Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Evolve, though the data reveals a clear shift in performance bottlenecks as resolution and settings scale. This analysis breaks down the CPU’s role, the GPU’s influence, and how the combination ranks against other tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor built on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial, and the chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the test data does not specify which memory type was used. With a TDP of 125 W and a 10 nm process node, this is a desktop-class part designed for high sustained workloads.

The processor’s benchmark scores place it firmly in the upper mid-range tier. Its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309, and a Geekbench single-core score of 2529. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 12373. These numbers indicate that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU in Evolve, a game that is not particularly known for heavy CPU demands.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU’s role is to maintain consistent frame pacing and avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. The data suggests this is the case: at 1080p Low settings, the combination achieves 192.3 FPS, and at 1080p High, it still manages 114.1 FPS. These high frame rates indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p. The processor’s percentile vs. all CPUs is 84, meaning it outperforms 84% of tested CPUs, which is consistent with its ability to handle high-refresh-rate gaming. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has an average score of 27829 with a delta of 0%, effectively tying the 12600KF in overall CPU benchmarks. The 12600KF also sits just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-12600K (avg score 27851), showing that the unlocked “KF” variant offers nearly identical performance to its standard counterpart.

At higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes, and the workload shifts to the GPU. The fact that the processor’s max threads benchmark score is 7952, nearly identical to its 16-thread score of 7956, suggests that the chip’s performance scales well with increased thread usage, though Evolve is unlikely to stress all 16 threads. The data indicates that the CPU is a capable partner, but its impact on the measured FPS diminishes as resolution increases, which is typical for a balanced gaming system.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, with a base clock of 1830 MHz. The GPU has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is listed at 15.11 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s, while the texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a percentile vs. all GPUs of 66, meaning it ranks higher than 66% of tested graphics cards. Its PassMark G3D score is 19545, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 101030, indicating solid DirectX 12 and compute performance. The RTX 4060 is positioned close to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which has an average score of 23321 with a delta of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4060 is slightly ahead of that mobile GPU. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (avg score 23338, delta -0.7%) and the Intel Arc B580 (avg score 23021, delta 0.7%), showing a narrow competitive field in terms of raw compute.

In Evolve, the GPU’s role is critical, especially at higher settings. The measured FPS shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the RTX 4060 delivers playable frame rates across all settings, but the drop from Low to Ultra is steep. At 1080p Low, the pair hits 192.3 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it falls to 82.9 FPS. This 109.4 FPS drop illustrates the GPU’s workload increasing with graphical fidelity. The 8 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for Evolve at these settings, as the game’s 2015 release date suggests moderate VRAM requirements. However, the data shows that the GPU’s 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, where the FPS drops more precipitously.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 114.1 FPS at 1080p to 79.6 FPS at 1440p, a 30.2% decrease, and then to 47.1 FPS at 4K, a further 40.8% decrease from 1440p. This consistent decline indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, with the CPU remaining capable of keeping up.

The same pattern holds at other settings. At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 149 at 1080p to 98.8 at 1440p, then to 54.6 at 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 192.3 at 1080p to 125.9 at 1440p, and finally to 71.8 at 4K. The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 82.9 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and just 33.1 FPS at 4K. This significant falloff at Ultra settings, particularly the 4K result dropping below 35 FPS, strongly suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra in Evolve, making the experience borderline unplayable.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts entirely to the GPU at 4K. The CPU’s performance is consistent regardless of resolution, as evidenced by its strong benchmark scores, but the GPU’s rendering load increases quadratically with pixel count. The RTX 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are stretched thin. The conclusion is that this combo is best suited for 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming or 1440p at medium-to-high settings, with 4K reserved for lower settings or less demanding scenes.

FAQ

*Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p High settings for this combo in Evolve?*

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF with the RTX 4060 achieves an average of 114.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, indicating smooth gameplay for most users.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K?

A: The Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, while the Core i9-10900K scores 27829, resulting in a delta of 0%. This means they perform identically in average CPU benchmarks, despite the 12600KF having fewer cores but a newer architecture.

*Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM of the RTX 4060 sufficient for 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the combo averages only 33.1 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Even at 4K High, the frame rate is 47.1 FPS, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4060 and the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average GPU score of 23181, while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23021, giving a delta of 0.7%. This shows the RTX 4060 is slightly ahead of the Arc B580 in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra for this combo?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 192.3 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 82.9 FPS. This represents a 109.4 FPS difference, highlighting the significant performance cost of Ultra settings.

*Q: How many threads does the Core i5-12600KF have, and does it matter for Evolve?*

A: The Core i5-12600KF has 16 threads. Its max-threads benchmark score is 7952, nearly identical to its 16-thread score of 7956, indicating good scaling. However, Evolve is likely not heavily threaded, so the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (1016 in 3DMark single-thread) is more relevant.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 966 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 57th percentile of all tested configurations. This rank reflects a balanced system that is not at the top of the charts but is far from the bottom. Given that the CPU is in the 84th percentile and the GPU is in the 66th percentile, the combo’s overall rank is slightly lower than either component’s individual percentile, which suggests that the GPU is holding the system back in this specific game.

The rank of 966 out of 1695 means that roughly 57% of tested combos perform better, while 43% perform worse. This is a middling result for a modern CPU and GPU pairing. The CPU’s strong performance, as evidenced by its tie with the Core i9-10900K, indicates that the processor is not the weak link. Instead, the RTX 4060’s 66th percentile ranking, coupled with its 8 GB VRAM, likely limits the combo’s overall standing, especially at higher resolutions where the data shows significant FPS drops.

In comparison to other combos, the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals (RX 6600M, GTX 780 Ti, Arc B580) all have similar average scores, meaning that swapping the GPU for any of these would likely yield a similar rank. The CPU, however, is a high performer that could support a faster GPU without bottlenecking. The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming at high refresh rates, as evidenced by the 192.3 FPS at Low settings, but its rank suffers at 4K, where the GPU’s limitations become apparent. Overall, the 966th rank out of 1695 combos is a fair reflection of a system that excels at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.