Evolve

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Evolve?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 212 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest average is 40 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, showing a wide performance envelope across the tested configurations.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it 47th percentile among all CPUs. It sits within 0.4% of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264), 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259), 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248), and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23877. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, scores 23736, a delta of 0.6%.

Q: Does the combo scale better with resolution changes at High or Ultra settings?

A: The data shows a larger absolute FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings (from 150 to 57 FPS, a 93 FPS difference) compared to Ultra settings (from 104 to 40 FPS, a 64 FPS difference). This suggests the High preset is more sensitive to resolution scaling in this game.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Evolve among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1211 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it roughly in the top third of all systems tested for this game. This rank reflects a balance between the CPU's mid-range standing and the GPU's upper-midrange performance.

Q: Are there any settings where the FPS is below 60 at 4K?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, both High (57 FPS) and Ultra (40 FPS) settings average below 60 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 73 FPS, while Low averages 94 FPS, both clearing the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Evolve. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a game from 2015. The memory clock runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), and the GPU's boost clock reaches 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz and a base clock of 1330 MHz. This clock configuration suggests the card can sustain high throughput in lighter workloads like Evolve.

The GPU's architecture is RDNA 4.0 on a 4 nm process from TSMC, with 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units. The pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s indicate that the card is not bandwidth-constrained at lower resolutions, which explains why the FPS scales dramatically between 1080p and 4K. The FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for a game of this era, meaning the bottleneck at higher resolutions is likely the VRAM bandwidth or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this view. It scores 25381 in Passmark G3D and 14737 in Passmark GPU Compute, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290. These numbers place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24170, delta -1.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24063, delta -0.8%). For Evolve, the GPU's role is to push frame rates high at 1080p and 1440p, while at 4K, the card's raw compute and memory bandwidth determine whether the game remains playable.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At 1080p, the combo achieves 212 FPS on Low, 191 FPS on Medium, 150 FPS on High, and 104 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these numbers drop to 166 FPS on Low, 128 FPS on Medium, 101 FPS on High, and 70 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the FPS falls further to 94 FPS on Low, 73 FPS on Medium, 57 FPS on High, and 40 FPS on Ultra.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are notable. At Low settings, the drop is from 212 to 94 FPS, a 55.7% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 191 to 73 FPS, a 61.8% reduction. At High, the drop is from 150 to 57 FPS, a 62% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 104 to 40 FPS, a 61.5% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops (roughly 56-62%) indicates that the scaling is primarily GPU-limited, as the CPU's load does not change dramatically with resolution.

However, the absolute FPS differences reveal where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p Low, the 212 FPS average suggests the CPU (Intel Core i5-9400 with 6 cores and 6 threads, boosting to 4.10 GHz) is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU could theoretically push higher. At 4K Ultra, the 40 FPS average shows the GPU is heavily loaded, and the CPU has headroom. The Medium settings at 1440p (128 FPS) and 4K (73 FPS) provide the most balanced picture, where both components are working in tandem without one being fully saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The combo delivers its highest frame rates at this resolution. Low settings average 212 FPS, Medium averages 191 FPS with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 220 FPS, High averages 150 FPS, and Ultra averages 104 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 108 FPS, indicating that settings have a massive impact at 1080p. Even at Ultra, the FPS is well above 60, making this resolution entirely playable at any preset.

2560x1440: At 1440p, the performance remains strong but shows more sensitivity to settings. Low averages 166 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS, High averages 101 FPS, and Ultra averages 70 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low (212 FPS) to 1440p Low (166 FPS) is 46 FPS, while the drop from 1080p Ultra (104 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (70 FPS) is 34 FPS. This shows that lower settings are more resolution-sensitive, likely because the CPU becomes less of a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

3840x2160: At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates at the higher presets. Low averages 94 FPS, Medium averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that comfortably clears 60 FPS on average, though its minimum of 62 FPS indicates occasional dips. High and Ultra both fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less ideal for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

The data also shows that the minimum FPS figures, where available, are relatively close to the averages. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 163 FPS against an average of 191 FPS, a 14.7% delta. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 109 FPS against 128 FPS, a 14.8% delta. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 62 FPS against 73 FPS, a 15.1% delta. This consistency suggests stable frame pacing across resolutions, with no sudden stutters.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1211 out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve, placing it in the 67th percentile of all tested systems. This rank is higher than the CPU's standalone percentile (47th) but slightly lower than the GPU's percentile (69th), indicating that the CPU is a mild drag on the overall performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (delta -0.2%) and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (delta -0.4%), so the CPU is not an outlier in its class.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is more varied. The RX 9070 scores 23877, which is 0.6% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z (23736), 1.1% ahead of the RTX 3080 Mobile (23628), but 0.8% behind the RX 6800S (24063) and 1.2% behind the RTX 2080 SUPER (24170). These small deltas mean that the GPU is firmly in a competitive tier, and the combo's rank in Evolve is likely influenced more by the CPU's mid-range standing than by GPU variability.

Given that Evolve is a 2015 title, the game is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The combo's rank of 1211 suggests that many other tested systems, likely with newer CPUs, achieve higher frame rates. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo can still deliver excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, with only 4K Ultra being a challenge.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, but Ultra at 104 FPS is the most visually demanding option that still maintains a high refresh rate. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, Medium at 191 FPS or High at 150 FPS are better choices, as they provide smoother motion without sacrificing too much visual quality. Low at 212 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is the priority.

At 2560x1440, Ultra at 70 FPS is borderline for a 60 Hz display but may not be ideal for high refresh rate monitors. High at 101 FPS is the sweet spot for visual fidelity and smoothness, while Medium at 128 FPS is better for 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays. Low at 166 FPS is excessive for most users, but it ensures the absolute highest frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. Low at 94 FPS is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while Medium at 73 FPS is also playable. High at 57 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold, which may result in noticeable stutter on standard displays. For 4K gaming, the recommendation is to use Medium or Low settings, as the visual difference between Medium and High is unlikely to justify the 16 FPS average drop.

Overall, the data suggests that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with averages of 191 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS figures for Medium (163, 109, and 62 respectively) also indicate that frame drops are not severe, making this preset the most reliable choice for consistent performance.