Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a dominant 1080p experience in Evolve, with measured average frame rates ranging from 146 FPS at Ultra to 324 FPS at Low. The combo ranks 205th out of 3,700 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.5% of all systems evaluated. This pairing demonstrates that the 10-core, 16-thread CPU provides ample headroom for the RTX 5080's massive rendering throughput, though the 4K Ultra preset at 56 FPS average reveals the only scenario where this combination struggles to maintain high-refresh gameplay.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to Evolve, a configuration that proves more than sufficient for this 2015 FPS title. The CPU's base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, combined with a 20 MB shared L3 cache, delivers single-thread performance that matters for game logic and physics. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 3,055 points single-core and 21,645 points multi-core, with the single-core result being particularly relevant for Evolve's frame pacing at high FPS.

The processor's benchmark profile shows it sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,279. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233, 0.1% ahead) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226, 0.2% ahead), while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS trails by 0.2%. This clustering indicates the i5-14400F is firmly in the upper-midrange tier of desktop processors, with enough compute headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5080 in Evolve's workloads.

At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 324 FPS average, which indicates the CPU can feed frames far beyond typical 144 Hz and even 240 Hz displays. The 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures that Evolve's draw call processing and entity updates remain responsive, preventing CPU-bound stutter that could otherwise appear with lower-clocked processors. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform provide a stable foundation, though the CPU's locked multiplier means overclocking is not an option for squeezing additional performance.

The data suggests the i5-14400F is not the limiting factor in this pairing for Evolve. Moving from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K shows a predictable decline in FPS that aligns with GPU load scaling, not CPU saturation. The 83rd percentile CPU ranking and consistent performance across resolutions confirm that the processor's 10 cores handle Evolve's multithreaded rendering pipeline without creating a bottleneck, even when paired with one of the fastest consumer GPUs available.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 146 FPS average provides the most visually complete experience while still exceeding 144 Hz refresh rates. Gamers with 240 Hz monitors may prefer High settings at 211 FPS, which trades some visual fidelity for a 65 FPS improvement in average frame rate. The Medium preset at 269 FPS offers an even faster option, though the visual downgrade from High is noticeable in a game like Evolve that relies on environmental detail for monster tracking.

At 1440p, the High preset at 142 FPS average is the clear recommendation for most players, offering a balance of image quality and smoothness that matches 144 Hz displays perfectly. The Ultra preset drops to 98 FPS, which remains playable but misses the high-refresh target. For competitive play, Low settings at 233 FPS provide the fastest response, while Medium at 181 FPS serves as a middle ground for those wanting both speed and some visual polish.

The 4K landscape is more constrained. High settings at 81 FPS average are the best choice for 60 Hz displays, providing a 44% improvement over Ultra's 56 FPS. Medium at 103 FPS is viable for 100 Hz panels, though the 87 FPS minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips below that threshold. Low settings at 133 FPS offer the highest refresh potential but sacrifice nearly all of Evolve's atmospheric lighting and texture detail, which diminishes the visual experience on large displays.

The measured data indicates that Ultra presets at any resolution impose a significant performance penalty that the RTX 5080 cannot fully overcome at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 25 FPS (81 vs 56), a 31% reduction that is hard to justify given the marginal visual improvements in most scenes. At 1440p, the High-to-Ultra drop is 44 FPS (142 vs 98), and at 1080p it is 65 FPS (211 vs 146), making High the optimal preset across all resolutions for balancing quality and frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14400F bottleneck the RTX 5080 in Evolve?

A: No. The measured results show consistent FPS scaling across resolutions, from 324 FPS at 1080p Low to 81 FPS at 4K High, which indicates GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors and its 3,055 Cinebench R23 single-core score provide sufficient headroom for Evolve's engine.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: High settings at 142 FPS average is the optimal choice, matching 144 Hz displays while delivering strong visual quality. Ultra drops to 98 FPS, which sacrifices 44 FPS for marginal visual gains, while Medium at 181 FPS and Low at 233 FPS trade too much fidelity for speed.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings in Evolve?

A: Barely. The 4K Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which is playable on 60 Hz displays but lacks the smoothness of lower settings. High settings at 81 FPS provide a better experience, and Medium at 103 FPS with an 87 FPS minimum is the recommended 4K option for those wanting higher refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's 16 GB GDDR7 memory affect Evolve performance?

A: The 16 GB VRAM capacity with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that Evolve's textures and geometry load without memory pressure at any resolution. The 256-bit bus width and GDDR7 type provide ample bandwidth for the game's 2015-era assets, even at 4K Ultra where the GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 compute becomes the limiting factor.

Q: Is the i5-14400F's 10-core configuration overkill for a game from 2015?

A: Yes, but it provides future-proofing. Evolve's engine was designed for earlier multi-core processors, and the 10 cores with 16 threads at up to 4.70 GHz boost deliver far more capability than the game requires. This headroom ensures the CPU never causes frame drops, even in chaotic multiplayer scenarios with multiple monsters and environmental effects.

