Evolve

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D presents an intriguing combination in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The benchmark data reveals a configuration capable of delivering extremely high frame rates, but the relationship between the CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to identify the optimal settings and the primary bottleneck at each configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across the three resolutions and four quality presets points to High as the optimal experience for this pairing. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 165 FPS, which is a substantial 51 FPS higher than the Ultra preset’s 114 FPS average at the same resolution. The visual fidelity difference between High and Ultra is typically less pronounced than the performance gap, making High the more efficient choice for maintaining high refresh rate gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 246 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. While the Low preset pushes this to 318 FPS, the graphical compromise is unnecessary given that the High preset already provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 290 FPS, but again, the step up to High offers a better balance of image quality and speed.

For 4K gaming (3840x2160), the High preset’s 94 FPS average is the most viable option for a fluid experience. The Ultra preset drops to just 65 FPS, which, while playable, falls below the 90+ FPS threshold that many players prefer for competitive FPS titles. The Medium preset at 4K provides 120 FPS, but the jump to High only costs 26 FPS and likely offers superior visual quality. The data strongly suggests that High is the sweet spot across all resolutions, offering the best trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate without the steep performance penalty of Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing for most of the tested scenarios. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is critical for handling the texture-heavy environments of Evolve at high resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and its 21,760 shading units provide the raw computational power needed to drive the frame rates observed in the data.

The GPU’s role becomes most apparent when examining the scaling between resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 246. Moving to 1440p drops this to 165 FPS, a 33% reduction, and then to 4K it falls to 94 FPS, another 43% reduction. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count. The RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being fully utilized as resolution increases, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, particularly on the Ultra preset where it drops to 65 FPS.

The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all tested GPUs confirms its high-end positioning. However, it is interesting to note that its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, which are laptop-class parts. This suggests that in the specific workload of Evolve, the RTX 5090 D’s raw power is not always fully leveraged, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes a more significant factor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear transition in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 246 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 318 FPS. The difference between these two presets at 1080p is only 72 FPS, indicating that even at Low settings, the CPU is beginning to limit the frame rate. The Intel Core i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, but it clearly cannot feed the RTX 5090 D fast enough at this resolution to achieve frame rates beyond 318 FPS.

When scaling to 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 165 FPS, a 33% reduction from 1080p. This is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound workload, but the Low preset only drops from 318 FPS to 271 FPS, a 15% reduction. This smaller drop for the Low preset suggests that the CPU is still a bottleneck even at 1440p when the GPU load is light. The Medium and Ultra presets show more significant drops (28% and 33% respectively), indicating that the GPU’s workload is becoming the primary constraint as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 94 FPS, which is a 43% drop from 1440p and a 62% drop from 1080p. This is a clear indication that the RTX 5090 D is now the definitive bottleneck. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to just 65 FPS, showing that Evolve 's Ultra settings are particularly demanding at this resolution. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, the GPU is the limiting component, while for 1080p and even 1440p on lower settings, the CPU’s single-thread performance is the primary constraint.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this CPU/GPU combo?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides the best balance, with an average of 165 FPS. This is significantly higher than the 94 FPS at 4K and offers a more immersive experience than 1080p without the need for extreme GPU load.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D overkill for this game?

A: At 1080p, yes. The CPU limits the frame rate to 318 FPS on Low and 246 FPS on High, meaning the GPU has significant headroom. However, at 4K, the GPU is fully utilized, with the Ultra preset only achieving 65 FPS, indicating that it is not overkill for maximum settings at high resolutions.

Q: Why is the Ultra preset so much slower than High?

A: The measured data shows a substantial performance gap. At 1440p, Ultra averages 114 FPS versus 165 FPS for High, a 31% difference. At 4K, the gap widens to 31% as well (65 FPS vs 94 FPS). This suggests that the Ultra preset uses significantly more demanding rendering techniques that heavily tax the GPU.

Q: Does this CPU bottleneck the RTX 5090 D?

