Evolve

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB lands at rank 1890 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. That places this pairing in the lower-middle portion of the overall leaderboard, meaning roughly half of all tested systems outperform it and half fall behind. The rank reflects the substantial imbalance between the two components: the CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, while the GPU sits near the bottom of the performance distribution for this title. The data shows a system that is heavily CPU-favorable in synthetic workloads but constrained by the graphics card in actual frame delivery in Evolve.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is built on the Navi 44 chip using RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC with 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die. The card operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a boost clock of 3130 MHz, and a game clock of 2530 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 across a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 2518 MHz running at 20.1 Gbps effective, yielding a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s. The GPU packs 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, 64 raster operation pipelines, and 32 ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 200.3 GPixel/s, texture rate is 400.6 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 25.64 TFLOPS.

In terms of raw benchmark standing, the GPU's average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 4093, which puts it at the 24th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are the Intel HD Graphics 630 at 4075 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M at 4151 (1.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M at 4033 (1.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon R5 M330 at 4170 (1.8% higher). These comparisons are telling: the RX 9060 XT is scoring in the same range as integrated graphics and legacy mobile parts, which suggests that the 3DMark test does not reflect this card's real-world capability in Evolve, or that the measured FPS data was captured under conditions that heavily favor the CPU. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for a 2015-era title like Evolve, but the 128-bit memory bus and relatively low bandwidth compared to modern high-end cards could limit performance at higher resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K belongs to the 14th Gen Core series, built on Raptor Lake architecture with a Raptor Lake-R codename. It features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor has a 125 W TDP and uses the Intel Socket 1700. Cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support covers DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel mode, with ECC support enabled. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the processor, and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770. The chip is produced on a 10 nm process at Intel, with a die size of 257 mm², and launched with a 409 USD MSRP in October 2023.

Benchmark results for the i7-14700K are strong. Cinebench R15 multicore scores 5035 and single-core 313.5. Cinebench R20 multicore reaches 18544 with single-core at 2617. Cinebench R23 multicore hits 33440.5 and single-core 2160. Geekbench multicore is 20767 and single-core 2569. Passmark tests show a multithread score of 52392, single-thread of 4472, integer math at 182876, floating point math at 134222, extended instructions at 40632, data compression at 695234, data encryption at 40091, find prime numbers at 212, random string sorting at 74733, and physics at 2964. The average benchmark score is 69355, placing the CPU at the 94th percentile among all processors. Nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69288 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (0.7% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 (0.9% higher). The i7-14700K is essentially tied with these parts, all within 1% of each other.

For Evolve, a game released in 2015, the CPU's high single-thread performance is more relevant than its multicore might. The game's engine was designed for the hardware of its era, so the 5.60 GHz boost clock and strong IPC from Raptor Lake provide ample headroom for physics, AI, and game logic. The 20 cores and 28 threads are far beyond what Evolve can utilize, but the single-core performance ensures that the CPU will not be a bottleneck in most scenarios, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates are high.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Evolve with this combo vary widely by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest settings produce an average of 194 FPS. Medium settings drop that to 151 FPS, with a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 173. High settings yield 118 FPS average. Ultra settings reduce performance to 82 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the pattern continues: Low settings average 130 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS (min 86, max 116), High averages 79 FPS, and Ultra averages 55 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 74 FPS, Medium averages 57 FPS (min 49, max 66), High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. From 1080p Low to 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops from 194 to 31, a reduction of 84%. The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only rows with complete min/max data, showing that frame pacing is relatively stable: the delta between minimum and maximum is 45 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame time variance narrows because the GPU becomes the limiting factor, reducing the impact of CPU-driven spikes.

Resolution Scaling

Examining how FPS scales from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (194 FPS) to 1440p (130 FPS) is a 33% drop, and from 1440p to 4K (74 FPS) is another 43% drop. At Medium settings, 1080p (151 FPS) to 1440p (101 FPS) is a 33% drop, and 1440p to 4K (57 FPS) is a 44% drop. At High settings, 1080p (118 FPS) to 1440p (79 FPS) is a 33% drop, and 1440p to 4K (45 FPS) is a 43% drop. At Ultra settings, 1080p (82 FPS) to 1440p (55 FPS) is a 33% drop, and 1440p to 4K (31 FPS) is a 44% drop.

The near-constant percentage drops across all settings indicate that the scaling is resolution-bound rather than setting-bound. When the resolution increases, the pixel count grows from roughly 2 million at 1080p to 3.7 million at 1440p (a 78% increase) and then to 8.3 million at 4K (a 124% increase from 1440p). The FPS drops are proportionally smaller than the pixel count growth, which suggests the GPU is not purely pixel-limited; instead, the CPU's strong single-thread performance helps maintain frame rates even as the resolution increases. However, the absolute FPS values at 4K Ultra (31 FPS) indicate that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are insufficient to maintain playable frame rates at the highest settings in this title. The data points to the GPU being the primary limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates well above 100 FPS on Low settings.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank overall in Evolve?

A: This combination ranks 1890 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of all tested systems.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve in Evolve?

A: The highest measured average is 194 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the other extreme, the lowest average is 31 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU's high single-thread performance allows for 194 FPS, but at 4K Ultra the frame rate drops to 31 FPS, showing the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus cannot keep up with the pixel load.

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

A: The RX 9060 XT scores 4093 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is within 2% of the Intel HD Graphics 630, NVIDIA Quadro K2100M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M, and AMD Radeon R5 M330. This places it at the 24th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing relative to other processors?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it at the 94th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% higher).

Q: What is the frame time consistency like across resolutions?

A: At Medium settings, the difference between minimum and maximum FPS is 45 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. This narrowing spread suggests more consistent frame pacing as resolution increases, because the GPU becomes the dominant constraint.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the best experience. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 118 FPS average offers a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness, while Ultra at 82 FPS is still playable but with diminishing returns. For 1440p, High at 79 FPS is the sweet spot, as Medium at 101 FPS sacrifices notable visual fidelity for a modest FPS gain, and Ultra at 55 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K, the only playable option is Low at 74 FPS, with Medium at 57 FPS borderline and High at 45 FPS or Ultra at 31 FPS being too choppy for a competitive FPS.

Given the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, the recommendation is to prioritize resolution over settings. At 1080p, players can use High or Ultra. At 1440p, High is the optimal choice. At 4K, only Low settings provide an acceptable frame rate. The Medium preset is a reasonable compromise for users who need consistent frame pacing, as it is the only setting with recorded min/max data at every resolution. For a game like Evolve, where fast reflexes matter, maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS is more important than pushing visual effects to their maximum. The data supports using 1080p with High settings for the best overall experience, or 1440p with High if the display supports it, as both stay well above the 60 FPS line.