Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a striking performance curve in Evolve, one that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload as resolution climbs. The measured frame rates show a predictable pattern of declining performance from 1080p to 4K, but the magnitude of that decline is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 sees the average frame rate drop from 262.2 FPS to 100.6 FPS, a reduction of roughly 62%. This steep falloff indicates that at 1080p Low, the system is not fully GPU-bound; the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a rate the GPU cannot match once pixel count rises. Moving to Medium settings, the same resolution scaling shows a drop from 202.8 FPS to 75.4 FPS, a 63% decrease, suggesting a similar dynamic where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions but still has headroom at 1080p.

At High settings, the pattern continues with a decline from 157.1 FPS at 1080p to 104.4 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 59.5 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is approximately 62%, consistent with the lower presets. However, the absolute numbers reveal that the GPU is beginning to saturate even at 1440p, where the frame rate of 104.4 FPS is respectable but notably below the 157.1 FPS seen at 1080p. The Ultra preset tells a different story: performance falls from 113.1 FPS at 1080p to 76.7 FPS at 1440p, and then to 39.3 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is about 65%, and the 4K figure of 39.3 FPS is the only measured result below 60 FPS, indicating that the RX 9070 XT is being pushed to its limits with every visual feature enabled at maximum pixel density. The data strongly suggests that the limiting component at 4K Ultra is the GPU, while at 1080p Low, the CPU’s capacity to process game logic and draw calls becomes more relevant.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant force in this pairing, equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock reaches 2970 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2400 MHz, and these clocks are put to work across the measured resolutions. In Evolve, the GPU’s memory capacity is not a limiting factor; even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 39.3 FPS is constrained by compute throughput rather than VRAM allocation. The card’s raw compute capabilities, rated at 48.66 TFLOPS FP32, allow it to handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but the 4K Ultra result shows that the architecture’s limits are reached when combining high resolution with maximum settings.

The benchmark data shows that the RX 9070 XT’s performance scales predictably with settings. At 1440p, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial: 173 FPS versus 76.7 FPS, a 56% reduction. This gap widens at 4K, where Low produces 100.6 FPS and Ultra drops to 39.3 FPS, a 61% reduction. The GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates at lower settings is evident, but the Ultra preset introduces effects that significantly tax the rendering pipeline. The card’s 128 ROPs and 256 TMUs contribute to pixel and texture throughput, yet the 4K Ultra result of 39.3 FPS suggests that shader complexity is the bottleneck. In comparison to its nearest rivals in the database—such as the AMD Radeon Pro 575 which scores 39703 in average benchmark score—the RX 9070 XT’s average score of 39647 places it nearly identical, with a deltaPct of -0.1%. This parity in synthetic benchmarks, however, does not fully translate to Evolve, where the measured FPS indicates real-world performance is strong but not exceptional at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT achieves a combo rank of 486 out of 1695 tested combinations. This places it in the top 29% of all combos, a position that reflects the balanced nature of the pairing. The CPU itself holds a percentile of 88 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508, while the GPU sits at the 82nd percentile with an average score of 39647. The rank of 486 is notable because it indicates that while both components are individually strong, the combo does not reach the upper echelons of the database, likely due to the CPU’s mid-range positioning relative to top-tier processors.

The ranking suggests that in Evolve, the combination performs admirably but is not exceptional when compared to other tested pairs. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, has an average score of 32513 with a deltaPct of 0%, meaning the i5-14400F is essentially tied with that mobile chip in synthetic tests. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 575, shows a deltaPct of -0.1%, indicating near-identical average scores. These close margins in synthetic benchmarks do not necessarily translate to identical gaming performance, but they provide context for the combo’s rank. The 486th position out of 1695 suggests that many other pairings—likely those with higher-end CPUs or GPUs—achieve better results in Evolve, but this combo still offers a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and playable 4K at lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates: 262.2 FPS on Low, 202.8 FPS on Medium, 157.1 FPS on High, and 113.1 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that the CPU-GPU combination is well-suited for competitive play at 1080p, where even the most demanding preset comfortably exceeds 100 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 149.1 FPS, a 57% reduction, but the minimum result of 113.1 FPS remains smooth for most displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU’s increasing load. Low settings yield 173 FPS, Medium produces 133.7 FPS, High achieves 104.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76.7 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, ranging from 34% at Low (262.2 to 173) to 32% at Ultra (113.1 to 76.7). This suggests that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count, and the 1440p Ultra result of 76.7 FPS is still playable, though not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. Low settings produce 100.6 FPS, Medium 75.4 FPS, High 59.5 FPS, and Ultra 39.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS measurement in the entire dataset, highlighting the GPU’s limitations at maximum settings with 4K resolution. The 4K High result of 59.5 FPS is borderline, but it shows that the combo can maintain a console-like experience at 4K with adjusted settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is fully viable, delivering 113.1 FPS average, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 157.1 FPS offers a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise, making it the preferred choice for competitive play where frame rates above 144 FPS are desirable. For 2560x1440, the High preset at 104.4 FPS provides the best balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, as the Ultra preset at 76.7 FPS, while playable, may not fully utilize a 144 Hz display. The Medium preset at 133.7 FPS is also a strong option for users prioritizing frame rate over visual detail.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations shift dramatically. The Low preset at 100.6 FPS is the only setting that delivers a definitively smooth experience, but it sacrifices most visual enhancements. The Medium preset at 75.4 FPS is a reasonable compromise, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that most users would find acceptable. The High preset at 59.5 FPS is borderline, hovering near the 60 FPS threshold, and may cause noticeable stuttering on some displays. The Ultra preset at 39.3 FPS is not recommended for 4K gaming, as the frame rate falls below what is considered playable for most users. Overall, the data indicates that the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p with High settings, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or Low for acceptable performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this combo, but its specifications are critical to understanding the measured results. The CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. These clocks are moderate by modern standards, but the 10-core configuration provides ample parallel processing for Evolve’s game logic. The CPU’s L3 cache is 20 MB shared, which helps with data locality in complex scenes. In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F scores 21914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3093 in single-core, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 32508 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, which scores 32513 with a deltaPct of 0%.

In Evolve, the CPU’s contribution is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. The 1080p Low result of 262.2 FPS suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls at a very high rate, as the GPU is likely not the bottleneck at this point. The fact that frame rates drop by only 34% when moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low (262.2 to 173 FPS) indicates that the CPU can keep up with the increased pixel workload, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor. However, at 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes further, as the GPU’s rendering load dominates. The 4K Low result of 100.6 FPS is still high, showing that the CPU does not hinder performance even at the highest resolution tested. The CPU’s 65 W TDP is modest, and its 10 nm process node allows for efficient operation, but the benchmark data suggests that in Evolve, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates across most settings and resolutions. The CPU’s role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved of data, and the measured FPS indicates that this pairing achieves that goal effectively.