Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination. The measured data shows a system with immense headroom, where the choice of settings and resolution dramatically shifts the performance profile. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, with the i7-13700K providing ample support across all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets. At every resolution, the "Low" preset delivers the highest average frame rate, followed by "Medium," "High," and finally "Ultra." This is expected, but the magnitude of the differences is telling. At 1080p, the gap between the "Low" preset's 347 FPS average and the "Ultra" preset's 146 FPS average is 201 frames, a substantial 57.9% reduction in performance when maxing out settings.

For players prioritizing the highest possible frame rates, the "Medium" preset appears to be the optimal balance. At 1080p, it delivers 269 FPS, which is 123 frames higher than "High" and only 78 frames lower than "Low." The "Medium" preset also has the only measured min/max FPS data, showing a range of 229 to 310 FPS at 1080p, indicating a stable window of performance. The story is similar at 1440p, where "Medium" achieves 181 FPS, and at 4K, where it hits 103 FPS. In each case, it provides a significant jump over "High" (39 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K) while remaining far more playable than "Ultra."

The "Ultra" preset, while visually demanding, shows the most significant performance cost. The data shows that at 4K, "Ultra" drops to an average of 56 FPS, which is a 47 FPS decrease from the "High" preset's 81 FPS. This suggests that the "Ultra" preset's additional graphical features create a disproportionate load on the GPU. The analysis suggests that "Medium" is the recommended preset for a high-refresh-rate experience, as it consistently offers a strong frame rate without the steep penalties of "High" or "Ultra." The "Low" preset is available for those seeking maximum FPS, but the data suggests it is unnecessary for most display configurations given the hardware's capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is clearly the central figure in this game's performance. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for handling texture-heavy scenes at high resolutions. The benchmark results show that the GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is the primary driver of frame rates. The GPU's percentile ranking at 87% of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083, places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards.

The GPU's performance is underscored by its nearest rivals in the benchmark database. The data shows it is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. However, it trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier, where small percentage differences separate the top contenders. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with its 10752 shading units, allow it to process the game's rendering workload efficiently.

The relationship between the GPU and the game's settings is evident in the FPS measurements. When moving from "Low" to "Ultra" at 4K, the average FPS drops from 133 to 56. This 77 FPS difference is a direct consequence of the increased shading, texture, and post-processing demands on the RTX 5080. The data suggests that the GPU's capabilities are fully utilized at higher settings, making it the limiting factor in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a pronounced impact of resolution scaling on this hardware combination. The transition from 1080p to 1440p, and then to 4K, shows a clear and consistent decline in average frame rates across all settings. At the "High" preset, the average FPS drops from 211 at 1080p to 142 at 1440p, a 32.7% decrease. The subsequent drop to 81 FPS at 4K represents a further 43.0% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern suggests that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound or at least not fully GPU-bound, given the extremely high frame rates. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, has more than enough processing power to feed the RTX 5080 at this resolution. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the rendering load on the GPU grows exponentially, making the GPU the definitive bottleneck. This is a common pattern in modern gaming, where the CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions.

The data for the "Low" preset reinforces this observation. At 1080p, it achieves 347 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the game engine's draw call processing or CPU single-thread performance. The drop to 233 FPS at 1440p and 133 FPS at 4K is substantial, but the 4K "Low" result is still higher than the 4K "High" result, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The trend across all presets points to the RTX 5080 being the primary constraint in this pairing.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At the "High" preset, it delivers an average of 142 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, while 4K "High" drops to 81 FPS. The 1080p results, while higher, may be limited by the CPU, making 1440p the sweet spot for the GPU.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU benchmark data shows the RTX 5080 is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. It is 2.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE. This indicates a tight grouping in performance, with the RTX 5080 being a top-tier contender.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable for this game?

A: The "Ultra" preset is playable at 1080p and 1440p, with average FPS of 146 and 98 respectively. However, at 4K, it drops to 56 FPS, which may be below the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data suggests that "High" or "Medium" presets are more practical for 4K gaming.

Q: Why does the CPU have a high benchmark score but the game still relies on the GPU?

A: The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19429, indicate its strength in general processing. However, in Evolve, the rendering load is placed on the GPU. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU's frame generation rate exceeds the GPU's rendering capacity.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 4K, the "Low" preset achieves an average of 133 FPS, while the "Ultra" preset achieves an average of 56 FPS. This is a 77 FPS difference, representing a 57.9% reduction in performance. This shows the significant cost of enabling the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the game support high refresh rates at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 1080p, the "Low" preset can reach 347 FPS, and the "Medium" preset can reach 269 FPS. Even the "High" preset achieves 211 FPS. This indicates that the hardware is more than capable of driving a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K serves as a formidable foundation for this gaming system. With 16 cores and 24 threads, it provides substantial multi-threaded processing power, as evidenced by its Passmark multithread score of 45887 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4333 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2529. These figures are critical for game logic, physics calculations, and draw call submission.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals show it is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% behind), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (0.5% ahead). This indicates that the i7-13700K is a top-tier processor, though the competition is extremely close.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role appears to be to feed the GPU with enough data to sustain high frame rates. The 1080p "Low" preset result of 347 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of generating frames at a very high rate. However, the fact that the FPS scales down consistently as resolution increases confirms that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this game at higher resolutions. The CPU's high clock speeds, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, ensure that it can keep up with the GPU's demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system shows exceptional performance. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 347 FPS. The "Medium" preset delivers an average of 269 FPS, with a min of 229 and a max of 310 FPS. The "High" preset yields an average of 211 FPS. The "Ultra" preset produces an average of 146 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but lower than 1080p. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 233 FPS. The "Medium" preset delivers an average of 181 FPS, with a min of 153 and a max of 208 FPS. The "High" preset yields an average of 142 FPS. The "Ultra" preset produces an average of 98 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more demanding. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 133 FPS. The "Medium" preset delivers an average of 103 FPS, with a min of 87 and a max of 118 FPS. The "High" preset yields an average of 81 FPS. The "Ultra" preset produces an average of 56 FPS.

This breakdown shows a consistent pattern: the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced performance, with the only min/max FPS data available indicating a stable frame delivery. The "Ultra" preset, while offering the highest visual quality, comes with a significant performance cost at 4K, falling below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 177th out of 3700 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top 4.8% of all tested configurations, demonstrating that it is a high-end setup capable of delivering excellent performance.

This high ranking is a direct result of the synergy between the CPU and GPU. The CPU's strong single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions, while the GPU's powerful compute and memory capabilities allow it to handle demanding settings at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo is well-suited for Evolve, providing a high level of performance across the board.

The ranking reflects the hardware's capabilities. The GPU's score of 36565 in the Passmark G3D test and the CPU's score of 45887 in the Passmark multithread test are both indicators of their respective strengths. When combined, they form a system that is clearly in the upper echelon of gaming performance, as reflected by its position in the 3700-combo database. The system's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and even 4K on lower presets underscores its strength as a top-tier gaming platform.