Evolve

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti presents an extreme bottleneck scenario in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The CPU is a modern 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake part with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, while the GPU is a 2016 Pascal entry-level card with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. Benchmark results show this combo ranks 3644 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 1.5% of all pairings. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a consistent story: the GTX 1050 Ti is the limiting component at every tested configuration, and the i7-12700K’s substantial compute headroom goes largely unused. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, GPU-specific factors, and practical settings for anyone considering this pairing for Evolve.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly GPU-bound. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 62 at 1920x1080 to 42 at 2560x1440, then to 24 at 3840x2160. That represents a 32% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and another 43% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU that is overwhelmed at higher pixel counts, not a CPU limitation. At High settings, the pattern repeats: 38 FPS at 1080p drops to 25 FPS at 1440p (a 34% loss), then to 14 FPS at 4K (a 44% loss from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are similar across Low and High presets suggests the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, rather than shader load variation.

At Medium settings, which include measured minimum and maximum frame times, the scaling is clearer. At 1080p Medium, the average is 48 FPS with a min of 41 and max of 55. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 32 FPS with a min of 27 and max of 37. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 18 FPS with a min of 16 and max of 21. The gap between min and max is relatively tight at each resolution (14 FPS at 1080p, 10 FPS at 1440p, 5 FPS at 4K), which indicates frame pacing is stable but the overall performance ceiling is low. The 4K Medium result of 18 FPS is barely playable, and the 4K Ultra result of 10 FPS is a slideshow.

The limiting component is unambiguous. The i7-12700K has a 3DMark max-thread score of 9979 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784, which places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. The GTX 1050 Ti, by contrast, sits in the 25th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 4193. In Evolve, the CPU is never the bottleneck—even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system only reaches 62 FPS. A stronger GPU would likely push that number much higher, given the CPU’s headroom. The data shows that resolution scaling is almost perfectly linear with pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-limited system.

Another way to read the scaling: dropping from 4K High (14 FPS) to 4K Low (24 FPS) yields a 71% improvement, but that still leaves the game below 30 FPS. At 1440p, dropping from High (25 FPS) to Low (42 FPS) yields a 68% improvement, crossing into playable territory. At 1080p, the same drop moves from 38 to 62 FPS, a 63% improvement that reaches a smooth frame rate. The diminishing returns of lowering settings at higher resolutions confirm that pixel throughput, not shader complexity, is the wall this GPU hits.

GPU Role

The GTX 1050 Ti’s specifications explain its performance ceiling. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1291 MHz with a boost of 1392 MHz, and memory runs at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The GPU has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 44.54 GPixel/s and texture rate is 66.82 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 2.138 TFLOPS. These are modest numbers for a 2016 card, and they are insufficient for a 2015 game at high resolutions.

In Evolve, the 4 GB VRAM capacity is not the primary issue—the game’s settings do not appear to exceed that limit at any tested preset, as the system runs without reported errors. However, the memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s is likely the bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU must move large amounts of texture and geometry data. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (10 FPS) suggests the GPU is starved for bandwidth, not capacity. At 1080p, the same bandwidth is less of a constraint, allowing the GPU to reach 62 FPS at Low settings.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_1) is relevant because Evolve was released before DX12 became common, but the benchmark results show no DX12-specific advantage or penalty. The GPU’s OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4 support are also present, but the game’s measured performance is consistent with a DX11-era workload. The GPU’s passmark scores are telling: DirectX 11 score is 45, DirectX 12 score is 26, and DirectX 9 score is 104. The higher DX9 score suggests the GPU is better suited to older APIs, which aligns with Evolve’s 2015 release.

The i7-12700K’s integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770) are irrelevant here, as the GTX 1050 Ti is a discrete card. The CPU’s memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, dual-channel bus, and PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes are all more capable than the GPU can utilize. The GPU runs on PCIe 3.0 x16, which is not a bottleneck for this workload, but the GPU’s 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors suggest it is designed for low-power systems, not high-refresh gaming. The suggested PSU of 250 W confirms the GPU’s modest power draw.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (0.6% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (1% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (1.1% lower), and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (1.8% lower). These are all low-end or mobile parts, reinforcing the GTX 1050 Ti’s position in the 25th percentile. In Evolve, this GPU produces playable frame rates only at 1080p with reduced settings, and even then, the 62 FPS at Low is the only result above 60 FPS across all tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 1080p with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 62. At Medium, the average drops to 48 FPS, which is still playable but not consistently smooth. High settings yield 38 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26 FPS. For a stable 60 FPS experience, Low settings are required.

Q: What happens at 1440p with this CPU and GPU?

A: At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 42, which is playable but not ideal. Medium drops to 32 FPS, High to 25 FPS, and Ultra to 17 FPS. The GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom. For 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option for reasonable gameplay.

*Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combo in Evolve?*

A: No. The best 4K result is 24 FPS at Low settings, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium yields 18 FPS, High yields 14 FPS, and Ultra yields 10 FPS. The GTX 1050 Ti lacks the bandwidth and compute power for 4K in this title.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its closest rivals in terms of overall GPU performance?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4193. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (4170, 0.6% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (4151, 1% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (4241, 1.1% lower), and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (4268, 1.8% lower). These differences are small, meaning the GTX 1050 Ti is effectively in the same performance tier as those parts.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems for Evolve?*

A: This combo ranks 3644 out of 3700 tested combinations. That places it in the bottom 1.5% of all pairings, indicating that most other CPU-GPU combos deliver better performance in this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s limitation, not the CPU’s capability.

