Evolve

The Core i5-12600KF paired with the RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a strong showing in Evolve, securing the 279th position out of 1695 tested combos. This places the pairing comfortably in the top 16.5% of all configurations tested, a result that reflects the balance between the CPU’s solid multi-threaded capabilities and the GPU’s high-end rasterization performance. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27827 places it at the 84th percentile against all processors, while the GPU’s average score of 42576 also lands at the 84th percentile against all GPUs. This symmetry in percentile ranking suggests neither component is dramatically outclassing the other in synthetic tests, which translates into consistent frame pacing in actual gameplay. However, the data reveals that in Evolve, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as settings increase, particularly at 4K, where frame rates drop sharply from Low to Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The 279th rank out of 1695 combos is a strong result, indicating that this system is better suited for Evolve than roughly 83.5% of all possible pairings tested. The ranking is driven by the interplay of the CPU’s single-thread and multi-thread scores, which are crucial for a game that relies on both physics simulation and AI-driven monster behavior. The i5-12600KF’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and single-core score of 3309 show a healthy balance, allowing the GPU to be fed adequately at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more prevalent. Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s average score of 27827 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27829 (0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-12600K at 27851 (-0.1% delta). This indicates that the KF variant’s lack of integrated graphics does not hamper performance in this title, as the dedicated GPU handles all rendering tasks. The combo’s overall rank is further bolstered by the GPU’s performance, which sits just 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000 in average score, evidence of the 4070 SUPER’s efficiency in this workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications directly influence Evolve’s performance scaling. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Evolve’s texture-heavy environments at 1440p and 4K. The boost clock of 2475 MHz allows the 7168 shading units to push a substantial amount of geometry and pixel data, as evidenced by the texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s. In Evolve, the data shows that the GPU’s compute power is the limiting factor at higher settings. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 49.7 FPS, which is less than half of the 110.4 FPS achieved at 4K Low. This massive drop is not due to CPU limitations, as the i5-12600KF’s single-thread score of 1016 in 3DMark single-thread is more than sufficient for a 2015-era title. Instead, the heavy reliance on shader complexity and memory bandwidth at Ultra settings saturates the GPU’s capabilities. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its raw compute ability, and while it handles 1080p Ultra with ease at 121.9 FPS, the jump to 4K exposes its memory bandwidth ceiling.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher settings, with CPU headroom becoming apparent only at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 294.2 FPS, a figure that likely approaches the CPU’s frame delivery limit given the game’s single-threaded nature. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 198.1 FPS, a 32.7% reduction, while 4K Low yields 110.4 FPS, a 62.5% reduction from 1080p Low. These drops are far more severe than what would be expected if the CPU were the bottleneck, confirming that the GPU is the primary limiter even at Low settings. The trend intensifies with higher quality presets. At High settings, the FPS drops from 180.1 at 1080p to 120.9 at 1440p (32.9% drop) and then to 68.4 at 4K (43.4% drop from 1440p). At Ultra, the drop is even steeper: 121.9 at 1080p, 83.3 at 1440p (31.7% drop), and 49.7 at 4K (40.3% drop). The consistent pattern of roughly a third loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 40% loss moving to 4K, indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is the primary constraint. The CPU’s performance, meanwhile, remains stable; its PassMark multi-thread score of 27575 suggests it could handle higher frame rates if the GPU were faster, but in Evolve, the GPU is decisively the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p Low.

FAQ

Q: Is the Core i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in Evolve?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 294.2 FPS, and the CPU’s multi-thread score of 23444 in Cinebench R23 is far above what Evolve requires. The sharp FPS drops when increasing resolution or settings are characteristic of GPU saturation, not CPU limitations.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K compared to 1440p?

A: At 4K High, the combo averages 68.4 FPS, which is a 43.4% drop from the 120.9 FPS at 1440p High. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 49.7 FPS, a 40.3% drop from the 83.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra. This suggests that 4K Ultra is not playable for smooth 60 FPS gaming, but 4K High is borderline.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: For a 1440p display, Medium settings provide a high refresh rate experience at 153.8 FPS, while High settings still offer 120.9 FPS, which is excellent for most monitors. Ultra settings at 83.3 FPS are also viable for those prioritizing visual fidelity over refresh rate.

Q: Does the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM cause any issues in Evolve?

A: No, Evolve’s textures are not demanding by modern standards. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient, as evidenced by the consistent performance scaling. The bottleneck is raw shader compute, not memory capacity.

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems tested?

A: It ranks 279th out of 1695 combos, placing it in the top 16.5%. This is a strong result, driven by the GPU’s high average score of 42576, which is only 0.2% behind the RTX A6000.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra at 1080p?

A: Yes, the drop from High to Ultra at 1080p is substantial. High averages 180.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 121.9 FPS, a 32.3% reduction. This suggests Ultra settings add significant rendering complexity that heavily taxes the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. All figures are average FPS, with no minimum or maximum frame times recorded.

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Low: 294.2 FPS. This is the highest frame rate observed, indicating a scenario where the GPU is still not fully saturated, allowing the CPU’s single-thread performance to shine.
• Medium: 226.1 FPS. A 23.1% drop from Low, showing the impact of increased shading complexity.
• High: 180.1 FPS. A further 20.4% drop from Medium, still well above any refresh rate target.
• Ultra: 121.9 FPS. This represents a 32.3% drop from High, showing the heavy cost of Ultra settings on the RTX 4070 SUPER.

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Low: 198.1 FPS. A 32.7% drop from 1080p Low, demonstrating the GPU’s pixel fill rate limits.
• Medium: 153.8 FPS. A 22.4% drop from Low, maintaining high refresh rate viability.
• High: 120.9 FPS. A 21.4% drop from Medium, still suitable for 120Hz displays.
• Ultra: 83.3 FPS. A 31.1% drop from High, dipping below the 100 FPS threshold, indicating a shift towards GPU-bound rendering.

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Low: 110.4 FPS. A 44.3% drop from 1440p Low, showing the exponential cost of 4K resolution.
• Medium: 85.3 FPS. A 22.7% drop from Low, still playable but not ideal for high refresh rates.
• High: 68.4 FPS. A 19.8% drop from Medium, approaching the 60 FPS baseline.
• Ultra: 49.7 FPS. A 27.3% drop from High, making Ultra settings at 4K unsuitable for smooth gameplay. This is the lowest score recorded, confirming the GPU is the absolute bottleneck at this configuration.