Evolve

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a fascinating dataset in Evolve, a 2015 FPS that is far more demanding on the GPU at higher resolutions than its age might suggest. The measured results show a clear hierarchy: this combo ranks 65th out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of systems, but the frame rates across presets reveal that even this flagship hardware struggles to maintain 4K Ultra at playable levels. The data indicates a system where the RTX 5090 dominates the workload at 4K, while the i7-13700K’s strong multi-threaded performance becomes the limiting factor only at lower resolutions and lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the shape of that curve reveals which component is under the most stress. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 378 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 254 FPS, a reduction of 124 FPS or roughly 33%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 145 FPS, which is 233 FPS below the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step costs a significant percentage of performance—indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting to feed the massive frame rates.

The Medium preset provides the most complete dataset, as it is the only preset with both min and max FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 294 FPS with a minimum of 250 and a maximum of 338. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 197 FPS (min 168, max 227). At 4K Medium, the average falls to 112 FPS (min 95, max 129). The gap between 1080p and 1440p Medium is 97 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K Medium is 85 FPS. This relatively even scaling suggests that the RTX 5090’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and 32 GB of GDDR7 are being progressively saturated as pixel count rises, but the GPU still has enough headroom to maintain playable frame rates at Medium across all resolutions.

High settings show a similar pattern. At 1080p High, the average is 231 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 155 FPS (a 76 FPS decrease). At 4K High, the average is 88 FPS (a 67 FPS further decrease). The Ultra preset is the most punishing: 1080p Ultra yields 160 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 107 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 61 FPS. The data shows that from 1080p to 4K on Ultra, the frame rate drops by 99 FPS, which is a 62% reduction. This steep decline points to the RTX 5090’s raw compute limits—its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully exercised at 4K Ultra, where the game’s effects and draw distance overwhelm even this top-tier card.

The limiting component analysis is clear: at 1080p and 1440p with Low and Medium presets, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads are needed to process the game’s AI and physics at frame rates above 200. At 4K, particularly with High and Ultra settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the sub-100 FPS averages that cannot be improved by the CPU’s single-thread performance (2,116 in Cinebench R23 single-core). The data suggests that for this 2015 title, the RTX 5090 is the decisive factor at 4K, while the i7-13700K remains sufficient but not overkill at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 65 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. That places it in the top 1.8% of all systems tested, which is an exceptional result for a game released in 2015. The percentile data supports this: the CPU is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. When combined, the system’s performance in Evolve exceeds what either component’s individual percentile would suggest, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this title.

The rank of 65 means there are 64 other combos that deliver higher average FPS in Evolve. Given the RTX 5090’s position as the top consumer GPU in the pack, those higher-ranked combos likely feature even more overclocked or higher-binned versions of similar hardware, or perhaps configurations with faster memory. The i7-13700K’s nearest CPU rivals provide context: the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971 average vs the i7’s 46,881, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7 is essentially tied with that Ryzen. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is also within -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX is 0.5% ahead. This tells us that the CPU is not a differentiator in this ranking—the GPU is what pushes this combo to rank 65.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score are surprising: the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (0.3% behind), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.1% behind). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% ahead at 80,959. These are not gaming GPUs, but the benchmark scores place the RTX 5090 in their company, which underscores its raw compute power. In Evolve specifically, the 92nd percentile GPU rank and the 65th combo rank out of 3700 indicate that the RTX 5090 is performing near its theoretical maximum, with only a handful of exotic or newer configurations beating it.

The data shows that this combo is not just fast—it is consistently fast across presets. The 4K Ultra average of 61 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, which many combos cannot achieve. The 1080p Low average of 378 FPS is among the highest measured in the database for this game. The rank of 65 is a strong verdict: this is a top-tier configuration for Evolve, and users seeking higher frame rates would need to look at overclocked variants or future hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the star of this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. In a game like Evolve, which was released in 2015 and likely has texture pools designed for older hardware, 32 GB is far more than needed, but the bandwidth is what matters. The 1.79 TB/s allows the GPU to feed its 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs without starvation, which is why the 4K Medium preset can still hit 112 FPS average with a minimum of 95 FPS.

The clocks are also relevant. The base clock is 2017 MHz, and the boost clock is 2407 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective. These clocks, combined with the 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, explain why the 4K Ultra preset only manages 61 FPS. At Ultra, the game likely enables heavy post-processing and shadow effects that stress the ROPs and pixel rate. The 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is the theoretical fill rate, and at 4K (8.3 million pixels per frame), the GPU can theoretically fill over 50,000 frames per second, but the actual FPS is limited by shader complexity and memory latency, not just fill rate.

The RTX 5090’s benchmark results provide additional context. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355, which is a strong result for a modern GPU running a synthetic workload. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 334,370 and Vulkan score of 376,728 show that the GPU excels at compute tasks. The PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and G2D score of 1,413 are less relevant to gaming but indicate general graphics capability. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 79,842 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, confirming that it is one of the fastest cards available.

