Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and settings. When paired with the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, the measured data reveals a configuration that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial resources remain largely underutilized. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets, contextualizes the performance against rival hardware, and provides actionable settings recommendations based solely on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 132 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 88 FPS, a 33% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 50 FPS, representing a 62% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. For High settings, the sequence is 80 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and 31 FPS at 4K (a 61% drop from 1080p). Medium settings show 102 FPS, 68 FPS, and 39 FPS, respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another third from 1440p to 4K—is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. The GTX 1070's memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s and its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory are being taxed progressively harder as the pixel count increases, causing the observed scaling.

Crucially, the data does not show any sign of a CPU ceiling being hit at lower resolutions. While the average FPS at 1080p Low is 132, there is no corresponding plateau at higher settings that would indicate the i7-14700F is maxing out. The i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is capable of far higher frame rates than this GPU can deliver. The measured results show a system where the graphics card is the definitive performance ceiling, and any attempt to push higher frame rates must focus on GPU-side settings rather than CPU-related configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 102, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 117. This is the only preset at this resolution that provides min/max data, suggesting a stable frame delivery within that range.

Q: How does the GTX 1070's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 9780. It is 0.2% behind the AMD FirePro W5000, 0.5% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, and 0.6% and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M10 and Tesla C2070, respectively. This places it in a very tight competitive cluster for compute benchmarks.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Evolve?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 3053 out of 3700 tested combos. This places it in the lower percentile of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this system for Evolve?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops by roughly 33% from 1080p to 1440p and another 33% from 1440p to 4K across all settings, which is classic GPU-bound scaling. The CPU's high core count and thread count (20 cores/28 threads) are not reflected in the frame rate at lower resolutions, where the GPU is saturated.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 on Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 68, with a minimum of 58 and a maximum of 79. This is the only data point at 1440p that includes frame time variance information.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F had a launch MSRP of $359. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 had a launch MSRP of 379 USD.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 14th-generation processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 33 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 35122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4958 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 41317 and a single-thread score of 4257. These figures place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620.

For Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load is typically highest relative to the GPU, the frame rate is 132 FPS. This is well within the capabilities of the i7-14700F, which can push far beyond 132 FPS in most titles. The fact that the FPS drops proportionally with resolution increases confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's robust single-core performance (4958 in Cinebench R23) and high multi-threaded throughput are simply not stressed by this game at the tested settings. The 65W TDP of the processor is a thermal design point that allows for sustained boost clocks, but the benchmark results indicate that the game's workload does not require the CPU to operate at its maximum capacity to achieve the measured frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and presets.

At 1920x1080, the highest average FPS is achieved with Low settings at 132 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 117. High settings yield 80 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 55 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77 FPS, which is significant, but the game remains playable at all presets.

At 2560x1440, the averages are substantially lower. Low settings deliver 88 FPS, Medium produces 68 FPS (with a range of 58 to 79), High drops to 54 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a consistent 33% reduction in frame rate for each corresponding preset, illustrating the increased pixel load on the GTX 1070.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1070 is clearly overburdened. Low settings manage an average of 50 FPS, Medium falls to 39 FPS (with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 45), High drops to 31 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 21 FPS. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that falls below the 30 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience.

The min/max data is only provided for Medium settings at each resolution: 87-117 at 1080p, 58-79 at 1440p, and 33-45 at 4K. This suggests that Medium settings provide a more stable frame time delivery, whereas other presets may have higher variance, though this is not explicitly captured in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Evolve, this combination of an Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is ranked 3053 out of 3700 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 17% of all configurations tested for this game. This rank is a reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing; the GTX 1070 sits in the 47th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9780.

The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part, ranking in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank in-game underscores the fact that the GPU is the performance anchor. The i7-14700F's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Xeon 6505P, have near-identical average scores, but pairing them with a faster GPU would likely yield a much better in-game rank. The GTX 1070's nearest rivals, the AMD FirePro W5000 and NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, show that it is competitive with other lower-tier cards, but it is not in the same league as the GPUs that would typically be paired with a 14th-gen i7 to achieve a top-tier rank in a demanding FPS like Evolve.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the High preset at 80 FPS offers an excellent balance between visual quality and smoothness. For players prioritizing maximum frame rate, Low at 132 FPS is the best choice, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. Medium at 102 FPS is a strong middle ground, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with better visuals than Low. Ultra at 55 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced competitive play where a higher refresh rate is desirable.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 68 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the only one that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Low at 88 FPS is smoother, but High at 54 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS dip below the 60 FPS threshold, which can lead to less fluid gameplay. The data shows that Medium is the sweet spot for 1440p, offering a playable experience without compromising too much on detail.

For 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low at 50 FPS is the only preset that approaches a playable level, but it is still below 60 FPS. Medium at 39 FPS and High at 31 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 21 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay. Given the data, 4K gaming with this combo is only viable with the Low preset, and even then, the experience may not be smooth enough for all users. The GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the textures, but the GPU's compute throughput is the limiting factor at this resolution.

The recommendation is to use Medium settings for the best experience, as it is the only preset that provides min/max FPS data, indicating a more consistent frame pacing across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium yields 102 FPS; at 1440p, it yields 68 FPS; and at 4K, it yields 39 FPS. This preset offers a balanced approach that avoids the visual degradation of Low while not overburdening the GPU like High or Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture GPU built on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The GPU's compute capabilities include a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s, with an FP32 throughput of 6.463 TFLOPS. The card has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W power supply.

In the context of Evolve, the GTX 1070 is the primary determinant of frame rate. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is directly tied to the GPU's ability to process pixels. The 256.3 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the higher demand for texture data and fill rate causes performance to drop sharply. The GPU's 47th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 9780, places it in the mid-range category. Its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro W5000, NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, NVIDIA Tesla M10, and NVIDIA Tesla C2070, all of which have similar average scores.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is adequate for the game's requirements at all tested settings, as no memory-related stuttering is indicated in the data. However, the compute power is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, as evidenced by the 21 FPS average on Ultra. The GTX 1070's DirectX 12 support (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are modern enough for the game, but the raw performance is the limiting factor. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing, and any performance improvements would require a more powerful graphics card.