Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The Intel Core i7-14700F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER to deliver a fascinating performance profile in Evolve, a 2015 FPS that predates both components by nearly a decade. The data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the combo ranking in the 83rd percentile among all tested configurations in this game. The 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake processor and the Ada Lovelace GPU create a pairing where the bottleneck shifts decisively as resolution climbs, and the measured FPS numbers tell a clear story about where this system excels and where it strains.

Resolution Scaling

Evolve's frame rate behavior across the three tested resolutions shows a textbook GPU-bound curve, but with some surprising efficiency at the lower end. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 292.8 FPS, which drops to 199 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 110.2 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 24.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 62.4% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is doing significant work to feed the GPU, but the frame rates remain so high that the limiting component is rarely exposed.

The High settings curve tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p High, the system produces 177.1 FPS, falling to 122.1 FPS at 1440p and 68.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is interesting because it sits just 21.7 FPS below the 4K Medium result of 86.3 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at this resolution. The scaling between Medium and High at 4K is a 21% penalty, while at 1080p the same settings jump costs 23% of performance (229.2 to 177.1 FPS). This consistency across resolutions indicates the GPU is the primary constraint in all but the most extreme low-settings scenarios.

Ultra settings expose the system's limits. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages just 47.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider playable. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 30%, while at 1080p the same transition costs 31% (177.1 to 121.5 FPS). The similarity in these penalties suggests that Ultra settings introduce a consistent load increase regardless of resolution, but the absolute frame rates at 4K make the experience marginal.

How This Combo Ranks

Among 1,695 tested combos in Evolve, this pairing holds the 283rd position, placing it comfortably in the top 17% of all configurations. This rank reflects the balanced nature of the hardware: the RTX 4070 SUPER sits at the 84th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core i7-14700F ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's percentile is slightly lower than the CPU's, which suggests the graphics card is the more likely performance ceiling in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which scores 54,450 to the i7-14700F's 54,097 average, a delta of -0.6% favoring the AMD part. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is 1.1% ahead, while the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 trails by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 1.7% behind. These margins are tiny, meaning the i7-14700F is essentially performance-equivalent to its closest competition in synthetic workloads. For Evolve specifically, the 83rd percentile combo rank suggests the game is not particularly CPU-sensitive, as the processor's high percentile does not translate into a top-tier combo placement.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F brings 20 cores and 28 threads, a configuration that is massive overkill for a 2015 shooter. The base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide a wide operating range, and the 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 35,443 in multicore and 5,003 in singlecore, while Geekbench shows 16,571 multicore and 2,711 singlecore. These numbers place the processor in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating exceptional headroom for any game that can utilize multiple threads.

However, Evolve's measured FPS data shows that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the 292.8 FPS result is so high that it likely approaches the game engine's own limits, but the drop to 199 FPS at 1440p Low and 110.2 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that the GPU takes over as the limiting factor as pixel count rises. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,261 reinforces that the i7-14700F has plenty of per-core performance for older game engines that may not scale well across many threads. The processor's 65 W TDP is modest for its capability, and the 10 nm process node from Intel contributes to efficiency, though the architecture code-named Raptor Lake-R is not the newest design available.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers remarkably high frame rates across all settings. Low produces 292.8 FPS, Medium drops to 229.2 FPS, High yields 177.1 FPS, and Ultra manages 121.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, even Ultra settings remain comfortably above 120 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The step from Medium to High costs 52.1 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 55.6 FPS, showing a fairly linear degradation as visual fidelity increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the GPU working harder. Low settings produce 199 FPS, Medium drops to 152.2 FPS, High hits 122.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 83.3 FPS. The 1440p results suggest that High settings are the sweet spot for maintaining triple-digit frame rates, while Ultra still clears 80 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each settings level shows a consistent 30-35% performance penalty, which aligns with the increase in pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.69 million.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits become apparent. Low settings yield 110.2 FPS, which is still very playable, but Medium drops to 86.3 FPS, High falls to 68.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 47.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The 4K High result of 68.1 FPS is borderline, while 4K Medium at 86.3 FPS offers a safer margin. The 4K results clearly indicate that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are sufficient but not excessive for this game at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU contains 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, with 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores. The boost clock reaches 2,475 MHz, and the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at an effective 21 Gbps, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus. These specifications produce a Passmark G3D score of 29,995 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,627, placing the GPU in the 84th percentile of all graphics cards.

The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 at 42,653 average score, which is 0.2% ahead, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE at 42,723, 0.3% ahead. The AMD Radeon Pro 580X trails by 1.4%, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 is 1.6% behind. These tight margins suggest the RTX 4070 SUPER is right at the edge of its performance class, and in Evolve specifically, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K resolutions. The 5 nm process and 220 W TDP indicate a power-efficient design, but the 12 GB VRAM capacity is the key limitation for 4K Ultra settings, where the 47.6 FPS result suggests the graphics card is running out of memory bandwidth or capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the clear choice, as the 121.5 FPS average remains well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a responsive experience. The jump from High to Ultra costs 55.6 FPS but delivers the best visual quality, and the system has enough headroom to absorb the penalty.

At 2560x1440, High settings provide the best balance, with 122.1 FPS that comfortably exceeds 120 FPS for high-refresh displays. Ultra at 1440p still delivers 83.3 FPS, which is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, Medium at 152.2 FPS is also viable, but High offers the best compromise between image quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings at 86.3 FPS are the recommended choice, as they provide smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual quality. High at 68.1 FPS is acceptable for players who prefer better visuals and can tolerate occasional dips, but Ultra at 47.6 FPS should be avoided due to the sub-60 FPS average. Low at 110.2 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where frame rate is paramount, as the visual compromise is significant.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60+ FPS at 4K in Evolve?

A: Yes, but only up to High settings. At 4K Medium, the combo delivers 86.3 FPS, and at 4K High it drops to 68.1 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 47.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54,097, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X3D. It outperforms the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 produce 122.1 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra delivers 83.3 FPS, while Medium reaches 152.2 FPS for higher frame rates.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 292.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU. However, the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher settings, as evidenced by the 121.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 283rd out of 1,695 tested combos, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. The GPU sits at the 84th percentile, while the CPU is at the 94th percentile.

Q: What is the most significant performance drop between settings at 4K?

A: The largest drop at 4K occurs between High (68.1 FPS) and Ultra (47.6 FPS), a 30% penalty. The smallest drop is between Low (110.2 FPS) and Medium (86.3 FPS), which is about 22%.