Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, places unique demands on a system, and the pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a distinctive performance profile. The benchmark data shows this combo is positioned in the lower-middle tier of tested configurations, ranking 2877 out of 3700 combos. This page analyzes the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to explain where this system excels, where it struggles, and what the numbers reveal about the balance between the CPU and GPU.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck for the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in Evolve?

A: No, the data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The i7-12700K has 12 cores and 20 threads with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the GPU is in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The performance ceiling in Evolve is clearly set by the graphics card, not the processor.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo?

A: The data suggests 1080p is the most practical choice. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 89 FPS, which is comfortably playable. At 1440p, High settings just barely hit 60 FPS average, while 4K High drops to 34 FPS, making it a poor experience for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i7-12700K's average benchmark score of 35287 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It trails the Intel Core i5-13600T by only 0.1%, is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-12700KF, and is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-13700T. Its single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5.

Q: How does the GPU's raw compute performance compare to its competitors?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score is 19036, placing it on par with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% delta) and just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile. It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K20m and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation, showing it is a mid-pack performer in this metric.

Q: What is the impact of the VRAM capacity on Evolve's performance?

A: The RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The measured frame rates show a clear drop when moving to 4K Ultra (24 FPS), which suggests that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings is straining the memory subsystem, though the core GPU compute is also a limiting factor.

Q: Are the frame times stable for the settings where min/max data is available?

A: For the Medium settings, the data shows consistent frame times. At 1080p, the average is 114 FPS with a min of 97 and max of 131, showing a tight 34 FPS range. At 1440p, the average is 76 FPS with a range of 65 to 88 FPS. At 4K, the average is 43 FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS, indicating no severe stuttering issues.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the primary driver of performance in Evolve for this configuration. Built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, the GPU operates with a base clock of 1626 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth are the resources the game draws upon for texture storage and rendering at various resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 15096. This is a mid-range standing, which aligns with the measured in-game performance. The data shows that the GPU's capabilities are the deciding factor in Evolve's frame rates. When comparing the 4K Low score of 56 FPS to the 4K High score of 34 FPS, the 22 FPS difference is a direct result of the increased shading and texture work being offloaded to the GPU. The high settings demand more from the 1792 shading units and 112 texture mapping units, leading to the performance drop.

The GPU's memory bandwidth is also a critical element. The 128-bit bus width, while narrow, is paired with fast GDDR6 memory. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 24, a significant drop from the 43 FPS at 4K Medium. This 19 FPS reduction suggests that the Ultra preset is pushing the 8 GB VRAM capacity and the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth to its absolute limit, causing the GPU to struggle with the increased data transfer required at that resolution and visual fidelity. The passmark DirectX 12 score of 51 indicates that the card's performance under modern APIs is moderate, which is reflected in the game's frame rates under more demanding settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides a robust foundation for this gaming system, ensuring the GPU is not starved of data. With 12 cores and 20 threads, the CPU has substantial multi-threaded capability, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784. Its boost clock of 5.00 GHz and single-thread score of 1850.5 in Cinebench R23 ensure that the game's primary logic thread is handled efficiently.

In Evolve's context, the CPU's role is to manage game physics, AI, and the overall game state. The data suggests that the CPU is fully capable of this task. The 84th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287, places it well ahead of the GPU's 63rd percentile standing. This disparity in relative performance means that the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any of the tested settings.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 allows for flexible system builds, though the measured FPS data is likely tied to a specific configuration. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache provides a large pool for frequently accessed data, which helps maintain smooth frame pacing. Even at the lowest tested settings (1080p Low), where the game engine is doing the least work, the CPU's performance is sufficient to allow the GPU to produce 147 FPS. This high frame rate at low settings further confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is still able to reach its maximum output without being held back by processor limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 is positioned at rank 2877 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places the system in the 22nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that roughly 78% of other combos in the database deliver higher performance in this specific title. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's mid-range position, as the CPU is a high-end part that is not holding the system back.

The ranking indicates that this is not a high-end gaming setup for Evolve, but it is also not at the very bottom. It is a system that can handle the game at acceptable frame rates at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows that the combo's performance is more aligned with the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's. For instance, the GPU's average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, which has a deltaPct of 0. The CPU, on the other hand, has rivals with scores within a fraction of a percent of its own, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T with a deltaPct of -0.1. This suggests that the combo's rank is primarily determined by the GPU's tier.

The rank of 2877 out of 3700 suggests that while the system is capable of running the game, users should not expect high-refresh-rate experiences at high resolutions. It is a pairing that offers balanced performance for its class, where the CPU's strength allows the GPU to perform to its full potential, but the GPU's inherent limits cap the overall experience. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield a significant improvement in Evolve's frame rates, while upgrading the CPU would result in minimal gains.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 89 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 60 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 34 FPS, a further 26 FPS drop. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing power.

The scaling trend is even more pronounced at the Ultra settings. The combo manages 62 FPS at 1080p Ultra, but this drops to 41 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and then plummets to 24 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is a 61% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the RX 6600's 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient to handle the massive increase in fragment processing required at 4K with maximum visual effects.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the cause of the scaling. The 1080p Low setting produces an average of 147 FPS, which is a frame rate that requires a capable CPU to feed the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain stagnant or drop significantly across all resolutions. Instead, we see a steady decline in FPS as resolution climbs, from 147 FPS at 1080p Low to 98 FPS at 1440p Low, and finally to 56 FPS at 4K Low. This consistent drop with increasing resolution is the hallmark of a GPU-limited system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across different settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 147, providing a very smooth experience for competitive play. Medium settings yield an average of 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131 FPS, indicating good frame consistency. High settings produce an average of 89 FPS, which is still very playable. Ultra settings drop the average to 62 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

At 2560x1440, the performance is more demanding. The Low setting produces an average of 98 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings result in an average of 76 FPS, with a min of 65 and max of 88 FPS. High settings bring the average down to exactly 60 FPS, which is the threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings reduce the average to 41 FPS, which is borderline playable for single-player but not for competitive multiplayer.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low setting achieves an average of 56 FPS, which is adequate for less demanding play. Medium settings produce an average of 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 and maximum of 50 FPS. High settings drop further to an average of 34 FPS. Ultra settings are nearly unplayable, with an average of just 24 FPS.

The data shows that the only setting where this combo consistently exceeds 100 FPS is at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. For a target of 60 FPS, users must stick to 1080p Ultra or 1440p High. The min and max FPS data available for Medium settings shows that the frame pacing is stable, with no major spikes or drops, which is a positive sign for overall smoothness. The combination of the i7-12700K and RX 6600 is a balanced mid-range pairing that excels at 1080p and can handle 1440p with some compromises, but it is not suited for 4K gaming in Evolve.