Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates the capabilities of this specific combination. The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a dataset that is highly sensitive to both resolution and graphical presets. The measured frames per second reveal a system that is consistently capable at 1080p but becomes increasingly strained as the resolution climbs toward 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this configuration in Evolve.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combination in Evolve shows a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 132 FPS, which provides a substantial performance buffer. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 102 FPS, still a very fluid experience. The High preset yields 80 FPS on average, which remains highly playable. The Ultra preset, however, brings the average down to 55 FPS, a noticeable step down from High but still within a playable range for many users.

Given this data, the Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the most balanced recommendation. It offers an average of 102 FPS, which is more than double the refresh rate of a standard 60Hz monitor, while the recorded minimum of 87 FPS ensures that frame times remain consistent without significant stutters. The step from Medium to High costs 22 FPS on average (from 102 to 80), which is a considerable drop for a visual fidelity increase that may not be as impactful in a fast-paced game. For users with high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset at 132 FPS is the only option that consistently pushes beyond the 120 FPS threshold, but the Medium preset provides the best compromise between smoothness and visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes significantly. The Low preset still manages an average of 88 FPS, which is good. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS, making it the highest preset that reliably stays above the 60 FPS mark. The High preset drops to an average of 54 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset falls to 37 FPS, which is not ideal for a competitive FPS. Therefore, at 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it is the most graphically demanding setting that still maintains an average above 60 FPS.

For 3840x2160, the data indicates that this combination is not suited for high-fidelity gaming. The Low preset is the only one that approaches a playable frame rate, with an average of 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, and the High preset drops to 31 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at 21 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to use the Low preset, but users should expect a compromise in visual quality to achieve a frame rate that is only marginally acceptable. The data strongly suggests that this resolution is beyond the comfortable operating range for this GPU in Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall performance of this CPU and GPU pairing in Evolve is placed at rank 2369 out of 2872 tested combinations. This places the combo in the lower 17.5% of all tested systems for this specific game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's age and performance tier, as the CPU is significantly more capable. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is a bottleneck in this configuration, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, have nearly identical average scores, with a deltaPct of just 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. This indicates that the CPU is a top-tier performer in general benchmarks. However, in a game like Evolve, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, dragging the overall combo ranking down to 2369. The GPU's average benchmark score is 9780, placing it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-range ranking that aligns with the low combo rank.

The discrepancy between the high CPU percentile and the low combo rank highlights a significant imbalance. While the CPU could easily handle more demanding graphical workloads, the GTX 1070 cannot deliver the frames needed to move the combo up in the rankings. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield a much higher combo rank in Evolve, as the CPU's headroom would no longer be wasted.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 serves as the primary determinant of performance in this Evolve dataset. Its specifications, based on the Pascal architecture, include 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. These specifications are critical because the game's performance scaling with resolution directly corresponds to the GPU's ability to process and output frames.

The data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is the classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the GPU is able to maintain high frame rates, but as the pixel count increases to 1440p and then 4K, the rendering load on the GPU grows exponentially. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the textures in Evolve, but the processing power of the GP104 chip is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (21 FPS) versus 4K Low (50 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU's compute units, and not the memory capacity, are the bottleneck.

Furthermore, the GPU's performance relative to its peers is modest. Its average benchmark score of 9780 places it near the AMD FirePro W5000, which scores 9803 (a deltaPct of -0.2%), and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which scores 9832 (a deltaPct of -0.5%). This indicates that the GTX 1070 is a mid-range performer by modern standards, and its ability to run a 2015 title at 4K is limited. The data makes it clear that the GPU is the component that holds this combo back, as the CPU is far more capable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: the Low preset averages 132 FPS, the Medium preset averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS, the High preset averages 80 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS. This shows a linear decrease in performance as settings increase, with a total drop of 77 FPS from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 88 FPS, the Medium preset averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, the High preset averages 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent, showing a reduction of about 33-35% in average FPS. For example, High goes from 80 FPS to 54 FPS, and Medium goes from 102 FPS to 68 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. The Low preset averages 50 FPS, the Medium preset averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS, the High preset averages 31 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS. The 4K Medium setting is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, indicating that the frame times are more variable at this resolution. The data shows that at 4K, no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, making the experience suboptimal for competitive play.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a significant and predictable impact of resolution scaling on performance. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 33-36% across all settings. For instance, at the High preset, the average FPS falls from 80 to 54, which is a 32.5% reduction. At the Medium preset, it falls from 102 to 68, a 33.3% reduction. This scaling factor is typical for a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels rendered directly impacts the frame rate.

The scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is even more severe. The pixel count increases by 2.25 times from 1080p to 4K, and the data shows this. From 1440p to 4K, the High preset drops from 54 FPS to 31 FPS, a 42.6% reduction. The Ultra preset drops from 37 FPS to 21 FPS, a 43.2% reduction. This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as resolution increases, and the rendering overhead is causing a super-linear performance hit.

This pattern of scaling strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU. The CPU, with its high benchmark scores, is unlikely to be the cause of such a consistent and proportional FPS drop based on pixel count. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would be more consistent across resolutions. The data shows that as the GPU's workload increases, performance drops accordingly, which is a clear indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary constraint in this system for Evolve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a high-performance processor that is not the limiting factor in this Evolve configuration. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its architecture is Arrow Lake, built on a 3 nm process. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 14,769 points in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,085 points in the single-core test. These scores, alongside its average benchmark score of 46062 and 89th percentile ranking, confirm its high processing capability.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and AI, while the GPU handles rendering. Given that the FPS scales so heavily with resolution and settings, it is evident that the CPU is not causing a bottleneck. The CPU has more than enough headroom to feed the GTX 1070 with draw calls and physics calculations. The data does not show any anomalies that would indicate CPU limitations, such as frame rate plateaus that do not change with settings.

The CPU's performance is comparable to some of the best available. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, with deltaPct values of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. This means the Ultra 5 235 is essentially tied with these high-end processors in average score. Therefore, any performance issues in Evolve cannot be attributed to the CPU. The data clearly shows that the CPU is a top-tier component that is being held back by the GPU's inability to render frames fast enough, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for a 60 FPS experience at 1080p?

A: Based on the measured data, the High preset at 1920x1080 averages 80 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 55 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target. Therefore, High is the highest preset that guarantees an average above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combo. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only averages 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 21 FPS. None of the tested presets achieve a consistent 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, scores 46030 (a deltaPct of 0.1%), and the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (a deltaPct of -0.1%). This shows they are effectively tied in performance.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this system for Evolve?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales heavily with resolution and graphical settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 47th percentile, indicating a significant performance disparity.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 68 FPS, while the High preset averages 54 FPS. This represents a difference of 14 FPS, or a drop of approximately 20.6% when moving from Medium to High.

Q: Does the GTX 1070 have enough VRAM for Evolve at 4K?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory. While the data does not explicitly measure VRAM usage, the performance drop at 4K (e.g., 50 FPS on Low, 21 FPS on Ultra) is more likely due to the GPU's processing power (shading units, clock speed) rather than memory capacity, as even the Low preset, which uses less memory, cannot achieve 60 FPS.