Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, a 10-core Arrow Lake desktop processor, paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, a Turing-based 6 GB graphics card, produces a measured performance profile in Evolve that is heavily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions while showing surprising CPU headroom at 1080p. The benchmark data shows a system that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p on Medium and High settings, but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K, with the combo ranking 2450 out of 2872 tested configurations in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 123 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p, then falls further to 47 FPS at 4K. This represents a 62% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GTX 1660 SUPER's rendering throughput becomes the dominant limiting factor as pixel count quadruples.

The Medium settings row shows a similar pattern but with lower absolute values: 96 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings produces a 42% drop, while the 1080p to 1440p transition costs 33% of the frame rate. This non-linear scaling suggests that memory bandwidth and fill rate constraints become progressively more severe at higher resolutions.

High settings demonstrate the most dramatic resolution sensitivity. At 1080p, the system achieves 75 FPS, which drops to 50 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 29 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at High settings falls below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for playable frame rates, making this configuration impractical at that resolution.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions: 52 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and just 20 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — a 62% drop from the 1080p Ultra score indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combined demands of maximum graphical fidelity and high pixel count.

The data shows that this system's performance ceiling at 4K is Low settings, where it achieves 47 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings at 64 FPS represents the highest quality tier that maintains smooth gameplay, while at 1080p, High settings at 75 FPS provides a good balance. The resolution scaling pattern strongly indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, is the primary bottleneck across all tested configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER operates with a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, built on the TU116 chip using a 12 nm process. Its memory configuration consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 running at 1750 MHz with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth through a 192-bit bus. These specifications position the GPU solidly in the mid-range segment, with a PassMark G3D score of 12699 placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s directly influence how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with rendered geometry and apply texture detail. At 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the 20 FPS average suggests that the pixel fill rate and texture throughput are insufficient for the demands of Evolve's highest quality preset.

The FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS provides a baseline for raw shader computation, but the measured results indicate that memory bandwidth plays a more critical role in this game. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while respectable for the GPU's class, becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions where larger framebuffers and more texture data must be moved through the memory subsystem.

In the context of its nearest rivals, the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 12986 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 12940 (0.4% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12928 (0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon 740M at 12870 (0.9% delta). The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 trails at 13075 (-0.7% delta), showing that the GTX 1660 SUPER sits in a tightly contested performance band among its peers.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support at version 12_1, along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility, ensures broad game compatibility. The measured frame rates at 1080p Medium (96 FPS) and High (75 FPS) suggest that the GPU has sufficient headroom for competitive play at standard resolutions, while the 4K results at 29 FPS (High) and 20 FPS (Ultra) demonstrate its limitations at extreme resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 47 FPS average. Medium settings at 4K produce 37 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS, while High and Ultra settings drop to 29 FPS and 20 FPS respectively, which are below acceptable playability thresholds.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent performance across all settings. At 1080p, even Ultra settings maintain 52 FPS, while High settings deliver 75 FPS and Low settings reach 123 FPS. This resolution allows for the widest range of quality presets while maintaining playable frame rates.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to the Radeon RX 580 in this context?

A: The two GPUs have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with the GTX 1660 SUPER at 12986 and the RX 580 at 12928, a difference of only 0.4%. This suggests they would perform similarly in Evolve, though the measured FPS data applies specifically to the GTX 1660 SUPER configuration.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM sufficient for Evolve?

A: The measured results indicate that 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is adequate for this game. The performance drops at higher resolutions correlate more strongly with memory bandwidth and pixel throughput than with capacity limits, as the GPU maintains playable frame rates at 1440p Medium (64 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (52 FPS).

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 50 FPS. This is playable but noticeably lower than the 75 FPS achieved at 1080p with the same settings, representing a 33% reduction in frame rate from the resolution increase alone.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 2450 out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the performance distribution. This rank reflects the GTX 1660 SUPER's 53rd percentile GPU standing combined with the CPU's 85th percentile performance, indicating that the GPU limits overall gaming performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this system in Evolve depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings at 96 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness, with a minimum frame rate of 81 FPS ensuring consistent gameplay. The High preset at 75 FPS delivers a more refined visual experience while still maintaining comfortable headroom above 60 FPS.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset at 123 FPS offers exceptional responsiveness, though the visual compromise may be significant. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is playable but approaches the lower boundary of acceptable performance, and the lack of minimum FPS data for this setting introduces uncertainty about potential frame drops during intense gameplay sequences.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 64 FPS represents the recommended choice, providing smooth gameplay with a measured minimum of 55 FPS. The High preset at 50 FPS remains playable for less demanding users, but the Ultra preset at 35 FPS risks noticeable stuttering during action-heavy moments. The Low preset at 83 FPS offers the smoothest 1440p experience, though with reduced visual fidelity.

