Evolve

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers extreme performance in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title that is clearly not stressing modern flagship hardware. The measured data shows a combination that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but surprisingly CPU-bound at 1080p Low settings. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, the combo's standing against other tested configurations, and provides practical settings guidance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic bottleneck shift. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 156.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 103.2 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 62.8 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 60% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating the RTX 4090 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. The GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the higher resolution workloads.

The scaling pattern changes dramatically at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 371.3 FPS, but this drops to 251.4 FPS at 1440p and 142.8 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p reduction is 32%, while the 1440p to 4K reduction is 43%. This suggests the CPU is holding the system back at 1080p Low, given the i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are not fully utilized by this older title. The 4K Low result of 142.8 FPS is still higher than the 4K High result of 85.4 FPS, showing that lowering settings has a massive impact even at high resolutions.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Medium, the average is 288.7 FPS, dropping to 193.2 FPS at 1440p and 109.9 FPS at 4K. The gaps between settings presets narrow as resolution increases, which is expected behavior for a GPU-bound scenario. At 4K, the difference between Low and Medium is only 33 FPS, while at 1080p, the difference is 82.6 FPS. This indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions but becomes less relevant when the GPU is the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 27th out of 1695 combos for Evolve. That places it in the top 1.6% of all tested systems, which is an exceptional result. The ranking reflects the raw power of both components, but the data suggests that the CPU's contribution is less critical than the GPU's in this specific game.

The i7-14700KF itself holds a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K with a deltaPct of 0, the AMD EPYC 9115 at 0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at -0.4%, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 at -1.3%. This places the 14700KF in a tight cluster with other high-end processors, but the differences are negligible for gaming purposes.

The RTX 4090 ranks in the 91st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla T4 at -0.4%, the Tesla P40 at 0.5%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 at -0.9%, and the Quadro P6000 at -1.3%. The 4090's performance in Evolve is so far ahead of the game's requirements that the combo rank is primarily determined by the GPU's ability to push frames at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is the Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Evolve?

A: At 1080p Low, yes. The 371.3 FPS result is likely CPU-limited because the 20-core, 28-thread processor cannot fully utilize its capabilities in this older title. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the combo dropping to 62.8 FPS.

Q: What is the maximum playable frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average is 371.3 FPS at 1080p Low settings. This is the ceiling for the tested configurations, and it is far beyond what any standard display can show.

Q: How does the 14700KF compare to its direct rival, the 14700K?

A: The deltaPct between them is 0, meaning they perform identically in synthetic benchmarks. The 14700KF has an average score of 70104, matching the 14700K's 70074 within measurement error.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB memory capacity useful for Evolve?

A: The game is from 2015 and does not require significant video memory. The 24 GB capacity is overkill for this title, but it ensures there are no memory-related stutters at any resolution or setting.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average is 62.8 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. This is still perfectly playable and shows the combo never drops below 60 FPS in any tested configuration.

Q: Does the combo rank change if I use a different CPU or GPU?

A: The rank of 27 out of 1695 is specific to this exact combination. Using a different CPU or GPU would place the system elsewhere in the database, but the data provided only covers this specific pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers four settings presets across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the averages are 371.3 FPS (Low), 288.7 FPS (Medium), 224.8 FPS (High), and 156.3 FPS (Ultra). The spread from Low to Ultra is 215 FPS, which is substantial. Low settings are clearly CPU-bound, while Ultra settings bring the GPU into play.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 251.4 FPS (Low), 193.2 FPS (Medium), 149.2 FPS (High), and 103.2 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Low to Ultra is 148.2 FPS. This resolution still allows for very high frame rates, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 142.8 FPS (Low), 109.9 FPS (Medium), 85.4 FPS (High), and 62.8 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below 100 FPS, but it remains above 60 FPS. For a game from 2015, these numbers are remarkably high, reflecting the massive headroom provided by modern hardware.

The scaling between presets is consistent. Moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS by roughly 22% at 1080p, 23% at 1440p, and 23% at 4K. Moving from High to Ultra reduces FPS by 30% at 1080p, 31% at 1440p, and 26% at 4K. This indicates that the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding, likely due to effects like shadows and post-processing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. Its synthetic performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. The Geekbench multi-core score is 19287, and the single-core score is 2972.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p Low settings. The 371.3 FPS result suggests the game is not using all 20 cores effectively, as the title was released in 2015 and likely prioritizes single-thread performance. The 14700KF's 5.60 GHz boost clock helps in this scenario, but the game's engine cannot scale beyond a certain point. The PassMark single-thread score of 4480 indicates strong per-core performance, yet the frame rate ceiling is still reached.

At higher resolutions and settings, the CPU becomes less relevant. The 4K Ultra result of 62.8 FPS is almost entirely GPU-bound, with the RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance being the limiting factor. The CPU's multi-core capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 18713, are not fully utilized by Evolve. This is typical for older titles that were designed for dual-core or quad-core processors.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests using High settings at 1440p or 4K. At 1440p High, the combo delivers 149.2 FPS, which is smooth for any display and leaves headroom for future titles. At 4K High, the 85.4 FPS average is excellent for a 4K panel, especially considering the game's age.

If a player prioritizes maximum frame rates for competitive play, 1080p Low at 371.3 FPS is the way to go. This configuration ensures the lowest possible latency, though the visual quality is reduced. The 1080p Medium preset at 288.7 FPS offers a better balance between visuals and speed.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K gaming, as the 62.8 FPS average is the lowest measured. However, it remains playable. For those with 1440p displays, Ultra at 103.2 FPS is acceptable, but High at 149.2 FPS is a better trade-off. The Medium preset at 4K provides 109.9 FPS, which is a significant improvement over Ultra with minimal visual difference in fast-paced action.

Ultimately, the RTX 4090's raw power means that even the most demanding settings are playable. The choice between presets comes down to whether a player values frame rate or visual fidelity. The data indicates that High settings offer the best compromise across all resolutions, with 1440p High being the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays.