Evolve

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a compelling study in bottleneck dynamics for the 2015 title Evolve. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the GPU’s age is the primary constraint, though the CPU’s modern architecture ensures the ceiling is never artificially lowered. This analysis examines the data to understand where the limits lie and what the experience implies for each configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly exposes the GTX 1070 as the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 80.2 at 1080p to 53.0 at 1440p, a reduction of 27.2 FPS. Moving to 4K, the average falls further to 31.1 FPS, which represents a 61% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep, consistent decline is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario; the i5-13400F is not the constraining factor here, as the workload scales almost entirely with pixel count.

The scaling pattern holds across other presets. With Medium settings, the average at 1080p is 103.4 FPS, dropping to 65.8 at 1440p and 36.5 at 4K. The Low preset shows the most dramatic absolute drop from 134.1 FPS at 1080p to 49.4 at 4K. Notably, the gap between 1440p and 4K is proportionally larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, which suggests that the GTX 1070’s memory bandwidth and shading resources are being overwhelmed at the higher resolution. The data indicates that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1440p is the realistic ceiling for this combo, with 4K requiring significant compromises to the visual preset.

GPU Role

The GTX 1070’s specifications directly explain its performance profile. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz are the drivers behind its 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Evolve, these numbers translate to playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggle at 4K. The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 51 (vs. all GPUs) places it in the middle of the pack, which aligns with the measured results. Its nearest rivals include the GTX 1650 SUPER (with a deltaPct of -1.4) and the Quadro K4200 (deltaPct of 0.7), indicating that the GTX 1070 sits in a competitive but aging segment.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Evolve at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the high average FPS at those resolutions. However, the 4K Ultra result of 18.9 FPS suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are being taxed heavily. The GTX 1070’s end-of-life production status is reflected in these numbers; it is a card that can handle esports or older titles at high frame rates, but Evolve’s 4K Ultra preset demands more than the Pascal architecture can deliver. The data shows a GPU that is consistently the bottleneck, especially as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For a 60 FPS target, the data shows that 1080p High (80.2 FPS) or 1440p Medium (65.8 FPS) are the sweet spots. At 1080p, even Ultra (57.2 FPS) is playable, though it dips below the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p, High settings (53.0 FPS) are close but not quite there, so Medium is the recommended preset for a consistent frame rate. At 4K, the situation is more challenging; only Low settings (49.4 FPS) approach playability, while Medium (36.5 FPS) and High (31.1 FPS) are too slow for competitive play.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p High, which offers a high average FPS without the visual degradation of Low settings. For users with a 1440p monitor, Medium is the recommended choice, as it provides a 65.8 FPS average that is smooth and responsive. Pushing to Ultra at any resolution is not advisable based on the data, as the performance cost is steep. The 4K Low preset is the only viable option for 4K display owners, but the 49.4 FPS average is a compromise that users must accept.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset reveals the performance envelope of this combo. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 134.1 FPS, Medium 103.4 FPS, High 80.2 FPS, and Ultra 57.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 76.9 FPS, showing a significant impact from settings. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 88.2 FPS, Medium 65.8 FPS, High 53.0 FPS, and Ultra 37.1 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, with the Ultra preset falling by 20.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 49.4 FPS, Medium 36.5 FPS, High 31.1 FPS, and Ultra 18.9 FPS. This resolution is clearly the limit, with even Low settings failing to hit 50 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution reduces the average FPS by a similar percentage across all settings. For example, moving from Medium 1080p (103.4 FPS) to Medium 1440p (65.8 FPS) is a 36% reduction, while Medium 1440p to Medium 4K (36.5 FPS) is a 45% reduction. This non-linear scaling confirms that the GPU is struggling with the pixel fill rate at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 18.9 FPS is the lowest measured, indicating that this configuration is not viable for that preset.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 4K smoothly?*

A: No. The data shows that at 3840x2160, even the High preset only achieves 31.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 18.9 FPS. Only Low settings (49.4 FPS) approach playability, but that is still below the 60 FPS ideal.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: The measured results show that 1920x1080 with High settings (80.2 FPS) or 2560x1440 with Medium settings (65.8 FPS) are the best options. At 1440p, High settings (53.0 FPS) fall short of 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 12331, with the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER scoring -1.4% lower and the Quadro K4200 scoring 0.7% higher. This places the GTX 1070 in a tight cluster of mid-range cards.

Q: Is the i5-13400F a bottleneck for the GTX 1070 in this game?

A: The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU has a high score in 3dmark_16_threads (7314) and a single-thread score of 960, indicating it has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What settings should I use for a 1440p monitor?

A: The data recommends Medium settings, which deliver 65.8 FPS. High settings (53.0 FPS) are playable but not ideal, and Ultra (37.1 FPS) is too slow for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the lowest measured FPS in the dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 18.9, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding configuration tested and is not suitable for play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279 and a Geekbench multicore score of 10971. The single-thread score of 3004 in Cinebench R23 and 960 in 3dmark_single_thread indicate solid per-core performance. In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that the i5-13400F is not the limiting factor, as the FPS drops are directly correlated with resolution increases, which stress the GPU.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 82 (vs. all CPUs) places it well above average, and its nearest rivals include the Core i7-13620H (deltaPct 0.1) and the Ryzen 5 5600X3D (deltaPct -0.5). This means the i5-13400F is competitive with other strong processors, and it is unlikely to hold back the GTX 1070 in this game. The high L3 cache of 20 MB (shared) and the Raptor Lake architecture contribute to its efficiency. In Evolve, the CPU’s 16 threads are more than sufficient, as the game’s engine likely uses fewer than 8 threads for simulation tasks. The data confirms that the CPU is a capable partner for this GPU, ensuring that the GPU’s limits are the only obstacle to higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos, this pairing of the i5-13400F and GTX 1070 ranks 1444 out of 1695 combinations. This places it in the bottom 15% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the GPU’s age and its position in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. The CPU’s high percentile (82) does not boost the combo’s ranking significantly, because the GPU is the performance limiter. The combo’s rank of 1444 indicates that most other tested systems feature more powerful graphics cards, even if their CPUs are slower.

The rank is a holistic measure of gaming performance, and it shows that this combo is better suited for 1080p gaming than for high-resolution or high-refresh-rate play. The measured FPS at 1080p High (80.2) is respectable, but the 4K results drag down the overall standing. Compared to other combos, this one is firmly in the lower tier, which is expected for a GTX 1070 system. The data suggests that users with this combo should target 1080p or 1440p with Medium-to-High settings to get the best experience, as pushing to 4K will result in a poor experience that is reflected in the combo’s low rank.