Evolve

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The processor carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes. The CPU's TDP is rated at 65 W, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor demonstrates a strong balance between single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The 3DMark single-thread score is 960, while the 2-thread score reaches 1880, and the 4-thread score climbs to 3459. Scaling continues with an 8-thread score of 5591 and a max-thread score of 7307, which is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 7314. This near-flat scaling from 8 threads to 16 threads suggests that the processor's hybrid core configuration delivers consistent throughput when all threads are engaged. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 21279, while single-core reaches 3004, and in Geekbench the multi-core score is 10971 with a single-core score of 2301. The PassMark multithread score is 25032, with a single-thread score of 3634.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 82, meaning it outperforms 82% of tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 25236. Among its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, which is 0.5% higher, while the Intel Core i7-13620H scores 25201, a 0.1% difference. The AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25103 (0.5% lower) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 scores 25099 (0.5% lower). This places the i5-13400F essentially at parity with its closest competitors, with all deltas within a half percent.

For a 2015 FPS title like Evolve, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is particularly relevant. The game was released in an era where most titles relied heavily on a few fast cores rather than many slower ones. The boost clock of 4.60 GHz, combined with the solid single-thread scores, indicates that this processor can handle the game's primary game-thread demands without bottlenecking the GPU. The 16 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and any modern operating system overhead, ensuring that the game's main threads are not starved for resources.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a chip designated GB206. It contains 21,900 million transistors on a die size of 181 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 121.0M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz. Memory runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective, across an 8 GB GDDR7 memory interface with a 128-bit bus width, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

The shader configuration includes 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. There are 30 ray tracing cores and 120 tensor cores. The pixel rate is measured at 119.9 GPixel/s, and the texture rate at 299.6 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 19.18 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16. The GPU's TDP is 145 W, with a suggested power supply of 300 W, and it connects via PCIe 5.0 x8. The card occupies a dual-slot width and measures 241 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. Display outputs include one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b connectors.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5060 achieves a Geekbench OpenCL score of 120785 and a Vulkan score of 116626. The PassMark G3D score is 20891, with a GPU compute score of 10899. The GPU's percentile ranking against all GPUs is 73, and its average benchmark score is 30109. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT with a score of 30097 (0.0% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 570 with 30158 (-0.2%), the NVIDIA Tesla M60 with 29969 (0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile with 29928 (0.6%). This places the RTX 5060 in a tightly contested performance band where the differences between competing products are minimal.

For Evolve, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's era, as 2015 titles rarely exceeded 4 GB even at maximum settings. The high memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled without stutter. The boost clock of 2497 MHz provides substantial compute throughput, which is reflected in the measured frame rates across various resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Evolve with this CPU-GPU combo?

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates, with Low settings reaching 202.3 FPS, Medium at 157 FPS, High at 123.8 FPS, and Ultra at 86.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, frame rates drop to 132.8 FPS on Low, 104.5 on Medium, 81.4 on High, and 54.6 on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate falls below 75.1 FPS even on Low settings.

Q: How does the i5-13400F compare to its closest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H (25201) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365). The AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25103 (0.5% lower) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 scores 25099 (0.5% lower), placing the i5-13400F in the middle of this tight cluster.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 outperform its nearest GPU rival in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 30109, which is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT at 30097 (0.0% delta). The NVIDIA Tesla M60 scores 29969 (0.5% lower) and the RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29928 (0.6% lower), while the AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 30158 (0.2% higher).

Q: What settings should be used for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 2560x1440?

A: The data indicates that at 2560x1440, Medium settings achieve an average of 104.5 FPS, High settings reach 81.4 FPS, and Low settings hit 132.8 FPS. Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS at 54.6 FPS, so High or Medium would be appropriate for maintaining a smooth experience above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's ranking in Evolve compare to all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 841 out of 1695 tested combinations in Evolve. This places it in the 50th percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly half of all tested CPU-GPU pairings perform better in this specific game, while half perform worse.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Evolve at maximum settings?

A: The measured data shows that at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 86.8 FPS, and at 2560x1440 Ultra it reaches 54.6 FPS. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the frame rate drops to 34.3 FPS. The 8 GB capacity is adequate for the game, as the bottleneck at higher resolutions appears to be raw computational throughput rather than memory capacity, given that the game released in 2015.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of which settings deliver the best experience across different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 202.3 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show, while Medium reaches 157 FPS and High hits 123.8 FPS. Even Ultra maintains 86.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For competitive play at this resolution, High settings offer a strong balance between visual quality and performance, but Ultra is also viable if maximum visual fidelity is desired.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. Ultra settings drop to 54.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stuttering. High settings deliver 81.4 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining most visual features. Medium reaches 104.5 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Low hits 132.8 FPS. For most players at 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it offers the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, all settings struggle to maintain high frame rates. Ultra averages just 34.3 FPS, High reaches 45.8 FPS, Medium hits 61.3 FPS, and Low achieves 75.1 FPS. For 4K gaming, Medium is the only preset that reliably stays above 60 FPS, while Low provides additional headroom. Players with 4K displays should accept Medium settings to maintain playability, as the jump from Medium to High costs over 15 FPS while providing diminishing visual returns on this 2015 title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 841 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places the pairing in the middle of the field, which is somewhat surprising given that both components individually sit above the 73rd percentile for GPUs and 82nd percentile for CPUs. The mid-pack ranking suggests that Evolve's performance characteristics are not heavily dependent on the latest hardware, and that older or differently balanced systems may perform comparably.

The CPU's closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D and Intel Core i7-13620H — have average scores within 0.5% of the i5-13400F. Similarly, the GPU's nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, is within 0.0% of the RTX 5060's average score. This indicates that the combo's performance in Evolve is representative of a broad range of mid-range to upper-mid-range hardware from the same era.

The ranking at 841 out of 1695 means that 854 combos perform better in this game, while 840 perform worse. This near-median placement is consistent with the idea that Evolve, being a 2015 title, does not leverage the latest architectural features heavily. The game's engine appears to be more sensitive to raw clock speeds and memory bandwidth than to the specific core counts or cache hierarchies of modern processors. The RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's textures, but the GPU's compute capabilities are not fully utilized at lower resolutions where the CPU may become the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo in Evolve span three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a complete picture of performance scaling.

1920x1080: At this resolution, the lowest measured performance is on Ultra settings with 86.8 FPS. High settings improve this to 123.8 FPS, a gain of 37 FPS. Medium reaches 157 FPS, and Low achieves the highest measured value of 202.3 FPS. The scaling from Ultra to Low represents a 133% performance increase, indicating that the game is heavily GPU-bound at these settings.

2560x1440: The performance at 1440p shows a similar pattern but with reduced headroom. Ultra settings average 54.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings reach 81.4 FPS, Medium hits 104.5 FPS, and Low delivers 132.8 FPS. The difference between Ultra and Low is 78.2 FPS, a 143% increase, showing that the GPU's compute load scales significantly with resolution.

3840x2160: At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum settings. Ultra averages 34.3 FPS, High reaches 45.8 FPS, Medium hits 61.3 FPS, and Low achieves 75.1 FPS. The gap between Ultra and Low is 40.8 FPS, a 119% increase. This resolution taxes the GPU heavily, and even Low settings do not reach the 202 FPS seen at 1080p Low.

Across all resolutions, the delta between Medium and High is consistent: at 1080p it is 33.2 FPS (157 to 123.8), at 1440p it is 23.1 FPS (104.5 to 81.4), and at 4K it is 15.5 FPS (61.3 to 45.8). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, while at 1080p the CPU's ability to feed the GPU remains adequate.