Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake-S architecture with a 3 nm process node. It runs at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the Ultra 5 245 scores 32924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4648 in single-core, while PassMark multithread and single-thread scores are 38706 and 4394, respectively. Its average benchmark score is 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested.

The nearest rivals for this processor, based on average benchmark scores, are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (a 0.4% advantage), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (0.5% ahead), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698 (0.6% behind), and the Intel Core i5-14600K at 48618 (0.8% behind). These deltas are all within one percentage point, indicating that the Ultra 5 245 sits in a tightly contested performance band. For a game like Evolve, which is an FPS title from 2015, this level of CPU performance is far beyond what the title’s engine would require for physics, AI, or draw-call processing. The 14 cores and 14 threads, combined with the high 5.10 GHz boost clock, ensure that even in scenes with numerous AI-controlled monsters or environmental interactions, the processor will not be the limiting factor. The data supports this: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 167 FPS, which is likely close to the game’s engine limits rather than a CPU ceiling. The processor’s PassMark physics score of 2569, while not a direct gaming metric, suggests robust computational throughput that handles legacy game logic without strain.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Core Ultra 5 245’s 14 cores and 14 threads are configured without hyper-threading, meaning each core handles a single thread. This is a modern desktop design, but for Evolve, which launched in 2015 and was built for the multi-core consoles of that era, the game typically scales across a handful of threads. The CPU’s 3.50 GHz base and 5.10 GHz boost clocks provide strong single-thread performance, which is critical for older game engines that often have a primary simulation thread. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and PassMark single-thread score of 4394 both rank in the top tier, ensuring that Evolve’s main loop—tracking player positions, monster abilities, and environmental state—runs efficiently. The multi-core scores, such as 32924 in Cinebench R23, indicate that even if Evolve were to use additional threads for audio, physics, or streaming, there is ample headroom.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s influence is most visible at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 167 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it drops to 129 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS. These figures suggest that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even when settings are lowered, as the bottleneck shifts to the GPU. The 1080p Ultra setting yields 70 FPS, which is still smooth but shows that higher graphical loads begin to tax the system. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ultra 5 245 is statistically indistinguishable in average benchmark performance—the deltaPct values range from -0.5% to 0.8%—so the CPU choice among these options would not meaningfully alter Evolve’s frame rates. The processor’s 90th percentile standing across all CPUs reinforces that it is a high-tier part, and for a 2015 FPS, it delivers more compute than the game can utilize, leaving performance primarily in the GPU’s hands.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2055 MHz, with a game clock of 2410 MHz and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. Memory runs at 2190 MHz, translating to 17.5 Gbps effective. The card has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 32 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 10.79 TFLOPS. The TDP is 176 W, requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 17166 in PassMark G3D and 1859 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

For Evolve, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM is ample for a 2015 title, which was designed around 2-4 GB consoles, so memory capacity is not a constraint. The 280.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data are fed quickly, which is relevant for the game’s dense jungle environments and large monster models. The RX 6650 XT’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m at 19885 (0.6% ahead), the AMD FirePro D300 at 19637 (0.7% behind), and the AMD FirePro W7000 at 19905 (0.7% ahead). These are older workstation cards, and the RX 6650 XT’s consumer-focused drivers and modern architecture give it an edge in gaming workloads, though the synthetic scores are similar. The GPU’s clock speeds are high, and the boost clock of 2635 MHz is particularly relevant for sustaining performance under load. In the measured data, the GPU shows clear scaling with settings: at 4K High, the average FPS is 39, while at 4K Low it jumps to 64 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 167 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 112 FPS, a reduction of 55 FPS or roughly 33%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 64 FPS, which is a further 48 FPS drop from 1440p, representing a 43% decrease. This scaling indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the number of pixels increases from 2.07 million at 1080p to 3.69 million at 1440p and 8.29 million at 4K. The CPU’s performance remains constant across resolutions, so the frame rate decline is directly attributable to the RX 6650 XT’s rendering capabilities.

For Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 129 FPS, dropping to 87 FPS at 1440p Medium (a 42 FPS decline) and 49 FPS at 4K Medium (a 38 FPS decline from 1440p). The minimum FPS values at Medium settings also show this trend: 110 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. This suggests that even at medium quality, the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, where the average drops below 50 FPS. At High settings, the 1080p average is 101 FPS, 1440p is 68 FPS, and 4K is 39 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 29 FPS, showing a consistent scaling factor. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 70 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below 30 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS.