Q: Does the i7-12700K’s integrated graphics help with this game?

A: No. The benchmark results are measured with the GTX 1050 Ti as the active GPU, and the UHD Graphics 770 is not used. The CPU’s integrated graphics are present but do not contribute to the measured FPS in Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 3644 out of 3700 tested combinations places it in the 1.5th percentile of all systems tested for Evolve. This is a very poor result, driven entirely by the GPU. To contextualize, the CPU alone is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35287. The GPU alone is in the 25th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 4193. When paired, the system performs far worse than the CPU’s individual standing suggests, because the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU’s capabilities.

The nearest CPU rivals to the i7-12700K are the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, delta -0.1%), Intel Core i7-12700KF (avg score 35365, delta -0.2%), Intel Core i7-13700T (avg score 35403, delta -0.3%), and Intel Core 5 213PE (avg score 35428, delta -0.4%). These are all similarly performing CPUs, but in Evolve, the bottleneck is so severe that swapping the CPU for any of these would produce nearly identical FPS. The GPU’s nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M330 (avg score 4170, delta 0.6%), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (avg score 4151, delta 1%), NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (avg score 4241, delta -1.1%), and AMD Radeon Vega 3 (avg score 4268, delta -1.8%). These GPUs are all in the same low-performance tier, so the results would be similar with any of them.

The rank of 3644 means that only 56 tested combos perform worse. This is not a pairing that should be used for Evolve if any other GPU is available. The i7-12700K is a strong processor—its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and Geekbench multi-core score of 15790 are impressive—but it is wasted in this configuration. The data shows that the GPU is the sole determinant of FPS in this game, and the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads provide no benefit at any resolution or setting.

For comparison, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 35287 is about 8.4 times higher than the GPU’s average score of 4193. This massive imbalance is reflected in the game’s actual performance. The combo rank is a clear warning: if you own this CPU, pair it with a much stronger GPU for Evolve. If you own this GPU, pair it with a weaker CPU to save money, as the i7-12700K’s extra performance is irrelevant here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results are as follows:

• Low: 62 average FPS
• Medium: 48 average FPS, with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55
• High: 38 average FPS
• Ultra: 26 average FPS

The jump from Ultra to Low is 36 FPS, a 138% improvement. The gap between Medium and High is 10 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 12 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max range (41-55) shows that frame times are relatively consistent, but the 62 FPS at Low is the only result that hits the 60 FPS mark. For a smooth experience at 1080p, Low is the only reliable choice, though Medium at 48 FPS is acceptable for single-player.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 42 average FPS
• Medium: 32 average FPS, with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37
• High: 25 average FPS
• Ultra: 17 average FPS

The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings is consistent: Low falls 32%, Medium falls 33%, High falls 34%, and Ultra falls 35%. The Medium min/max range (27-37) is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is more consistently saturated. At 1440p, Low is the only preset that stays above 30 FPS (42 FPS), and even that is marginal. Medium at 32 FPS is playable but not ideal, and High and Ultra are not recommended.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 24 average FPS
• Medium: 18 average FPS, with a minimum of 16 and maximum of 21
• High: 14 average FPS
• Ultra: 10 average FPS

The 4K results are uniformly poor. The best case, Low at 24 FPS, is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability. Medium’s min/max range (16-21) shows that even the best-case frame times are low. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep: Low falls 43%, Medium falls 44%, High falls 44%, and Ultra falls 41%. This is a clear sign that the GPU’s memory bandwidth (112.1 GB/s) and pixel rate (44.54 GPixel/s) cannot handle the 8.3 million pixels of 4K.

The measured data also shows that the Medium preset is the only one with min/max values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the spread is 14 FPS (41-55); at 1440p, the spread is 10 FPS (27-37); at 4K, the spread is 5 FPS (16-21). This shrinking spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently bottlenecked, with less variation in frame times. The 4K Medium result of 18 FPS is the most stable of the 4K results, but stability at a low FPS is not useful for gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured results, the only settings that provide a playable experience are at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 62, which is smooth and responsive. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 48 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced game like Evolve, but the min FPS of 41 could cause occasional stutter in intense moments. For a consistent 60 FPS target, Low is the recommended preset.

At 1440p, Low at 42 FPS is the best option, but it is below 60 FPS and may feel less responsive. If you have a 1440p monitor and can tolerate lower frame rates, Medium at 32 FPS is the highest preset that stays above 30 FPS. However, the data suggests that the game is not well-suited to this resolution with this GPU. At 4K, no preset is playable—the highest average is 24 FPS at Low, which is below the standard for enjoyable gaming.

The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 26 FPS, which is a 58% drop from Low. The visual improvements from Ultra are unlikely to compensate for the frame rate loss, especially given the GPU’s age. Similarly, High settings offer a middle ground, but at 1080p High (38 FPS) and 1440p High (25 FPS), the frame rates are too low for a competitive FPS.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Low, which delivers 62 FPS. If you prefer higher visual quality, 1080p Medium at 48 FPS is the second-best option, with a playable average and acceptable minimum of 41 FPS. For any resolution above 1080p, the GPU is not capable of providing a good experience, and lowering settings to Low is the only way to get closer to playability. The core issue is the GTX 1050 Ti’s 4 GB VRAM and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth, which are insufficient for Evolve beyond 1080p. The i7-12700K’s performance is irrelevant to these recommendations, as it is never the limiting factor in any tested configuration.