Evolve

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a dominant performance profile in Evolve, with benchmark results showing the CPU providing ample headroom across all tested settings. The data indicates that this pairing ranks in the 94th percentile of all tested combos, placing it 222nd out of 3700 configurations. The measured frames per second reveal a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial multi-threading capabilities ensure that even at 1080p with low settings, the graphics card remains the primary performance limiter.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is built on the Raptor Lake architecture using a 10 nm process, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz can boost up to 5.40 GHz, providing substantial single-threaded performance that is critical for frame pacing in an FPS like Evolve. The processor includes 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, which helps reduce memory latency during gameplay. With a TDP of 125 W, this CPU is designed for sustained high-performance workloads, and its benchmark scores reflect that positioning.

Looking at the synthetic benchmarks, the i7-13700K achieves a single-thread score of 1136 in 3dMark and a multi-thread score of 12412 in the max-threads test. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and single-core score of 2116 further emphasize its strength in both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded scenarios. In the context of Evolve, which is a game from 2015 that does not typically scale beyond a handful of cores, the CPU’s 16-core configuration is more than sufficient. The data suggests that at 1080p with low settings, where the GPU has less work to do, the CPU's single-thread performance ensures that the frame rate can reach 335 FPS without the processor becoming a bottleneck.

The processor’s average benchmark score of 46881 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971, a difference of only -0.2%. This tight competition indicates that the i7-13700K is at the top tier of desktop processors. For Evolve, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra, which drops to 54 FPS, suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at that extreme setting, as the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates as evidenced by the 335 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows that the CPU is never the primary constraint in this combination, with the GPU handling the rendering load across all resolution and settings permutations.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). With 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, the RTX 4080 is designed for high-resolution gaming. The card also includes 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, though these are less relevant for a game like Evolve that does not utilize ray tracing.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 54247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. This indicates that the 4080 is at the very top of the performance hierarchy. In Evolve, the GPU’s role is to handle the rendering of the game’s environments, characters, and effects. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the decisive factor at higher resolutions and settings.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 54, which is a substantial decrease from the 78 FPS at 4K High. This 24 FPS difference (about 31%) highlights the GPU's workload scaling with settings. The 16 GB VRAM is more than adequate for Evolve, even at 4K, as the game was released before 4K textures became standard. The memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s ensures that the GPU can access textures and geometry without stuttering. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU can output 335 FPS, but this is likely limited by the CPU’s frame generation capability, as the GPU’s raw compute power is higher. The RTX 4080’s boost clock of 2505 MHz allows it to maintain high frame rates, but the limiting factor at 4K Ultra is the GPU’s processing capacity, not its memory subsystem.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 204, which drops to 137 at 1440p and further to 78 at 4K. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 43% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The consistent reduction in frame rates as resolution scales indicates that the RTX 4080 is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU’s workload does not increase significantly with resolution.

The Low settings row shows a slightly different pattern. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 335 FPS, which drops to 225 at 1440p and 128 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 33%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 43%. This is a similar trend to the High settings, but the absolute frame rates are higher, which suggests that the GPU is still the limiting factor, but with less rendering work, the CPU has more headroom. The fact that the 1080p Low frame rate of 335 FPS is not higher suggests that the CPU’s single-thread performance is the ceiling at that resolution and settings combination.

Medium settings exhibit the same pattern, with 260 FPS at 1080p, 174 at 1440p, and 99 at 4K. The 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 43% drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The Ultra settings show the lowest frame rates, with 141 FPS at 1080p, 95 at 1440p, and 54 at 4K. The 4K Ultra frame rate of 54 FPS is the only measurement below 60 FPS, confirming that this is the most demanding configuration. The data overall suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is a GPU characteristic.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all combinations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 141 at Ultra to 335 at Low. Specifically, Low settings yield 335 FPS, Medium yields 260 FPS with a minimum of 221 and maximum of 299, High yields 204 FPS, and Ultra yields 141 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 194 FPS, which demonstrates the significant impact of settings on frame rate at this resolution. The Medium setting’s minimum of 221 FPS indicates that frame dips are still well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 225 at Low, 174 at Medium (with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 200), 137 at High, and 95 at Ultra. The Medium setting’s minimum of 148 FPS is still very high, suggesting that the system can maintain smooth gameplay even during intense action sequences. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 130 FPS, which is less than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 128 FPS at Low, 99 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 84 and maximum of 114), 78 FPS at High, and 54 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting’s minimum of 84 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold, but the High and Ultra settings fall below that threshold, with Ultra averaging only 54 FPS. This suggests that for 4K gaming, the Ultra preset is not playable at high refresh rates, but Medium and Low offer smooth experiences. The data shows that the RTX 4080 can handle 4K at Low and Medium settings with frame rates well above 60 FPS, but the Ultra preset is too demanding for this game’s optimization.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 222nd out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. This ranking is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and it reflects the system’s ability to deliver high frame rates consistently. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 and GPU’s percentile rank of 86 are both high, and their combination results in a system that is well-matched for this game.

The nearest rival for the CPU is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971, a delta of -0.2% from the i7-13700K’s 46881. This negligible difference indicates that the CPU is not a differentiator in this ranking. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of 0.1% from the RTX 4080’s 54247. Again, this is a minimal difference. The ranking of 222 out of 3700 is likely driven by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU is more than capable of feeding it.

The data shows that this combo performs exceptionally well, with the 1080p Low frame rate of 335 FPS being among the highest measured for any combination. The 4K Ultra frame rate of 54 FPS is the weakest point, but even this is a playable frame rate for a 2015 game. The ranking suggests that there are 221 combos that perform better, which likely include more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or future generations. However, for the majority of users, this combo delivers excellent performance across all settings and resolutions, with only the 4K Ultra preset requiring compromises.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the resolution and the target frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields 141 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest visual quality. The High preset at 204 FPS offers a significant boost in frame rate with only a minor reduction in visual fidelity, making it the recommended choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 260 FPS is also a viable option for those seeking maximum smoothness, but the visual difference between Medium and High is noticeable in a game like Evolve.

At 1440p, the High preset provides 137 FPS, which is excellent for most monitors. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is still smooth, but the drop from High is 42 FPS, which may not justify the visual gains. The Medium preset at 174 FPS is the best option for high-refresh-rate 1440p displays, as it offers a 27% improvement over High while maintaining a minimum of 148 FPS. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers frame rates that are well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 4K, the situation is different. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, which can result in noticeable stuttering on some displays. The High preset at 78 FPS is the minimum recommended for a smooth experience, as it stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 99 FPS is the best choice for 4K gaming, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still offering better visuals than Low. The Low preset at 128 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 120 Hz or higher 4K display. The data shows that the Medium preset at 4K offers the best experience, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that is 65% higher than Ultra and 27% higher than High. For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset is the recommended compromise, as it avoids the sub-60 FPS territory of Ultra while delivering a clear improvement over Low.