Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Evolve shows a severe drop as resolution increases, and the pattern is unambiguous: this combo is GPU-limited at every resolution above 1080p Low. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 75.9 FPS; at 1440p Low, it falls to 48.4 FPS (a 36% reduction); at 4K Low, it drops to 30.5 FPS (another 37% reduction). This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a graphics card that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth long before the CPU becomes a factor.

The gap between settings at each resolution reinforces the GPU-bound diagnosis. At 1080p, the spread from Low (75.9 FPS) to Ultra (31.4 FPS) is 44.5 FPS. At 1440p, the same spread is 27.3 FPS (48.4 to 21.1). At 4K, the spread narrows further to 16.5 FPS (30.5 to 14.0). When the frame rate collapses uniformly across all settings as resolution climbs, the limiting component is the rendering hardware — not the processor. A CPU bottleneck would show inconsistent scaling, with Low settings failing to gain much over High settings as resolution rises; here, Low settings consistently outperform High by a wide margin at every resolution.

The 4K numbers are effectively unplayable for any competitive or smooth experience. Even 4K Low (30.5 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold that most FPS players target. The 4K Ultra result of 14.0 FPS is a slideshow. The 1440p results are marginally better — 1440p Low hits 48.4 FPS and 1440p High reaches 32.8 FPS — but only 1440p Low approaches playability, and it still falls short of 60 FPS. The data indicates the GTX 1650's 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions, regardless of how much the graphics load is reduced through settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is an extreme overmatch for this workload, and the benchmark data shows it never becomes the limiting factor in Evolve. The CPU packs 20 cores and 28 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost of 5.60 GHz. Its multi-threaded performance is exceptional — Cinebench R23 multicore scores 44,557 points, and PassMark multithread scores 52,425. Even its single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 singlecore: 6,290) is vastly more than this 2015-era FPS requires.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 96 (vs. all CPUs) places it in the top tier of desktop processors. Its nearest rivals — the Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0), EPYC 9115 (deltaPct 0.3), Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.4), and Xeon Platinum 8270 (deltaPct -1.3) — are all within a 1.3% margin of its average benchmark score of 70,104. This means the i7-14700KF is not just adequate for Evolve; it is in the same performance class as some of the fastest server and desktop chips available.

In practice, the CPU's role here is to feed frames to the GPU without ever introducing a bottleneck. The fact that FPS scales so dramatically with resolution and settings — from 75.9 FPS at 1080p Low down to 14.0 FPS at 4K Ultra — proves the CPU is delivering frames as fast as the GPU can render them. If the CPU were the constraint, lowering resolution would not produce the large FPS gains observed. The 28 threads and high boost clock ensure that even the most demanding physics and AI moments in Evolve's monster-hunt gameplay are handled well ahead of the GPU's render queue.

Settings Recommendations

The data points to 1080p Medium as the best balance for this combo, but with a critical caveat: 1080p Low is the only setting that achieves a clearly smooth frame rate. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 60.1 FPS — just over the 60 FPS target. That is the highest settings preset that maintains playability at 1080p. Dropping to 1080p Low yields 75.9 FPS, a 26% improvement over Medium, which provides headroom for demanding scenes or background tasks.

At 1440p, the recommendations change dramatically. 1440p Low produces 48.4 FPS, which is below 60 FPS but may be acceptable for slower-paced play. 1440p Medium (41.6 FPS) and 1440p High (32.8 FPS) are progressively worse, and 1440p Ultra (21.1 FPS) is not recommended. At 4K, no setting is advisable for smooth gameplay — the best result is 4K Low at 30.5 FPS, which is best reserved for static screenshots or menu browsing.

The settings ladder at 1080p is instructive: Low (75.9) → Medium (60.1) → High (45.1) → Ultra (31.4). Each step up costs roughly 15 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 13.7 FPS, which is the largest single-step penalty after the Medium-to-High drop of 15.0 FPS. Given that Ultra offers diminishing visual returns in most games, 1080p Medium is the sweet spot — it preserves 60+ FPS while providing a meaningful quality bump over Low. Players who prioritize smoothness above all should use 1080p Low; players who want the best visuals at a playable rate should cap at 1080p Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1640th out of 1,695 tested combos in Evolve. That places it in the bottom 3.2% of all configurations tested for this game — a stark verdict. The ranking reflects the GPU's severe limitation, not the CPU's capability. The i7-14700KF is a top-4% CPU (96th percentile), but the GTX 1650 sits at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, and in a game like Evolve, the GPU dominates the FPS outcome.

