Evolve

Evolve is a demanding title for integrated graphics, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the AMD Radeon 760M place this combo near the bottom of the pack, ranking 2861 out of 2872 tested configurations. The data shows a system that is strictly limited by its GPU, with playable frame rates only achievable at 1080p on the lowest settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, offering practical guidance for anyone running this hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the AMD Radeon 760M as the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 55 at 1920x1080 to 37 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 33%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 21 FPS, which is a 62% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is running out of pixel-pushing capability long before the CPU becomes a factor.

The trend continues at higher quality presets. On Medium settings, the average goes from 42 FPS at 1080p to 28 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 16 FPS at 4K. High settings show a similar pattern: 33 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and a barely playable 13 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, starting at just 23 FPS at 1080p and collapsing to 15 FPS at 1440p and a slideshow-like 9 FPS at 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario; the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is not the limiting factor here.

The data suggests that 4K resolution is not viable for this game on this hardware, regardless of settings. Even the lowest preset fails to reach 30 FPS at 3840x2160. 1440p is only marginally better, with the Low preset achieving a playable 37 FPS average, but any higher settings drop below 30 FPS. The only resolution where the system can deliver a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080, and even then, only with the Low preset. The performance cliff between 1080p and 1440p is steep, meaning users should consider 1080p the practical ceiling for this iGPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. Its performance characteristics are directly reflected in the Evolve benchmark results. The GPU has a boost clock of 2599 MHz, but this speed is insufficient to overcome the demands of the game at higher resolutions. The 760M's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which introduces a potential performance variable tied to the laptop's memory configuration, but the measured FPS data shows the practical impact.

In terms of raw compute, the GPU has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, delivering a theoretical FP32 performance of 5.323 TFLOPS. These specifications place it in the lower tier of GPUs, with a percentile rank of 35 against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 6019, and its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (scoring 6001, a 0.3% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (scoring 6000, a 0.3% difference). This close grouping confirms that the 760M is competitive with those older or lower-end discrete parts, but it is still fundamentally limited.

The measured FPS data for Evolve shows that the GPU's capabilities are best utilized at 1080p with the Low preset, where it achieves a 55 FPS average. The step up to Medium settings costs 13 FPS (from 55 to 42), which is a significant penalty for a modest visual improvement. The High preset further reduces performance to 33 FPS, and Ultra drops it to 23 FPS. This pattern shows that while the GPU can handle the game's geometry at low detail, it struggles with the additional effects and texture loads at higher presets. The 4K results, with a maximum average of 21 FPS on Low, confirm that the 760M lacks the fill rate and memory bandwidth for high-resolution gaming.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data points to a single viable configuration for a playable experience: 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only combination that achieves an average FPS above 50, hitting 55 FPS. At this setting, the game is smooth enough for the fast-paced action typical of an FPS. All other settings at 1080p result in averages below 50 FPS, with Medium at 42 FPS and High at 33 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but are not ideal for competitive play.

For users who find the Low preset visually lacking, the Medium preset at 1080p is the next step, offering a 42 FPS average with a minimum of 36 FPS. This is a compromise that maintains playability while providing some visual enhancements. However, the data suggests that the jump to High or Ultra at 1080p is not worth the performance cost, as the frame rate drops to 33 FPS and 23 FPS, respectively. These lower frame rates can introduce noticeable stutter and input lag in a shooter.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is worth considering, with a 37 FPS average. However, this is a marginal experience, and the minimum frame rate is not recorded, suggesting potential instability. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The analysis recommends against any 4K settings, as even the Low preset only manages a 21 FPS average. Ultimately, the best experience per the measured rows is to prioritize resolution and lower the quality settings, rather than the reverse.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact average frame rates recorded for each resolution and settings combination. All data is from the measured FPS table.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: 23 FPS average.
• High: 33 FPS average.
• Medium: 42 FPS average, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS.
• Low: 55 FPS average.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: 15 FPS average.
• High: 22 FPS average.
• Medium: 28 FPS average, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS.
• Low: 37 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: 9 FPS average.
• High: 13 FPS average.
• Medium: 16 FPS average, with a minimum of 14 FPS and a maximum of 19 FPS.
• Low: 21 FPS average.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low is the only configuration that breaks the 50 FPS barrier. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration with a minimum FPS above 30. All other combinations fall below 40 FPS average, with the majority of 1440p and 4K settings failing to reach 30 FPS. The Ultra preset is consistently the poorest performer, with its 4K average of 9 FPS being the lowest score in the entire dataset. These numbers provide a definitive guide for setting expectations and configuring the game.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 21 FPS on the Low preset, which is well below playable standards. All other 4K settings are in the single digits or low teens, making the game effectively unplayable at that resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The measured data does not show any configuration achieving a 60 FPS average. The closest is 1080p Low, which hits 55 FPS. This is the recommended target for the smoothest possible gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost by moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 55 at 1920x1080 to 37 at 2560x1440. This is a significant 18 FPS reduction, or roughly a 33% performance penalty, for the resolution increase.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever worth using?

A: No. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields a 23 FPS average, which is too low for an FPS. At higher resolutions, it produces 15 FPS at 1440p and 9 FPS at 4K. The visual quality gain does not justify the severe performance hit.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 760M compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 6019. It is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001, 0.3% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0.3% faster). It is 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (6049). This shows it is competitive with these older entry-level discrete GPUs.

Q: What is the limiting factor for this game on this hardware?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent tasks. The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, with its 14 cores and 18 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops when pixel count increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture and built on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. It has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 12804.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1647.5 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 27507, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (scoring 27535, a -0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i5-12600K (scoring 27578, a -0.3% difference), indicating its multi-threaded performance is on par with those desktop parts.

Despite this strong CPU performance, its role in Evolve is secondary. The game is clearly GPU-bound, as demonstrated by the drastic FPS drops when resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the CPU must work to maintain 55 FPS, but at 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 21 FPS. This massive drop is not due to CPU limitations but rather the GPU's inability to render the increased pixel count. The CPU is not the bottleneck in any of the measured scenarios.

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 125H has ample headroom for this game. Its high multi-threaded scores indicate it can handle the game's logic and physics without issue. The fact that the FPS scales so predictably with GPU load confirms that the CPU is not holding the system back. In a future scenario where a more powerful discrete GPU were installed, the 125H would likely be able to support higher frame rates, but with the Radeon 760M, its performance is irrelevant to the final FPS in Evolve. The processor's job is done as long as it can feed frames to the GPU, which it does consistently.