Evolve

# Evolve Performance Analysis: Intel Core i9-14900K + AMD Radeon RX 580

This combination of Intel's flagship 14th Gen desktop processor and AMD's Polaris-era graphics card produces a striking performance profile in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The pairing ranks 1587th out of 1695 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 7% of all configurations tested for this game. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU, which sits at the 53rd percentile among all tested graphics cards, while the CPU ranks in the 97th percentile among all processors. The data reveals a massively CPU-overpowered pairing where the graphics subsystem becomes the decisive bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1587 out of 1695 tested configurations indicates that the vast majority of other hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates in Evolve. This is a bottom-tier result, with only 108 combinations performing worse. The ranking suggests that while the i9-14900K is among the most capable processors ever tested — sitting at the 97th percentile versus all CPUs — the RX 580's 53rd percentile standing among GPUs drags the overall experience down substantially.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU's nearest rivals in overall average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 0.3% higher, and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 0.7% higher. These differences are negligible, confirming that the processor is performing at the expected level for its class. The GPU's nearest rivals tell a different story: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 matches the RX 580's average score exactly (0% delta), while the GTX 950 scores 0.1% higher and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 scores 1.1% higher. This cluster of comparable GPUs all sit near the median of tested graphics hardware, reinforcing that the RX 580 is a mid-pack component being paired with a top-tier processor.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, built on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, brings 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective), while the GPU core operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The card's 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines deliver a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s.

In Evolve, the measured FPS data shows the GPU's capabilities are strained even at moderate settings. At 1080p High, the combo produces 52.2 FPS, but this drops to 34.3 FPS at Ultra — a 34% reduction from merely raising quality presets. The 8 GB VRAM allocation is not the limiting factor; rather, the card's raw compute throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS FP32 appears insufficient for Evolve's demands at higher presets. The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 compatibility are modern, but the underlying GCN 4.0 architecture's efficiency at this game's workload limits performance markedly.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the combo delivers 87 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 56.2 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decline) and further to 31.9 FPS at 4K (a 63% decline from 1080p). At High settings, the progression is 52.2 FPS at 1080p, 37.3 FPS at 1440p (a 29% drop), and 17.4 FPS at 4K (a 67% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 34.3 FPS at 1080p falls to 22.9 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and then to 12.5 FPS at 4K (a 64% reduction).

These consistent 29-35% drops between 1080p and 1440p, followed by 63-67% drops to 4K, indicate the GPU is the limiting component across all resolutions. A CPU-bound scenario would show much flatter scaling as resolution increases. The data suggests that even at 1080p, the RX 580 is already at or near its performance ceiling in Evolve, as the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads provide far more processing headroom than this game can utilize.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Medium settings at 1080p provide the most balanced experience, delivering 63.7 FPS — comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 1080p push this to 87 FPS, which may be preferable for competitive play, but the visual compromise is substantial. High settings at 1080p yield 52.2 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action.

At 1440p, Low settings deliver 56.2 FPS, making this the only 1440p preset that approaches playability. Medium at 1440p drops to 44.1 FPS, while High falls to 37.3 FPS. At 4K, all presets produce sub-32 FPS results, with Low achieving 31.9 FPS and Ultra dropping to an unplayable 12.5 FPS. The data implies that 4K gaming with this combo is not viable in Evolve, and 1440p requires the Low preset for acceptable frame rates. For the best measured experience, 1080p Medium offers the optimal trade-off between visual quality and performance, with 1080p Low serving as the high-refresh-rate alternative.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low (1587th out of 1695) despite having a top-tier CPU?

A: The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-pack performance (53rd percentile among all GPUs) combined with the game's sensitivity to graphics hardware. The i9-14900K ranks in the 97th percentile among CPUs, but Evolve's frame rates are dictated primarily by the RX 580, which bottlenecks the system.

Q: Is the RX 580's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Evolve at 4K?

A: The data shows that even at Low settings with 4K resolution, the combo only achieves 31.9 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is not at issue; the card's compute throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS FP32 is insufficient to maintain playable frame rates at 4K regardless of VRAM capacity.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score of 13559 puts it within 1.1% of several competitors: the GTX 570 matches at 0% delta, the GTX 950 scores 0.1% higher, and the Radeon Pro 455 scores 1.1% higher. The NVIDIA P106-090 scores 1.1% higher as well.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Evolve?

A: According to the measured FPS, 1080p Medium at 63.7 FPS provides the best balance. For maximum smoothness, 1080p Low at 87 FPS is the highest measured frame rate. At 1440p, only Low (56.2 FPS) approaches playability.

Q: Is the i9-14900K the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores (e.g., 49872 in Cinebench R23 multicore, 7040 in singlecore) place it at the 97th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's 53rd percentile standing and the FPS scaling patterns clearly identify the RX 580 as the bottleneck.

Q: How does the combo perform at Ultra settings across resolutions?

A: Ultra settings yield 34.3 FPS at 1080p, 22.9 FPS at 1440p, and 12.5 FPS at 4K. These results are all below the 60 FPS threshold, with only the 1080p result being marginally playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K, built on Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process, provides 24 cores and 32 threads operating at a 3.20 GHz base clock and 6.00 GHz boost clock. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache, combined with DDR4/DDR5 memory support and PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, make it an exceptionally powerful processor. The CPU's benchmark results confirm its elite status: 49872 in Cinebench R23 multicore, 7040 in singlecore, and a 97th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is largely providing overhead that the game cannot fully exploit. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low — the least GPU-intensive configuration — the combo only reaches 87 FPS. This is not a limitation of the i9-14900K, which has demonstrated the ability to drive far more demanding workloads in synthetic tests. The Passmark multithread score of 58674 and physics score of 3140 indicate the CPU has substantial headroom for gaming workloads. The data suggests that pairing this processor with a more capable GPU would yield dramatically higher frame rates, as the CPU would not constrain performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 87 FPS on Low, 63.7 FPS on Medium, 52.2 FPS on High, and 34.3 FPS on Ultra. These results show a clear progression: each step up in quality costs approximately 15-20 FPS at this resolution. The 1080p Low result of 87 FPS is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations.

At 2560x1440, performance drops to 56.2 FPS on Low, 44.1 FPS on Medium, 37.3 FPS on High, and 22.9 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 33.3 FPS, representing a 59% reduction from the Low preset. The 1440p Low result is the only 1440p configuration that exceeds 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are 31.9 FPS on Low, 24.3 FPS on Medium, 17.4 FPS on High, and 12.5 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is less than one-seventh of the 1080p Low frame rate, illustrating the severe performance penalty of combining high resolution with maximum quality settings on this hardware. Across all resolutions, the Low-to-Ultra performance ratio remains consistent at roughly 2.5x, indicating the GPU's scaling behavior is predictable regardless of resolution.