, frame rates scale significantly with settings changes, from 67 FPS on Ultra to 162.4 FPS on Low. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be more consistent across different presets.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: The combo is ranked 1189 out of 1695 total combinations. This places it in the 70th percentile of performance, meaning roughly 70% of all tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this game.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The High preset drops from 94.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 60.2% reduction in average frame rate, demonstrating the heavy toll that 4K resolution takes on this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can boost up to 4.90 GHz, and the benchmark data shows strong single-thread performance, with a 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309. In Evolve, a game released in 2015, these single-thread capabilities are likely more critical than the multi-core throughput, as older titles often rely heavily on one or two threads for game logic and physics.

The multi-threaded results are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and a Passmark multithread score of 27575. This suggests the CPU has ample headroom to handle background tasks or any modern game's thread scheduling. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the frame rates vary dramatically across settings, from 67 FPS on Ultra to 162.4 FPS on Low. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller spread, as the processor would cap the maximum frame rate regardless of graphical load.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial fast memory for game data, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing. The 80 KB per-core L1 cache is also generous. With a 125 W TDP and a boost clock reaching 4.90 GHz, the i5-12600KF demonstrates that its 10 cores are more than adequate for Evolve, and the data suggests that even a less powerful CPU could achieve similar frame rates at high resolutions, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the "High" preset delivers 94.8 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive experience for a fast-paced FPS. The "Medium" preset offers 122.7 FPS, providing a significant boost for high-refresh-rate monitors. For competitive play, the "Low" preset at 162.4 FPS is the clear choice, though it sacrifices visual quality. The "Ultra" preset at 67 FPS is still playable but may feel less fluid on a 144 Hz display.

At 2560x1440, the "High" preset averages 67.6 FPS, which is right at the edge of what many consider smooth for a shooter. The "Medium" preset achieves 85.9 FPS, offering a better balance of visual fidelity and performance. The "Low" preset hits 109.3 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh 1440p monitors. The "Ultra" preset at 43.2 FPS is not recommended for competitive play, as the frame rate dips below what most players would consider acceptable.

For 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests avoiding the "Ultra" preset entirely, as the 26.2 FPS average is nearly unplayable. The "High" preset at 37.7 FPS and "Medium" at 46.6 FPS are also below the 60 FPS target. Only the "Low" preset at 63.6 FPS achieves a playable frame rate, and even then, it requires significant visual compromises. In summary, the "Medium" preset at 1080p or 1440p appears to offer the best overall experience, balancing visual quality with high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1189 out of 1695 tested combos, this i5-12600KF + RTX 3060 Ti pairing sits in the bottom 30% of all configurations tested in Evolve. This is a surprising result for hardware that is relatively modern, but it reflects the specific demands of the game and the fact that many other combos in the database likely feature higher-end GPUs. The CPU itself is well-regarded, with an 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 27827, placing it nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct 0) and the Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct -0.1).

The GPU, however, has a 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct -0.5), and AMD Radeon 890M (deltaPct -0.5). The combination's low in-game rank suggests that Evolve is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 3060 Ti's performance, while respectable, is not enough to push this combo into the upper echelons of the database. The data implies that users seeking higher rankings would need to either reduce resolution or settings significantly or pair the CPU with a more powerful GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 162.4 FPS, Medium delivers 122.7 FPS, High delivers 94.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 67 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 109.3 FPS, Medium delivers 85.9 FPS, High delivers 67.6 FPS, and Ultra delivers 43.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 63.6 FPS, Medium delivers 46.6 FPS, High delivers 37.7 FPS, and Ultra delivers 26.2 FPS.

These numbers show a consistent pattern across all resolutions: the drop from Low to Medium is significant, but the drop from Medium to High is more moderate, and the jump to Ultra is the most punishing. For example, at 1440p, the difference between Low and Medium is 23.4 FPS, between Medium and High is 18.3 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 24.4 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces particularly expensive effects, such as advanced shadows or post-processing, that disproportionately impact the RTX 3060 Ti. The 4K data reinforces this, with a mere 10 FPS difference between Low and High, indicating that resolution is the dominant factor at this level.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores. Its boost clock reaches 1665 MHz, and it can deliver 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Evolve, the measured FPS data clearly shows that this GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the number of pixels being rendered.

The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this 2015 title, even at 4K, as there is no indication of texture thrashing in the data. The core clock speed and memory bandwidth are the primary factors driving performance. The 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die allow for substantial parallel processing, which is why the card performs admirably at 1080p, reaching 162.4 FPS on Low. However, the 26.2 FPS on 4K Ultra reveals that the card's raw compute power is insufficient for the most demanding configurations. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 20349 and its 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggest it is a solid mid-range performer, but Evolve's engine appears to be heavily GPU-bound, placing the full weight of resolution and settings scaling on this component.