Evolve

The 2015 FPS Evolve presents a straightforward test for the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT pairing. Measured data shows this CPU-GPU combination delivers smooth 1080p performance at most settings, but the GPU becomes a clear limitation as resolution scales toward 4K. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 6650 XT sits in the 65th percentile for GPUs. The combo lands at rank 2408 out of 3700 matched pairs in this game. Below, we break down the detailed measurements, settings, and the specific roles of CPU and GPU.

FAQ

Q: Which setting achieves the highest average FPS at 1080p?

A: The Low preset delivers the maximum measured average FPS of 1920×1080 Low at 167 FPS. Medium follows at 129 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 101 and 70, respectively.

Q: Does the RX 6650 XT outperform its nearest rivals?

A: The graphics card's average benchmark score is 0.7% higher than the AMD FirePro D300, 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K5200, and 0.6% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, based on the deltaPct values in the test data.

Q: How does the i7-14700K compare to the closest CPUs in its class?

A: The i7-14700K scores 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 9115, 0.7% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% below the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F when comparing average benchmark scores.

Q: What is the median FPS experience on the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560×1440 with Medium settings, the measured FPS averages 87, with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. This is the only preset at 1440p that reports full minimum/maximum values.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth relate to 4K performance?

A: The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory over a 128-bit interface, yielding 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. At 3840×2160, even the Low preset drops to 64 FPS average, while Ultra averages only 27 FPS, suggesting memory bandwidth constraint under heavy 4K load.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance as measured?

A: The i7-14700K scores 4472 in Passmark's single-thread test and 313.5 in Cinebench R15 single-core. These figures drive its strong responsiveness in less GPU-bound scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is a dual-slot, 7 nm RDNA 2.0 GPU based on the Navi 23 chip. It contains 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, with boost clocks peaking at 2635 MHz and game clocks at 2410 MHz. This hardware is paired with a 128-bit GDDR6 memory bus holding 8 GB of VRAM, achieving a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. These specs place it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,765.

In Evolve, the GPU's VRAM capacity and bandwidth become increasingly significant as resolution increases. At 1920×1080, the GPU can comfortably push high frame rates across all settings. The data shows 101 FPS on High and 70 FPS on Ultra – the latter being a playable but not completely fluid experience. The memory bandwidth appears sufficient for these resolutions. When moving to 2560×1440, frames drop progressively: High produces 68 FPS, while Ultra falls to 41. This is a 40% reduction from 1080p Ultra but still keeps the minimum above 36 FPS when using Medium (74 FPS average, 100 maximum). At 3840×2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. High yields 39 FPS and Ultra only 27 FPS – both below smooth gameplay thresholds. Only the Low preset provides an average of 64 FPS at 4K, which is borderline for a buttery experience. The quantitative scaling shows that between 1080P Low (167 FPS) and 4K Low (64 FPS) the performance drops by 103 FPS – a stark illustration of the GPU's load. These figures are best explained by the GPU's 8 GB memory and bandwidth; 4K textures and compute demands likely exceed the effective 280.3 GB/s throughput, forcing the card to utilize the 64-bit bus more slowly.

Given that the RX 6650 XT is at the 65th percentile, it is positioned as a capable 1080p class GPU, but not a 4K workhorse. The FPS data in Evolve supports this: at 4K, even the Medium preset (48 FPS) cannot hold a stable 60. The presence of only a 8-pin power connector and a 450 W PSU suggestion confirm it is designed for mainstream use, not extreme resolutions. In this game, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and bandwidth become the deciding factor for playable 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best balance between visual fidelity and playable FPS is the Medium preset. At 1080P Medium, the data reports a 129 FPS average with minimum 110 FPS, which guarantees a smooth experience without sacrificing much detail compared to High. The High preset at 1080P yields 101 FPS – still highly playable but the lower 1% lows are not recorded. For 1440P, Medium again delivers 87 FPS average with a 74 FPS minimum, which keeps the game reasonably fluid. Ultra at 1440P gives 41 FPS average, which is not recommended for fast-paced action. At 4K, only the Low preset (64 FPS) achieves comfortable playability; Medium sits at 48, High at 39, and Ultra at 27 – all below the typical 60 FPS marker.

