Evolve

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a stark contrast in capabilities: a high-end 12th Gen desktop processor from late 2021 meets a low-power integrated-class GPU from early 2026. Benchmark data for Evolve shows this combination is heavily constrained by graphics performance, with the CPU’s substantial multi-threading and single-thread potential left largely untapped at every resolution and settings preset. The measured frame rates indicate that this pairing is only suitable for achieving playable performance at 1080p with reduced graphical settings, and even then, the experience is modest by modern standards.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in Evolve?*

A: This pairing ranks 2639 out of 2872 tested combos in the game, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its benchmark percentile is 5 versus the CPU’s 85.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF compare to its closest rivals in general processing power?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 35365, which places it within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305) and within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287). It is also nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403, a delta of -0.1%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for achieving 60 FPS or higher at 1080p?

A: The only measured preset that averages above 60 FPS at 1920x1080 is Low, which delivers an average of 80 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS, while High averages 49 FPS and Ultra averages 34 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K with this combo?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 80 FPS at 1920x1080 to 31 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 49 FPS. At Medium settings, it falls from 62 FPS to 24 FPS, and at High settings, it goes from 49 FPS to 19 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and clock speed?

A: The Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, and bus width are all system-dependent. Its base clock is 300 MHz, and its boost clock is 2400 MHz.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rates seen in Evolve?*

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU scores in the 85th percentile. The sharp FPS drops with increasing resolution and settings are classic signs of a GPU bottleneck.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the decisive component in this pairing for Evolve. Its performance profile is entry-level, as evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184. This score places the GPU in the 5th percentile of all tested GPUs, putting it in direct competition with much older parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, a delta of -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%). The Arc B370 is only 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). This level of performance is fundamentally unsuited for high-resolution or high-detail gaming.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is also a critical factor. It relies entirely on System Shared memory, with the type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This means the GPU is borrowing from the main system memory, which is typically slower than dedicated VRAM and shares bandwidth with the CPU. The base clock is just 300 MHz, ramping up to a boost clock of 2400 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable, the low base and the shared memory architecture bottleneck the effective throughput.

In Evolve, these characteristics translate directly into the measured frame rates. The GPU’s rendering capabilities, with 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at higher settings. At 1080p, the GPU can push an average of 80 FPS on Low, but this drops to 62 FPS on Medium and 49 FPS on High. The step to Ultra is catastrophic, falling to 34 FPS. This pattern shows a GPU that is overwhelmed by the increased shader complexity and texture detail, regardless of the CPU's ability to feed it data.

The GPU’s low percentile ranking compared to the CPU’s high ranking confirms this analysis. The i7-12700KF is a powerful processor, but in this configuration, it is essentially waiting on the Arc B370. The data shows that the GPU is the sole determinant of playability, and its performance ceiling is low. Any attempt to increase visual fidelity is met with a disproportionate drop in frame rate, a clear sign that the GPU has run out of computational resources. The fact that the GPU is an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) with a 25 W TDP and no power connectors further underscores its limited role as a low-power solution, not a gaming workhorse.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable settings for a consistently playable experience are at 1080p with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 80 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset at 1080p is a borderline option, averaging 62 FPS but with a measured minimum of 53 FPS, which could lead to noticeable stuttering in intense scenes. The High preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a smooth FPS experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces an average of 34 FPS at 1080p, which drops to a slideshow-like 13 FPS at 4K.

If a user must play at 1440p, the Low preset is the only choice, delivering an average of 54 FPS. This is playable, though not ideal. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which will feel choppy. High at 1440p averages 33 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 23 FPS. At 4K, no preset is playable; the best result is Low at 31 FPS, and Ultra is a non-functional 13 FPS.

The data suggests a clear strategy: prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The performance cost of moving from Low to Medium is significant, with a 22.5% drop in FPS at 1080p (from 80 to 62). The cost of moving from Medium to High is another 21% drop (from 62 to 49). The jump to Ultra is the most punishing, costing 30.6% of the Medium’s frame rate (from 62 to 34). Given these steep penalties, the modest visual improvements of higher presets are not worth the loss in smoothness.

