Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

This combination pairs Intel's Arrow Lake-based Core Ultra 5 225 with AMD's RDNA 2 flagship, the Radeon RX 6800 XT, targeting a 2015 FPS title that remains demanding at high settings. The measured data across three resolutions and four quality presets reveals a system that handles 1080p with ease, remains very capable at 1440p, but requires careful settings management at 4K. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the GPU becomes the primary performance limiter as resolution increases, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a consistent and predictable pattern across all settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 148 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p, then falls to 57 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern suggests that the rendering load increases substantially with each resolution step, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The Low settings preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling behavior. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 244 FPS average, which drops to 163 FPS at 1440p and 93 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at Low settings is still higher than the 4K High result, indicating that even at the lowest quality preset, the resolution increase imposes a significant rendering cost. The gap between Low and High settings narrows as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the bottleneck.

Medium settings show the most balanced scaling across the resolution range. The average FPS goes from 189 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, and finally 72 at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes measured minimum and maximum values of 61 and 83 FPS respectively, providing the only full frame time data in the measured set. This suggests that Medium at 4K is the most stable configuration in terms of frame pacing consistency.

Ultra settings demonstrate the steepest performance cliff. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 103 FPS, which drops to 69 FPS at 1440p and only 39 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for smooth gameplay, indicating that this preset is not viable at the highest resolution. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 43% performance drop, consistent with the other presets.

The overall pattern reveals that resolution scaling is nearly linear in terms of pixel count, but the actual FPS impact varies by settings preset. Lower settings presets show larger absolute FPS drops because they start from higher baseline frame rates, while higher settings presets show smaller absolute drops but land at lower final values. This behavior points to the GPU as the limiting component across all resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 features 10 cores and 10 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This configuration provides strong single-thread performance, which is reflected in benchmark scores including a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4412. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache contribute to its responsiveness in gaming workloads.

For a 2015 FPS title like Evolve, the CPU's single-thread capabilities are particularly relevant. The game engine was designed around the CPU architectures of its era, meaning modern processors with high per-core performance tend to excel. The Core Ultra 5 225's boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides the kind of raw frequency that older game engines can leverage effectively, especially when rendering at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated.

The PassMark multithread score of 30459 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25891 indicate solid multi-threaded performance, though the 10-core, 10-thread configuration without hyper-threading means the CPU relies on physical cores rather than logical threads. This is unlikely to be a limitation in Evolve, as the game's threading model predates the widespread adoption of high-core-count CPUs and typically scales best with strong single-core performance.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85th among all tested CPUs places it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with an average score of 36945 and a delta percentage of 0, meaning the Core Ultra 5 225 performs essentially identically to that chip. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.5% behind, showing that the Core Ultra 5 225 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p where frame rates reach 244 FPS at Low settings. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to sustain very high performance. The fact that frame rates continue to scale with resolution suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck even at 4K, where the GPU's rendering load dominates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 21 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation pipelines, along with 72 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1825 MHz with a boost clock of 2250 MHz, and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2000 MHz with a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

The GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Evolve at any resolution, as the game's texture requirements are modest by modern standards. The memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s provides ample throughput for the high-resolution rendering workloads, particularly at 4K where texture fetch and frame buffer operations become more demanding. The GPU's pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 648.0 GTexel/s indicate substantial fill rate capabilities.

In benchmark comparisons, the RX 6800 XT achieves an average benchmark score of 48477, placing it in the 85th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, which is 1.5% ahead, and the Intel Arc A550M, which is 2.5% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 3% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 is also 3% behind, showing that the RX 6800 XT remains competitive with newer and older hardware alike.

The measured FPS data clearly demonstrates the GPU's role as the primary performance driver in this pairing. At 4K Ultra, the system produces only 39 FPS average, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's rendering capacity at maximum settings and highest resolution. The drop from 4K High at 57 FPS to 4K Ultra at 39 FPS represents a 32% performance penalty for the Ultra preset, which includes additional visual effects and higher quality textures that increase the GPU's workload.

The GPU's 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance provides the raw processing power needed for the game's shader workloads. The RDNA 2 architecture's efficiency at different quality settings is evident in the FPS scaling, where Medium settings at 4K achieve 72 FPS while Ultra settings drop to 39 FPS. This 33 FPS difference at the same resolution highlights how the GPU's compute and memory resources are allocated across different quality tiers.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 244 FPS, which represents the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings achieve 189 FPS with a minimum of 161 and maximum of 217, providing excellent frame time consistency. High settings deliver 148 FPS, while Ultra settings maintain 103 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding preset at 1080p exceeds the 100 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline from the 1080p results. Low settings yield 163 FPS, which is still a very high frame rate suitable for competitive play. Medium settings produce 127 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 108 and 146 respectively, representing a 19 FPS range that indicates stable performance. High settings achieve 99 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 69 FPS, which remains playable but shows the cost of maximum quality at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance characteristics change significantly. Low settings produce 93 FPS, which is the only 4K preset to exceed 90 FPS. Medium settings achieve 72 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 61 and 83, providing a playable experience with consistent frame pacing. High settings drop to 57 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold but remains close to it. Ultra settings produce only 39 FPS, making this preset unsuitable for smooth gameplay at 4K.

