Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, places significant stress on both the CPU and GPU. The pairing of an Intel Core i5-13400F with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti produces a distinct performance profile across resolutions, with the data indicating a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) at various settings and resolutions provide a roadmap for optimizing the experience, revealing where this combo excels and where its older GPU architecture begins to limit the modern CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the GTX 1080 Ti becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 110 at 1920x1080 to 74 at 2560x1440, a 32.7% reduction, and then to 42 at 3840x2160, a further 43.2% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: as the pixel count increases, the load on the graphics card grows exponentially, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

The Low preset shows even more drastic scaling, with average FPS at 181 at 1080p dropping to 121 at 1440p (a 33.1% decrease) and then to 69 at 4K (a 43.0% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the Low preset at 1080p reaches 181 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates, but the GTX 1080 Ti's limits are exposed as resolution climbs. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 105 FPS (181 vs 76), but at 4K, this gap narrows to 40 FPS (69 vs 29). This narrowing gap indicates that at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput is the dominant constraint, and even dropping settings to Low cannot fully compensate for the sheer pixel workload.

The Medium preset provides the only data points with minimum and maximum FPS values, offering insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 140 FPS with a min of 119 and max of 161, showing a relatively tight range that indicates stable performance. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 94 FPS with a min of 80 and max of 108, maintaining a similar frame time consistency. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 54 FPS with a min of 45 and max of 62, suggesting that while the average is playable, the frame rate can dip into the low 40s during intense scenes. The data overall shows that the transition from 1440p to 4K is the breaking point for this combo, where maintaining a high refresh rate experience becomes impossible, and the user must accept console-level frame rates or reduce settings significantly.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 2088 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places the pairing in the 56th percentile of all possible system configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 56% of tested combos but is behind a substantial portion of more modern or higher-tier hardware. The rank suggests that this is a mid-to-upper-midrange pairing, capable of solid performance but not a top-tier contender for this specific title.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-13400F is a modern 10-core processor that ranks in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, making it a strong performer in synthetic benchmarks. However, the GTX 1080 Ti, while still a capable card, ranks only in the 58th percentile against all GPUs, representing older technology. For a predominantly GPU-bound game like Evolve, the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's age. The data implies that if the same CPU were paired with a more modern graphics card, the combo's rank would likely be significantly higher, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a more powerful GPU.

The nearest rival CPUs to the i5-13400F in the database are the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (average score 25284, deltaPct 0), the Intel Core 5 120 (average score 25362, deltaPct -0.3), the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (average score 25365, deltaPct -0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (average score 25201, deltaPct 0.4). These scores indicate that the i5-13400F's raw processing power is essentially on par with these rivals, with a negligible performance difference of less than half a percent. This reinforces the notion that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo's rank; rather, the GPU's position relative to its rivals (with the GTX 1080 Ti being 1.7% ahead of the RTX 2060 and GTX 580, but 0.8% behind the Radeon Pro W5500) is what anchors the overall system performance in Evolve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This architecture, based on Intel's Raptor Lake design, provides substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191. For a game like Evolve, which is a last-generation title, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame rate by handling game logic, physics, and AI, while the GPU renders the image. The data shows that at 1080p with the Low preset, the combo achieves 181 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game engine.

The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly important for games that rely on a primary simulation thread. The Geekbench single-core score of 1996 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 960 indicate strong single-threaded capability, which is sufficient to prevent the CPU from bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are not fully utilized by Evolve, which was designed for the 4-core/8-thread era. The benchmark results show that the i5-13400F's 3DMark 8-thread score (5591) is much higher than its 2-thread score (1880), but a game like Evolve may not scale beyond a few threads.

The CPU's L3 cache of 20 MB shared and L2 cache of 1.25 MB per core are generous for the era, helping to reduce memory latency. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the measured performance likely reflects a system with adequate memory bandwidth. In this combo, the CPU's role is to provide a high enough frame rate ceiling that the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The data confirms this: at 1080p, the frame rate varies wildly between presets (76 to 181 FPS), indicating the GPU is the primary limiter. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates across presets would converge to a similar value.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 2560x1440 with the High preset, the average FPS is 74, which is above 60. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 94 FPS, providing even more headroom. At 3840x2160, the High preset only averages 42 FPS, so 1440p is the highest resolution where a consistent 60 FPS can be maintained with High settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti's performance compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 15548, placing it 1.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (score 15290) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (score 15283), but 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (score 15679). It is also 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M380 (score 15521).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a significant contributor to the system's performance in Evolve?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 25292, which is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H). Given this parity and the fact that frame rates drop significantly with resolution, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game; the GPU is.

Q: Can this combo handle the Ultra preset in Evolve?

A: The Ultra preset yields an average of 76 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. At 1080p it is playable, but at higher resolutions, the frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less desirable for competitive play.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for the Medium preset: 119 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. These show that frame dips are more pronounced at higher resolutions, but the Medium preset maintains a playable minimum even at 4K.

Q: How does the combo's overall rank in Evolve reflect its capabilities?

A: The combo ranks 2088 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the 56th percentile. This indicates it is a solid mid-range performer, capable of handling the game well at 1080p and 1440p, but not a top-tier system for 4K gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture with a 16 nm process from TSMC. It features 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s. The GPU has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 render output units, with a base clock of 1481 MHz and a boost clock of 1582 MHz. These specifications, while impressive for its 2017 release, are now dated compared to modern graphics cards.

The GPU's role in Evolve is the primary determinant of frame rate at resolutions above 1080p. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is capable of producing 181 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 76 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 69 FPS, highlighting the GPU's limitations with high pixel counts. The GPU's 11 GB of VRAM is not a constraint in Evolve, as the game's textures are not demanding by modern standards, but the raw compute power of the Pascal architecture is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

The GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score is 15548, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 2060, which it outperforms by 1.7%, and the Radeon Pro W5500, which outperforms it by 0.8%. This indicates that the GTX 1080 Ti sits in a performance tier equivalent to entry-level modern GPUs, but its lack of modern features like hardware ray tracing and DLSS does not affect Evolve, which uses traditional rasterization. The GPU's FP32 performance of 11.34 TFLOPS and texture rate of 354.4 GTexel/s are the metrics that directly impact Evolve's performance, and they are simply not enough to drive a 4K display at high settings.

The GPU's memory clock runs at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective), and its bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s helps with high-resolution textures, but the core clock speed is the limiting factor. The data confirms that the GTX 1080 Ti is the bottleneck in this combo at 1440p and 4K, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, independent of the CPU's capability.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p display, the High preset offers the best balance, delivering 110 FPS average. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 76 FPS is also viable, but the 30% performance drop from High may not be worth the minor visual gains in a fast-paced FPS. For competitive play, the Low preset at 181 FPS offers the highest frame rate, which could reduce input latency, but the visual quality suffers significantly. The Medium preset at 140 FPS is a strong middle ground, with a minimum of 119 FPS ensuring no noticeable stutter.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 74 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a near-60 FPS experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 94 FPS is preferable for those with high refresh rate monitors, as it provides a smoother experience while still looking acceptable. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for serious play. The Low preset at 121 FPS is an option for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over graphics.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that this combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset at 69 FPS is the only setting that achieves playable performance above 60 FPS, but the visual quality is heavily reduced. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is borderline playable, with a minimum of 45 FPS indicating potential dips during action scenes. The High preset at 42 FPS and Ultra at 29 FPS are not recommended for a playable experience. For 4K, the best approach is to use the Low or Medium preset and accept lower visual fidelity, or to reduce the resolution to 1440p for a better balance. The Medium preset at 4K provides the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate stability, given its recorded minimum of 45 FPS.