Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built around asymmetric multiplayer hunting, presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU clearly becoming the dominant bottleneck as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the combo delivers high refresh-rate performance, but the transition to 4K shows a steep decline that points directly at the graphics card's limitations under this specific title's workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent narrative: as resolution increases, performance drops significantly, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 115 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 on the same preset drops that figure to 77 FPS, a reduction of 38 FPS or roughly 33%. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average falling to 44 FPS — a 71 FPS drop from 1080p, representing a 62% loss in performance.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the combo delivers 190 FPS at 1080p, 127 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K at Low is approximately 2.6x, which is close to the pixel count increase of 4x, but not exactly proportional. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, though the GPU still carries the bulk of the load. At Medium settings, the averages are 147 FPS (1080p), 99 FPS (1440p), and 56 FPS (4K). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic falloff: 80 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and just 31 FPS at 4K.

The data implies that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus width are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K resolution at higher presets pushes the GPU past its comfortable envelope. The 44 FPS average at 4K High is playable but far from ideal, while the 31 FPS at 4K Ultra is borderline unplayable for a fast-paced FPS. The fact that the CPU's performance headroom is not the issue is evident from the 1080p Low result of 190 FPS — this indicates the processor can feed the GPU well beyond what the graphics card can render at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of other tested combinations for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 sits at rank 2003 out of 3700 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, which is somewhat surprising given the hardware involved. The percentile ranking for the GPU alone is 81, meaning the RTX 4070 outperforms 81% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentile is even higher at 91, placing it in the top 9% of all processors tested.

The discrepancy between the individual component rankings and the combo rank suggests that Evolve is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 4070's position in the 81st percentile, while strong, is not enough to push this combo into the upper echelons of the rankings. The measured FPS data supports this: even at 1080p High, the combo only reaches 115 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional for a GPU of this class. The nearest rival for the CPU, the AMD EPYC 8124P, has an average benchmark score only 0.1% lower, while the Intel Core i7-14700 is 0.4% higher. For the GPU, the NVIDIA Tesla P4 is 0.1% higher, and the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% higher.

The combo's rank of 2003 out of 3700 (54th percentile) indicates that while this system is capable, there are many other combinations that deliver smoother experiences in Evolve. This is likely due to the game's age (2015) and its reliance on single-threaded performance and raw GPU throughput, rather than multi-core scaling. The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads, while excellent for modern workloads, do not provide a significant advantage in a title that was released before many of those cores would have been utilized.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070's specifications are critical to understanding the measured results. With a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the GPU has substantial headroom for processing. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The shading units number 5888, with 184 TMUs and 64 ROPs, providing a solid foundation for rasterization.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-to-high-end positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and the Passmark G3D score of 26927 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for Evolve's engine. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 154858 and Vulkan score of 174152 show the GPU handles compute and modern APIs well. However, the Passmark DirectX 11 score of 244 and DirectX 10 score of 139 are relatively low, which could explain some of the performance characteristics in this older title.

The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4070 is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, but at 1080p the CPU starts to share the load. The 190 FPS at 1080p Low is a strong indicator of the GPU's raw capability, but the drop to 115 FPS at High shows how quickly the shading units and memory bandwidth become saturated. The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS is particularly telling — this is a scenario where the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits, and the GPU simply cannot maintain playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS dataset provides a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings deliver an average of 190 FPS, Medium produces 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS, High achieves 115 FPS, and Ultra drops to 80 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 110 FPS, showing that the settings preset has a massive impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease consistently: Low yields 127 FPS, Medium delivers 99 FPS (with min/max of 84 and 113), High produces 77 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 73 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p but still substantial. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS suggests that even in demanding scenes, the combo maintains playable frame rates at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more strained. Low settings produce 72 FPS, Medium averages 56 FPS (with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS), High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31 FPS. The 4K Low result of 72 FPS is the only configuration at this resolution that approaches the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset's minimum of 48 FPS indicates that frame pacing could be inconsistent during intense combat sequences.

Comparing the Medium preset across resolutions provides the clearest picture of scaling: 147 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. This represents a 62% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. The decreasing percentage drops suggest that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases, with the CPU's influence waning.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 115 FPS delivers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, especially for a competitive FPS where high refresh rates matter. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is still playable and offers the best visuals, but the 35 FPS drop from High may not be worth the graphical improvements. The Medium preset at 147 FPS is the best choice for players with high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or above), as it comfortably exceeds that threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset at 77 FPS is the sweet spot for most players, providing smooth gameplay on 60Hz displays and acceptable performance on 75Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 99 FPS is recommended for those seeking higher frame rates, though the visual fidelity reduction is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is borderline — it is playable on 60Hz displays but may suffer from occasional dips below that threshold. The Low preset at 127 FPS is ideal for competitive play, though the visual sacrifices are significant.

For 4K gaming, the options are more limited. The Low preset at 72 FPS is the only configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for those prioritizing smooth gameplay over visuals. The Medium preset at 56 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced play, but the 48 FPS minimum could be problematic during intense firefights. The High preset at 44 FPS and Ultra at 31 FPS are generally not recommended for this title, as the frame rates are too low for a responsive FPS experience.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides a strong balance with 77 FPS average, while 1920x1080 at Medium delivers 147 FPS for high-refresh-rate displays. At 4K, only the Low preset (72 FPS) consistently maintains playable frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra the combo only achieves 31 FPS, indicating the memory subsystem becomes a limiting factor.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 190 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. However, the drop to 115 FPS at High implies the GPU starts to become the limiting component even at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking for Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 2003 out of 3700 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle range despite the CPU ranking in the 91st percentile and the GPU in the 81st percentile of all components.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High averages 77 FPS while Ultra drops to 54 FPS, a 23 FPS difference. The Ultra preset's lower frame rate may not justify the visual improvements for most players.

Q: Does the game utilize the CPU's 14 cores effectively?

A: The CPU has 14 cores and 14 threads, but Evolve's 2015 release date means it likely does not scale well beyond a few cores. The 1080p Low result of 190 FPS shows the processor is capable, but the game's engine does not appear to leverage the full multi-core potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz boosts up to 5.10 GHz, providing substantial single-threaded performance that is crucial for older games like Evolve. The CPU's benchmark results are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34731 and a single-core score of 4903, alongside a Passmark multi-thread score of 40849. These numbers place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all processors.

For Evolve, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU and handle game logic, AI, and physics calculations. The measured FPS data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as the performance drops are clearly tied to resolution scaling. However, at 1080p Low, the 190 FPS result suggests the CPU is capable of driving frame rates well above what most displays can show. The Passmark single-thread score of 4683 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 494 indicate strong per-core performance, which is more relevant for this game than the multi-core scores.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's assets. The 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die show a dense design that delivers high efficiency. The nearest rivals for the CPU — the AMD EPYC 8124P, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, Intel Core i7-14700, and Intel Core i9-13900F — all have average benchmark scores within 0.7% of this chip, indicating that the Ultra 5 235HX is competitive with top desktop processors from previous generations.

In Evolve, the CPU's 14 cores are likely underutilized due to the game's age, but the high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that the few threads the game does use are executed quickly. The 3 nm process node and 55 W TDP suggest the CPU runs efficiently, which is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions. Overall, the data shows the CPU provides more than enough headroom for this title, with the GPU being the clear limiting factor in most scenarios.