Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti combination ranks 1512th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the lower half of the database. This pairing pairs a high-end 14-core CPU with a GPU that sits at the 55th percentile among all graphics cards, creating a significant imbalance. The data indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti, which scores 12,871 in Passmark G3D, is the primary constraint in this system, as the i5-14600KF ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 49,367. While the processor is clearly capable, the GPU's modest standing relative to its rivals—it trails the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile by 0.8% and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 by 0.7%—means the combo's overall rank is dragged down by graphics performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1512 out of 1695 places it firmly in the bottom quarter of all tested configurations for Evolve. This is a disappointing result for a system built around a processor as strong as the i5-14600KF, which outperforms the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X by 0.6% in overall average scores. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4345P, edges it out by just 0.5%, showing that the processor is competitive with top-tier silicon. Yet in this game, the measured frame rates tell a different story.

The bottleneck is clear: the GTX 1660 Ti's average benchmark score of 13,925 places it just 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X, and its Passmark G3D score of 12,871 is modest by modern standards. The GPU's percentile ranking of 55 means it performs better than only slightly more than half of all graphics cards in the database. When paired with a CPU that scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at every resolution and settings level tested. The data shows that even at the lowest settings, the system fails to achieve the kind of frame rates that would justify the CPU's high-end positioning, confirming that this is a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Across all resolutions, the measured results show a consistent pattern: Low settings deliver the highest average frame rates, while Ultra settings produce the lowest. At 1080p, the gap is substantial, with Low settings achieving 122.7 FPS compared to just 50.4 FPS at Ultra. This represents a 59% improvement from Ultra to Low, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher quality presets. Medium settings at 1080p produce 94.7 FPS, which is a 47% increase over Ultra and only a 23% decrease from Low, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1440p, the same trend holds. Low settings reach 81.7 FPS, Medium drops to 64.7 FPS, and High falls to 48.7 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 17 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs another 16 FPS. For players seeking a smooth experience, Medium at 1440p offers 64.7 FPS, which is playable, but Low at 81.7 FPS is the safer choice for maintaining high refresh rates. At 4K, the situation becomes more challenging: Low settings average 46.1 FPS, Medium drops to 37.4 FPS, and High falls to 30.6 FPS. Given these numbers, Low settings at 4K are the only viable option for consistent gameplay, while Medium is borderline and High is marginal.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations clearly. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 75.2 to 48.7, a 35% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings brings the average down to 30.6 FPS, another 37% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher pixel counts, especially given its 192-bit bus width.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still pronounced. 1080p Low delivers 122.7 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 81.7 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 46.1 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 44%. This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU's compute resources—5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance—become the limiting factor. The CPU's contribution is negligible here; even with 14 cores and 20 threads boosting up to 5.30 GHz, the i5-14600KF cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to fill pixels at higher resolutions. The data shows that the system is entirely GPU-bound across the resolution spectrum, with the CPU providing more headroom than the GPU can utilize.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs best at Low settings, achieving an average of 122.7 FPS. Medium settings deliver 94.7 FPS, which is a 23% reduction from Low. High settings produce 75.2 FPS, a 21% drop from Medium, and Ultra settings fall to 50.4 FPS, a 33% decrease from High. These results show that each step up in quality exacts a significant toll on performance, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues. Low settings average 81.7 FPS, Medium drops to 64.7 FPS, and High falls to 48.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 17 FPS, while Medium to High is 16 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p manage only 36 FPS, which is a 26% cut from High and a 56% reduction from Low. This makes Ultra largely unplayable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all settings. Low settings average 46.1 FPS, Medium drops to 37.4 FPS, High falls to 30.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 26.2 FPS, representing a 57% decline. Even at Low settings, the 4K result is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at the lowest quality preset, and even then, the experience is marginal. The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs are simply not enough to handle 4K resolutions with any visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti the bottleneck in Evolve?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti is the clear bottleneck. The GPU ranks at the 55th percentile among all graphics cards with a Passmark G3D score of 12,871, while the CPU ranks at the 93rd percentile with an average benchmark score of 49,367. The frame rate data confirms this, showing steep drops as resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: Low settings deliver the highest average FPS at 122.7, but Medium settings at 94.7 FPS offer a better balance between visual quality and performance. The 23% drop from Low to Medium is acceptable, while High at 75.2 FPS and Ultra at 50.4 FPS show diminishing returns.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution in Evolve?

A: At 4K, only Low settings produce a playable average of 46.1 FPS. Medium drops to 37.4 FPS, High falls to 30.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 19.9 FPS. The GPU's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets at this resolution.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti's average benchmark score of 13,925 is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% ahead of both the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680. It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K10 by 0.7%, making it a mid-pack performer among similar cards.

Q: Does the CPU's performance help in Evolve?

A: The i5-14600KF is exceptionally strong, outperforming the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X by 0.6%. However, the measured FPS shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, so the CPU's power does not translate into higher frame rates in this game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings average 81.7 FPS, while Ultra settings average 36 FPS. This represents a 56% reduction in performance, indicating that Ultra settings are not recommended for this resolution with this GPU.