Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric FPS, places unique demands on a system, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B570 produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings. The data indicates a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes progressively more constrained as pixel count increases, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck in the most demanding scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and dramatic scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 83 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a significant reduction of 27 FPS. The jump to 4K is even more punishing, with the average falling to 32 FPS. This represents a 61% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count.

The scaling pattern for the Low preset is similarly aggressive. At 1080p, the system achieves an average of 137 FPS, which drops to 92 FPS at 1440p and further to 52 FPS at 4K. This is a substantial 85 FPS difference between the lowest and highest resolutions tested. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K performance is below 60 FPS suggests that the GPU's raw throughput is a limiting factor at this resolution, regardless of the graphical fidelity.

When examining the Medium preset, which is the only settings tier with complete min/max data, the trend continues. The average FPS at 1080p is 106, with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 122. At 1440p, the average drops to 71, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 82. At 4K, the average falls to 40, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 47. The minimum FPS values are particularly telling; at 4K Medium, the frame rate does not just dip but stays consistently in the 30s, indicating a sustained load that the GPU cannot fully handle.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium shows a 33% performance drop, while the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 44% drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU is being pushed progressively harder, and the memory bandwidth and fill rate are becoming increasingly taxed. The data clearly shows that the limiting component at 1440p and 4K is the Intel Arc B570, as the CPU's performance headroom is not able to compensate for the increased rendering workload. At 1080p, the system appears more balanced, with the CPU capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach high frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features a 10 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a constant 2500 MHz for both base and boost clocks, which is a relatively modest clock speed for a modern graphics card. The shading units count 2304, with 144 texture mapping units and 80 render output units. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s.

The benchmark results for Evolve show that this GPU configuration is the decisive factor at higher resolutions. The 4K High preset average of 32 FPS is a clear indicator that the graphics card is overwhelmed. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game's textures, but the 160-bit memory bus and the associated bandwidth are not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K. The data shows a steep drop-off from 1440p High (56 FPS) to 4K High (32 FPS), which is a 24 FPS loss, highlighting the memory subsystem's limitations when dealing with the increased data throughput required for 4K rendering.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 20556 aligns closely with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct of 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct of -0.1). This positioning suggests that the B570 is a mid-range performer, and the Evolve results are consistent with that assessment. The fact that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K is not surprising given its specifications; the 150 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest a card designed for mainstream performance, not for ultra-high-resolution gaming.

The measured frame rates at 4K, which range from 22 FPS at Ultra to 52 FPS at Low, indicate that the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are simply not sufficient for a smooth 4K experience in this title. Even at Low settings, the 52 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. This suggests that users aiming for 4K will need to significantly lower settings or accept lower frame rates, as the GPU's capabilities are the hard limit.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B570 ranks at 2294 out of 2872 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, indicating that while the system is functional, it does not represent a top-tier configuration for this game. The rank is a composite metric that likely considers the average performance across all tested settings and resolutions.

The low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions. The CPU itself is a high-end part, with a 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 70163, placing it close to the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (deltaPct of 0.2) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct of 0.9). However, the GPU's 65th percentile ranking and its performance in Evolve drag down the combo's overall position. The data shows that a system with a top-tier CPU and a mid-range GPU will often be limited by the graphics card in a GPU-intensive title like Evolve.

The ranking implies that there are many other combinations tested that deliver better performance in this game. This is not a condemnation of the hardware but rather a reflection of the fact that Evolve's engine scales heavily with GPU resources. The combo's rank suggests that users would see a more substantial benefit from upgrading the GPU rather than the CPU, as the CPU is already providing a strong foundation. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score, indicating that any of those processors would likely yield a similar combo ranking with this same GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows that the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the highest quality setting that achieves this target, with an average of 106 FPS and a minimum of 90 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring that most scenes will remain fluid.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS. This is right at the threshold for 60 FPS gameplay, but the minimum FPS matching the target suggests that there may be occasional dips below 60 in more demanding scenes. The High preset at 1440p is also viable, with an average of 56 FPS, but this is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stuttering during intense action. For a more consistent experience at 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it offers a good balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a 60 FPS average. The Low preset comes closest with 52 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 40 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity at 4K, the Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS mark. The High preset at 32 FPS and the Ultra preset at 22 FPS are not recommended for a playable experience. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this GPU is not a viable option for a smooth experience, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best results.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding and yields the lowest performance across all resolutions: 58 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. Given these numbers, the Ultra preset is only usable at 1080p, and even then, the 58 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target. For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p provides the best combination of visual quality and playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 137 FPS on Low, 106 FPS on Medium, 83 FPS on High, and 58 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS, indicating a stable frame pacing with no severe dips. The spread from Low to Ultra is 79 FPS, showing a significant impact of settings on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 92 on Low, 71 on Medium, 56 on High, and 39 on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all settings, with an average reduction of around 30-35%. The 1440p results show that the system is still capable of high frame rates on lower presets, but the higher presets begin to strain the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS figures are 52 on Low, 40 on Medium, 32 on High, and 22 on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. The 4K results are universally below the 60 FPS target, with even the Low preset failing to reach this threshold. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial, with an average reduction of 40-45% across all settings. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the system is excellent at 1080p, good at 1440p, and poor at 4K for this game.

The full breakdown is as follows: 1080p Low 137 FPS, 1080p Medium 106 FPS (min 90, max 122), 1080p High 83 FPS, 1080p Ultra 58 FPS; 1440p Low 92 FPS, 1440p Medium 71 FPS (min 60, max 82), 1440p High 56 FPS, 1440p Ultra 39 FPS; 4K Low 52 FPS, 4K Medium 40 FPS (min 34, max 47), 4K High 32 FPS, 4K Ultra 22 FPS. These numbers paint a clear picture of a GPU that is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It features a large 33 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a high-end processor.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the system achieves 137 FPS on Low settings, which is a high frame rate that would require a capable processor to sustain. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and 28 threads provide ample processing power for the game's AI and physics calculations, which can be demanding in a multiplayer title like Evolve.

However, as the resolution increases, the CPU's influence on the final frame rate diminishes. At 4K, the frame rates are significantly lower, and this is almost entirely due to the GPU's inability to render frames quickly enough, not the CPU. The CPU is likely still performing its tasks efficiently, but it is waiting for the GPU to complete its rendering work. The fact that the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct of 0.9), show similar average scores suggests that the CPU is not a weak link in this system.

The CPU's high multithreaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44167, ensures that it can handle the game's background tasks and any other applications running simultaneously without causing frame drops. The data indicates that the CPU has sufficient headroom, and upgrading it would not yield significant improvements in Evolve's frame rates. The limiting factor is clearly the GPU, and any performance gains would come from a graphics card upgrade. The CPU’s role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU, and it does so effectively, with its performance not being a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.