The resolution scaling data strongly indicates that the RX 6650 XT is the limiting component across all tested configurations. The CPU’s performance is invariant to resolution, and the frame rate drops are proportional to pixel count increases. For example, going from 1080p to 4K increases the pixel count by a factor of 4, and the observed FPS at Low settings drops from 167 to 64, which is a factor of 2.6. This is less than the theoretical 4x reduction, suggesting that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p Low, but as settings increase, the scaling approaches the expected behavior. At Ultra settings, the 1080p to 4K drop is from 70 to 27 FPS, a factor of 2.6 as well, indicating that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks. The CPU’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores ensure it is not a factor in these results.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1867 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 65th percentile of all combinations, meaning that roughly 35% of tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this game. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the data indicates that this combo is a mid-to-upper-tier performer for Evolve. The GPU’s 65th percentile standing among all GPUs aligns closely with the combo’s overall rank, reinforcing that the RX 6650 XT is the primary determinant of performance. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking is higher than the combo’s rank, suggesting that the processor has more headroom than the GPU can utilize.

In the context of the tested combos, this pairing is positioned below top-tier systems that likely feature higher-end GPUs with more VRAM and faster memory bandwidth. The RX 6650 XT’s 8 GB VRAM and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Evolve, but not exceptional, and the card’s 10.79 TFLOPS FP32 performance places it in the mid-range. The combo’s rank of 1867 out of 2872 indicates that it outperforms a majority of systems, but it is not among the elite. For comparison, the CPU’s nearest rivals—such as the Ryzen 9 7900 or Core i5-14600K—would likely produce similar combo ranks when paired with the same GPU, given the negligible performance differences (less than 1% in average benchmark scores). The GPU’s nearest rivals, which are professional workstation cards, are not representative of gaming performance, so the RX 6650 XT’s rank is more meaningful. Overall, this combo is a capable system for Evolve, delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, but it falls short of 4K Ultra playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance in Evolve. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 167, which is smooth for any display. Medium settings yield an average of 129 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS, indicating consistent performance. High settings drop the average to 101 FPS, while Ultra settings reduce it to 70 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 97 FPS, showing that the GPU’s settings scaling is significant, but even the lowest Ultra result of 70 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold for most gamers.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases as expected. Low settings produce an average of 112 FPS, which is still high and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings average 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. High settings reduce the average to 68 FPS, which is playable but approaches the 60 FPS boundary. Ultra settings drop to 47 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS but may be acceptable for less demanding gameplay. The 1440p results show that the combo is best suited for Low to High settings, with Ultra requiring compromises.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 64 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. Medium settings average 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, indicating that frame pacing may be inconsistent. High settings drop the average to 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter. Ultra settings average 27 FPS, which is not playable for competitive gaming. The 4K data clearly shows that the RX 6650 XT is not designed for 4K gaming in Evolve, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best experience.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, which is the most common resolution for this GPU class, the High preset at 101 FPS provides a strong balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 129 FPS is also excellent, offering higher frame rates with only a modest reduction in graphical fidelity. The Ultra preset at 70 FPS is playable, but the drop from High to Ultra is 31 FPS, which may not justify the visual improvement in a game like Evolve, where fast action benefits from higher frame rates. The Low preset at 167 FPS is overkill for most displays, as it exceeds the refresh rate of typical 144 Hz monitors, so High is the recommended choice for 1080p.

For 1440p, the High preset at 68 FPS is the best option for a smooth experience, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is even better if higher frame rates are preferred, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below 60 FPS and may cause input lag. The Low preset at 112 FPS is viable for competitive play, but it sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that emphasizes environmental immersion. For 4K, none of the presets deliver a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 64 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it requires significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is borderline, with minimums below 45 FPS, while High and Ultra are not recommended due to averages below 40 FPS.

In summary, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with High settings, offering 101 FPS average with no minimum data indicating drops below playable levels. For 1440p, the High preset at 68 FPS is the best balance, while 4K should be avoided for serious gameplay. The data shows that the RX 6650 XT’s sweet spot is 1080p, where it can handle even Ultra settings, but for a game like Evolve, the High preset provides the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate stability. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to support these settings, and the combo ranks in the 65th percentile of tested systems, making it a reliable choice for this title.