Therefore the sharp recommendation from the data is to use the Medium preset for resolutions up to 1440P, and if the user insists on 4K, drop to Low. The measured minimum/maximum for Medium at all three resolutions are included in the FPS breakdown below gives a confidence window.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 1920×1080 | Low | 167 | – | – |

| 1920×1080 | Medium | 129 | 110 | 148 |

| 1920×1080 | High | 101 | – | – |

| 1920×1080 | Ultra | 70 | – | – |

| 2560×1440 | Low | 112 | – | – |

| 2560×1440 | Medium | 87 | 74 | 100 |

| 2560×1440 | High | 68 | – | – |

| 2560×1440 | Ultra | 47 | – | – |

| 3840×2160 | Low | 64 | – | – |

| 3840×2160 | Medium | 49 | 42 | 57 |

| 3840×2160 | High | 39 | – | – |

| 3840×2160 | Ultra | 27 | – | – |

The data clearly shows the scaling from 1080P to 4K. At the same settings, the average FPS approximately halves every time template resolution is quadrupled. For instance, Low goes from 167 FPS (1080P) to 112 FPS (1440P) to 64 FPS (4K). This is a classic GPU-bound pattern because the CPU performance in single-threaded and multi-core cannot change with resolution. The Intel Core i7-14700K at 5.0 GHz boost and 20 cores is vastly far from being the limiting factor; the GPU becomes the sole constraint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is built on a 10 nm process (Raptor Lake) with 20 cores and 28 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, lifting to 5.60 GHz at boost, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across dual channels. Its direct provides data: Cinebench R23 multi-core score 33440.5, single-core 2160; Geekbench multi-core 20767, single-core 2569; PassMark multi-thread 52392, single-thread 4472, and a PassMark 95th percentile overall CPU average of 69355. Such metrics place it in in excellent shape for any title released in the 2015 era.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is largely about feeding the GPU. The game engine, a direct descendant of the original 2015 release, does not really stress the 20-core count. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU still pushes 167 FPS while the CPU is certainly not the limiting factor. Even the most complex CPU-bound scenes are handled by the high single-core score of 2160 in Cinebench R23 (single-core) or 4472 in PassMark. The CPU's 125 W TDP and 256-bit DDR4/DDR5 support ensure stable frame times.

The nearest rivals are AMD EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 9 7940HX – both advanced server/mobile CPUs – but the i7-14700K posts a 0.1% performance lead over EPYC and lags 0.7% behind the Ryzen 9 7940HX. In real terms, these differences are negligible, and the i7-14700K's 20 physical cores are more than enough for a 2015 game. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per core L2 further benefits the engine's texture streaming. At 4K, the CPU utilization is effectively lower, which can actually help if thermal throttling is present, but with a strong cooler (not measured) the i7-14700K is capable of holding its boost.

The measured FPS scaling as resolution rises is almost entirely GPU-driven. At 1080p, switching from Low to Ultra costs 50% of the average FPS (from 167 to 70); at 4K, the same switch costs 82% (from 64 to 27). This confirms that the GPU is the multiplier. The i7-14700K's job is to feed it with constants and geometry; its 5.6 GHz boost ensures zero CPU bottleneck at all tested settings. This is consistent with the benchmark data where the CPU's single-thread performance is among the top 100 CPUs, and the game runs on only a few cores. Therefore the CPU is not a subject of concern in any preset.

The one might consider the CPU's 8 security mitigation features but that is beyond the scope. The measured data and benchmark results show that the i7-14700K is a copious performer for Evolve, pushing enough FPS even at 4K low (64) solely because the GPU's pixel fill rate and bandwidth allow it. The card's 65th percentile and the CPU's 94th percentile mean the bottleneck resides without doubt on the GPU side.