Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetrical FPS, presents an interesting performance profile when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. The measured data indicates that this combination is heavily throughput-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint as resolution and settings increase. The following analysis breaks down the observed frame rates, scaling behavior, and the distinct roles played by the CPU and GPU in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, but with a notable CPU ceiling at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 262 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 176 FPS, a reduction of approximately 33%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 100 FPS, another 43% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor as pixel count increases, even on Low settings where the load on the GPU is relatively light.

The scaling becomes more dramatic with higher visual fidelity. At Medium settings, the progression is 203 FPS (1080p), 136 FPS (1440p), and 77 FPS (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 67 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 59 FPS, showing a consistent and substantial penalty for each resolution step. At High settings, the averages are 159 FPS, 107 FPS, and 61 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. This data suggests that the Radeon RX 9070 XT is being fully utilized, as the performance cost per pixel is relatively linear.

However, the 1080p Low result of 262 FPS hints at a CPU limitation. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p is 59 FPS (262 to 203), which is a large step, but the absolute headroom suggests the processor is nearing its limit in this scenario. This is supported by the fact that the Core Ultra 5 245 has 14 cores and 14 threads, and in a game from 2015, the engine may not be able to fully utilize all of those threads. The 1080p Low result is the only data point that exceeds 200 FPS, and it is plausible that a more powerful CPU could push this number higher, whereas the GPU still has capacity to spare at this low graphical load.

The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS is the lowest measured average, and it highlights the sheer demand of 3840x2160 combined with maximum settings. The gap between 4K High (61 FPS) and 4K Ultra (42 FPS) is 19 FPS, which is a 31% performance hit for the final preset tier. This demonstrates that the Ultra preset at 4K is extremely demanding, and the data suggests that the RX 9070 XT is working at its absolute limit here. The scaling pattern across all resolutions and settings confirms that this combo is a balanced pairing, but with a slight CPU bottleneck appearing only at the lowest resolution and preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the Medium setting offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 203 FPS, which is 44 FPS higher than High (159 FPS) and 93 FPS higher than Ultra (110 FPS). While Low pushes to 262 FPS, the visual fidelity sacrifice is substantial for a game like Evolve where enemy visibility is crucial. The Medium preset's minimum recorded frame rate of 172 FPS ensures a smooth experience even in chaotic firefights.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 107 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. While Medium at 136 FPS is faster, the jump to High only costs 29 FPS and provides significantly better visual quality. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is still playable, but the 33 FPS drop from High is a considerable penalty for the extra graphical features. The 1440p High setting appears to be the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains a high frame rate without sacrificing too much on the visual side.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that Ultra is not viable, with an average of 42 FPS. The Medium preset at 77 FPS is the best option for 4K, offering a solid playable frame rate. High at 61 FPS is also acceptable, but Medium provides a 16 FPS advantage, which is a 26% improvement. The Low preset at 100 FPS is the only way to get a high refresh rate experience at 4K, but the visual downgrade is severe. The measured data indicates that users should target Medium or High at 4K, with Ultra reserved for systems with more GPU headroom. The 4K Medium result of 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS, shows that this setting provides a stable experience without dipping into the 50s.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for all resolutions above 1080p Low. The GPU's specifications from the fact pack highlight its capabilities: it has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The boost clock is listed at 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. These figures are substantial, and the 4K results reflect this hardware's ability to handle high pixel counts.

The 16 GB VRAM buffer is particularly relevant for Evolve at 4K. The measured data shows that moving from High to Ultra at 4K costs 19 FPS (61 to 42), which is a 31% drop. This significant reduction suggests that the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 may be exceeding the optimal VRAM usage or pushing the GPU's compute units to their limit. The 4K Medium result of 77 FPS indicates that the GPU has ample resources for this setting, but the Ultra preset's demand for higher resolution textures and effects creates a substantial performance wall.

The GPU's compute capabilities, reflected in its 48.66 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, are what allow it to maintain 100 FPS at 4K Low. This is a demanding workload, and the fact that it can be achieved shows the raw processing power of the Navi 48 chip. However, the data also shows that the GPU's performance is not linear with clock speed. The base clock is 1660 MHz and the boost clock is 2970 MHz, but the actual sustained performance in Evolve depends on thermal and power limits, which are not measured in this data. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 65879, provide a general indication of its performance class, but the in-game FPS is the definitive metric.

The GPU's nearestRivals in the database are significantly older and less powerful cards, such as the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. The deltaPct values are very small (0.1% to 1%), which is unusual. This suggests that the benchmark database's average score for the RX 9070 XT is being compared against a group of cards that have similar aggregate scores, but this is likely an artifact of the scoring methodology rather than an indication of actual performance parity in modern games. The percentileVsAllGpus of 55 indicates that it sits in the middle of the database's GPU rankings, which is a data point that does not align with its high-end specifications, but the measured FPS in Evolve clearly shows it is capable of high performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT pairing holds a combo rank of 647 out of 2872 combinations for Evolve. This places it in the top 22.5% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result for a game released in 2015. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for the game, providing high frame rates at most resolutions and settings.