For the best experience, users should stick to 1080p Low. This provides a solid 80 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS target. While 1440p Low is playable at 54 FPS, it is a compromise that brings the user closer to the minimum FPS territory. The measured minimums for Medium settings (53 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K) suggest that even this preset can have frame time spikes that are noticeable. The Low preset is the only one that appears to avoid these issues, offering a more stable experience. Therefore, the recommendation is unequivocal: 1920x1080 with Low settings is the best measured configuration for this combo in Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2639 out of 2872 places this system in the bottom portion of all tested configurations for Evolve. This is a poor result, driven almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700KF, is a high-performance part with an average benchmark score of 35365, putting it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all similarly powerful chips: the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.1%), the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.2%), the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, 0.2%). This indicates that the processor is not the issue.

In contrast, the GPU’s performance is abysmal by comparison. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This massive disparity between the CPU’s 85th percentile and the GPU’s 5th percentile means the system is wildly unbalanced for gaming. The frame rates in Evolve reflect this imbalance. The CPU has the power to process game logic and physics at very high speeds, but the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands.

The data shows that the i7-12700KF is being severely held back. In a balanced system, this CPU could support a much more powerful GPU, resulting in far higher frame rates. However, with the Arc B370, the system is effectively a low-end gaming machine. The combo rank is a direct consequence of this bottleneck. It is not a measure of the CPU’s capability, but rather a measure of the entire system’s output, which is limited by its weakest link. The ranking is so low because the weakest link is exceptionally weak for a desktop gaming context, despite the CPU being a top-tier part. This pairing is a clear example of how a powerful processor cannot compensate for an underpowered graphics solution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 80 at 1920x1080, to 54 at 2560x1440, and finally to 31 at 3840x2160. This represents a 32.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total loss from 1080p to 4K is 61.25%. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU that is overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

At Medium settings, the same trend is visible, with averages of 62 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.3%, and from 1440p to 4K is 42.9%. At High settings, the averages are 49 FPS, 33 FPS, and 19 FPS, respectively. The percentage drops are 32.7% and 42.4%. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings presets is a strong indicator that the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, rather than the CPU.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively constant as resolution increases, because the CPU’s workload (game logic, draw calls) does not scale with resolution. However, the data shows a steep and consistent decline, which is the hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. The GPU is responsible for rendering the image, and as the number of pixels increases from 2.07 million (1080p) to 8.29 million (4K), the GPU’s workload quadruples. The Arc B370, with its 20 ROPs and shared memory, simply cannot handle the increased load.

The measured minimum FPS data for Medium settings reinforces this. At 1080p, the minimum is 53 FPS, but at 1440p, it falls to 35 FPS, and at 4K, it crashes to 20 FPS. This shows that not only does the average performance degrade, but the frame pacing also becomes more erratic, leading to a worse experience. The data indicates that the Intel Core i7-12700KF has ample headroom and is never the limiting factor in this game. The resolution scaling is a textbook example of a GPU-limited scenario, where the processor’s performance is irrelevant beyond a certain point because the graphics card cannot deliver more frames.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Evolve with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B370 is as follows.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset yields the highest average frame rate of 80 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 49 FPS. The Ultra preset is the slowest at 1080p, with an average of 34 FPS. No minimum or maximum FPS values are provided for the Low, High, or Ultra presets at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 54 FPS. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset averages 33 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. Again, only the Medium preset has reported minimum and maximum FPS values.

At 3840x2160, the performance is largely unplayable. The Low preset averages 31 FPS. The Medium preset averages 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS. The High preset averages 19 FPS. The Ultra preset averages a very low 13 FPS. As with the other resolutions, only the Medium preset includes minimum and maximum FPS data.

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy. At every resolution, Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is significant, as is the gap between High and Ultra. The Medium preset's reported frame ranges are useful for understanding stability. For instance, at 1080p, the Medium preset has a 19 FPS range (53 to 72), which indicates some variability. At 1440p, the range is 13 FPS (35 to 48), and at 4K, it narrows to 7 FPS (20 to 27), but the absolute frame rates are too low to be useful.

The only configuration that approaches a consistently smooth experience is 1080p Low, with an 80 FPS average. The 1080p Medium preset is borderline, with a 62 FPS average but a minimum that dips to 53 FPS. For users who prioritize a stable frame rate, the 1080p Low preset is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. All other settings and resolutions result in average frame rates below 60 FPS, with the higher resolutions and settings falling well below playable levels. The data is definitive: this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at the lowest graphical settings.