Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the integrated Intel Arc B370 creates a specific performance profile. The measured data shows that this system is strictly limited by the GPU's integrated graphics solution. The Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads boosting up to 4.70 GHz, provides ample processing power, but the Arc B370's "System Shared" memory and 25 W TDP cap the frame rates well below what the CPU could otherwise support. The benchmark results indicate that this configuration is best suited for lower resolutions and settings, with the data clearly showing a steep performance cliff as graphical demands increase.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data makes the optimal settings path clear. For a playable experience, you must prioritize the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 80 FPS, which is the only setting at any resolution that approaches a high-refresh-rate standard. This is a 29% improvement over the next best option, the Medium preset at 62 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 62 FPS and a minimum of 53 FPS, making it the choice for a smoother visual experience if you can tolerate occasional dips.

Moving up to High or Ultra is not advisable. The data shows a dramatic performance penalty. At 1920x1080, the High preset drops to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The jump from Medium to High incurs a 21% performance loss, while the jump from High to Ultra is another 31% loss. At 2560x1440, the situation is worse; even the Low preset only manages 54 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation is binary: use Low for maximum fluidity, or Medium if you accept a lower frame rate for better visuals. The High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely, as they do not provide a stable gameplay experience at any resolution tested. The data strongly suggests that "Ultra" is a misnomer for this hardware, as it produces an unplayable 13 FPS at 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. Its performance percentile of 5 versus all GPUs places it in the lowest tier of hardware, and its benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad is nearly identical to that of legacy cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which has a deltaPct of -0.5%. This is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, a base clock of 300 MHz, and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The "System Shared" memory type means the GPU relies on the system's main RAM for both capacity and bandwidth, which is "System Dependent." This shared memory architecture is a primary reason for the performance collapse at higher settings and resolutions.

The GPU's specifications—1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs—are modest. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are theoretical limits that the shared memory bandwidth cannot sustain in practice. The data shows that the GPU's fillrate is simply overwhelmed when rendering Evolve at higher detail levels. For example, at 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to 31 on Low, but drops by 39% to 19 FPS on High and by a further 32% to 13 FPS on Ultra. This scaling indicates that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and processing power simultaneously. The Arc B370 is capable of running the game, but only in a severely constrained capacity, making it a factor that must be managed through settings, not a component that enables high-fidelity gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a consistent and predictable decline as resolution increases, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this setup. Starting from the 1920x1080 baseline, the average frame rates for all settings drop significantly at 2560x1440 and again at 3840x2160. For the Low preset, the drop from 1080p (80 FPS) to 1440p (54 FPS) is a 33% reduction, and the drop from 1440p to 4K (31 FPS) is another 43% reduction. This near-linear scaling with pixel count is a classic sign of a GPU that is maxed out.

The Medium preset follows a similar trend: 62 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (a 32% drop), and 24 FPS at 4K (a 43% drop). The High preset shows a 33% drop from 49 FPS at 1080p to 33 FPS at 1440p, and then a further 42% drop to 19 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with a 32% drop from 34 FPS at 1080p to 23 FPS at 1440p, and then a 43% drop to 13 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops (roughly 32-33% and 42-43%) across all settings is a strong indicator that the limiting component is the GPU's raw rendering throughput and memory bandwidth, not the CPU. The Core i5-14400F's performance is unaffected by resolution, so the entire performance delta is attributable to the Arc B370's workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this hardware?

A: The only resolution that provides a consistently playable frame rate is 1920x1080. At this resolution, the Low preset averages 80 FPS and the Medium preset averages 62 FPS. At 2560x1440, even the Low preset only manages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and at 3840x2160, all settings are effectively unplayable.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14400F bottleneck the Intel Arc B370?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the opposite. The CPU has a high average benchmark score of 32279 and sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, with performance deltas of 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. The CPU is far more capable than the GPU, which is in the 5th percentile. The frame rate drops are consistently tied to resolution and settings, which are GPU workloads, not CPU ones.

Q: Is the "Ultra" setting usable in Evolve?

A: No. The data shows that the Ultra preset produces an average of 34 FPS at 1920x1080, 23 FPS at 2560x1440, and 13 FPS at 3840x2160. These frame rates are far too low for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS game. The performance cost of Ultra is severe, with a 45% frame rate drop compared to the High preset at 1080p.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Medium presets?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 80 FPS, while Medium achieves 62 FPS. This is a 22% difference in average frame rate. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum FPS of 53, indicating it can dip below 60 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 54 FPS for Low versus 42 FPS for Medium, a 22% gap. At 4K, the gap is 31 FPS versus 24 FPS, a 23% difference.

Q: Does the Arc B370's shared memory affect its performance?

A: Yes. The GPU's memory is listed as "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth. This means it uses the system's main memory, and performance is heavily influenced by the system's memory configuration. This architecture is a significant factor in the large frame rate drops seen when increasing resolution, as the demand for memory bandwidth from the GPU increases substantially.

Q: Is this system capable of running Evolve at 4K?

A: Technically, it can run the game, but the performance is not acceptable for gameplay. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 31 FPS, the Medium preset averages 24 FPS, and the High preset averages 19 FPS. These frame rates are well below the minimum for a playable experience, so 4K is not a viable option for this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, and it is not the limiting factor. With 10 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, this CPU is a strong performer. Its benchmark scores confirm this: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055. In Geekbench, it scores 11268 multi-core and 2058 single-core. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 25470, and its single-thread score is 3701. These figures place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279, outperforming rivals like the Intel Core i7-12800H by 0.5%.

The CPU's role in Evolve is to handle game logic, physics, and AI, tasks which are not highly dependent on resolution. The consistent FPS scaling with resolution changes across all settings proves that the CPU is feeding the GPU enough data. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar frame rates regardless of resolution. Instead, we see a clear and consistent drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The i5-14400F's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 65 W TDP make it a highly capable processor for gaming, and the data shows it has more than enough headroom to spare. The performance of this system is entirely dictated by the Arc B370, not the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data was recorded for the Intel Core i5-14400F with the Intel Arc B370 in Evolve.

1920x1080

• Low: Average FPS is 80.
• Medium: Average FPS is 62, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72.
• High: Average FPS is 49.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 34.

2560x1440

• Low: Average FPS is 54.
• Medium: Average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48.
• High: Average FPS is 33.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 23.

3840x2160

• Low: Average FPS is 31.
• Medium: Average FPS is 24, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27.
• High: Average FPS is 19.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 13.

The data is clear: the only configurations that provide a playable experience are the Low and Medium presets at 1920x1080. The Low preset is the only one to achieve an average above 60 FPS at any resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p is borderline, with a minimum FPS of 53. All other combinations of settings and resolutions result in average frame rates below 55 FPS, which is not ideal for a competitive FPS. The performance hierarchy is strictly ordered by resolution and settings, with no anomalies, reinforcing the conclusion that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive performance ceiling for this system.