Evolve

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock runs at 3.40 GHz with a boost clock reaching 5.60 GHz. The chip carries 33 MB of shared L3 cache, with 2 MB of L2 per core and 80 KB of L1 per core. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and it connects through PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. The 125 W TDP figure places it in the high-performance desktop segment, and its unlocked multiplier invites overclocking.

Benchmark results show the i7-14700KF sits in the 94th percentile against all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K edges it out by 1%. In single-core workloads, the processor scores 6235 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4480 in Passmark single-thread, while multi-core results reach 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 52425 in Passmark multithread.

For Evolve, a 2015 FPS title, the CPU's role is substantial but not necessarily dominant. The game was released before this processor existed, so the i7-14700KF's high core count and clock speeds are far beyond what the game's engine likely requires. The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution tested. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 161 FPS average, which is a strong indicator that the processor can feed frames quickly when the GPU is not stressed. The 28 threads and 5.60 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game's physics and AI computations, which are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded in titles from that era.

The processor's 94th percentile ranking implies it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs in the database. Yet in Evolve, the measured FPS at 1080p Low (161) versus 4K Low (61) shows a dramatic drop that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations alone. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by the 6235 Cinebench R23 single-core score, should keep frame pacing consistent even in busy scenes with multiple monsters and hunters on screen. The data indicates the i7-14700KF is providing a stable foundation, while the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 uses the Navi 33 chip on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz. Memory runs at 2250 MHz, effective 18 Gbps. The card has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 32 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate reaches 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate 339.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS. The TDP is 165 W, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector.

In the benchmark database, the RX 7600 holds the 57th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15171. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 560X at 15082 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (0.7% higher). The GTX 660 Ti trails by 0.7% with a score of 15063. These close margins place the RX 7600 in a mid-range tier, which is consistent with its 8 GB VRAM configuration.

In Evolve, the GPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS scaling across settings. At 1080p, the RX 7600 delivers 161 FPS on Low, 125 FPS on Medium, 98 FPS on High, and 68 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 93 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily impacted by graphical fidelity settings. The 8 GB VRAM buffer appears sufficient for 1080p even at Ultra, but the frame rate collapse at 4K Ultra (26 FPS) suggests the GPU's compute throughput, not just memory capacity, is the limiting factor. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth may struggle with the high-resolution textures and effects in Evolve's later stages.

The RX 7600's 57th percentile ranking indicates it is an average performer in the database. However, in the context of this game from 2015, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 4K Low result (61 FPS) versus 1080p Low (161 FPS) represents a 62% performance drop, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 (exactly four times the pixels). The GPU's raw compute, measured at 21.75 TFLOPS, is being taxed by the resolution more than the CPU is being taxed by the game logic.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Evolve reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 161 at 1080p, to 108 at 1440p, to 61 at 4K. That is a drop of 53 FPS from 1080p to 1440p (33% lower), and another 47 FPS from 1440p to 4K (44% lower). The scaling is not linear with pixel count. From 1080p to 4K, the pixel count quadruples, but the FPS drops by 62%, suggesting the GPU is not purely pixel-bound at Low settings.

At Medium settings, the average FPS is 125 at 1080p, 84 at 1440p, and 48 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 41 FPS (33%), and from 1440p to 4K is 36 FPS (43%). The Medium preset shows a similar relative decline as Low, indicating that the scaling factor is consistent regardless of the graphical load. The minimum FPS at Medium also scales proportionally: 106 at 1080p, 71 at 1440p, and 40 at 4K.

High settings produce 98 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% and 44%, respectively. Ultra settings yield 68 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K, with drops of 34% and 42%. This consistency across all four settings presets is striking. The uniform scaling suggests that the limiting component is the GPU's rasterization throughput, not memory bandwidth or CPU overhead.

The data points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this combo. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another two-fifths from 1440p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The i7-14700KF's high single-core performance (6235 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is more than adequate for Evolve's CPU demands, so the GPU's 57th percentile ranking becomes the deciding factor.

