Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built around asymmetric multiplayer hunting, is a demanding title that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily. In this configuration, the Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a combination that ranks at 3053 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The benchmark data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but which retains enough processing headroom to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The processor includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory via a dual-channel memory bus, and it has 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes from the CPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. It scores 19,784 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 12,229 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, with a single-core score of 1,850.5 in Cinebench R23. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 34,404, and its Geekbench multi-core score is 15,790. The 3DMark results show scaling from 2,065 with 2 threads to 9,979 with max threads, indicating good thread utilization.

For Evolve, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI for the monster and hunters, and physics calculations. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is beneficial for single-thread-heavy tasks, and the 20 threads ensure that background processes do not starve the game of resources. Given the measured FPS data, the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p; the frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, which points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor. The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is at 84, meaning it outperforms 84% of processors in the database, making it far more capable than what Evolve requires at these settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combined system ranks 3053 out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve. This places the combo in the 17th percentile of tested systems, meaning 647 combos performed worse, while 3,052 performed better. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance tier. The GTX 1070 sits at the 47th percentile among all GPUs, which drags the overall combo rank down significantly despite the CPU being in the 84th percentile.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the database, the GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9,780. It sits within 0.7% of the AMD FirePro W5000 (9,803, -0.2% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832, -0.5% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9,724, +0.6% delta), and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 (9,716, +0.7% delta). This clustering indicates that the GTX 1070 is functionally equivalent to these workstation and older professional cards in raw compute, though its gaming-specific drivers and feature set may yield different results in actual gameplay.

The combo's rank of 3053 suggests that while the CPU provides substantial headroom, the GPU is holding back the system in Evolve. For context, the CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (35,305, -0.1% delta), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35,365, -0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403, -0.3% delta). These CPU scores are all within 0.4% of each other, indicating that the i7-12700K is competitively positioned. The bottleneck is clearly the graphics card, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend of diminishing performance as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 80 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops the average to 54 FPS, a 32.5% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 31 FPS, which is a 61.3% drop from 1080p High and a 42.6% drop from 1440p High.

The Low settings show a similar pattern. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 132 FPS. At 1440p Low, this drops to 88 FPS (a 33.3% reduction), and at 4K Low, it falls to 50 FPS (a 62.1% drop from 1080p). Medium settings follow the trend: 1080p Medium delivers 102 FPS, 1440p Medium drops to 68 FPS (33.3% reduction), and 4K Medium falls to 39 FPS (61.8% drop from 1080p). Ultra settings show the steepest drop: 55 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p (32.7% reduction), and 21 FPS at 4K (61.8% drop from 1080p).

The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another one-third from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the determining factor. The CPU's performance headroom is evident because the FPS scales almost exactly with the pixel count increase. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would not drop as dramatically with resolution increases, since the CPU workload would remain relatively constant. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 21 FPS, which is well below playable thresholds, while 1080p Low at 132 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Evolve with this combo at High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the system averages 54 FPS, while 1080p High averages 80 FPS. For a smoother experience, 1080p High is preferable, as 4K High only reaches 31 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: The system drops from 102 FPS at 1080p Medium to 39 FPS at 4K Medium, representing a 61.8% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the 4K performance drop?

A: The GPU is responsible. The frame rate drops by roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another one-third from 1440p to 4K, which matches pixel count scaling, indicating the GTX 1070 is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame time variance at 1440p Medium?

A: At 1440p Medium, the system records an average of 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, showing a 21 FPS variance.

Q: Can the CPU handle higher frame rates than the GPU can output?

A: Yes. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 132 FPS, and the CPU's single-thread score of 1,850.5 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can push even higher, but the GPU's rendering limits the output.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 3053 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 17% of all tested systems in Evolve.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 16 nm process. It has 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, with 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1,506 MHz and a boost clock of 1,683 MHz, with memory running at 2,002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). It has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

The GTX 1070's compute capabilities include 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. Its TDP is 150 W, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU. The card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it compatible with Evolve's API requirements.

In Evolve, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the textures at all settings, as the game's release date of 2015 predates the VRAM-heavy titles of later years. The measured FPS shows that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU does not fail due to memory exhaustion but rather due to raw compute limits. The GTX 1070's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning: it scores 13,498 in PassMark G3D, 44,700 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 22,121 in Geekbench Vulkan. The DirectX 12 PassMark score of 48 is notably lower than the DirectX 11 score of 100, suggesting that the card's DX12 path is weaker, which is relevant for Evolve if the game uses DX12 features.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings optimization. At 1080p, all presets are playable. Low delivers 132 FPS, Medium delivers 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, High delivers 80 FPS, and Ultra delivers 55 FPS. For competitive play or smooth 60 Hz displays, Medium at 1080p is the best balance, offering 102 FPS with a minimum above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the choices narrow. Low delivers 88 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. Medium delivers 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays but acceptable. High delivers 54 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. For the best experience at 1440p, Low at 88 FPS provides the most consistent frame pacing, while Medium at 68 FPS is viable for those prioritizing visual quality.

At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable experience at 50 FPS. Medium at 39 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold but might be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. High at 31 FPS and Ultra at 21 FPS are not recommended for smooth play. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is not suited for 4K gaming in Evolve beyond the lowest settings.

The optimal configuration is 1080p Medium, which delivers 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, ensuring no significant frame drops. If visual fidelity is paramount, 1440p Low at 88 FPS offers a solid experience with high frame rates. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it incurs a 31% performance penalty over High at 1080p (55 FPS vs 80 FPS) for marginal visual gains.