Evolve

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers a surprisingly robust experience in Evolve, demonstrating that this combination can handle the 2015 FPS title with authority across most settings. The data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution and quality presets, though the extremes of 4K Ultra testing reveal clear limitations. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to understand where this combo excels and where it struggles.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the sweet spot, delivering 198.8 FPS on Low and 118.7 FPS on High settings. This resolution allows the combo to maintain consistently high frame rates, with even the demanding Ultra preset achieving 80.1 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, trailing both by only 0.2%, while it edges out the Intel Xeon E-2134 by 0.4% and trails the Intel Core i7-8809G by 0.6%.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the combo delivers 118.7 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 81.8 FPS at 2560x1440, and further down to 46.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a significant 60.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest tested resolution.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Evolve?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 322.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured results indicate this is sufficient for all tested settings, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset achieves a playable 34 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's clock speed range?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2530 MHz, and a boost clock of 3130 MHz. These clocks, combined with 2048 shading units, contribute to its overall performance in Evolve.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 894th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the middle of the pack. This mid-tier ranking is consistent with the CPU's 50th percentile standing among all processors.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 894 out of 1695 tested configurations places it almost exactly in the center of the performance distribution for Evolve. This positioning is notably influenced by the CPU, which itself sits at the 50th percentile among all processors. The Intel Core i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2305 places it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals, all within 0.6% of each other, suggesting that the processor is a consistent, middle-of-the-road performer.

The GPU, while having no benchmark scores or nearest rivals listed, is a current-generation part with a 50th percentile standing among all GPUs. The mid-pack ranking for the combo suggests that while the GPU is capable, the CPU may be holding back overall performance in Evolve. The measured FPS data supports this, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes, a hallmark of a system where the GPU is often the primary driver, but the CPU's six cores and six threads provide adequate support for this older title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four quality presets. For the best overall experience, the High preset emerges as the recommended choice, balancing visual quality with frame rate across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, High delivers 118.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on most displays. The jump to Medium only adds 32.7 FPS (151.4 vs 118.7), while the drop to Low adds 80.1 FPS (198.8 vs 118.7), but the visual degradation may not be worth the extra frames.

At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a solid 81.8 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset offers 100.9 FPS for those seeking higher frame rates, but the Low preset at 133.9 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum responsiveness is paramount. The Ultra preset at 52.8 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay and should be avoided unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High is the optimal preset, delivering 46.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 60.3 FPS offers a better balance, while Low at 74.2 FPS provides the smoothest experience at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 34 FPS is generally too demanding for enjoyable play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. The Low preset delivers 198.8 FPS, which drops to 151.4 FPS at Medium, 118.7 FPS at High, and 80.1 FPS at Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 118.7 FPS, indicating the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution. The progression from Low to Medium is a 47.4 FPS drop, while Medium to High is a 32.7 FPS drop, and High to Ultra is a 38.6 FPS drop, showing a fairly consistent cost for each quality tier.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales as expected. The Low preset achieves 133.9 FPS, Medium hits 100.9 FPS, High reaches 81.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 81.1 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases. The drop from Medium to High is 19.1 FPS, while High to Ultra is a 29 FPS drop, showing that Ultra carries a heavier penalty at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low delivers 74.2 FPS, Medium drops to 60.3 FPS, High manages 46.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The total spread between Low and Ultra is 40.2 FPS, which is the smallest of all resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, each quality setting has a more pronounced impact on the GPU load, and the system is struggling to maintain high frame rates regardless of preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using a 4 nm process at TSMC, featuring the Navi 44 chip with 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2530 MHz, and a boost clock of 3130 MHz. These clocks, combined with 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, define its raw processing capability. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 400.6 GTexel/s indicate strong fill-rate capabilities.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 322.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which appears sufficient for Evolve's requirements. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, with the Low preset reaching 198.8 FPS. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, with even the Low preset only achieving 74.2 FPS. The FP32 performance of 25.64 TFLOPS suggests the GPU is capable, but the memory bandwidth and bus width may constrain performance at higher resolutions in this title.

CPU Role

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

The CPU's benchmark scores show a single-core Cinebench R23 score of 1125 and a multi-core score of 7969. These scores place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. In Evolve, the CPU's six cores provide sufficient processing power, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The tight clustering of its nearest rivals (all within 0.6%) suggests that the i5-9400 delivers consistent, predictable performance. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps maintain responsiveness in CPU-bound scenarios, though the lack of hyper-threading may limit performance in more demanding titles.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 198.8 FPS at 1080p to 133.9 FPS at 1440p (a 32.7% reduction), and then to 74.2 FPS at 4K (a 44.6% reduction from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is from 118.7 FPS at 1080p to 81.8 FPS at 1440p (a 31.1% reduction), and then to 46.7 FPS at 4K (a 42.9% reduction from 1440p).

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The percentage drops from 1440p to 4K are consistently larger than the drops from 1080p to 1440p, regardless of the quality preset. For example, at Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33.4% (151.4 to 100.9 FPS), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 40.2% (100.9 to 60.3 FPS). This increasing rate of performance loss suggests that the memory bandwidth and bus width of the GPU become more constraining as pixel count grows.

The CPU's role in this scaling is less pronounced. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 198.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output for this title. The fact that the frame rate continues to scale down with resolution, even at Low settings where CPU load is relatively higher, suggests that the GPU remains the dominant factor throughout the resolution range. However, the CPU's six cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock ensure that it does not become a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved at 1080p.