Evolve

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a dataset for Evolve that is heavily constrained by the graphics card. The processor, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is a top-tier part, but the GPU delivers a classic mid-range performance profile. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the frame rates are playable only under specific configurations, making this combo a study in bottleneck dynamics.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for playing Evolve with this combo?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings remain playable. At this resolution, the average FPS ranges from 53.0 at Ultra to 124.6 at Low, while 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 both dip below 60 FPS at High and Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074 (0% deltaPct). It is slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which scores 70420, a -0.4% deltaPct.

Q: What is the GPU's relative performance standing?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 14286 is marginally below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315), with deltaPct values of -0.2% against both.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for this game?

A: The GPU features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured FPS shows a steep performance cliff at 4K Ultra (22.4 FPS), suggesting the memory capacity or bandwidth is a limiting factor at that extreme configuration.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1479 out of 1695 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the lower half of all pairings, indicating that this specific CPU-GPU combination is not optimal for this title.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU has a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU has a 55th percentile ranking. The FPS scaling patterns across resolutions confirm this, as performance drops significantly when pixel count increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this configuration for Evolve. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, includes 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs. The card operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, which are the clock speeds that directly influence the frame rates seen in the measured data.

The GPU's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is a critical specification for this game. With a 192-bit memory bus and bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, the card has enough throughput for 1080p and most 1440p scenarios. However, the 4K results show a clear limitation. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 29.0 at High settings and 22.4 at Ultra. This sharp decline suggests the memory subsystem, either capacity or bandwidth, is overwhelmed at that resolution, preventing the CPU from pushing higher frame rates.

The GPU's compute capabilities also play a role. Its FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards. In Evolve, which is a fast-paced FPS, these figures translate to the card being able to handle the game's rendering load at lower resolutions effectively. The 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with a Passmark G3D score of 12699, confirms that this is a middle-tier part. The data shows that at 1920x1080 Low, the card achieves 124.6 FPS, but at 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 22.4 FPS, a clear indication that the GPU's silicon is the limiting factor in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1479 out of 1695 tested combinations for Evolve. This position in the lower 13th percentile of all pairings reflects a significant imbalance between the two components. The CPU is a high-end part, ranking in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 70104. This places it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 and 1.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, yet it is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 55th percentile.

This ranking disparity is the root cause of the combo's low position. The i7-14700KF is capable of far higher frame rates, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557, but the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot deliver the frames to match. The GPU's average benchmark score of 14286 is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, an integrated graphics solution, which highlights the GPU's relative weakness in this pairing.

For Evolve, this means the combo is held back by the graphics card at every turn. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, the card reaches 124.6 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. At 1440p High, it drops to 52.8 FPS, and at 4K, it falls below 30 FPS at High settings. The rank of 1479 out of 1695 suggests that many other combinations, likely those with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings, will provide a more consistent experience in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 124.6. Moving to Medium drops the average to 96.1 FPS. High settings yield 75.4 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 53.0 FPS. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern, with each settings tier reducing performance by roughly 20-25%, indicating the GPU is managing the workload efficiently at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. Low settings produce an average of 81.9 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 62.0 FPS, while High settings fall to 52.8 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 36.7 FPS. This resolution shows that the GPU is starting to struggle, as the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. Low settings produce an average of 49.9 FPS, which is the only playable result at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 38.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 29.0 FPS. Ultra settings yield just 22.4 FPS, which is not a smooth gaming experience. The 4K results show a steep drop-off, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 27.5 FPS, compared to a 71.6 FPS difference at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 124.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 81.9 FPS, a reduction of 34.3%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 49.9 FPS, which is 59.9% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where increasing pixel count directly reduces fill rate.

At Ultra settings, the scaling pattern is even more pronounced. The 1080p Ultra average is 53.0 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 36.7 FPS, a 30.8% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 22.4 FPS, a 57.7% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline demonstrates that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB memory buffer and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra in Evolve.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the measured results show a clear linear relationship between resolution and performance. The i7-14700KF, with its 28 threads and 33 MB of L3 cache, is more than capable of feeding the GPU frames. The bottleneck is the GPU's rendering pipeline, which cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions. This is confirmed by the fact that the FPS drops at every settings tier when moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, with the largest percentage drops occurring at the highest settings where GPU load is greatest.