Evolve

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers playable performance in Evolve, but the data reveals a system constrained by its processor at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the combination produces an average of 167 FPS on Low settings, dropping to 70 FPS on Ultra. The scaling trajectory shows a steep decline as settings increase, indicating that the CPU can push high frame rates but the GPU workload becomes the limiting factor when visual fidelity is raised. This is a classic mid-range pairing where the balance tips depending on the resolution and preset.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p High, the system averages 101 FPS; at 1440p High, it falls to 68 FPS; and at 4K High, it plummets to 39 FPS. This represents a 61% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings. Examining the progression more closely, the 1440p to 4K transition at High settings shows a 43% drop in performance, while the 1080p to 1440p step is a milder 33% decline. These figures indicate that the GPU is progressively saturated as pixel count rises.

The pattern across all presets confirms this trend. At Low settings, the system achieves 167 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is less than half of the 1080p Low figure, demonstrating that even at the lowest graphics load, the resolution increase imposes a heavy cost. The Medium preset tells a similar story: 129 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 70 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and just 27 FPS at 4K.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but the RX 6650 XT cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K regardless of settings. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is below playable thresholds, while 4K Medium at 49 FPS is borderline. The 1440p results are more balanced, with High at 68 FPS and Medium at 87 FPS representing the sweet spot for this hardware. The 1080p results show high performance across all presets, with the 167 FPS Low figure indicating the CPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2055 MHz, with a boost clock of 2635 MHz and a game clock of 2410 MHz. These specifications place the card in the mid-range segment, and the benchmark data reflects this positioning. The GPU's percentile ranking against all GPUs is 65, with an average benchmark score of 19765.

In Evolve, the VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at the tested settings, as even the 4K Ultra preset consumes less than 8 GB. The memory bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s proves adequate for the game's textures and geometry at 1440p, but the 4K results suggest the card's compute resources are stretched. The texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s are decent figures, yet the 4K Ultra average of 27 FPS indicates these capabilities are insufficient for the highest resolution and preset combination.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, which scores 19885 with a deltaPct of -0.6, and the AMD FirePro W7000 at 19905 with a deltaPct of -0.7. The RX 6650 XT outperforms these workstation cards in average score, but the differences are marginal. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 81306 and OpenCL score of 10111 show strong compute performance, which translates to reasonable frame rates in Evolve's DirectX 12 environment. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 62, however, is notably low compared to the DirectX 11 score of 169, suggesting the card's DX12 performance is not its strongest attribute.

The GPU's role in Evolve becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the card can deliver over 100 FPS on High settings, but the 4K High result of 39 FPS shows a clear ceiling. The FP32 performance of 10.79 TFLOPS is respectable, yet the 4K Ultra data indicates that shader complexity overwhelms the card. The 32 ray accelerators present in the GPU do not significantly impact Evolve, as the game does not utilize ray tracing features.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The processor has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 47, with an average benchmark score of 2254.

In Evolve, the CPU's 6 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, as evidenced by the 167 FPS Low result. However, the data shows that the processor begins to struggle when the GPU is under less load. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is limited by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU, while at 1080p Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 indicate moderate processing power. The Geekbench multi-core score of 5141 and single-core score of 1389 provide additional context.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a deltaPct of -0.2 and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with a deltaPct of 0.4. These rivals have nearly identical average scores, confirming the i5-9400 sits in a competitive mid-range segment. The 4.10 GHz boost clock is the key asset for Evolve, as the game benefits from single-core performance. The 2.90 GHz base clock is lower, but the processor can maintain boost frequencies under load in most scenarios.

The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is a potential constraint, particularly at higher resolutions where more data needs to be processed. However, the measured frame rates at 1440p High (68 FPS) suggest the CPU can still provide adequate data to the GPU. The L3 cache of 9 MB is modest by modern standards, but it is sufficient for Evolve's workload. The processor's 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP indicate an older design, yet the performance is adequate for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2408 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the pairing in the lower-middle portion of the database, with 65% of combinations achieving better performance. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's modest processing power and the GPU's mid-range capabilities. The data indicates that this combo is not optimized for Evolve, as the CPU holds back the GPU at lower resolutions.

The rank of 2408 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better frame rates in this game. The GPU's percentile of 65 is higher than the CPU's percentile of 47, indicating the processor is the weaker component in this pairing. This imbalance is evident in the 1080p results, where the CPU limits performance on Low settings but the GPU is the constraint on Ultra. The combo rank would likely improve with a stronger processor, but the current data shows a system that is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The measured FPS data confirms this ranking. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 101 FPS, which is above the playable threshold but not exceptional. At 1440p High, the 68 FPS result is solid for most gamers. The 4K results are below ideal, with the High preset at 39 FPS being marginal. The combo's performance relative to other tested combinations suggests that users seeking higher frame rates would benefit from a more powerful CPU to better complement the RX 6650 XT.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?*

A: The data shows 1440p provides the best balance. At High settings, the combo achieves 68 FPS, which is smooth and playable. The 1080p results are higher (101 FPS on High), but the 4K results drop below 40 FPS on High, making 1440p the optimal choice.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in processing power?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, with a deltaPct of -0.2 compared to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259) and 0.4 compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246). These differences are negligible, indicating the CPU is competitive with its direct peers.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19765. This places it above the median but below top-tier cards, consistent with its mid-range positioning.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues in Evolve?*

A: No. Even at 4K Ultra settings, the game does not exceed 8 GB of VRAM usage. The GPU's memory capacity is sufficient for all tested presets, and performance limits are due to compute power rather than memory constraints.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p Low settings?

A: The combo achieves 167 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured result in the data. This indicates the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded, but the boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the key factor.

Q: What is the GPU's boost clock and how does it affect performance?

A: The Radeon RX 6650 XT has a boost clock of 2635 MHz, with a game clock of 2410 MHz. These clock speeds contribute to the card's ability to maintain 68 FPS at 1440p High, but the 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS shows the limits of this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on the optimal settings for this combo. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 101 FPS is the best choice, as it balances visual quality with smooth performance. The Ultra preset at 70 FPS is also playable, but the 31 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual improvement. The Medium preset at 129 FPS is excellent for competitive play, while Low at 167 FPS is the maximum achievable frame rate.

At 1440p, the High preset at 68 FPS is the recommended setting, offering a good balance between image quality and frame rate. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing performance, while the Low preset at 112 FPS is suitable for fast-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is borderline playable but may suffer from dips, so it is not recommended for consistent performance.

For 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset at 64 FPS is acceptable for gameplay. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is marginal, and the High preset at 39 FPS is below the ideal threshold. The Ultra preset at 27 FPS is not recommended. Users with 4K displays should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset for playable frame rates. The Medium preset at 4K provides a minimum FPS of 42, which is close to playable but may experience stutter. Overall, the 1440p High setting delivers the best experience for this hardware combination.