Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Evolve, but the data shows a clear ceiling at 4K. The measured frame rates across the four settings tiers reveal a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and pixel counts, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance ensures that lower-resolution workloads are not artificially capped. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the underlying component characteristics, and how this specific combination ranks against the broader test pool.

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

The scaling pattern from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is textbook GPU limitation. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 117 FPS at 1080p to 75.3 FPS at 1440p, then drops to 42.5 FPS at 4K. That represents a 63.7% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep curve consistent with a graphics card struggling to fill pixels at higher resolutions. The RX 6700 XT’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K High result of 42.5 FPS suggests the GPU’s 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the primary constraint.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread from Low (193.3 FPS) to Ultra (80.4 FPS) is 112.9 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 72 FPS (127.6 FPS Low vs 55.6 FPS Ultra). At 4K, the spread is just 42.4 FPS (72.7 FPS Low vs 30.3 FPS Ultra). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a classic sign that the GPU is saturated; even dropping to Low settings cannot overcome the raw pixel throughput demands of 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 30.3 FPS is barely playable, while 4K Low at 72.7 FPS shows that turning down settings can recover playability, but the GPU remains the bottleneck.

The intermediate step from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. At Medium settings, the drop is from 99.2 FPS at 1440p to 58.4 FPS at 4K, a 41.1% reduction. This indicates that the RX 6700 XT’s memory bus width of 192 bit and its 64 ROPs are not sufficient to maintain high fill rates at 4K. The data clearly shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a compromise even at Low settings.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This processor’s architecture is Raptor Lake-R, built on a 10 nm process, and its benchmark results indicate strong single-threaded capability. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643 and Geekbench single-core score of 2778 suggest that the CPU can handle the per-thread demands of a 2015-era FPS like Evolve, which was released on 2015-02-09.

The 1080p Low result of 193.3 FPS is telling. This frame rate is high enough that even a mid-range CPU would not be the limiting factor. However, the fact that the 1080p Ultra result (80.4 FPS) is more than double the 4K Ultra result (30.3 FPS) confirms that the GPU is the dominant constraint throughout. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample low-latency memory access for game logic and physics, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame times in a co-op FPS with dynamic monster AI.

The CPU’s PassMark multi-threaded score of 38697 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 indicate that even if Evolve were to spawn many AI-controlled monsters, the processor would have headroom. However, the benchmark data shows no evidence of CPU limitation; the FPS scaling across resolutions is uniformly dictated by GPU load. The 1080p Medium result of 151.5 FPS versus the 1080p High result of 117 FPS shows a 34.5 FPS difference, which is a settings-driven change that the CPU handles without issue.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 958 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. That places it in the 56.5th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the tested configurations. This rank reflects the balance between a strong modern CPU and a mid-range GPU from the Radeon RX 6000 series.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 33721 puts it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU’s average benchmark score of 49367 puts it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The disparity in percentile rankings (93 for CPU vs 77 for GPU) reinforces that the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing. The nearest rivals for the GPU include the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which scores 33493 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX A5000, which scores 33294 (1.3% higher). The RX 6700 XT essentially trades blows with these cards in aggregate benchmarks, but in Evolve, the combo rank suggests that the specific workload favors this GPU’s architecture.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 49166 (0.4% lower), the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 49595 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X scores 49062 (0.6% lower). This indicates that the i5-14600KF is not leaving performance on the table relative to its direct peers. The combo rank of 958 out of 1695 suggests that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the combo back from the upper echelons of the ranking.

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

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high across all settings. Low settings produce 193.3 FPS, Medium 151.5 FPS, High 117 FPS, and Ultra 80.4 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 34.5 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 36.6 FPS. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive on the RX 6700 XT.

At 2560x1440, the results are 127.6 FPS (Low), 99.2 FPS (Medium), 75.3 FPS (High), and 55.6 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each settings tier is roughly 30-35%, which is expected for a GPU with 2560 shading units. The 1440p High result of 75.3 FPS is smooth for most displays, while 1440p Ultra at 55.6 FPS is playable but close to the edge of 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the numbers drop significantly: 72.7 FPS (Low), 58.4 FPS (Medium), 42.5 FPS (High), and 30.3 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Low result is the only setting that clears 60 FPS, which is notable. The 4K Ultra result of 30.3 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold for some, but it does not dip below it. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 42.4 FPS range, indicating that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance at this resolution.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process from TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2321 MHz, with a boost clock of 2581 MHz and a game clock of 2424 MHz. These clocks are high for the Radeon RX 6000 series, and they contribute to the GPU’s 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The 12 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for Evolve at all tested settings, given the game’s 2015 release date. The 4K Ultra result of 30.3 FPS is more likely constrained by the GPU’s 64 ROPs and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate than by memory capacity. The 413.0 GTexel/s texture rate supports the High and Ultra settings at 1440p, where the GPU delivers 75.3 and 55.6 FPS respectively.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 33721 places it in the 77th percentile, and its PassMark G3D score of 19786 is a strong mid-range result. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores 33493 (0.7% higher), which is within noise. This means the RX 6700 XT is not leaving significant performance on the table relative to its closest competitors. The 4K Low result of 72.7 FPS shows that the GPU can deliver playable frame rates at 4K when settings are reduced, but the Ultra settings at 4K are clearly beyond its comfort zone.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the sweet spot, with all settings exceeding 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 75.3 FPS, which is also smooth. 4K is only playable at Low settings (72.7 FPS), with Ultra dropping to 30.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the i5-14600K (49166) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062). It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5% (49595).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. From 1080p to 4K at High settings, frame rates drop from 117 FPS to 42.5 FPS, a 63.7% reduction. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 77th percentile confirms this imbalance.

Q: What is the measured performance at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 99.2 FPS. This is a strong result that leaves headroom for High settings (75.3 FPS) if visual fidelity is preferred.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 958 out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This rank is driven by the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the CPU is in the 93rd percentile overall.

Q: Does the RX 6700 XT outperform its nearest rival in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 33721, which is 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (33493) and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A5000 (33294). It also trails the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480 by 1% each.