Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT pairing produces a highly capable 1080p and 1440p gaming system for Evolve, though 4K Ultra settings remain out of reach. The data indicates a balanced combination where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom for high-refresh-rate play. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings to identify the optimal configuration.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake-S architecture. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz, which provides substantial single-thread performance for game logic and physics. The processor features a 24 MB shared L3 cache and a 3 MB per-core L2 cache, feeding data efficiently to the cores during gameplay. The 3 nm process node from TSMC keeps power consumption manageable with a 65 W TDP, though the CPU does support DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

Benchmark results place this processor in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (scoring 49196, a -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (scoring 49228, a -0.5% delta). The Intel Core i5-14600K trails slightly with a score of 48618, representing a 0.8% delta in favor of the Ultra 5 245. The Xeon Gold 5318H posts a score of 48698, a 0.6% delta behind the Ultra 5.

In Evolve, the CPU's single-core performance is critical for maintaining consistent frame pacing, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 192 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not bottlenecking the system even at very high frame rates. The 14 threads handle the game's background simulation tasks without issue, allowing the GPU to render frames unimpeded. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 indicate strong balanced performance that scales well with the game's demands.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU featuring the Navi 22 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process. It comes equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, with memory running at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs provide the raw compute power, while 40 ray-tracing cores offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing support.

The GPU's benchmark position places it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 27425. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, which scores 27435 — a negligible 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 posts a score of 27565, representing a -0.5% delta, meaning the RX 6700 XT trails by half a percentage point. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 27839, a -1.5% delta, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell comes in at 27135, a 1.1% delta in favor of the RX 6700 XT.

In Evolve, the 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for the game's textures at all settings, even at 4K resolution. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra reaches 81 FPS, indicating the GPU can handle max settings at Full HD. However, the substantial drop to 31 FPS at 4K Ultra reveals the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts. The FP32 compute of 13.21 TFLOPS and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s provide solid rasterization performance, though the 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes a bottleneck when pushing 8.3 million pixels at 4K.

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 GPU-bound performance scaling as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 117 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p, then further to 45 at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario where the CPU has ample headroom.

At Low settings, the FPS values are 192 at 1080p, 129 at 1440p, and 73 at 4K. The 1080p result of 192 FPS suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates, but the drop to 129 FPS at 1440p indicates the GPU is becoming the primary constraint. The 4K Low result of 73 FPS confirms that even at minimal settings, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at this resolution.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 149 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K, with minimum FPS recorded at 127, 85, and 48 respectively. The minimum FPS values scale proportionally, suggesting consistent frame pacing without major stutters. Ultra settings produce the lowest scores: 81 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS is below playable thresholds, confirming that this combination is not suited for maximum settings at 4K.

The scaling behavior indicates that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting component at 1440p and 4K, while the Core Ultra 5 245 provides sufficient performance to avoid bottlenecking at 1080p. The 1080p Low result of 192 FPS suggests the CPU could push even higher frame rates if the GPU had more headroom, but the GPU's rendering capabilities cap the system's overall performance at higher resolutions.

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

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The measured 149 FPS average with a minimum of 127 FPS provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors, while the visual improvements over Low settings are substantial. The High preset at 117 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, and even Ultra at 81 FPS remains playable for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 100 FPS average with an 85 FPS minimum, making it the recommended choice for competitive play. The High preset at 78 FPS is suitable for most gamers, while the Low preset at 129 FPS offers the highest frame rates for esports-focused players. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is only recommended for slower-paced gameplay or when visual fidelity takes precedence.

For 4K, the Low preset at 73 FPS is the only setting that maintains playable frame rates, though the visual compromise is significant. The Medium preset at 57 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 45 FPS falls short of smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 31 FPS is not recommended for any scenario. Users targeting 4K should stick to Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for better visual quality at higher frame rates.

The data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, offering a 100 FPS average with good visual fidelity. For 1080p users, Medium at 149 FPS is equally compelling, providing headroom for future game updates or more demanding scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pair in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium delivers 100 FPS average with an 85 FPS minimum, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, Medium provides 149 FPS with a 127 FPS minimum, while 4K is only playable at Low settings with 73 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6700 XT scores 27425 on average, matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile at 27435 (0% delta). The RTX 3090 posts 27565, a -0.5% delta, while the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 27135, a 1.1% delta in favor of the RX 6700 XT.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming in Evolve?

A: Yes, the CPU's single-core boost clock of 5.10 GHz and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 allow it to drive frame rates up to 192 FPS at 1080p Low settings, indicating no CPU bottleneck at typical gaming refresh rates.

Q: What is the FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 117 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p, then to 45 at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing the GPU becomes increasingly constrained.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: Ultra settings are only playable at 1080p, where the system achieves 81 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 54 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 6700 XT have, and is it enough for Evolve?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity is sufficient for all settings in Evolve, as the game does not appear to exceed this limit even at 4K Ultra.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 192 FPS on Low, 149 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 127 and maximum of 171), 117 FPS on High, and 81 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows the most consistent frame delivery, with a spread of 44 FPS between minimum and maximum.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop proportionally: 129 FPS on Low, 100 FPS on Medium (minimum 85, maximum 115), 78 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset maintains a similar consistency with a 30 FPS spread, while the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 75 FPS, compared to 111 FPS at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent: 73 FPS on Low, 57 FPS on Medium (minimum 48, maximum 65), 45 FPS on High, and 31 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a 17 FPS spread, indicating less consistent frame pacing at this resolution. The difference between Low and Ultra is 42 FPS, showing that settings have a reduced impact at 4K due to the pixel fill rate bottleneck.

Looking at the scaling across resolutions for each setting, Low settings show a 60% reduction from 1080p to 4K (192 to 73 FPS), Medium shows a 62% reduction (149 to 57 FPS), High shows a 62% reduction (117 to 45 FPS), and Ultra shows a 62% reduction (81 to 31 FPS). This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor across all settings, with the CPU providing sufficient performance to maintain the same relative performance at each resolution. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings follow a similar trend: 127 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 48 at 4K, representing reductions of 33% and 44% respectively.