In Evolve specifically, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s alien environments and monster effects. The data shows that the RTX 5090 can handle 4K High at 88 FPS average, which is a playable experience, but 4K Ultra at 61 FPS is borderline. The step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 27 FPS (from 88 to 61), which is a 31% drop. This suggests that Ultra enables features that are particularly taxing on the GPU’s shading units. The 5 nm process node and 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die are the physical reasons why this GPU can sustain such high performance, but even that hardware has limits when pushed to maximum settings at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience per preset depends on the resolution target. For 4K, the data shows that Medium is the sweet spot. The 4K Medium average of 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and maximum of 129 FPS is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. In contrast, 4K High drops to 88 FPS average, which is still playable but with less headroom for dips. 4K Ultra at 61 FPS average is technically above 60 FPS, but the lack of min/max data means there is no guarantee that it won’t drop below 60 during intense scenes. Therefore, for 4K, Medium is recommended for a consistently smooth experience, while High is viable for those who prioritize visuals over a safety margin.

For 1440p, the data suggests that High is the best choice. The 1440p High average of 155 FPS is excellent, and it is more than double the 4K Ultra average. The 1440p Medium average of 197 FPS is even higher, but the visual fidelity difference between Medium and High in a 2015 game may not be worth the 42 FPS trade-off. The 1440p Ultra average of 107 FPS is also acceptable, but it is only 68% of the High average. Given that High delivers 155 FPS, which is well above any refresh rate except the highest-end 240Hz monitors, High is the recommended preset for 1440p.

For 1080p, the data shows that Ultra is the best experience. The 1080p Ultra average of 160 FPS is above the 1440p High average, and it provides the highest visual quality. The 1080p High average of 231 FPS is smoother, but the Ultra preset offers a better balance of visuals and performance. The 1080p Medium average of 294 FPS and Low average of 378 FPS are for esports-style play where frame rate is king, but for Evolve, which is a cooperative shooter with a strong visual component, Ultra at 160 FPS is the recommended pick. The data shows that the i7-13700K is capable of feeding the RTX 5090 enough data at 1080p to sustain these high frame rates, as evidenced by the 378 FPS Low result.

The verdict across all resolutions is that Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p provide the best measured experience. The 4K Medium preset is particularly notable because it is the only 4K preset with min/max data (95-129 FPS), which gives confidence in its consistency. Users with 4K monitors should prioritize Medium, while 1080p users can maximize settings without sacrificing smoothness.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1080p Ultra delivers 160 FPS average, which is the highest visual quality with excellent performance. For 1440p, High is recommended at 155 FPS average. For 4K, Medium is the best choice at 112 FPS average with a minimum of 95 FPS, as 4K Ultra only reaches 61 FPS average.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 65th out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve, placing it in the top 1.8% of all systems. The CPU is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting component. The 4K Ultra preset only achieves 61 FPS average, while at 1080p Low the combo hits 378 FPS. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is being fully utilized at 4K, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops from 1440p to 4K.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46,881. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46,654 (+0.5% delta). This means the i7 is essentially tied with these CPUs, none of which would meaningfully change the combo’s rank in Evolve.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and why does it matter?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. This large bandwidth allows the GPU to feed its 21,760 shading units efficiently, which is why the 4K Medium preset can maintain 112 FPS average with a minimum of 95 FPS. The memory size is excessive for a 2015 game, but the bandwidth is crucial for high-resolution performance.

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

A: Technically yes, as the 4K Ultra average is 61 FPS. However, this is only 1 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, and there is no min/max data to confirm stability. The data suggests that 4K Medium (112 FPS average) or 4K High (88 FPS average) are safer choices for a consistent experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K plays a supporting but essential role in this combo. With 16 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5090 in Evolve. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and single-core score of 2,116 show that this is a high-performance processor for both threaded and lightly-threaded workloads. In Evolve, which is an FPS with AI-driven monsters and physics, the multi-threaded performance is what allows the game to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The CPU’s benchmark results provide context. The PassMark multi-thread score is 45,887, and the single-thread score is 4,333. The Geekbench multi-core score is 19,429, and single-core is 2,529. These scores indicate that the i7-13700K is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, which is high but not the absolute top. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 0.5% of its 46,881 average, so the CPU is not a differentiator in this ranking.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role becomes apparent at 1080p. The 1080p Low average of 378 FPS is far above what the GPU can handle at 4K, so the CPU must be processing the game’s logic fast enough to not bottleneck. The i7-13700K’s 24 threads and 5.40 GHz boost clock allow it to do this. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 and max-thread score of 12,412 show that the CPU scales well with thread count, which is useful for Evolve’s multi-threaded engine.

However, the CPU’s role diminishes at 4K. The data shows that the 4K Ultra average of 61 FPS is far below the 1080p Low average, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s single-thread performance (2,116 in Cinebench R23) is more than sufficient for Evolve’s game logic, which is why the FPS drops are so steep as resolution increases. The CPU is not holding the RTX 5090 back at 4K; the GPU is simply running out of compute power.

The i7-13700K’s cache configuration—80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3—is generous and helps reduce memory latency. The memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, means the CPU can access system memory quickly, though the data does not specify which memory type was used in testing. The 125W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 are the physical requirements, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, though no overclocked results are in the data.

In summary, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 5090 in Evolve. It provides enough multi-threaded performance to sustain 378 FPS at 1080p Low and over 230 FPS at 1080p High, but it is not the limiting factor at 4K. The combo rank of 65 is driven primarily by the GPU’s exceptional performance, while the CPU ensures that no bottleneck occurs at lower resolutions. For users of this combo, the i7-13700K is a reliable foundation that will not hold back the RTX 5090 in this 2015 title.