Evolve

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a mixed bag of results in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The data indicates a configuration that is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher presets, while the CPU's robust multi-threaded performance allows for high frame rates at lower graphical loads. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to clarify where this combo excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet steep decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the rate of that decline is highly dependent on the quality settings. At the "Low" preset, the average frame rate drops from 160.2 FPS at 1080p to 108.7 FPS at 1440p, a 32% reduction, and then further down to 61.8 FPS at 4K. This progression shows that even at low settings, the rendering load at 4K is substantial enough to nearly halve the performance seen at 1080p.

The scaling behavior shifts dramatically when moving to higher settings. At the "High" preset, the frame rate goes from 98.6 FPS at 1080p to 66.1 FPS at 1440p, a 33% drop, and then to 39.7 FPS at 4K, a further 40% reduction from 1440p. This steeper decline at higher resolutions and settings strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER's compute and memory bandwidth are becoming the limiting factors. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth and 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are being saturated by the increased pixel count and more complex shading.

The most telling sign of the GPU bottleneck is the "Ultra" preset. At 1080p, the combo manages 66.1 FPS, but at 1440p, this falls to 43.2 FPS. At 4K Ultra, performance collapses to 25.3 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth, playable gameplay. The performance gap between resolutions is not linear; the transition from 1440p to 4K on Ultra incurs a 41% performance hit, whereas the transition from 1080p to 1440p only incurs a 35% hit. This indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem and pixel fill rate are being overwhelmed by the 4K Ultra workload, making this resolution and setting combination impractical for this hardware.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Evolve?*

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 with "High" settings is a strong choice, yielding an average of 98.6 FPS. For higher refresh rate monitors, the 1080p "Low" preset at 160.2 FPS or the 1440p "Low" preset at 108.7 FPS are the best options for maximum fluidity.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 108.7 FPS on "Low" to 43.2 FPS on "Ultra". This represents a 60% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality settings, showing the significant cost of the "Ultra" preset.

*Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER capable of 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: The benchmark results indicate it is only viable at the "Low" preset, where it achieves 61.8 FPS. At "High" and "Medium" settings, the frame rate is 39.7 FPS and 45.5 FPS, respectively, and at "Ultra" it falls to 25.3 FPS, which is not smooth.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic tests?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355. This places it within a 0.3% margin of the Intel Core i5-13600T (35256) and the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35289), and it is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 (35336). It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416) by 0.2%.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at the "High" preset?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 "High" is 98.6 FPS, while at 3840x2160 "High" it is 39.7 FPS. This is a 60% reduction in average FPS, a significant drop that illustrates the resolution's impact on the GPU.

Q: Does the 12-core, 20-thread CPU configuration help in this game?

A: The i7-12700KF's strong CPU performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979, likely ensures the processor does not bottleneck the GPU, especially at 1080p. The data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor primarily at higher resolutions, implying the CPU has ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations for Evolve, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER holds the rank of 1204 out of 1695 total combos. This places it in the bottom third of all tested systems for this game, indicating that while it is capable of playable performance, many other hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking is a summary metric, and the FPS breakdown shows that the position is largely dragged down by the weak performance at 4K Ultra and the inability to maintain high frame rates at higher quality settings.

The rank of 1204 out of 1695 (top 71st percentile) is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range standing. The RTX 2060 SUPER's percentileVsAllGpus is 63, meaning it performs better than 63% of all GPUs in the database. However, in a demanding title like Evolve, this translates to a configuration that is not optimized for the highest echelons of performance. The strong CPU, which sits in the 89th percentileVsAllCpus, is not the limiting factor; the pairing's overall rank confirms the GPU's inability to keep pace at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that this combo is best positioned for 1080p gaming. The rank would likely be significantly higher if the analysis were restricted to 1080p benchmarks, where the combo achieves a minimum of 66.1 FPS even on "Ultra". However, the inclusion of 1440p and 4K results in the overall rank, where performance falls below 60 FPS on any setting above "Low", pulls the combined score down.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 160.2 FPS, the "Medium" preset hits 124.4 FPS, and the "High" preset maintains a solid 98.6 FPS. Even the demanding "Ultra" preset yields a playable 66.1 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for this hardware, offering excellent fluidity across all settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance becomes more constrained. The "Low" preset delivers a very good 108.7 FPS, and "Medium" is still smooth at 84.8 FPS. The "High" preset drops to 66.1 FPS, which is still acceptable for most players. However, the "Ultra" preset falls to 43.2 FPS, which begins to feel less responsive for a fast-paced FPS. This resolution represents a trade-off between visual quality and frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The "Low" preset is the only one that provides a playable experience, with an average of 61.8 FPS. The "Medium" and "High" presets drop to 45.5 FPS and 39.7 FPS, respectively, which are borderline for a competitive title. The "Ultra" preset is not viable for serious play, with an average of only 25.3 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: the GPU cannot sustain 60 FPS at 4K except under the lowest graphical load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the component that defines this combo's limits in Evolve. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical resource for texture-heavy scenes at high resolutions. The benchmark results show that this bandwidth is insufficient for the demands of 4K "Ultra" settings, leading to the observed 25.3 FPS average. The GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply not enough to process the increased pixel count at 4K efficiently.

The card's clock speeds, with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz, are typical for its class. These clocks, combined with the 2176 shading units, determine the raw compute throughput. While these specifications provide adequate performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming on medium to high settings, they are insufficient for the heavier workloads. The data strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck in this system for Evolve, particularly when resolution and settings are pushed. The CPU, with its high Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979, is rarely the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low. The GPU's performance ceiling is what caps the overall experience, and its 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs accurately reflects its mid-range capability in this context.