Evolve

# Evolve Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14600KF + AMD Radeon RX 9060

The pairing of Intel's Core i5-14600KF with AMD's Radeon RX 9060 produces a system that handles Evolve with clear resolution-dependent behavior. Across the measured configurations, this combination ranks 1664th out of 2872 tested CPU-GPU pairings in the game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The data reveals a setup where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial multi-threaded headroom remains largely untapped by this 2015 title.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, supported by a 125 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, with ECC memory capability included.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU across most settings and resolutions, but its headroom matters at lower graphical loads. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 176 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This figure suggests that the i5-14600KF's single-thread performance — evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2445 — is more than sufficient to feed the Radeon RX 9060 even in the least demanding preset. The processor's 5.30 GHz boost capability provides the kind of high-frequency responsiveness that older FPS titles like Evolve tend to favor.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are extensive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17085. However, the measured frame rates do not show scaling that would indicate heavy multi-threaded utilization. Moving from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium only drops the average from 176 to 137 FPS, a 22% reduction that tracks far more closely with GPU workload changes than CPU limitations. The processor's Passmark multithread score of 38697 and physics score of 2449 reinforce that the i5-14600KF is not the bottleneck in this configuration.

Comparing against its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF's average benchmark score of 49394 places it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8% (49796). These margins are negligible for gaming purposes, indicating that the CPU's performance envelope is well-established. The 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that this processor sits in the upper tier, yet Evolve's demands are modest enough that even a mid-range chip would likely produce similar frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU's clock speeds are substantial: a base of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 across a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's role in Evolve is decisive, particularly as resolution increases. The 8 GB VRAM allocation is adequate for the game's demands, and the memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s supports the texture streaming typical of a 2015-era FPS. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 17631 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 place it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, which aligns with the mid-tier performance observed in the measured frame rates.

Against its nearest rivals, the RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 sits 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), 1% above the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), and 1% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). It also leads the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679) by 2.1%. This competitive positioning explains why the RX 9060 delivers playable but not exceptional frame rates in Evolve at higher settings.

The GPU's DirectX performance metrics are mixed: Passmark DirectX 11 score is 182, DirectX 12 is 44, and DirectX 9 is 280. Evolve, released in 2015, likely relies on DirectX 11 paths, and the GPU's performance there appears sufficient but not overwhelming. The Radeon RX 9060's FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s provide the raw computational resources needed, yet the measured results show that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits.

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

The resolution scaling pattern in Evolve clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 107 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p, a 33% reduction, and then to 41 FPS at 4K, a further 43% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is classic GPU-bound behavior, as the Radeon RX 9060 must process four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p.

The Low settings preset shows the same trend with even higher absolute values: 176 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 33% mirrors the High preset's percentage, while the 1440p to 4K drop of 43% is also consistent. This uniformity across presets suggests the scaling is driven by resolution alone, not by settings-specific effects.

Medium settings provide a mid-point reference with measured minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 116 to 157 FPS with an average of 137 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 78 to 105 FPS with a 92 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the range tightens further to 44 to 60 FPS with a 52 FPS average. The decreasing spread between minimum and maximum as resolution rises indicates that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent at higher pixel counts, with less variance from scene complexity.

Ultra settings demonstrate the most dramatic scaling: 74 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is below the playable threshold for most users, confirming that this preset is not viable at the highest resolution with this GPU. The consistent pattern of approximately 33% drops from 1080p to 1440p and 43-44% drops from 1440p to 4K across all presets leaves no doubt that the RX 9060's rendering capacity is the limiting factor. The i5-14600KF's performance headroom is never fully exercised, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra scenario still leaves CPU resources available.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate smoothness. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers the best balance, with an average of 137 FPS and a measured range of 116 to 157 FPS. This keeps frame times well above the 60 FPS threshold while leaving headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 1080p still achieves 107 FPS average, which is playable but with less margin for drops.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again stands out with a 92 FPS average and a range of 78 to 105 FPS. This stays above 60 FPS even at the minimum, making it the safest choice for consistent performance. High settings at 1440p produce 72 FPS average, which is acceptable for many players but carries a higher risk of visible stutter during intense action sequences given the lack of min/max data.

At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. Medium settings yield 52 FPS average with a range of 44 to 60 FPS, meaning the minimum dips below the 60 FPS target. Low settings at 4K provide 67 FPS average, which is the only 4K preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 41 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 28 FPS, both of which are difficult to recommend for smooth gameplay.

For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p offer the most favorable combination of visual quality and performance stability. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p with a 74 FPS average, and even that may not justify the visual gains over High. Players with 4K displays should prioritize Low settings to maintain playability, accepting reduced visual fidelity for the 67 FPS average that keeps the experience fluid.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 60 FPS on 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 28 FPS, which is well below 60 FPS. The highest 4K preset that approaches 60 FPS is Low, with a 67 FPS average, while Medium averages 52 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in overall GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti's 16129. This places the two GPUs at essentially the same performance level in synthetic testing.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming on this system?

A: Medium settings provide the best balance, with a 92 FPS average and a measured range of 78 to 105 FPS. This keeps frame rates comfortably above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Evolve?

A: No. The i5-14600KF's benchmark scores, including a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicate substantial headroom. The consistent FPS drops from 1080p to 4K across all presets confirm the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 9060 sufficient for Evolve?

A: Yes. The measured performance shows no VRAM-related anomalies, and the game's 2015 release date means its texture requirements are modest. The 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth supports smooth operation at all tested settings.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p High settings?

A: The measured average is 107 FPS at 1080p High. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, though the Medium preset at 137 FPS average offers more headroom for consistent performance.

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

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings deliver the highest measured average of 176 FPS. Medium settings produce 137 FPS average, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. High settings yield 107 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 74 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in frame rate, illustrating the graphical load scaling at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance tiers compress noticeably. Low settings average 118 FPS. Medium settings deliver 92 FPS average, with a measured range of 78 to 105 FPS. High settings produce 72 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 50 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 58 FPS, but the relative reduction remains similar at approximately 58%.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become pronounced. Low settings average 67 FPS. Medium settings provide 52 FPS average, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. High settings drop to 41 FPS average. Ultra settings bottom out at 28 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 39 FPS, but the absolute values are low enough that only the Low preset maintains a playable experience.

The Medium preset across all three resolutions provides the only complete dataset with min/max values: 137/116/157 at 1080p, 92/78/105 at 1440p, and 52/44/60 at 4K. This consistency makes Medium the most thoroughly characterized setting and reinforces its recommendation as the balanced choice. The measured data shows no anomalies or unexpected spikes, indicating stable performance across the tested configurations.