Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a performance profile in Evolve that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphical preset. The measured frame rates reveal a component pairing that scales predictably, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures high frame rates at lower settings. This analysis examines the resolution scaling, settings recommendations, and the overall ranking of this combination against other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and follows a clear pattern, indicating a shift in the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 303.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 204.7 FPS, a 32.6% decrease. At 4K Low, the average drops further to 114.3 FPS, which is 62.4% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline at lower presets suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the GPU’s workload becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

For high settings, the scaling is more moderate but still pronounced. The system averages 182.8 FPS at 1080p, 126.3 FPS at 1440p, and 68.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 62.6%, which is nearly identical to the Low preset’s scaling. This consistency indicates that the relative performance hit from resolution scaling is largely independent of the preset, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with 126.3 FPS at 1080p dropping to 84.4 FPS at 1440p and finally to 47.2 FPS at 4K.

The data shows that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing than the move to 4K. For example, on High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30.9%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 45.9%. This implies that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are sufficient for 1440p, but the 4K resolution pushes the GPU to its limits. The 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are not the limiting factors; rather, it is the raw shader throughput that struggles with the higher pixel workload.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at 1080p. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. The 303.6 FPS at 1080p Low is indicative of a system that is not CPU-limited, as the frame rate is high enough to suggest the GPU is still the primary driver. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (98.9 FPS difference) versus the gap at Ultra settings (41.9 FPS difference) suggests that the CPU’s performance is more relevant when the GPU is less stressed. Benchmark results indicate the CPU’s passmark single-thread score is 3723, which is close to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 with a deltaPct of 0.2, indicating similar single-thread capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 126.3 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a fast-paced FPS title, falling between the 84.4 FPS at Ultra and the 158.2 FPS at Medium.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 47.2. This is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider ideal for smooth gameplay, suggesting that Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended for this title.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 303.6. The high frame rate indicates the GPU is still the limiting factor, as the CPU’s performance is sufficient to feed the graphics card. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 supports its capability in this scenario.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Medium preset averages 91.4 FPS, while High averages 68.3 FPS. This represents a 23.1 FPS drop, or a 25.3% performance penalty for the higher preset.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: The combo rank is 264 out of 1695 tested combos. This places it in the top 15.6% of all configurations, indicating a strong performance level.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded for this pairing?

A: The highest average FPS in the measured data is 303.6, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded, only averages.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. For players targeting the highest refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 303.6 FPS, which is well beyond the capabilities of most high-refresh monitors. At 1440p, the Low preset still provides 204.7 FPS, making it an excellent choice for competitive play. However, the visual quality of the Low preset may not be acceptable for all users.

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset is the strongest recommendation. At 1080p, it delivers 234.9 FPS, which is only 22.6% lower than Low but offers significantly better visuals. At 1440p, Medium produces 158.2 FPS, which remains highly playable. The step up from Medium to High at 1440p costs 31.9 FPS (from 158.2 to 126.3), a 20.2% penalty that may be noticeable on a 144Hz display.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, averaging 91.4 FPS. The High preset drops to 68.3 FPS, which is still playable but less consistent, while Ultra falls to 47.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for a fluid experience. The data suggests that Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as the performance penalty from High to Ultra at 4K is 21.1 FPS (from 68.3 to 47.2), a 30.9% reduction for what is often a marginal visual improvement.

The i5-14400F’s power efficiency, with a 65 W TDP, means there is no thermal throttling concern that might affect performance consistency across these settings. The GPU’s 355 W TDP is the dominant power draw, but the data shows no signs of sustained performance degradation. The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset, as it provides the highest frame rate that still maintains a reasonable level of graphical detail across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 264 out of 1695 places this system in the 84.4th percentile of all tested configurations in Evolve. This is a strong result, but it is not at the very top of the leaderboard. The ranking suggests that while the RX 7900 XTX is a high-end GPU, the i5-14400F, despite being a capable CPU, does not push the combo into the top tier for this specific game. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 85, which is slightly higher than the combo’s overall rank, indicating that the CPU may be slightly limiting the system’s potential in this title.

Compared to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 44019, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile. In Evolve, this level of performance translates to the measured frame rates. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, has a nearly identical average score of 32513 versus the i5-14400F’s 32508, with a deltaPct of 0. This indicates that the CPU is on par with its immediate competition, and the combo’s rank is more dependent on the GPU’s performance.

The rank of 264 out of 1695 means that there are 263 combinations that perform better in this game. These likely include pairings with faster CPUs, such as the Intel Core i7-13705H, which has a deltaPct of -0.2 against the i5-14400F, indicating a slightly higher average score. While the difference is small, in a game like Evolve that can be CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions, this could account for a few extra FPS at 1080p. The data shows that the combo is well above average, but for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates, a more powerful CPU might yield a higher rank.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX plays a dominant role in determining the frame rates at higher resolutions. With 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, the GPU offers a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This is more than sufficient for Evolve’s textures and geometry at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drop from High to Ultra at 4K (68.3 to 47.2 FPS) is more likely due to increased shader complexity than memory exhaustion. The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1929 MHz and a boost of 2498 MHz, are high for a RDNA 3.0 part, providing the compute throughput needed for the game’s rendering.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, rated at 61.39 TFLOPS FP32, are the primary driver of performance at 4K. The measured results show that the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the preset’s visual complexity. The transition from Low to Medium at 4K increases the average FPS from 114.3 to 91.4, a 20.0% decrease, while moving from High to Ultra results in a 30.9% decrease from 68.3 to 47.2. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shading units and ray accelerators.

The GPU’s 96 ray accelerators and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are used by Evolve’s advanced lighting effects, which are likely the cause of the significant performance hit at Ultra. The GPU’s passmark G3D score of 31238 places it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its high-end status. However, the data shows that even this powerful GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, highlighting the demanding nature of the game’s highest preset. The 2x 8-pin power connectors and 750 W suggested PSU indicate the power requirements, but the measured FPS data is the definitive indicator of its in-game performance.