Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B570. The benchmark data shows this combination achieving playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggling to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The measured results reveal a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets, while the CPU's strong multi-core performance ensures that frame pacing remains consistent when the graphics load is lighter. This analysis will break down the specific performance characteristics, how the combo ranks among tested configurations, and what the data suggests about the underlying hardware dynamics.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. With a 125W TDP, it sits in the high-performance desktop segment, and its benchmark scores confirm its position in the top tier of CPUs. For instance, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, while its Geekbench multi-core score reaches 16673. These numbers indicate a processor with substantial headroom for gaming workloads, where single-thread performance is often critical for game logic and physics, but multi-core capabilities become relevant for background tasks and modern game engines that can leverage additional threads.

In Evolve, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, but the data still shows its influence. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 137 FPS average, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. However, when we look at the 4K Ultra preset, the average FPS drops to 22, a figure that is far below what the CPU alone could produce. This disparity points to the GPU being the limiting factor at high resolutions and settings. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache also contribute to its ability to handle the game's asset streaming and entity management, but the actual frame rate ceiling is set by the Arc B570's rendering throughput.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 90 vs all CPUs places it well above the median, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct 0.3), which are both server-class parts. This proximity suggests that the i5-14600K is not the bottleneck in this configuration; it has enough computational power to support the GPU across all tested settings. The Passmark multi-thread score of 38682 further reinforces this, showing strong parallel processing capability. Interestingly, the data shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops proportionally across all settings, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame time, which it does effectively, as evidenced by the low variance in FPS at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Evolve?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 137 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only tested configuration that exceeds the 120 FPS mark, indicating that the combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming when visual fidelity is reduced.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with Medium settings compared to 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo delivers an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average drops to 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This represents a 31 FPS average difference, or a 43.7% reduction in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K at the same preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K a significant factor in the 4K Ultra performance drop?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 indicate it has ample headroom. The 4K Ultra average of 22 FPS is likely due to the GPU's rendering limits, as the Arc B570's Passmark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is modest for 4K gaming.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra, and how does it compare to 1080p High?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 58 FPS. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average is 83 FPS. This shows a 25 FPS difference between the two presets, indicating that Ultra settings impose a significant additional load on the GPU, reducing performance by approximately 30.1% compared to High.

Q: Does the combo ever drop below 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 39, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Additionally, the Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum FPS of 60, meaning it can occasionally dip to that exact value, but it does not go below it. The High and Low presets at 1440p average 56 FPS and 92 FPS respectively, with the High preset also falling below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Evolve compare to its overall hardware percentile?

A: The combo ranks 2294 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the bottom 20% of configurations. This is significantly lower than the CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking, suggesting that Evolve is particularly demanding on this specific hardware pairing, likely due to the GPU's limitations at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570 holds a rank of 2294 out of 2872 tested combinations in Evolve. This places it in the lower 20% of all configurations, which is a surprising result given the individual component rankings. The CPU alone is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, yet their combined performance in this specific game is below average. This discrepancy suggests that Evolve's engine is not particularly well-optimized for this hardware pairing, or that the GPU's weaknesses are more pronounced in this title than in other games.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, deltaPct -0.1). These are all mid-range to upper-mid-range GPUs, and their performance in Evolve is likely similar. However, the rank of 2294 indicates that many other combinations, potentially with older or less powerful GPUs, are outperforming this setup in Evolve. This could be due to driver maturity, as the Arc B570 is based on the newer Xe2-HPG architecture, or it could be a quirk of the game's rendering pipeline that favors certain GPU architectures.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and the AMD EPYC 4345P, are not typical gaming processors, and their presence in the rankings suggests that the benchmark database includes a wide variety of configurations. The fact that this combo ranks so low despite the CPU's strength implies that the GPU is the limiting factor in Evolve. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 137 FPS, which is a high score, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 22 FPS. This wide range indicates that the combo's rank is heavily influenced by the higher resolution and settings tests, where the GPU struggles. If the benchmark only considered 1080p performance, the rank would likely be much higher, but the inclusion of 4K results drags it down.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 137 FPS on Low, 106 FPS on Medium, 83 FPS on High, and 58 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS, indicating good frame consistency. The High preset has no min/max data, but the average of 83 FPS suggests a playable experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, but still within a range that many players would find acceptable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset achieves an average of 92 FPS, which is still high, but a 45 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium at 1440p averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, showing that the combo can maintain 60 FPS at this resolution with medium settings. High at 1440p averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra averages 39 FPS, which is a significant drop and indicates a less than ideal experience for competitive play. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the average FPS decreases, and the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 52 FPS, which is borderline playable, but Medium drops to 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings at 4K average 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. These numbers indicate that the Arc B570 is not powerful enough for 4K gaming in Evolve, even at low settings. The 4K results are consistent with the GPU's 10 GB of VRAM and 380.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which may be insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects in Evolve. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch goal that requires significant compromises in visual quality.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling analysis reveals a predictable pattern of performance degradation as the pixel count increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 30-35% across all settings. For example, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 137 to 92, a 32.8% decrease. At Medium settings, it drops from 106 to 71, a 33% decrease. At High settings, the drop is from 83 to 56, a 32.5% decrease, and at Ultra, it drops from 58 to 39, a 32.8% decrease. This consistent percentage drop indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the workload scales linearly with the number of pixels.