Q: What frame rates can be expected with V-Sync or frame caps at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, all presets exceed 144 FPS except Ultra (146 FPS), meaning players can cap at 144 FPS on High, Medium, or Low without hitting the performance ceiling. The High preset at 211 FPS and Medium at 269 FPS provide ample margin above 144 FPS, while Low at 324 FPS supports 240 Hz or even 300 Hz displays.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific configuration ranks 205th out of 3,700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 5.5% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the RTX 5080's position in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083. The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate performance include the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, 0.6% behind) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, 0.7% behind), while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads by 2.2% with a score of 57,367.

The CPU's 205th combo rank is notably higher than its standalone 83rd percentile CPU ranking, indicating that the RTX 5080 boosts the overall gaming experience more than the processor alone would suggest. In Evolve specifically, the measured FPS at 1440p High (142 FPS) and 1080p High (211 FPS) place this combo well above the median system, which would likely struggle to maintain 60 FPS at these settings given the game's age and the database's inclusion of lower-end hardware.

The rank of 205 out of 3,700 means 3,495 tested combinations perform worse than this pairing, while only 204 systems deliver higher average frame rates in Evolve. These top systems likely include faster GPUs like the RTX 5090 or AMD's flagship offerings, but the RTX 5080's 87th percentile GPU standing ensures this combo remains competitive with high-end configurations. The i5-14400F's 83rd percentile CPU ranking does not drag down the overall combo ranking, as Evolve's workloads at 1080p and 1440p are predominantly GPU-bound with this pairing.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 serves as the primary performance driver in this combo, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz, coupled with 10,752 shading units, delivers 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute that easily handles Evolve's DirectX 11 rendering workload. The 45,600 million transistors on the GB203 chip at a 5 nm process node from TSMC represent a substantial advancement over older architectures.

In Evolve's measured FPS data, the RTX 5080's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 324 FPS, demonstrating its ability to render simple scenes at extreme rates. The jump to 1080p Ultra (146 FPS) shows a 55% reduction, indicating the Ultra preset's increased shading and texture demands tax the GPU's 112 ROPs and 336 TMUs significantly. At 4K Ultra (56 FPS), the GPU approaches its limits, with pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s becoming the constraining factors.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Evolve, which was released in 2015 and does not require the latest texture streaming technologies. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that even at 4K Ultra, texture fetches and frame buffer operations proceed without memory-induced stutters. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083, confirms its position as a top-tier consumer graphics card, though the 2.2% gap to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE indicates fierce competition at this performance level.

The RTX 5080's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure that Evolve's DirectX 11 path runs efficiently, while the 3x DisplayPort 2.1b and 1x HDMI 2.1b outputs allow connection to high-refresh monitors. The GPU's 360W TDP and 750W suggested PSU indicate substantial power draw, but the measured FPS results justify this requirement for users targeting 1440p High or 4K Medium experiences.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all presets. Low settings produce 324 FPS average, providing the highest possible frame rate for competitive play. Medium settings reach 269 FPS average with a 229 FPS minimum and 310 FPS maximum, offering a 55 FPS reduction from Low while adding moderate visual improvements. High settings drop to 211 FPS average, still far exceeding 144 Hz displays, while Ultra settings settle at 146 FPS average — just above the 144 Hz threshold but with no headroom for frame drops.

The 2560x1440 resolution shows a predictable performance decline while maintaining high playability. Low settings achieve 233 FPS average, a 91 FPS reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings deliver 181 FPS average with a 153 FPS minimum and 208 FPS maximum, keeping the experience smooth on 144 Hz panels. High settings produce 142 FPS average, just short of 144 Hz but still excellent for most monitors. Ultra settings fall to 98 FPS average, representing the first preset where the combo dips below 100 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5080 faces its most demanding challenge. Low settings reach 133 FPS average, which remains playable on 120 Hz displays. Medium settings average 103 FPS with an 87 FPS minimum and 118 FPS maximum, providing a playable experience for 100 Hz monitors, though the minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips below the refresh threshold. High settings drop to 81 FPS average, suitable for 60 Hz displays with some margin. Ultra settings fall to 56 FPS average, which is borderline for 60 Hz gaming and represents the only preset where the combo fails to maintain a locked 60 FPS.

The scaling patterns reveal that the RTX 5080's performance in Evolve is heavily influenced by the Ultra preset's additional rendering features. Moving from High to Ultra produces consistent 22-31% FPS reductions across all resolutions (from 81 to 56 at 4K, 142 to 98 at 1440p, and 211 to 146 at 1080p). In contrast, the gap between Low and Medium is smaller, ranging from 18-22% (324 to 269 at 1080p, 233 to 181 at 1440p, and 133 to 103 at 4K), suggesting that Medium offers a more efficient visual upgrade path than Ultra for this title.