Evolve

Evolve pairs a 16-core, 24-thread Intel Core i7-13700K with a 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, and the benchmark data shows a combination defined by extreme component imbalance. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor with a 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is a much older, entry-level Pascal part with a 1291 MHz base and 1392 MHz boost clock. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings indicate that the GTX 1050 Ti is the overwhelming bottleneck, with the i7-13700K's substantial compute resources largely left idle during gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a Raptor Lake-S architecture processor built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads. Its benchmark profile is exceptionally strong, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all tested CPUs. In synthetic workloads, the processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, demonstrating both high multi-threaded throughput and strong per-core performance. The 3DMark results reinforce this, with a max-threads score of 12412 and a single-thread score of 1136.

For a game like Evolve, which is an FPS title from 2015, the CPU's role is primarily to feed frames to the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 62.7 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This suggests that even with a modest GPU load, the i7-13700K can push the GTX 1050 Ti to its limits at lower settings. The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for game logic and physics calculations. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13700KF (deltaPct: -0.1) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (deltaPct: 0.3), indicating that its raw compute capability is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

However, the game's performance does not scale with the CPU's capabilities. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 23.4 FPS, which is a 62.7% reduction from the Low setting. This dramatic drop is not attributable to the CPU, which has ample headroom. Instead, the data points to the GPU as the primary constraint, as the CPU's benchmark scores (e.g., PassMark multithread score of 45887) are far beyond what any 2015-era game would require. In essence, the i7-13700K is overqualified for Evolve, and its performance characteristics are effectively irrelevant once the GPU becomes saturated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU with 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are modest, with a base of 1291 MHz and a boost of 1392 MHz, and its FP32 compute is rated at 2.138 TFLOPS. Benchmark results place this GPU in the 30th percentile among all tested GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 6340 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (deltaPct: 0) and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (deltaPct: 0.7), underscoring its low-end positioning.

In Evolve, the GTX 1050 Ti is the decisive factor in frame rate outcomes. At 1080p, the GPU delivers 62.7 FPS at Low settings, but this falls to 49.1 FPS at Medium and 34.9 FPS at High. The most demanding setting, Ultra, yields only 23.4 FPS. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth and shading capacity as graphical complexity increases. The 4 GB VRAM is likely a constraint at Ultra settings, where texture and geometry demands can exceed the available memory, causing the frame rate to plummet.

The GPU's compute benchmarks reinforce its limitations. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 45 and DirectX 12 score of 26 are both very low, indicating weak support for modern rendering APIs. Even the Geekbench Vulkan score of 19851, while higher, cannot compensate for the hardware's modest specifications. The data clearly shows that the GTX 1050 Ti is the binding constraint in this combo, and its performance is insufficient to provide a smooth experience at any setting above Medium at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance gradient as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 62.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 42.9 FPS, a 31.6% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 24.9 FPS, which is a 60.3% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern is nearly linear with the increase in pixel count, indicating that the GPU's fill rate is the primary limiter.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p High, the system runs at 34.9 FPS, but at 1440p High it drops to 24.7 FPS, and at 4K High it falls to 12.7 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is a 63.6% reduction, which is slightly larger than the Low setting reduction, suggesting that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are both overwhelmed at higher resolutions and quality levels. At Ultra settings, the situation is dire: 1080p Ultra yields 23.4 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 14.6 FPS, and 4K Ultra produces just 8.9 FPS.

These numbers indicate that the limiting component shifts definitively to the GPU at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The CPU's performance is invariant to resolution, as its workload does not change with pixel count, but the GPU's workload increases quadratically with resolution. The data shows that the GTX 1050 Ti cannot maintain playable frame rates at 1440p or 4K under any settings, and even at 1080p, only Low settings approach a 60 FPS target. The i7-13700K has no role in this degradation, as its compute resources are far in excess of what Evolve requires.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1691 out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the bottom 0.2% of all configurations. This rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's severe bottleneck, as the CPU's high percentile ranking (93rd) is offset by the GPU's low percentile ranking (30th). The data indicates that this pairing is among the least effective for this game, despite the CPU's flagship-level performance.

The rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the mismatch between the two components. In the context of Evolve, the GTX 1050 Ti's average benchmark score of 5316 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297, deltaPct: 0.4), a mobile-class GPU. This means the combo's performance is effectively that of a low-end laptop GPU strapped to a high-end desktop CPU. The 1691st rank out of 1695 combos underscores that this pairing provides one of the worst experiences in the database for this title.

Benchmark results indicate that the combo's frame rates at 1080p Low (62.7 FPS) are its only redeeming quality, but this is still below the 70+ FPS threshold that many modern titles require for smooth play. At any higher setting or resolution, the frame rates fall below 50 FPS, rendering the combo unsuitable for competitive or visually demanding play. The rank serves as a clear warning that pairing a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU yields diminishing returns, as the GPU becomes the sole determinant of game performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1080p Low is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate, yielding 62.7 FPS. All other settings at 1080p produce lower results, with Medium at 49.1 FPS, High at 34.9 FPS, and Ultra at 23.4 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: No. At 4K, the average frame rates range from 24.9 FPS at Low settings to 8.9 FPS at Ultra settings. These results are far below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable playability, indicating the GPU is insufficient for 4K.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 5316, which is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317, deltaPct: 0) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5280, deltaPct: 0.7). Its performance is within 1% of these low-end parts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i7-13700K ranks in the 93rd percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1050 Ti ranks in the 30th percentile among GPUs. The frame rate drops with resolution and settings are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1691 out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the bottom 0.2% of all configurations, indicating a severe performance mismatch.

Q: Does the CPU's high clock speed help in Evolve?

A: The CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock does not translate to higher frame rates because the GPU cannot keep up. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 62.7 FPS, but this is due to the GPU's ability to process simple frames, not the CPU's clock speed, which has ample headroom.