Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric FPS, places unusual demands on modern hardware. The measured data for this Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads provide ample headroom for the game’s logic. The benchmark results show a clear performance hierarchy across settings and resolutions, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a stark and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "Low" preset, the average frame rate drops from 176 FPS at 1080p to 118 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 67 FPS at 4K. This represents a 62% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is being pushed considerably harder. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is also steep, with a 43% drop in average FPS, suggesting that the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are becoming significant limiting factors at the higher resolution.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is less GPU-bound, allowing the CPU’s 5.10 GHz boost clock to help push frame rates to their peak. The 176 FPS at 1080p Low is a strong indicator that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is not a bottleneck at this resolution. However, the frame rate rapidly falls off a cliff as resolution increases. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at the "High" preset is 35 FPS (from 107 to 72), and the gap between 1440p and 4K at the same preset is 31 FPS (from 72 to 41). This consistent and significant drop at every step suggests a classic GPU-limited scenario where the rendering pipeline is saturated.

The "Ultra" preset provides the most dramatic evidence of the GPU bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 28, which is below the threshold for playable performance. The scaling from 1080p Ultra (74 FPS) to 4K Ultra (28 FPS) shows a 62% reduction, mirroring the pattern seen on Low. This consistency across presets confirms that the resolution is the dominant factor in performance, not the complexity of the scene or the settings themselves. The measured data strongly suggests that the limiting component at 1440p and 4K is the AMD Radeon RX 9060, as its compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at these pixel densities.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear path to an optimal experience, balancing visual fidelity with frame rate. At 1920x1080, the "High" preset delivers an average of 107 FPS, which is an excellent result for a smooth gameplay experience. The jump to "Ultra" drops the average to 74 FPS, a 31% performance penalty that may not be worth the marginal visual improvement. For competitive play, the "Low" preset at 176 FPS offers the highest refresh rate potential, but the "Medium" preset at 137 FPS provides a better balance for most users, maintaining high fluidity while adding visual detail.

At 2560x1440, the "High" preset is the clear sweet spot, delivering an average of 72 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a substantial visual upgrade over the "Medium" preset, which runs at 92 FPS. The "Ultra" preset at 1440p (50 FPS) is a compromise, dipping below the ideal refresh rate, and is not recommended for action-heavy sequences. The data suggests that the "High" preset is the best choice for 1440p, as it provides a stable experience without overburdening the GPU.

The situation becomes more challenging at 3840x2160. The "Low" preset is the only option that achieves a playable average frame rate of 67 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 52 FPS, which is borderline, and the "High" preset drops to 41 FPS. The "Ultra" preset at 28 FPS is unplayable. Based on the measured data, users targeting 4K should stick to the "Low" preset to maintain a playable frame rate, or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p and using the "High" preset for a significantly better experience. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is not well-suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Evolve.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1664 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 42nd percentile of all systems tested, indicating that it performs better than a majority of setups, but is far from the top tier. The ranking suggests that while this combo is capable of running the game, it is not optimized for maximum performance in Evolve, likely due to the GPU being a mid-range part.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, ranking in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48995 is nearly identical to that of its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), with a negligible deltaPct of -0.4% and -0.5%, respectively. This means the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is on par with these high-end processors in general compute tasks, which reflects its 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock. The GPU, however, tells a different story.

The Radeon RX 9060 ranks in the 59th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, a delta of -0.7%. This indicates the RX 9060 is essentially a peer of the RTX 3060 Ti in raw performance. The combo rank of 1664 reflects this pairing of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The data suggests that the overall system performance in Evolve is being dragged down by the GPU’s limitations, preventing the CPU’s strong compute capabilities from being fully utilized at higher resolutions. The system is a high-CPU-performance, mid-GPU-performance pairing, which explains its middling rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are generally high. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 176 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS, showing a stable frame delivery. The "High" preset averages 107 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset drops to 74 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs roughly 30 FPS, with the largest drop occurring between "Medium" and "High".

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The "Low" preset averages 118 FPS, which is still very smooth. The "Medium" preset averages 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but still well within playable territory. The "High" preset averages 72 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset drops to 50 FPS. The data shows that the "Medium" to "High" transition costs 20 FPS, while the "High" to "Ultra" transition costs 22 FPS, indicating a heavy load from the Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The "Low" preset averages 67 FPS, which is the only playable option. The "Medium" preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, showing significant frame drops. The "High" preset averages 41 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages a mere 28 FPS. The data reveals that the gap between "Low" and "Medium" at 4K is 15 FPS, and the gap between "High" and "Ultra" is 13 FPS, showing that the GPU is struggling to maintain any level of high-end performance at this resolution. The minimum FPS values at "Medium" settings (44 FPS at 4K, 78 FPS at 1440p, 116 FPS at 1080p) show that the frame pacing becomes less consistent as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that the "High" preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 72 FPS, which is the best combination of high visual quality and smooth performance. At 1920x1080, the "High" preset averages 107 FPS, offering an even more fluid experience.

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

A: The measured results show that only the "Low" preset at 3840x2160 achieves a playable average of 67 FPS. The "Medium" preset drops to 52 FPS, and the "High" and "Ultra" presets are below playable thresholds at 41 FPS and 28 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival in terms of raw GPU performance?

A: The Radeon RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16129. This indicates they offer very similar raw performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for this game?

A: The CPU benchmarks are strong, with a single-thread score of 4394 and a multi-thread score of 38706. The high frame rates at 1080p (176 FPS on Low) suggest the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

Q: What is the performance difference between the "Medium" and "High" presets at 1440p?

A: The "Medium" preset averages 92 FPS, while the "High" preset averages 72 FPS. This is a 20 FPS drop, which is a significant cost for the visual upgrade.

Q: How does this combo rank overall compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1664 out of 2872 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested for Evolve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU’s substantial core count and high boost clock are reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a single-thread score of 4394 and a multi-thread score of 38706 in Passmark. This compute power is more than sufficient for Evolve, which is an older game with less demanding CPU logic.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this system. At 1920x1080 with "Low" settings, the system achieves 176 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU can feed the GPU with data quickly. Even at "Ultra" settings at 1080p, the CPU maintains 74 FPS, which is still a solid result. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensure that data can be fed to the cores without stalling. The performance is on par with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has a deltaPct of -0.5%, showing that this CPU is a high-end part.

However, the CPU’s performance does not translate into high frame rates at higher resolutions. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU, and the CPU’s strong single-thread performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations. The results indicate that the processor is a capable and powerful component that is being held back by the graphics card in this particular game at higher resolutions. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms its high standing, but its performance in Evolve is capped by the system’s other components.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a mid-range graphics card based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 44 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has 1792 shading units and a boost clock of 2990 MHz, which contributes to its FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS. These specifications position it as a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but the 8 GB VRAM and limited memory bus are potential bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

The measured FPS data clearly shows the GPU’s role as the primary performance limiter. The frame rates drop precipitously as resolution increases, regardless of the settings preset. For instance, the average FPS at "High" settings falls from 107 at 1080p to 72 at 1440p and then to 41 at 4K. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The 4K "Ultra" preset, which averages only 28 FPS, is a clear indication that the card is not designed for this level of workload.

The GPU’s performance is directly comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, with a deltaPct of -0.7%, and its 59th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it in the middle of the pack. The data suggests that the 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for Evolve at most settings, but the 128-bit memory bus limits the data throughput needed for high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU's 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth is a key constraint, as the demand for memory bandwidth increases substantially at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that the Radeon RX 9060 is the component that determines the system's overall gaming performance in Evolve, capping the potential of the more powerful CPU.