The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low game rank is the story. The data shows that pairing a flagship-tier CPU with an entry-level GPU yields a result that is almost entirely dictated by the GPU. The combo rank of 1640 out of 1695 means that 1,639 other CPU+GPU combinations delivered higher average FPS in Evolve. This is not a reflection of CPU weakness — the i7-14700KF's nearest rivals are all within 1.3% of its average score — but rather a reflection of the GTX 1650's position in the GPU hierarchy.

For context, the GTX 1650's nearest GPU rivals are the RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4), Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), Quadro P2200 (deltaPct 0.5), and Radeon Pro WX 5100 (deltaPct -0.5). All of these are within a 1% margin of the GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 8,713. This means the GTX 1650 is performing exactly as expected relative to its class — the problem is that its class is far too weak for Evolve at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this combo, and the benchmark data shows it is the bottleneck in every scenario. The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost of 1665 MHz. The 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are modest by modern standards, and the 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is low for a 2019 GPU tasked with a 2015 game at high resolutions.

The VRAM capacity is the most telling limitation. At 4K, the game is likely exceeding the 4 GB frame buffer, which causes severe performance degradation. The data shows 4K High at 18.1 FPS and 4K Ultra at 14.0 FPS — both far below playable thresholds. Even 4K Low (30.5 FPS) suggests the GPU is swapping textures or falling back to lower-quality assets. The 128-bit memory bus compounds this: 128.1 GB/s is insufficient for 4K workloads, which need substantially more bandwidth to feed the shader units.

The GPU's benchmark profile confirms its position. PassMark G3D scores 7,880, DirectX 11 scores 58, and DirectX 12 scores 35. The DirectX 12 score is particularly low, indicating that Evolve's API overhead (if using DX12) or the GPU's driver efficiency at higher resolutions is poor. The GPU's percentile of 43 (vs. all GPUs) places it in the lower half of all graphics cards. Its nearest rivals — the RTX 3050 A Mobile and Radeon 550X — are within 0.4% of its average score, confirming it is a firmly entry-level part.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p:

• Low: 75.9 FPS average
• Medium: 60.1 FPS average
• High: 45.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 31.4 FPS average

The 1080p results are the only ones where this combo approaches playable territory. Low settings deliver 75.9 FPS, which is smooth for an FPS. Medium hits 60.1 FPS, just at the target. High (45.1) and Ultra (31.4) fall below the 60 FPS line and are not recommended for competitive play.

1440p:

• Low: 48.4 FPS average
• Medium: 41.6 FPS average
• High: 32.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 21.1 FPS average

At 1440p, every preset drops below 60 FPS. Low (48.4) is the only option that might be tolerable, but it still stutters in fast action. Medium (41.6) and High (32.8) are progressively worse, and Ultra (21.1) is unplayable.

4K:

• Low: 30.5 FPS average
• Medium: 24.4 FPS average
• High: 18.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 14.0 FPS average

The 4K results are uniformly poor. Even Low (30.5) is below 30 FPS of headroom for any smoothness. The spread from Low to Ultra (16.5 FPS) is the narrowest across all resolutions, indicating the game is completely GPU-bound.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 60 FPS?

A: Only at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. At 1080p Low, the measured average is 75.9 FPS; at 1080p Medium, it is 60.1 FPS. No other resolution or preset combination reaches 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at all settings and resolutions. The i7-14700KF ranks at the 96th percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1650 sits at the 43rd percentile among GPUs. The FPS scales sharply with resolution, which is a GPU-bound signature.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: 1440p Low is the best option, producing 48.4 FPS. It is below 60 FPS but is the only 1440p preset that stays above 40 FPS. 1440p Medium (41.6 FPS) is a secondary option if visuals matter more.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score is 8,713. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4), Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), Quadro P2200 (deltaPct 0.5), and Radeon Pro WX 5100 (deltaPct -0.5). All are within a 1% margin.

Q: Why is 4K performance so poor even at Low settings?

A: The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K, the frame buffer and bandwidth are insufficient, resulting in 30.5 FPS at Low and 14.0 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1640th out of 1,695 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 3.2% of configurations, driven entirely by the GPU's entry-level performance.