Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Evolve show a steep and consistent penalty as resolution climbs, which is typical for a game that leans heavily on GPU throughput. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers 117 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops that figure to 78 FPS, a reduction of 39 FPS, or roughly 33% fewer frames. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 45 FPS, which is a 62% drop from the 1080p result. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the render resolution is the dominant variable.

The Low preset demonstrates the most dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p, the system produces 192 FPS average, which is exceptionally high and suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. At 1440p, that number drops to 129 FPS, and at 4K it lands at 73 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 63 FPS, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs 56 FPS. This indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU begins to hit its limits as pixel count increases, though the 4K result remains playable.

Medium settings show a similar trend with slightly lower headroom. The 1080p result is 149 FPS average, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 100 FPS, with a tighter range of 85 to 115 FPS. The 4K result is 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS. The min-to-max spread narrows at higher resolutions, suggesting that frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Ultra settings present the steepest decline. At 1080p, the average is 81 FPS. At 1440p, it falls to 54 FPS. At 4K, it collapses to 31 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration in the measured data that falls below 30 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is roughly 2.6x the pixel count but only 38% of the frame rate, which points to the GPU being fully saturated. The data suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at low resolutions to the GPU at 4K, with the crossover occurring somewhere around 1440p depending on the preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 22 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process. It carries 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is listed at 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective, while the base GPU clock is 2321 MHz and the boost clock reaches 2581 MHz. The game clock sits at 2424 MHz, which is the typical sustained frequency during gaming workloads.

These specifications directly explain the measured FPS behavior. The 12 GB frame buffer is ample for Evolve at all tested resolutions, even 4K, since the game's release date of 2015-02-09 predates the high-VRAM demands of modern titles. The memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s is sufficient to feed the 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units without causing a bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, the pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s become the limiting factors, which is consistent with the observed 45 FPS at High settings.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with FP32 performance rated at 13.21 TFLOPS and FP16 at 26.43 TFLOPS via the 2:1 ratio. The 40 ray accelerators are present but irrelevant for Evolve, as the game does not utilize ray tracing. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) means the card is fully compliant with modern APIs, though Evolve's engine is older and may not exploit all features.

In the broader benchmark landscape, the RX 6700 XT posts an average benchmark score of 27425, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile with a score of 27435 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 at 27565 (-0.5% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell at 27135 (1.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 at 27839 (-1.5% delta). The RX 6700 XT sits effectively at parity with the RTX 4070 Mobile, while the RTX 3090 is only 0.5% faster on average, which is a remarkable result given the generational gap.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake family, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and it offers PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

For Evolve, a game from 2015, the CPU requirements are modest by modern standards. The 10 cores and 16 threads are far more than the game can utilize, as most titles from that era were optimized for quad-core or six-core processors. The high boost clock of 4.70 GHz is more relevant for single-threaded performance, which Evolve's engine likely depends on for game logic and physics. The single-core benchmark results confirm this strength: Cinebench R23 single-core score is 3055, and Geekbench single-core is 2058.

The multi-core performance is equally robust. Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 21645, and R20 multi-core is 9090. The PassMark multithread score is 25470, with a physics score of 1523. These numbers indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested for Evolve. The evidence is clear from the frame rate scaling: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 192 FPS, which is well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, and the frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with a score of 32233 (0.1% delta), the Intel Core i9-11900 at 32226 (0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 32354 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32121 (0.5% delta). The i5-14400F is effectively tied with these competitors, showing that it performs at the level of a high-end mobile or previous-generation desktop part.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1935th out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the 52nd percentile of all combinations, meaning it performs better than slightly more than half of all tested systems. For a mid-range desktop pairing, this is a respectable position, though not exceptional.

The ranking reflects a balance between the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's mid-range rasterization capabilities. The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck, as its 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs is much higher than the combo's overall standing. The GPU, at the 72nd percentile, is the weaker link, but it is still above average. The combination's ranking is dragged down by the fact that Evolve is not particularly demanding, so even lower-end GPUs can achieve playable frame rates, narrowing the performance gap.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 6700 XT performs at parity with the RTX 4070 Mobile and slightly better than the RTX 3090 on average. However, the combo ranking suggests that the specific pairing with the i5-14400F does not boost the system into the top tier. The 1935th rank out of 3700 indicates that there are 1765 combos that perform better in Evolve, many of which likely feature higher-end GPUs. The data suggests that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo is well above average, but at 4K it falls into the lower-middle range due to the GPU's limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average of 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in intense combat scenarios. High settings at 1080p yield 117 FPS average, which is also excellent, but Medium provides a 27% higher frame rate with a modest visual trade-off. Ultra at 1080p drops to 81 FPS, which is still playable but not worth the performance cost unless visual fidelity is the top priority.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the sweet spot, delivering 100 FPS average with a minimum of 85 FPS. High settings produce 78 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, but the 22 FPS difference between Medium and High is significant. Low at 1440p yields 129 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is substantial. Ultra at 1440p falls to 54 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay and not recommended.

At 3840x2160, the options are more constrained. Low settings produce 73 FPS average, which is playable and provides the best performance at 4K. Medium settings yield 57 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS, which is playable but may show occasional stutters. High settings drop to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may feel sluggish. Ultra at 4K is not viable at 31 FPS, and the data strongly suggests avoiding this preset.

For the best overall experience, Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p are the recommended choice, offering frame rates well above 60 FPS with a reasonable visual compromise. Players with 4K displays should use Low settings to maintain a smooth frame rate, as the 73 FPS average is the only configurable option that comfortably clears the playability threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at Medium settings delivers 149 FPS average, while 2560x1440 at Medium delivers 100 FPS. At 3840x2160, the best option is Low at 73 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1440p Medium is the recommended choice, as it exceeds 60 FPS with a minimum of 85 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The measured data shows 73 FPS at 4K Low, 57 FPS at 4K Medium, 45 FPS at 4K High, and 31 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a playable experience, Low or Medium settings are required at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900, 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800H, and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425, placing it in the 72nd percentile. It is at parity with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0% delta), 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell, and 1.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings produce 117 FPS average, while Ultra produces 81 FPS average. The difference is 36 FPS, or a 31% reduction in frame rate for the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 192 FPS, showing the CPU is capable of very high frame rates. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, frame rates drop significantly across all presets, which is the classic pattern of GPU-bound performance.