Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, presents a distinct performance profile when paired with the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The benchmark data indicates that this combination delivers a wide range of frame rates, heavily dependent on resolution and quality settings, from a highly playable 61 FPS average at 4K High to a staggering 262 FPS average at 1080p Low. The measured results show a system that is exceptionally capable at high refresh rates at lower resolutions but begins to show strain at the extreme fidelity of 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly illustrates the increasing burden on the GPU as pixel count rises. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 159 FPS at 1080p to 107 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 33%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings, the frame rate further drops to 61 FPS, representing another 43% decrease. This progressive decline highlights that at 1080p, the CPU is likely a more significant contributor, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting component.

The data for the Ultra preset reinforces this trend with even more dramatic scaling. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 110, which drops to 74 FPS at 1440p Ultra, a 33% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate plummets to 42 FPS, a 43% reduction from the 1440p result. This pattern suggests that the game’s Ultra settings introduce rendering effects that scale super-linearly with resolution, placing an immense load on the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The transition from 1080p to 4K at these high-fidelity settings is not smooth, indicating that the GPU is saturated.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, with a performance drop of roughly 33% (e.g., from 203 to 136 FPS on Medium, and from 262 to 176 FPS on Low). However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with the average frame rate dropping by 43% to 48% across the same presets (e.g., from 136 to 77 FPS on Medium, and from 176 to 100 FPS on Low). This non-linear degradation points to the 4K resolution being a significant bottleneck, likely due to the sheer number of pixels demanding fill rate and memory throughput, which the RTX 4070's 64 ROPs and 192-bit memory bus struggle to satisfy at maximum settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, serves as the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration. Its performance envelope is defined by a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, allowing it to scale its processing power to meet the demands of Evolve’s dynamic environments. The GPU’s 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units are tasked with rendering the game’s detailed character models and special effects, which is reflected in the high average frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p.

The RTX 4070’s memory subsystem, consisting of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is a crucial factor in the 4K results. The performance drop from 77 FPS at 4K Medium to 61 FPS at 4K High, and finally to 42 FPS at 4K Ultra, suggests that higher settings increase memory pressure. The data indicates that the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for Evolve at these resolutions, as there are no signs of texture thrashing or stuttering that would be typical of capacity overflow. However, the 192-bit bus width appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the demand for texture data and frame buffer access exceeds the available bandwidth, capping performance at a sub-60 FPS average.

The GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates is evident in its compute benchmarks, with a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854. These scores, combined with its 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs, place it as a high-end part. In the context of Evolve, the GPU’s raw throughput is the dominant factor at 1440p and 4K. The measured FPS deltas between settings at these resolutions are substantial, confirming that the RTX 4070’s shading, texturing, and memory bandwidth are the key determinants of performance, rather than the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target display resolution and refresh rate. For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays (144Hz or higher), the High preset is recommended, as it delivers an average of 159 FPS, which is well above the 144 FPS threshold for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides an excellent 110 FPS average, but the 49 FPS gain from dropping to High is significant and likely worth the minor visual compromise for competitive or fast-paced play.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset is the sweet spot, achieving an average of 107 FPS. This comfortably exceeds 100 FPS, ensuring a fluid and responsive experience on most 1440p monitors. The Medium preset offers a higher 136 FPS average, but the visual fidelity reduction may not be necessary given that High is already so playable. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with an average of 74 FPS, is still viable for immersive, slower-paced play, but it does not maintain the high refresh rate advantage of the High setting.