A: Yes, but only at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the frame rate caps at 318 FPS, which is below the GPU’s potential. At 1440p Low, it still caps at 271 FPS, indicating a CPU limit. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 65 FPS average on Ultra.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 290 FPS, with a minimum of 246 FPS and a maximum of 333 FPS. This is a very smooth experience, though the High preset’s 246 FPS average might be preferable for better visuals with only a 44 FPS penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s synthetic benchmark average is 77,712, which is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. This indicates that while the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier card, its performance in Evolve is closely matched by these specific rivals in raw compute, though the 32 GB VRAM is a differentiating factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds a rank of 38 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top 1% of all tested configurations, which is expected given the high-end nature of both components. The rank reflects the system’s ability to deliver high frame rates, but it does not account for the inefficiency of the pairing at lower resolutions.

The CPU, with an average benchmark score of 25,292, is ranked in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, with performance deltas of 0% and -0.3% respectively. This puts the i5-13400F in a competitive position, but its performance is not exceptional enough to fully drive the RTX 5090 D at 1080p. The GPU, ranked in the 92nd percentile, is the primary driver of this combo’s high overall rank.

The rank of 38 is impressive, but it is likely held back by the CPU’s limitations in CPU-bound scenarios. If the system were paired with a more powerful CPU, the rank could potentially be higher, but the data shows that the current combo is already in the top tier of performance for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F plays a critical, yet secondary, role in this configuration. With 10 cores (6 Performance and 4 Efficient) and 16 threads, it has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache, which is crucial for gaming workloads. Its synthetic benchmarks show a single-thread score of 960 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 7,307, indicating solid single-core performance that is essential for Evolve 's game logic and physics.

The CPU’s role becomes evident when analyzing the FPS differences between presets at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 318 FPS, but the High preset only drops to 246 FPS, a 23% reduction. This smaller-than-expected drop suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor for the High preset, but it is capping the maximum frame rate. At 1440p, the Low preset still hits 271 FPS, showing that the CPU is still a bottleneck even when the GPU has more work to do.

However, at 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes. The High preset’s 94 FPS is a 43% drop from 1440p, and the Ultra preset’s 65 FPS is a 43% drop from its 1440p counterpart. These consistent drops across presets indicate that the GPU is now the sole limiting factor. The i5-13400F’s performance is sufficient to keep up with the RTX 5090 D at 4K, but it cannot provide the frames needed to saturate the GPU at lower resolutions. The CPU’s 77th percentile ranking and its close rivalry with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS suggest it is a capable mid-range processor, but it is the weaker link in this high-end pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Evolve is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 318 FPS. This is the absolute peak for this resolution, limited by the CPU.
• Medium: Average 290 FPS, with a minimum of 246 FPS and a maximum of 333 FPS. This shows a slight dip from Low but remains extremely smooth.
• High: Average 246 FPS. A 23% reduction from Low, indicating a transition toward GPU-bound performance.
• Ultra: Average 170 FPS. A significant 31% drop from High, showing the cost of the highest settings.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 271 FPS. Still CPU-limited, as the reduction from 1080p is only 15%.
• Medium: Average 210 FPS, with a minimum of 179 FPS and a maximum of 242 FPS. The scaling from 1080p is 28%, showing increasing GPU load.
• High: Average 165 FPS. A 33% drop from 1080p High, consistent with GPU-bound scaling.
• Ultra: Average 114 FPS. A 31% drop from High, mirroring the 1080p behavior.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 154 FPS. The GPU is now the bottleneck, as the drop from 1440p is 43%.
• Medium: Average 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-heavy workload.
• High: Average 94 FPS. This is the recommended preset for 4K, providing a smooth experience.
• Ultra: Average 65 FPS. The lowest measured result, showing the extreme demand of this preset at 4K.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p and 1440p Low, the CPU limits performance to a ceiling of 318 FPS and 271 FPS respectively. At 4K, the GPU’s rendering power becomes the sole determinant of frame rate, with the Ultra preset dropping to 65 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers a viable alternative at 120 FPS, but High remains the best balance of quality and speed.