The rank of 647 is a relative measure. It suggests that while this combo is not the absolute fastest, it is significantly better than the majority of other pairings tested. The fact that it achieves over 200 FPS at 1080p Medium and over 100 FPS at 1440p High puts it in a performance tier that many older or lower-end combinations cannot reach. The combo's rank is likely influenced by the CPU's performance in the game's specific threading model, as well as the GPU's raw throughput.

Given that Evolve is a 2015 title, it is likely that many of the 2872 tested combos include older hardware that struggles with the game's engine. The Core Ultra 5 245, being a 2025 processor, has a significant architectural advantage. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 are strong indicators of its capability. The combo rank of 647 reflects that this modern hardware is able to brute-force its way through the game's demanding scenarios, even if the game cannot fully utilize all of the CPU's 14 cores. The data suggests that the primary limitation for this combo is the game's engine itself, rather than the hardware, which is why it does not rank higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a crucial role in this combo, particularly at lower resolutions and settings where the frame rate is not GPU-limited. The processor features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration is unusual for a desktop part, as it lacks Hyper-Threading or similar simultaneous multithreading technology. The 14 threads are directly mapped to the 14 physical cores.

In Evolve, the CPU's performance is most evident at 1080p. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 262 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain this level of performance. However, the fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution at this setting points to a potential CPU bottleneck. When moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 176 FPS, which is a 86 FPS difference. This drop is primarily due to the increased GPU load, but the fact that 1080p Low cannot exceed 262 FPS suggests that the CPU is hitting its limit in this scenario.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for its gaming performance. The Passmark multithread score of 38706 and single-thread score of 4394 are both respectable. However, the nearestRivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and the Intel Core i5-14600K, with deltaPct values of -0.4% and 0.8% respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is in the same performance class as these processors. The fact that it is compared to the Ryzen 9 7900 with a -0.5% deltaPct shows that it is also competitive with higher-tier parts in aggregate benchmarks, but the game-specific results may vary.

The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the CPU is likely not the limiting factor. The 42 FPS result is clearly GPU-bound, as the RX 9070 XT is struggling with the massive workload. However, at 1080p Low, the CPU's 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock are what allow the system to reach 262 FPS. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared is also a relevant factor, as it helps with game asset access. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is sufficient to keep the GPU fed with data. In summary, the CPU is a strong performer that prevents bottlenecking in most scenarios, but its limitations are exposed at the lowest resolution and settings where the GPU has less work to do.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 High averages 107 FPS, and 3840x2160 Medium averages 77 FPS. Both are well above 60 FPS. For a higher refresh rate, 1920x1080 High averages 159 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT or the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The 1080p Low average of 262 FPS suggests a CPU limitation. The GPU is not fully utilized at this low graphical load, and the 14-core processor cannot push beyond this frame rate, indicating it is the limiting component.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from Medium to Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 136 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 74 FPS. This is a reduction of 62 FPS, or roughly a 46% performance penalty for the highest preset.

Q: Does the 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 9070 XT help with 4K performance in Evolve?

A: The 4K Medium result of 77 FPS and 4K High of 61 FPS indicate that the GPU has sufficient memory and bandwidth for these settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS shows a significant drop, suggesting that the Ultra preset places a heavy demand on the GPU's compute resources, not just memory capacity.

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

A: This combo is ranked 647 out of 2872 tested combinations for Evolve. This places it in the top 22.5% of all configurations in the database, indicating a strong overall performance for this game.

Q: What is the minimum recorded frame rate at 1440p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the 2560x1440 Medium preset is 116 FPS, with a maximum of 156 FPS and an average of 136 FPS. This shows a stable performance range with no major dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings preset combination. For the Medium preset, the minimum and maximum FPS are also provided.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 61 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 100 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 77 | 66 | 89 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 42 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 107 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 176 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 136 | 116 | 156 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 74 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 159 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 262 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 203 | 172 | 233 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 110 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p provides the highest frame rates across all settings, with Low reaching 262 FPS and Ultra still achieving 110 FPS. At 1440p, the performance is halved for the Ultra preset compared to 1080p Ultra. The 4K results show that only Low and Medium presets are capable of exceeding 60 FPS, with Ultra dropping to a barely playable 42 FPS. The Medium preset at each resolution shows consistent frame pacing, with the minimum FPS being at least 85% of the average in all three cases. This makes Medium the most stable preset in terms of frame time consistency, despite not being the highest quality option.