The frame time data available for Medium settings across all three resolutions provides insight into the system's stability. At 1080p Medium, the spread between minimum and maximum is 56 FPS (161 to 217), which represents a 30% variation from the average. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 38 FPS (108 to 146), a 30% variation. At 4K Medium, the spread is 22 FPS (61 to 83), a 31% variation. This consistent relative spread suggests that the system maintains similar frame pacing characteristics regardless of resolution.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows consistent performance deltas. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 141 FPS (244 to 103). At 1440p, the difference is 94 FPS (163 to 69). At 4K, the difference narrows to 54 FPS (93 to 39). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload becomes increasingly dominated by resolution-dependent factors rather than quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT achieves a rank of 852 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places the pairing in the 70th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the majority of systems tested in this game. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial rendering capabilities.

The combo rank of 852 out of 2872 suggests that while this pairing is above average, there are still 851 combinations that produce higher frame rates in Evolve. This is expected given the game's 2015 release date and the fact that newer, more powerful GPUs and CPUs can achieve higher performance. However, the rank also indicates that this combination is well-suited for the game's requirements, providing a smooth experience at most resolution and settings combinations.

The CPU's individual ranking at the 85th percentile and the GPU's ranking at the 85th percentile both contribute to the overall combo performance. When two components that each rank in the 85th percentile are combined, the resulting system typically performs near the top tier of configurations. The combo rank of 852 out of 2872 corresponds to approximately the 70th percentile, which is slightly lower than the individual component rankings suggest, indicating that Evolve may place specific demands on the system that this pairing does not fully address.

The nearest rival CPUs to the Core Ultra 5 225, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a delta of 0% and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D with a delta of -0.2%, would likely produce very similar FPS results when paired with the same GPU. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile at 1.5% ahead and the Intel Arc A550M at 2.5% behind, would also produce comparable performance in this game. The tight clustering of these rival scores suggests that small performance differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to similarly small differences in actual game performance.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as the minimum acceptable frame rate, the data shows that 4K requires Medium settings, which delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS. This configuration provides the best balance between visual quality and performance at the highest resolution. The 4K High preset at 57 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS target, making Medium the recommended choice for 4K gaming.

At 2560x1440, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, but the optimal choice depends on the user's priorities. High settings at 99 FPS provide a significant visual upgrade over Medium at 127 FPS, and both exceed the 60 FPS threshold. For users with high refresh rate displays, Medium at 127 FPS may be preferable, while those prioritizing visual quality should select High at 99 FPS. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS offers the best visuals but reduces the frame rate headroom considerably.

At 1920x1080, the system provides exceptional flexibility. Ultra settings at 103 FPS offer the full visual experience while maintaining triple-digit frame rates. High settings at 148 FPS provide additional headroom for competitive play, and Medium at 189 FPS enables very high refresh rate displays to be fully utilized. Low settings at 244 FPS are primarily useful for maximum frame rate scenarios, though the visual quality reduction may not be justified given the strong performance at higher presets.

The Medium preset across all resolutions shows the most consistent frame time behavior, as evidenced by the available minimum and maximum data points. At 4K Medium, the 61 FPS minimum ensures that frame drops stay above the critical 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Medium, the 108 FPS minimum provides ample safety margin, and at 1080p Medium, the 161 FPS minimum ensures smooth operation even during intense gameplay sequences.

For users with variable refresh rate displays, the Ultra preset at 1440p (69 FPS) and the High preset at 4K (57 FPS) become more viable options, as frame rate fluctuations away from the average are less noticeable. However, the data suggests that Medium settings offer the best combination of visual quality, average frame rate, and frame time consistency across all resolutions, making it the recommended default preset for this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combination achieves in Evolve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 244, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which achieve 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS. High settings at 4K produce 57 FPS average, falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945, showing a delta of 0%.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 163 FPS while Ultra settings achieve 69 FPS, representing a 94 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

Q: How does this GPU rank against all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks in the 85th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48477.

Q: What is the frame time range at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the system produces an average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS, showing a 22 FPS spread.