Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a clear performance curve across the three tested resolutions in Evolve, with the data indicating a progressive transition from CPU-bound territory at 1080p to a GPU-limited scenario at 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 155 FPS, which drops to 120 FPS at Medium and 94 FPS at High. The scaling from Low to High at this resolution shows a 39% performance reduction, suggesting the CPU and memory subsystem are keeping pace adequately, though the GPU is beginning to feel the load as settings increase. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages shift to 104 FPS at Low, 80 FPS at Medium, and 63 FPS at High. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 33%, a substantial reduction that points to the Arc B580’s rendering throughput becoming a more significant factor, as the pixel count increases by 78% but frame rates only fall by a third. At 3840x2160, the trend accelerates: Low settings yield 59 FPS, Medium drops to 46 FPS, and High falls to 36 FPS. The 4K Low result is 43% lower than the 1440p Low figure, and the 4K High result is 43% lower than the 1440p High figure, which strongly indicates the GPU is now the primary limiting component, as the 12 GB frame buffer and 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are stressed by the quadrupled pixel workload relative to 1080p.

The data shows that the gap between Low and High settings narrows as resolution increases, which is a classic symptom of GPU saturation. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 61 FPS (155 vs. 94), while at 4K, the same comparison yields only a 23 FPS difference (59 vs. 36). This compression suggests that at higher resolutions, the Arc B580’s shading units and texture units are fully occupied, and the additional workload from higher settings has diminishing returns on frame rate. The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only rows with min and max FPS data, offering insight into frame pacing: at 1080p Medium, the range is 102 to 138 FPS (a spread of 36 FPS), at 1440p Medium it is 68 to 93 FPS (a spread of 25 FPS), and at 4K Medium it is 39 to 53 FPS (a spread of 14 FPS). The narrowing spread as resolution increases indicates that the GPU is becoming more consistently loaded, reducing the variability that comes from CPU-driven frame generation at lower resolutions. Overall, the limiting component shifts from the CPU’s single-thread performance at 1080p to the GPU’s raw fillrate and bandwidth at 4K, with the crossover point appearing between 1440p and 4K where the frame rate halving from Low to Ultra becomes more pronounced.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 94 FPS is the best balance for smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz displays, but for high-refresh monitors, the Medium preset at 120 FPS is superior, as it maintains a 27% higher average frame rate than High while still providing better visual quality than Low. The Low preset at 155 FPS is only recommended for extreme competitive play where maximum frame pacing is paramount, but it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for most users. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 63 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays, offering just above the threshold, while Medium at 80 FPS provides a comfortable margin and is the recommended preset for this resolution. The Low preset at 104 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate over detail, but the jump from Medium to Low only yields 24 FPS (30% increase) while noticeably degrading image quality. At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained: Low at 59 FPS is the only preset that consistently hits near-60 FPS, while Medium at 46 FPS is playable but with noticeable dips, and High at 36 FPS is below the smoothness threshold for most players. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it delivers only 65 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K, representing a 31% drop from High at 1080p and a 31% drop from High at 1440p.

The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot across all three resolutions when considering the min FPS data, as it is the only preset with recorded minimums that stay above 39 FPS at 4K, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are critical for avoiding stutter in a fast-paced FPS like Evolve, where frame drops can affect aiming and reaction times. The High preset lacks min FPS data, but the average scores relative to Medium indicate a 15-22% performance penalty, which likely translates to proportionally lower minimums. For users with G-Sync or FreeSync-capable displays, the Medium preset at 1440p (80 FPS average, 68 FPS min) is the best overall compromise, as it combines solid visual fidelity with a frame rate that stays above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes. At 1080p, the Medium preset is also the safest choice for ensuring no drops below 100 FPS, making it the recommended default for this combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average at 1920x1080 is 155 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The next steps down are Medium at 120 FPS, High at 94 FPS, and Ultra at 65 FPS.

*Q: Is the Arc B580 capable of 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: The data shows playable results only at Low settings, with an average of 59 FPS at 3840x2160. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High falls to 36 FPS, and Ultra is effectively unplayable at 25 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 94 FPS at 1920x1080 High to 63 FPS at 2560x1440 High, representing a 33% reduction. This is a significant loss, indicating the GPU is becoming the bottleneck at 1440p.

Q: What is the difference between the Ultra and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 44 FPS while High averages 63 FPS, meaning Ultra is 30% slower. The gap is consistent at 1080p (65 vs. 94 FPS, a 31% penalty) and at 4K (25 vs. 36 FPS, a 31% penalty).

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p with Low settings?

