Evolve

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a classic bottleneck scenario in Evolve, where the 6 GB GPU limits performance at higher resolutions while the 20-core CPU remains largely underutilized. The data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases; the combo delivers a playable 74.4 FPS average at 1080p High but drops to 27.5 FPS at 4K High, indicating the graphics card is the primary constraint. This falls in the 1469th position out of 1695 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower tier of configurations, though the CPU’s high benchmark percentile suggests it is not the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: performance degrades by roughly 31% when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (74.4 → 52.6 FPS), and then by another 48% when stepping up to 4K (52.6 → 27.5 FPS). This nonlinear drop is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload, where the 6 GB frame buffer and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth of the GTX 1660 SUPER become saturated as pixel count increases. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 19.6 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, while 4K Low reaches 48.6 FPS—still short of a 60 FPS target.

The scaling behavior points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 124.4 FPS, which is 67% higher than the 1080p High result, demonstrating that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond its capability. If the processor were the bottleneck, we would expect a smaller delta between settings at the same resolution. The fact that the i7-14700F has a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443, further confirms that compute headroom is ample for a 2015-era FPS title like Evolve.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p is the only resolution where all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS. The data shows 124.4 FPS at Low, 98 FPS at Medium, and 74.4 FPS at High, while 1440p High drops to 52.6 FPS.

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

A: No, not at playable framerates. The best 4K result is 48.6 FPS at Low settings, and High settings yield only 27.5 FPS, with Ultra falling to 19.6 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14286 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352), placing it effectively on par with these integrated solutions.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance relative to its peers?

A: The i7-14700F’s average benchmark score of 54097 is 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681), while being 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469).

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 124.4 FPS, which is over double the 4K High result, indicating the GPU saturates first. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide far more processing power than Evolve requires.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 1469th out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the bottom 13% of all pairings. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s modest standing; the GTX 1660 SUPER sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. In contrast, the CPU is in the 94th percentile, and its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 9900X3D—score 54450 and 54681 respectively, only 0.6% and 1.1% higher. The mismatch between the CPU’s top-tier compute capability and the GPU’s mid-range performance creates a system that is inherently unbalanced for a GPU-intensive title like Evolve.

The combo’s ranking is consistent with its measured FPS data. At 1080p Ultra, it produces only 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for competitive play, while 1440p Ultra drops to 37.6 FPS. These results suggest that users would experience significant stutter and frame pacing issues in demanding scenes, particularly when the game’s dynamic monster AI and particle effects tax the GPU’s 1408 shading units.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings achieve 124.4 FPS average, Medium reaches 98 FPS, High hits 74.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. This is the only resolution where High settings remain above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sweet spot for gameplay.

At 1440p, performance drops noticeably. Low settings still manage a respectable 86 FPS, but Medium falls to 62.9 FPS, High drops to 52.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 37.6 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that users must reduce settings to Low or Medium to maintain smooth framerates.

At 4K, the combo struggles across all settings. Low yields 48.6 FPS, Medium produces 39 FPS, High drops to 27.5 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 19.6 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is likely a factor here, as Evolve’s high-resolution textures can exceed this limit, causing the GPU to thrash and reducing performance further.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and single-core score of 5003 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, making it far more powerful than necessary for Evolve, a game released in 2015. The CPU’s 33 MB shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU.

In this pairing, the CPU never becomes the bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (124.4 FPS) is likely near the GPU’s maximum output, and the fact that scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p reduces FPS by 56% (124.4 → 54) while the CPU load remains similar confirms that the graphics card is the limiting factor. The i7-14700F’s PassMark multi-thread score of 41765 and integer math score of 157242 indicate that even the most demanding physics calculations in Evolve would be handled with ease, leaving the GPU as the sole constraint.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1080p, High settings at 74.4 FPS offer the optimal balance between visual quality and performance. Users seeking higher framerates can drop to Medium for 98 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is significant. Ultra at 54 FPS is playable but may cause noticeable stuttering in intense combat, so it is not recommended for competitive play.

At 1440p, Low settings at 86 FPS provide the only consistently smooth experience. Medium at 62.9 FPS is borderline acceptable, but High (52.6 FPS) and Ultra (37.6 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided. The data suggests that 1440p users should prioritize framerate over visual detail, as the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets.

4K is not recommended for this combo. The best result, Low at 48.6 FPS, is still below the 60 FPS target, and higher settings produce unplayable framerates. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or upgrading the GPU, as the measured data shows no viable settings combination at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 1408 shading units, 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 192-bit memory bus delivering 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz are modest by modern standards, and its FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 12699 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314) and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389), showing that it is closely matched with entry-level alternatives.

In Evolve, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The measured FPS drops from 124.4 at 1080p Low to 19.6 at 4K Ultra, a reduction of 84%, which directly correlates with the increasing pixel count and texture detail. The 6 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for 4K Ultra textures, causing the GPU to exceed its memory capacity and incur performance penalties. The GPU’s DirectX 12 score of 50 in PassMark further indicates that it struggles with modern API workloads, though Evolve’s 2015 release date means it likely relies on DirectX 11, where the GPU scores 104. To achieve 60 FPS in this game, users must stick to 1080p High or 1440p Low, as the measured data shows no other viable options.