Moving from 1440p to 4K, the performance drop becomes more severe. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 92 to 52, a 43.5% decrease. At Medium, it drops from 71 to 40, a 43.7% decrease. At High, it drops from 56 to 32, a 42.9% decrease, and at Ultra, it drops from 39 to 22, a 43.6% decrease. This larger percentage drop at 4K suggests that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or fill rate limit, as the Arc B570's 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient for the much larger frame buffer required at 4K. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s also contribute to this limitation.

The data strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller FPS difference between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU's workload would remain constant regardless of resolution. However, the significant FPS drops at higher resolutions point to the GPU's rendering capabilities being the primary constraint. The CPU's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1935) and multi-core performance (Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 13709) suggest that it can keep up with the game's logic, but the GPU cannot maintain the same frame rate as the resolution increases. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system, where the graphics card is the dominant factor in determining overall performance.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 106 FPS and a minimum of 90 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience without the significant performance hit of the High or Ultra presets. The High preset at 1080p still delivers a respectable 83 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, but the 23 FPS difference between Medium and High may not justify the visual improvement for all players. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, so it is not recommended for competitive play, but it could be used for single-player experiences where frame rate is less critical.

For 1440p gaming, the Medium preset is the clear winner, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60 FPS. This is the only preset at 1440p that consistently maintains 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 1440p offers a higher average of 92 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The High preset at 1440p averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which is not playable for most users. Therefore, for 1440p, Medium is the best option, as it provides a good visual experience while maintaining a playable frame rate.

For 4K gaming, none of the presets deliver a truly smooth experience. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is borderline playable, but it requires significant visual compromises. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and the High and Ultra presets drop to 32 FPS and 22 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for gameplay. If a player insists on 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, but it will not provide a consistent 60 FPS experience. Overall, the data recommends using Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p for the best experience, with 1080p Medium being the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary determinant of performance in Evolve, and its specifications provide context for the measured FPS results. The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective, and the base/boost clock is 2500 MHz. With 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, the GPU is designed for mid-range performance, and its Passmark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 further confirms its mid-range positioning.

In Evolve, the GPU's 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as the game's textures and assets do not exceed this capacity at these resolutions. However, at 4K, the larger frame buffer and higher resolution textures may push the VRAM usage close to its limit, potentially causing performance drops. The 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also a factor, as 4K rendering requires more data to be transferred per frame. The GPU's FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS provides enough compute power for the game's shaders and effects, but the fill rate and texture rate limits become apparent at higher resolutions.

The GPU's performance in Evolve is consistent with its benchmark scores. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 118 and DirectX 12 score of 72 indicate that the GPU handles modern APIs well, but the older CryEngine may not fully utilize its features. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A750 (avgScore 20582, deltaPct -0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avgScore 20534, deltaPct 0.1), show similar performance levels, which is reflected in the FPS data. The data clearly shows that the Arc B570 is the bottleneck in this combo, as the CPU is more than capable of handling Evolve's processing demands, but the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions and settings.