Evolve

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Evolve, as evidenced by the measured frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p, the combination delivers playable performance, but the frame rate curve indicates that the graphics card is the primary limiting factor, with the CPU having ample headroom in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 85.6 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 58.9 FPS, a reduction of 26.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset average falls to 35.1 FPS, representing a 50.5 FPS drop from the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With High settings, the transition from 1080p (52.0 FPS) to 1440p (33.1 FPS) costs 18.9 FPS, and the jump to 4K (17.6 FPS) halves the 1440p result. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic collapse: 39.2 FPS at 1080p, 23.4 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 11.8 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the RX 580’s rendering throughput is exhausted well before the i7-12700K’s processing capabilities become relevant. The CPU’s multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241, is far beyond what this 2015 FPS title requires. The GPU’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the constraints, particularly at higher resolutions where pixel fill and texture fetch demands increase. The 4K results, ranging from 11.8 to 35.1 FPS depending on preset, confirm that this combo is not suited for ultra-high-definition gaming in Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1583 out of 1695 tested combinations for Evolve. This places it in the bottom percentile of all tested combos, with only 112 configurations performing worse in this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s age and tier rather than any CPU deficiency. The i7-12700K sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 580 ranks in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce this disparity. Its average benchmark score of 35684 places it near several strong competitors: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core i5-14500HX scores 35940 (0.7% higher), while the Intel Core i7-13700T and i7-13800H score 35468 and 35416 respectively (0.6% and 0.8% lower). This CPU is clearly not the bottleneck.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13559 places it in a tight cluster with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (13549, 0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (13416, 1.1% delta). The NVIDIA P106-090 scores 13716, which is 1.1% higher. This grouping shows the RX 580’s performance tier, and the Evolve results align with this mid-range classification.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, built on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, provides 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its memory clock runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, combined with 2304 shading units, produce a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s.

These specifications directly explain the measured Evolve frame rates. At 1080p, the GPU’s fill rate is sufficient for 52.0 FPS on High and 39.2 FPS on Ultra. However, at 4K, the pixel rate becomes the limiting factor, with Ultra dropping to 11.8 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game’s textures, as the 4K results do not show a sudden collapse that would indicate memory capacity overflow; instead, the decline is gradual and consistent with compute and bandwidth limitations.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 (12_0) support and Vulkan 1.3 compatibility are relevant for Evolve, but the hardware’s overall throughput is dated. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 43, compared to DirectX 11’s 60, suggests the architecture handles older API paths more efficiently, which aligns with a game released in 2015. The GPU’s 14 nm process and 5,700 million transistors indicate its generation, and the benchmark results show it performing near the GTX 570 and GTX 950, which are likewise older designs.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 39 FPS across all presets. At 2560x1440, only Low (58.9 FPS) and Medium (41.9 FPS) remain playable, while High (33.1 FPS) and Ultra (23.4 FPS) fall below smooth thresholds.

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

A: The i7-12700K’s average benchmark score of 35684 is within 1% of all four listed rivals. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by 0.3% and the Intel Core i5-14500HX by 0.7%, while leading the Intel Core i7-13700T by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.8%.

Q: Is the RX 580 the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: Yes. The GPU’s performance tier, with an average benchmark score of 13559 and a 53rd percentile ranking, aligns with the observed frame rates. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking and its proximity to much stronger rivals indicate it is not limiting performance in Evolve.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 85.6 FPS while Ultra averages 39.2 FPS, a difference of 46.4 FPS. This 46.4 FPS gap represents a 54.2% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The data does not indicate a VRAM capacity problem. The 4K results decline consistently from Low (35.1 FPS) to Medium (22.7 FPS) to High (17.6 FPS) to Ultra (11.8 FPS), suggesting compute and bandwidth limits rather than a sudden memory capacity bottleneck.

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

A: It ranks 1583 out of 1695 combos for Evolve, placing it in the bottom 6.6% of tested pairings. This low rank is driven by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU alone would rank far higher based on its 89th percentile standing.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 provides the best combination of visual quality and performance, with an average of 66.9 FPS. This is 31.9 FPS higher than High and 27.7 FPS lower than Low, representing a reasonable middle ground. The Medium preset at 2560x1440 (41.9 FPS) is also viable for users prioritizing resolution over settings.

The Low preset at 1080p (85.6 FPS) is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, and it remains the best option for competitive play. At 1440p, Low (58.9 FPS) is the only preset that maintains a stable 60 FPS baseline. High settings at 1080p (52.0 FPS) are playable but do not provide a smooth 60 FPS experience, making them marginal for this combo.

Ultra settings should be avoided entirely. At 1080p it delivers 39.2 FPS, and at 1440p it drops to 23.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 11.8 FPS confirms that this preset is unsuitable for any resolution above 720p with this hardware. Users seeking maximum visual fidelity should consider that the gap between Medium (66.9 FPS) and High (52.0 FPS) at 1080p is 14.9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra (39.2 FPS) is 12.8 FPS, making the final preset tier particularly costly in frame rate terms.