Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 FPS, shows a dramatic scaling pattern with the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The data indicates that this pairing delivers exceptional performance at 1080p, with average frame rates exceeding 300 FPS on Low settings, but the experience becomes far more demanding as resolution increases. The benchmark results reveal a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the CPU's strong single-threaded performance—evident in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064—keeps frame rates exceptionally high. The measured FPS demonstrates that the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting factor at 4K, where even High settings only produce an average of 78 FPS, highlighting the immense graphical load of this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about system bottlenecks. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo averages 141 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, this plummets to 54 FPS—a reduction of approximately 62%. This steep decline confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4080's rendering workload increases dramatically with pixel count.

Looking at the scaling from 1440p to 4K, the pattern intensifies. At 1440p High, the system produces 137 FPS average, but at 4K High, it drops to 78 FPS—a 43% decrease. This disproportionate drop relative to the pixel increase (from 3.7 million to 8.3 million pixels) indicates that memory bandwidth and GPU compute resources become strained at 4K. The RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance are substantial, but Evolve's demanding visual effects at 4K push the card to its limits.

The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is less severe but still significant. At 1440p Low, the system averages 225 FPS, while at 1080p Low, it reaches 335 FPS—a 49% improvement. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's capabilities become more relevant. The i5-14600K's 5.30 GHz boost clock and its Passmark single-thread score of 4270 provide sufficient processing power to feed the GPU at high frame rates, though the data shows that even this strong CPU cannot fully prevent frame rate limitations at 1080p.

The 4K Medium setting shows an average of 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS, indicating playable performance but with noticeable frame time variance. In contrast, 4K Ultra drops to 54 FPS average, which is below the smooth threshold for competitive FPS play. The data strongly suggests that for 4K gaming, players should stick to High settings or below to maintain fluid gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average is 335 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. Even at Ultra settings, the system maintains a strong 141 FPS average at 1080p.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K bottlenecking the RTX 4080 in Evolve?

A: At 4K resolution, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as frame rates drop significantly regardless of CPU capability. At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064) allows for very high frame rates, but the data cannot conclusively determine if a bottleneck exists without testing other CPUs.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this setup?

A: 1080p with Medium settings provides an average of 260 FPS with a minimum of 221 FPS, offering a strong balance of visual quality and high refresh rate support. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low at 335 FPS average is the top choice.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1440p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 54, while at 1440p Ultra, it reaches 95 FPS—a 76% performance increase when dropping resolution. This indicates that 1440p is a much more viable resolution for Ultra settings.

Q: Does the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM cause any issues in Evolve?

A: The data shows no VRAM-related issues at any tested resolution or setting. The 16 GB GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: What frame rate can players expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 137 FPS at 1440p High. This provides a smooth experience suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors, though not as high as the 204 FPS average seen at 1080p High.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 plays a dominant role in Evolve's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's architecture, based on Ada Lovelace with 45,900 million transistors on a 5 nm process, delivers substantial compute capabilities. The 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are key metrics that drive the frame rates seen in the benchmark data. The card's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, while not directly utilized by this older FPS title, contribute to its overall processing power.

The memory subsystem of the RTX 4080 is particularly relevant for Evolve's resolution scaling. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for all tested settings, as indicated by the absence of VRAM-related frame drops. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz, with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, which helps maintain consistent performance across resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 54 suggests the GPU is fully utilized, with the pixel rate becoming a limiting factor.

The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz is critical for maintaining high frame rates. The measured FPS at 1440p Medium (174 average) and 1080p Medium (260 average) demonstrates how the GPU's clock speed scales with workload. The card's 9728 shading units and 304 TMUs allow for efficient texture processing, which is evident in the relatively small performance gap between Medium and High settings at each resolution. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure Evolve runs optimally, though the game's 2015 release date means it likely uses older rendering paths.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34457 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 provide context for its overall capabilities. However, the in-game data shows that Evolve's specific demands are met without issue, as the RTX 4080 maintains 99 FPS average at 4K Medium and 137 FPS at 1440p High. The card's processing power is clearly sufficient for smooth gameplay at all but the most demanding 4K Ultra settings, where the 54 FPS average indicates a significant workload that even this high-end GPU cannot fully overcome.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 222nd out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 6% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the CPU and GPU, though the percentile data shows that there is room for improvement with even more powerful components. The CPU's percentile ranking of 90 against all processors indicates that it is a high-performing chip, though not at the very top of the hierarchy.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 86 against all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU's ranking, suggesting that the RTX 4080, while powerful, has more capable alternatives above it. This is reflected in the combo's position at 222nd, which shows that while this pairing is exceptionally strong, there are 221 other combinations that perform better in this specific game. The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals provide context: the RTX 4080 is only 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER in average benchmark score, indicating that the gap between these cards is minimal.

The combo's ranking is particularly impressive given Evolve's demanding nature at high resolutions. The data shows that this system can handle 1440p Ultra at 95 FPS average and 4K High at 78 FPS, which are both playable frame rates. The ranking at 222 of 3700 puts this combination well ahead of the median system, and the performance data confirms that it is a top-tier setup for this game. The CPU's strong multi-core performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491) and the GPU's high compute capabilities work together to achieve this high ranking.

The deltaPct comparisons for the CPU show that the i5-14600K is very closely matched with its nearest rivals. It trails the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.2% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 by 0.8%, while leading the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.3% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX by 0.7%. These small margins indicate that the CPU's performance is well within the expected range for its class, and its contribution to the combo's ranking is solid.

Settings Recommendations

For 1440p and 4K gaming, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1440p High, the system achieves 137 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive for an FPS title. At 4K High, the 78 FPS average is playable, though players with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors may prefer to drop to Medium settings for the 99 FPS average and tighter frame pacing (min 84, max 114). The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 54 FPS average, is not recommended for competitive play but could be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay or screenshots.

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset provides an excellent experience with a 260 FPS average and a minimum of 221 FPS. This ensures that even in intense combat scenarios, frame rates stay well above 144 Hz, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 1080p pushes the system to 335 FPS average, which is beneficial for esports-level competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visual fidelity. The High preset at 1080p offers 204 FPS average, which is still excellent for most gaming scenarios.

The Ultra preset is best reserved for lower resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 141 FPS average, which is smooth, while at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 95 FPS average—still playable but with less headroom. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, players should use High settings at 1440p or Medium settings at 4K. These configurations provide frame rates that are high enough for smooth gameplay while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 99 FPS average, is particularly noteworthy as it offers a significant improvement over High (78 FPS) with minimal visual sacrifice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 335 FPS, Medium yields 260 FPS (minimum 221, maximum 299), High reaches 204 FPS, and Ultra achieves 141 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 58% performance drop, indicating that the GPU's workload increases substantially with each preset tier. The minimum FPS of 221 at Medium ensures consistent performance even in demanding scenes, making this a reliable configuration.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. Low settings average 225 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS (minimum 148, maximum 200), High averages 137 FPS, and Ultra drops to 95 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 33% decrease in frame rates across all settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel count. The Medium preset at 1440p offers an excellent balance, with its 148 FPS minimum ensuring smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 128 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS (minimum 84, maximum 114), High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS. The performance gap between 1440p and 4K is substantial, with a 43% reduction in frame rates across most settings. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the least recommended option. The 4K Medium setting, with its 99 FPS average, is the most compelling 4K option, providing smooth performance with reasonable visual quality.