The 4K Low setting (61 FPS) versus 4K High (37 FPS) shows a 24 FPS difference, while at 1080p the same settings gap is 63 FPS. This narrowing at higher resolutions reinforces that the GPU is saturated at 4K regardless of settings. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 26 FPS, which is below playable thresholds, while Low at 4K remains marginally playable.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. The average FPS of 125 with a minimum of 106 ensures smooth gameplay without dipping below 60 FPS. The jump from Low (161 FPS) to Medium (125 FPS) costs 36 FPS, but the visual improvements from Low to Medium are typically substantial in games from this era. The maximum FPS of 143 at Medium indicates headroom for consistent frame delivery.

At 1440p, Medium delivers 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS. This remains above the 60 FPS threshold for most players, making it a viable option for those with 1440p monitors. The High preset at 1440p (66 FPS) is also playable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thinner. Low at 1440p (108 FPS) sacrifices too much visual quality for the extra frames.

For 4K gaming, the data shows that only Low settings (61 FPS) approach playability. Medium at 4K (48 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS target, while High (37 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are not recommended for a smooth experience. The 4K Low result is borderline, with no minimum FPS recorded, but the average of 61 suggests occasional dips below 60 are likely.

The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, delivering 68 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. While 68 FPS at 1080p is playable, the visual gains from High to Ultra are often marginal in older titles. The High preset at 1080p (98 FPS) provides a safer margin above 60 FPS while still offering high-quality visuals.

The data suggests that players should prioritize Medium at 1080p or 1440p for the best experience. The minimum FPS values at Medium (106 at 1080p, 71 at 1440p) indicate stable frame pacing, whereas High and Ultra at higher resolutions risk stutter due to lower averages. For 4K, Low is the only recommended preset, and even then, players should be prepared for variable performance.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-14700KF + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination ranks 2532 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the combo in the 68th percentile (calculated as 1 - 2532/3700), meaning it outperforms roughly 68% of all tested combinations but is outperformed by about 32%. This ranking is notable given the individual components' percentiles: the CPU sits in the 94th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 57th percentile.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's lower rank highlights the GPU's role as the bottleneck. In Evolve, the combo's performance is constrained by the RX 7600's mid-range capabilities. The GPU's 57th percentile ranking aligns more closely with the combo's overall position than the CPU's 94th percentile. This suggests that in this specific game, the GPU choice has a larger impact on the final FPS than the CPU choice.

When comparing to other combos in the database, the 2532nd rank out of 3700 indicates that many combinations with slower CPUs but faster GPUs would outperform this pairing in Evolve. The game's age and relatively modest CPU requirements mean that even a mid-range CPU from the same era could achieve similar FPS when paired with a stronger GPU. Conversely, pairing the i7-14700KF with a higher-tier GPU would likely push this combo much higher in the rankings, as the CPU would not constrain the GPU.

The data implies that this combo is unbalanced for Evolve specifically. The CPU's massive compute headroom (evidenced by its 94th percentile) is underutilized, while the GPU is consistently the limiting factor across all resolutions and settings. The 68th percentile rank is respectable but not exceptional, and it reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning more than the CPU's high-end status.

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data for Evolve with this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing 12 data points. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 161 FPS with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium at 1080p averages 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143. High averages 98 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS, both without minimum or maximum values.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 108 FPS, Medium averages 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96, High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The 1440p data shows a narrower spread between settings compared to 1080p, with a 63 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p versus a 93 FPS difference at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 61 FPS, Medium averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 55, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The 4K data shows the smallest spread between settings, with only 35 FPS separating Low and Ultra. This compression of FPS ranges as resolution increases further confirms the GPU's role as the limiting factor.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the FPS range is 106 to 143, a 37 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 71 to 96, a 25 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 40 to 55, a 15 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, reducing frame time variance.

The data also shows that the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution is 93 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. This progressive reduction in settings impact suggests that at 4K, even Low settings push the GPU to its limits, leaving little headroom for higher quality presets.

# FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings in Evolve?

A: The combo achieves an average of 125 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS.

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

A: At 4K, only the Low preset reaches an average of 61 FPS. Medium averages 48 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. Playable 4K is limited to Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700KF scores 70163 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% higher.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits in the 57th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 15171. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, scores 15199, just 0.2% higher.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best experience at 1440p?

A: Medium at 1440p delivers 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS, which maintains smooth gameplay. High at 1440p averages 66 FPS, which is closer to the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 2532 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the 68th percentile. This rank is lower than the CPU's 94th percentile, indicating the GPU is the performance limiter.