A: With a 155 FPS average at 1080p Low, the system is likely hitting a CPU or memory ceiling, as the Intel Core i5-14400F has a boost clock of 4.70 GHz but the GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS should theoretically handle more frames at such low settings. The lack of min FPS data prevents a definitive answer, but the scaling pattern suggests the CPU is more involved at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame pacing like at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The only min/max data available is for Medium presets. At 1080p, the range is 102-138 FPS (36 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 68-93 FPS (25 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 39-53 FPS (14 FPS spread). The tighter spread at higher resolutions indicates more consistent GPU utilization.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2787th out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 75th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU alone sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 68th percentile against all GPUs. The combination’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s relatively lower percentile, suggesting that the CPU has more headroom than the GPU in this particular game. Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-14400F scores 32279 on average, nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, a 0.2% difference). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, which is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, which is 0.5% lower. These negligible deltas indicate that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo’s ranking, as any of these processors would produce similar results.

On the GPU side, the Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is 0.2% below the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061) and 0.6% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, which is 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, which is 1% higher. These small deltas place the Arc B580 in a tight performance band, but the fact that the combo ranks 2787th out of 3700 suggests that other system components or game-specific optimizations are playing a role. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p High, the combo achieves 94 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but not exceptional for a game from 2015. The ranking implies that this combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K, as the 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS except at Low settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, based on the Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process. Its 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for game logic and physics calculations. In Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle AI for the monster and hunters. The benchmark results show that the i5-14400F scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, which places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for older games like Evolve, which often rely on one or two threads for main game logic. The PassMark single-thread score of 3701 and Geekbench single-core score of 2058 indicate strong per-core performance, which helps maintain high frame rates at 1080p where the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck.

The measured FPS data supports the CPU’s sufficiency at lower resolutions: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 155 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it hits 104 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU can drive the GPU to high frame rates when settings are low, but the 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings indicates that the GPU is starting to limit performance. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate for Evolve, as the game’s age means it was designed for far less capable processors. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-11900 and AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS, show average benchmark scores within 0.5% of the i5-14400F, confirming that this processor is not a weak link in the combo. The PassMark physics score of 1523 and integer math score of 81524 further demonstrate that the CPU can handle complex game simulations without issue. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a mainstream part, but its performance in this game is clearly not holding back the Arc B580 until resolution and settings push the GPU to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces an average of 155 FPS at Low settings, 120 FPS at Medium, 94 FPS at High, and 65 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded range of 102 to 138 FPS, with the other presets lacking min/max data. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 58% reduction in frame rate, which is substantial but expected given the visual quality increase. At 2560x1440, the averages are 104 FPS at Low, 80 FPS at Medium, 63 FPS at High, and 44 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a range of 68 to 93 FPS, indicating a 25 FPS spread. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each setting results in a 33% drop at Low (155 to 104), a 33% drop at Medium (120 to 80), a 33% drop at High (94 to 63), and a 32% drop at Ultra (65 to 44). This consistency suggests that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 59 FPS at Low, 46 FPS at Medium, 36 FPS at High, and 25 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset’s range is 39 to 53 FPS, a 14 FPS spread. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe: 43% at Low (104 to 59), 43% at Medium (80 to 46), 43% at High (63 to 36), and 43% at Ultra (44 to 25).

The data reveals a consistent pattern: every resolution increase of 1.78x in pixel count results in a roughly 33% frame rate reduction at 1440p, but a 43% reduction at 4K. This acceleration indicates that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or fillrate wall at 4K, as the 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the higher pixel workload. The 1080p to 1440p transition is smoother, suggesting that the GPU’s 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs can handle the increased load with only linear scaling. The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, with frame rates that are 31% lower than High at every resolution, indicating that the game’s Ultra settings add significant shader complexity that the Arc B580 struggles with. The Low preset at 4K (59 FPS) is the only 4K configuration that approaches playable frame rates, and even then, it is barely above the 60 FPS mark. For users targeting 1440p, the Medium preset at 80 FPS is the most balanced, while 1080p users can enjoy High at 94 FPS without sacrificing smoothness.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical factor in Evolve at higher resolutions. The FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s indicate a solid mid-range GPU, and its 68th percentile ranking against all GPUs confirms this positioning. In Evolve, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at 1440p and above, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this 2015 title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game likely uses less than 8 GB, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. Instead, the bottleneck appears to be raw compute and memory bandwidth.

The 2670 MHz boost clock is relatively high, helping to maintain performance in single-threaded rendering tasks, but the 190W TDP suggests the card is power-hungry for its performance class. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% higher average score) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% lower), which puts the Arc B580 in a performance tier where small architectural differences can have outsized impacts. In Evolve, the GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is not fully utilized, as the game predates DX12, so the card runs in a compatibility mode that may not fully leverage its capabilities. The PassMark G3D score of 15748 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 provide synthetic reference points, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU struggles at 4K, where even Low settings only manage 59 FPS. The 80 ROPs and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K workload requires more fillrate than the card can provide at higher settings. Overall, the Arc B580 is the limiting component in this combo at resolutions above 1440p, while at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are better balanced, as indicated by the 155 FPS Low setting result.