Evolve

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3,545 out of 3,700 tested combinations for Evolve, placing it in the bottom 4.3% of all combos tested. This is a poor result for a game released in 2015, indicating that this hardware pairing struggles significantly with this title. The combo's ranking reflects a fundamental mismatch between the game's demands and what this mid-range 2018 CPU and 2017 GPU can deliver at higher settings.

Benchmark results indicate that this combination is only viable at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution and quality increase, with the combo falling below playable thresholds at 4K and struggling at 1440p with anything above Low settings. At 1080p, the pairing manages acceptable frame rates only at Low and Medium presets, with Ultra settings dropping to just 32 FPS average.

The CPU component of this combo sits at the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 74th percentile among all tested GPUs. This suggests the graphics card is comparatively stronger than the processor, yet the overall combo ranking remains low because Evolve appears to be particularly demanding on both components working together.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 brings 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), which is adequate for 1080p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, and it features 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to the measured frame rates in Evolve. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely a bottleneck at 4K resolution, where the High preset produces only 18 FPS average and Ultra drops to 12 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it performing at the 74th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28,766. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (0.4% faster), AMD Radeon R9 M295X (0.7% slower), AMD Radeon RX 470 (0.8% faster), and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (1.2% slower). These tight margins indicate the RX 570 is positioned in a competitive mid-range tier, yet its actual in-game performance in Evolve reveals that raw benchmark scores do not guarantee playable frame rates.

The GPU's 150 W TDP and dual-slot design with a single 6-pin power connector make it a modest power consumer. The 14 nm Polaris 20 chip, manufactured by GlobalFoundries, contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die. These architectural details contribute to its thermal characteristics, but the measured FPS data is what matters most for gameplay assessment.

# Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this combo in Evolve is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, where the measured average FPS is 60 with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. This is the only settings configuration that achieves a solid 60 FPS average while maintaining frame time consistency above 50 FPS at minimum. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 77 FPS average, which is higher but comes with visual quality trade-offs that may not be worth the extra 17 FPS.

For players prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 2560x1440 provides 52 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal. However, the Medium preset at 1440p drops to 40 FPS average with a minimum of 34, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced FPS gameplay. The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, balancing visual quality with performance.

At 4K resolution, no settings preset produces playable frame rates. The best 4K result is 29 FPS at Low settings, which falls below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimally playable. The Medium preset at 4K averages 23 FPS with a minimum of 19, indicating severe performance issues. Ultra settings at any resolution above 1080p are not recommended, as even 1080p Ultra only manages 32 FPS average.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo's performance ranges from 77 FPS average at Low settings to 32 FPS average at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers exactly 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69, representing the most balanced configuration. High settings produce 47 FPS average, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than Medium.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings yield 52 FPS average, Medium produces 40 FPS average with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46, High drops to 31 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 22 FPS average. The step from Medium to High at 1440p represents a 22.5% performance loss, while the step from Low to Medium costs 23.1% of average FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low settings produce 29 FPS average, Medium averages 23 FPS with a minimum of 19 and maximum of 26, High produces 18 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 12 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 17 FPS, representing a 58.6% reduction in average frame rate.

Comparing resolution scaling, the transition from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings reduces average FPS by 33.3% (from 60 to 40). The transition from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings reduces average FPS by 42.5% (from 40 to 23). This shows that the performance penalty becomes more severe at higher resolutions, consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM limitations.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this hardware in Evolve?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best balance, achieving 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: No. The best 4K result is 29 FPS average at Low settings, which falls below playable thresholds. Medium settings at 4K produce 23 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 12 FPS average.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 570's average benchmark score of 28,766 is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 470, and 1.2% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2,254. Its closest rival is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 0.2% higher.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The data shows 32 FPS average at 1080p Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth FPS gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers nearly double the frame rate.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 60 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p, representing a 33.3% reduction in performance. The minimum FPS also drops from 51 to 34.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 features 6 cores and 6 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It belongs to the Coffee Lake architecture on a 14 nm process node, with a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 9 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 cache per core. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s.

The CPU's benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6,629 and a single-core score of 935. In Geekbench, it scores 5,141 multi-core and 1,389 single-core. These scores place the i5-9400 at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2,254. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a 0.2% higher score, the Intel Core i7-10710U with a 0.3% lower score, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with a 0.4% lower score, and the Intel Core i3-10305 with a 0.4% higher score.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's 6-core/6-thread configuration provides adequate processing power for the game's engine, but the lack of hyper-threading may limit performance in heavily threaded scenarios. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps with single-threaded performance, which is often critical for FPS games. However, the CPU's 47th percentile ranking suggests it is a mid-range processor that may struggle to keep up with more demanding game logic at higher frame rates.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s and dual-channel support are sufficient for the RX 570's 224.0 GB/s graphics memory bandwidth, but the overall system performance in Evolve appears to be limited by both components working together. The measured FPS data shows that the combo is playable at 1080p Medium, but the CPU's mid-range positioning means that higher settings and resolutions will be constrained regardless of GPU capabilities. The 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node indicate efficient power consumption, but this does not translate to high-end gaming performance in Evolve.