At 4K resolution, the situation is more nuanced. The Medium preset provides an average of 77 FPS, making it the only preset that achieves a consistently playable frame rate above 60 FPS. While the High preset at 61 FPS is technically playable, it hovers near the 60 FPS minimum and may experience noticeable dips in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 42 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. Therefore, the data suggests that Medium is the highest viable preset for 4K, offering a balance between visual quality and performance that keeps the average frame rate in a comfortable range for a 60Hz display.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combination's performance across common gaming resolutions and quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 demonstrates its high-refresh-rate prowess. The Low preset yields an average of 262 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 203 FPS (with a range of 173 to 234 FPS). Moving to the High preset, the average is 159 FPS, and the Ultra preset still delivers a very strong 110 FPS average. These numbers indicate that the CPU and GPU combination is never a bottleneck at this resolution, allowing for maximum frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains impressive but shows a clear downward trend. The Low preset averages 176 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 136 FPS (ranging from 116 to 157 FPS). The High preset achieves a solid 107 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 74 FPS. This shows that the GPU is still the primary driver, but the increased pixel count is beginning to limit the absolute maximum frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. The Low preset averages 100 FPS, providing a playable experience. The Medium preset averages 77 FPS (with a range of 66 to 89 FPS), which is the recommended target for 4K. The High preset averages just 61 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 42 FPS. This data clearly shows that while the RTX 4070 is capable of 4K gaming, it requires a reduction in settings to maintain smooth, consistent frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing ranks 881st out of 3700 combinations for performance in Evolve. This places it in the top 24% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a powerful configuration for this title. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU to handle the game’s engine, and the measured FPS data confirms it is a high-performing setup.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component benchmarks. The RTX 4070 holds an 81st percentile rank among all GPUs, and the i5-12600KF holds a 79th percentile rank among all CPUs. The combination of two components in the top 20-25% of their respective categories results in a system that outperforms the vast majority of tested combinations in Evolve. The 881st rank out of 3700 suggests that while there are many systems with more powerful components, this pairing is firmly in the upper echelon of gaming performance for this specific game.

The ranking also contextualizes the GPU’s performance against its nearest rivals. The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), with delta percentages of 0.1% and 0.4% higher, respectively. It is also 1.3% slower than the RTX 4080 Mobile. These close benchmark scores suggest that in a GPU-bound scenario, the RTX 4070 would perform similarly to these cards, but its unique combination of features and drivers contributes to its specific ranking in Evolve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF plays a supporting role in this configuration, ensuring that the GPU is fed with enough data to avoid becoming a bottleneck, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, provide ample processing power for game logic, physics, and draw calls. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures high single-threaded performance, which is critical for older game engines like the one powering Evolve. The benchmark data supports this, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2157.

The CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. The massive frame rates at this resolution, such as 262 FPS on Low, are only achievable if the CPU can process and submit frames quickly enough. The i5-12600KF’s high clock speeds and strong IPC architecture allow it to keep up with the RTX 4070’s output at this resolution. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering workload.

The CPU’s overall strength is evidenced by its average benchmark score of 27799 and its 79th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, have nearly identical average scores (27872 and 27896, respectively), with delta percentages of -0.3%. This indicates that the i5-12600KF is on par with these older high-end CPUs, providing sufficient performance for Evolve without being a limiting factor in the frame rates measured for this combination.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the average frame rate is 77 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. However, at 4K High, the average drops to 61 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 42 FPS. Therefore, a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K is only guaranteed with Medium settings.

Q: What is the best setting for a 1440p monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 107 FPS, which will not fully saturate a 144Hz panel. To get closer to the refresh rate limit, the Medium preset provides an average of 136 FPS, though this may not be necessary as High is already a fluid experience.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 perform relative to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37648. This is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is more involved, enabling very high frame rates like 262 FPS on Low. However, at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting component, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when increasing resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset averages 262 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 110 FPS. This represents a performance reduction of over 57% when moving to the highest quality settings, but the game remains highly playable at both ends.

Q: Does the CPU's ranking match its performance in this game?

A: The i5-12600KF has a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average score of 27799. In the context of Evolve, it performs its role effectively, enabling the GPU to reach its potential, especially at 1080p. Its performance is nearly identical to rivals like the Intel Core i9-10900K, which has a deltaPct of -0.3%.