For 3840x2160, Low settings at 47 FPS is the only viable option for playable performance. The Medium preset at 37 FPS with a 31 FPS minimum may be acceptable for casual play, but High at 29 FPS and Ultra at 20 FPS fall below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution to 1440p for better quality settings, or accepting Low preset at native 4K.

The data suggests that the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with the smallest gap between minimum and average FPS in the measured results. The 1080p Medium configuration at 96 FPS average and 81 FPS minimum offers the best combination of visual quality and performance stability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 123 FPS, representing the highest frame rate measured for this configuration. Medium settings produce 96 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS and maximum of 110 FPS, demonstrating consistent frame pacing. High settings yield 75 FPS average, providing solid performance for most gaming scenarios. The Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS average, showing the significant cost of maximum quality settings.

The 2560x1440 results show a clear step down in performance. Low settings maintain 83 FPS average, still well above playable thresholds. Medium settings achieve 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS, offering acceptable smoothness with some headroom for demanding scenes. High settings fall to 50 FPS average, approaching the boundary where frame rate fluctuations become noticeable. Ultra settings at 35 FPS average represent a marginal experience, suitable only for users prioritizing visual quality over responsiveness.

At 3840x2160, the performance limitations become pronounced. Low settings deliver 47 FPS average, barely maintaining playability. Medium settings drop to 37 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS and maximum of 42 FPS, showing tight but low frame rates. High settings at 29 FPS average fall below the 30 FPS threshold, making gameplay feel sluggish. The Ultra preset at 20 FPS average provides a slideshow-like experience unsuitable for action gameplay.

The complete measured dataset demonstrates the system's performance envelope: from a high of 123 FPS at 1080p Low to a low of 20 FPS at 4K Ultra. The Medium preset across all resolutions shows the most consistent scaling, with frame rates of 96, 64, and 37 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. These numbers represent a 61% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides substantial processing capability with 10 cores and 10 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boosting up to 4.90 GHz. Built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC, this processor includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates strong overall processing performance.

The CPU's benchmark results show exceptional single-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4412. Multi-threaded performance is equally impressive, with Cinebench R23 multi-core scoring 25891 and PassMark multithread reaching 30459. These results place the CPU in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945 avg score, 0% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018 avg score, -0.2% delta).

In the context of Evolve's measured FPS data, the CPU's performance appears more than adequate for the demands of this game. The frame rates at 1080p Low (123 FPS) and Medium (96 FPS) suggest that the CPU can feed the GPU with sufficient data to maintain high frame rates. The bottleneck clearly shifts to the GPU at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops from 1080p to 1440p and 4K.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s through dual-channel DDR5 support may contribute to overall system responsiveness, though the game's performance scaling suggests that GPU memory bandwidth (336.0 GB/s) is the more critical factor in this workload. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 20 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 3.0 x16 connection.

Despite the CPU's strong benchmark scores, its role in Evolve appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS differences between settings at the same resolution are primarily attributable to GPU workload changes, not CPU limitations. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads provide sufficient processing power for the game's simulation and physics calculations, with no evidence of CPU bottlenecking in the measured results.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 2450 out of 2872 tested configurations for Evolve, placing it in the bottom 15% of all tested combos. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning (53rd percentile) combined with the CPU's strong performance (85th percentile), resulting in a system where the graphics card constrains overall gaming performance.

The significant gap between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the GPU's middle-tier percentile explains the combo's low overall rank. The Core Ultra 5 225's processing power is largely underutilized in this configuration, as the GTX 1660 SUPER becomes the limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p. This imbalance is evident in the measured FPS data, where even at 1080p Low settings (123 FPS), the frame rate may not fully reflect the CPU's capabilities.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals — the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% higher average score), Radeon RX 580 (0.4% higher), and Radeon 740M (0.9% higher) — would likely produce similar combo rankings when paired with this CPU. The tight performance band among these GPUs suggests that the specific graphics card choice has minimal impact on the overall ranking position.

The combo's rank of 2450 out of 2872 indicates that the majority of tested systems outperform this configuration in Evolve. This positioning is consistent with the GPU's 53rd percentile standing, as most gaming-focused systems feature more powerful graphics cards. The CPU, despite its high percentile ranking, cannot compensate for the GPU's performance ceiling in this graphically demanding title.

The data suggests that users with this combo should focus on optimizing settings for their target resolution rather than expecting significant performance improvements from CPU-side adjustments. The measured results across all settings and resolutions provide a clear performance map, with the 1080p Medium configuration representing the best overall experience for most users.