Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, responds to hardware in a way that clearly delineates the roles of the CPU and GPU. With the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, the measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily front-loaded by graphics processing power, while the processor provides a stable and expansive ceiling. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, but it is ultimately constrained by the GPU's capabilities when pushing 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is the most telling indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers an average of 137.2 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, that figure drops to 92.8 FPS, a reduction of approximately 32%. When scaling to 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 55.7 FPS, which is a further 40% drop from the 1440p result. This steep, consistent decline with each resolution increase points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The RTX 3070 Ti is being fully utilized, and its rendering throughput, not the CPU, dictates the frame rate at these higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at the lowest settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 229.6 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to sustain a very high output. However, the GPU still manages to keep pace. At 1440p Low, the average is 155 FPS, and at 4K Low, it is 85.1 FPS. The fact that even at Low settings, the 4K average is less than half of the 1080p average confirms that the graphics card's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary factors driving performance in this title. The CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is simply running out of resources as the render target grows.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the decisive component in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which is a substantial resource for a game from 2015. However, the data shows that this capacity is challenged at 4K Ultra settings, where the average FPS plummets to 38.4. This is a massive drop from the 64.5 FPS at 1440p Ultra, indicating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings pushes the GPU's memory and compute capabilities to their absolute limit, resulting in a presentation that is not fluid for typical gameplay.

The GPU's clock behavior, with a base of 1575 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, is a secondary factor. The performance scaling from Low to Medium to High settings at each resolution shows a clear, progressive workload increase that the GPU handles with predictable results. For instance, at 1440p, the average FPS at Low is 155, at Medium it is 119.1, and at High it is 92.8. This linear degradation is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 3070 Ti's architecture is being taxed by the game's rendering effects, and its 8 GB frame buffer appears to be a limiting factor at the highest settings, as the gap between High and Ultra is disproportionately large at every resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand dataset of tested combinations for Evolve, this pairing of the Core i7-14700K and RTX 3070 Ti holds a rank of 656 out of 1695 total combos. This places it in the upper half of all configurations tested. The percentile data supports this position; the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors, and the GPU is in the 74th percentile of all graphics cards. This suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is a solid mid-to-high-range part, and their combined performance is not near the very top of the leaderboard for this game.

The rank is a direct reflection of the measured performance. It is not a ranking of the CPU or GPU in isolation, but of their combined capability in this specific workload. The data indicates that this combo is more powerful than the majority of systems, but it is not an elite-tier setup for Evolve. The relative weakness of the GPU compared to the CPU is the key factor in holding this combo back from a higher rank, as the CPU's potential is not fully realized at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combination reveals a consistent performance hierarchy based on resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally capable. With Low settings, the average FPS is 229.6, which is an excellent result for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield an average of 174 FPS, and High settings drop to 137.2 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, the average remains a very playable 95.8 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the combination excels, providing a wide range of options for competitive or fast-paced play.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still strong but shows more strain. Low settings produce an average of 155 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 119.1 FPS, and High settings average 92.8 FPS. The Ultra setting is where the experience becomes less fluid, with an average of 64.5 FPS. This resolution represents a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, but the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. Low settings yield an average of 85.1 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 69.7 FPS, and High settings drop to 55.7 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of only 38.4 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K is only viable at lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a powerful processor, and its role in this game is to provide a stable and high-frequency platform that does not impede the GPU. With 20 cores and 28 threads, its architecture is more than sufficient for a game released in 2015. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent, which is a key factor for many game engines. This is reflected in the CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 and a multi-core score of 44534.

In Evolve, the CPU's influence is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. The fact that the system can achieve an average of 229.6 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU is capable of processing the game's logic and draw calls faster than the GPU can render the frames. The CPU is not a limiting factor in this scenario. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's workload becomes more demanding, and the CPU's relative importance diminishes. The i7-14700K provides a large performance headroom, ensuring that it will not cause frame rate dips even in the most demanding CPU-bound scenes, but its high core count is not a direct contributor to the higher-resolution FPS figures. The data shows that this processor is a capable partner, but the RTX 3070 Ti is the component that determines the final frame rate in most practical scenarios.