Evolve

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti in Evolve produces a system where the graphics card is the overwhelming performance bottleneck. The measured results across all resolutions and settings show a component stack that is severely imbalanced, with the CPU’s modern capabilities largely untapped due to the GPU’s age. This combination ranks 1686th out of 1695 tested combos in the game, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems evaluated.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14th-generation Raptor Lake processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a high-end desktop part released on 2023-10-16, using a 10 nm process node with a 125 W TDP. The processor carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark standing is strong, with an average benchmark score of 49367 and a percentile rank of 93 against all CPUs, indicating it performs better than the vast majority of processors.

In the context of Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, the CPU’s specifications are far beyond what the game requires. The data shows that the processor’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 49166 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 49062 (0.6% behind). The measured frame rates in the game, however, do not reflect this CPU’s capability. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 62.9 FPS, which is the highest result recorded. Even at this optimal configuration, the frame rate is limited by other components, not the CPU.

The disparity between CPU potential and actual game performance is stark. The processor’s single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 4643 points, would suggest ample headroom for a game from this era. Yet, the data indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor before the CPU can demonstrate its strength. The CPU’s high core count and clock speeds are effectively irrelevant in this pairing, as the GPU cannot translate that compute power into higher frame rates. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the constraint; the system’s performance ceiling is determined entirely by the graphics subsystem.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU from the GeForce 10-series, released on 2016-10-24. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1291 MHz with a boost clock of 1392 MHz, and memory operates at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The card’s specifications include 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 2.138 TFLOPS.

The GTX 1050 Ti’s benchmark percentile is 30 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5316. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (0.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (0.7% ahead). These comparisons highlight that the GPU sits in the low-performance tier, which is consistent with the frame rates observed in Evolve. The card’s 4 GB VRAM is a notable limitation, particularly at higher resolutions where texture demands increase.

In practice, the GPU’s capabilities directly dictate the system’s frame rates. The measured data shows a clear ceiling: at 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 62.9 FPS, but this drops to 34.7 FPS at High settings. The GPU’s compute power, measured at 2.138 TFLOPS, is insufficient for smooth gameplay at higher presets. The card’s end-of-life production status and 75 W TDP indicate its age, and the benchmark results confirm that it is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The GPU’s performance is the reason the system ranks so poorly, as it cannot leverage the CPU’s strength.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals the nature of the system’s bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 62.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the frame rate to 43.8 FPS, a significant reduction. At 4K with Low settings, the frame rate falls to 22.5 FPS. This scaling pattern—from 62.9 to 43.8 to 22.5 FPS as resolution increases—demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU is capable of handling the workload at all resolutions, but the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel count.

The drop is even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the system goes from 34.7 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 12.5 FPS at 4K. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the frame rate falls from 23.6 FPS at 1080p to 19.3 FPS at 1440p, then to 11.1 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that the GPU’s performance degrades sharply with resolution, which is a classic sign of a graphics-bound system. The CPU’s role is unchanged across these scenarios, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the GPU’s workload increase.

The data suggests that the GTX 1050 Ti’s memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s is a critical constraint. At 4K, the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p, and the card’s 128-bit memory bus cannot deliver the necessary data throughput. The result is that the system becomes unplayable at 4K, with even Low settings producing only 22.5 FPS. This scaling pattern confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor; the i5-14600KF has ample headroom, but the GPU’s architecture and memory subsystem are overwhelmed by higher resolutions.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 62.9 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 47.3 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable compromises. The High preset drops to 34.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23.6 FPS, both of which are less ideal for a fast-paced FPS.

At 1440p, the Low preset yields 43.8 FPS, which is marginally playable, but Medium drops to 30 FPS, and High falls to 24 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces only 19.3 FPS, which is not recommended for gameplay. At 4K, all presets are below playable thresholds, with Low at 22.5 FPS, Medium at 20.5 FPS, High at 12.5 FPS, and Ultra at 11.1 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is not viable for this combination.

For an optimal experience, the data suggests using Low settings at 1080p, which provides the highest frame rate of 62.9 FPS. If visual fidelity is a priority, Medium at 1080p offers a balance at 47.3 FPS, but the trade-off is a 25% reduction in frame rate compared to Low. At 1440p, Low settings are the only reasonable choice, but the 43.8 FPS result is borderline for competitive play. The benchmark results indicate that this system is best suited for 1080p with Low or Medium presets, as higher resolutions or settings yield diminishing returns that make the game less responsive.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1686th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the bottom 0.5% of all configurations tested, which is an exceptionally poor result given the CPU’s high-end specifications. The rank reflects the GPU’s severe limitation, as the i5-14600KF is a top-tier processor that would typically pair with a much more capable graphics card.

The data shows that this rank is driven entirely by the GPU’s performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—the Intel Core i5-14600K, AMD EPYC 4345P, and AMD Ryzen 9 5950X—all have similar average scores, with deltas of 0.4%, -0.5%, and 0.6%, respectively. However, in Evolve, the GPU’s low percentile rank (30) and modest benchmark scores (e.g., Passmark G3D at 6340) ensure that the system cannot compete with other combinations. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the GeForce 930A and GeForce 940M, are similarly low-performing, confirming that the graphics card is the bottleneck.

The combination’s rank of 1686 out of 1695 indicates that only 9 tested combos perform worse in this game. This is a direct consequence of pairing a 2023-era CPU with a 2016-era entry-level GPU. The i5-14600KF’s capabilities are wasted, as the GTX 1050 Ti cannot deliver playable frame rates at most settings. The benchmark results suggest that this combo is fundamentally mismatched, and the low rank reflects the GPU’s inability to utilize the CPU’s substantial compute resources. For users seeking better performance in Evolve, the data indicates that upgrading the GPU would be the sole viable path, as the CPU provides no meaningful constraint.