Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a profoundly unbalanced configuration for Evolve, placing the entire burden of performance on a graphics card that is now several generations old. The data shows this combo ranks 3644 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 1.5% of all systems. While the CPU is a modern powerhouse, the GPU's age and limited memory bandwidth create a severe bottleneck, resulting in playable frame rates only at the lowest settings and 1080p resolution. The following analysis breaks down the measured data to show exactly where this pairing succeeds and, more often, where it fails.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Evolve?

A: This combo ranks 3644 out of 3700 tested combinations in the game. This places it in the bottom percentile of all systems tested, indicating that it will struggle to deliver a smooth experience in most scenarios.

Q: Is this system capable of running Evolve at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 62 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 48 FPS, which is still playable, but High settings yield only 38 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 26 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4193. It performs nearly identically to the AMD Radeon R5 M330, which scores 4170 (a 0.6% difference), and is only 1% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M. It is slightly slower than the AMD Radeon Vega 3, which is 1.8% ahead.

Q: What is the limiting factor for this combo in Evolve?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB of VRAM and 112.1 GB/s memory bandwidth, combined with its low benchmark scores, restrict performance. The CPU's high benchmark scores are not being fully utilized.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings provide the only playable average frame rate at 42 FPS. Medium settings drop to 32 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, while High and Ultra settings fall to 25 FPS and 17 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. It is effectively tied with its closest rivals; it is 0.4% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.6% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

How This Combo Ranks

The performance ranking for this specific pairing is the most critical data point. With a rank of 3644 out of 3700 combinations, this system is in the bottom 1.5% of all tested hardware pairings for Evolve. This is a clear verdict: this configuration is not designed for high-end gaming. The data suggests this is a legacy system or a pre-built PC where the GPU was the budget option, and it severely limits the entire experience.

This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability, as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The problem is a colossal mismatch. The CPU has the processing power to feed a much stronger graphics card, but the GTX 1050 Ti, which sits in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, cannot translate that into frames. The result is a system that is effectively wasting the CPU's potential in a gaming scenario. The combo rank highlights that while the individual components have their strengths, their synergy in Evolve is exceptionally poor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is unequivocally the limiting factor in this configuration. Its role is defined by its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. In a game like Evolve, which can be demanding on VRAM and memory bandwidth, these specifications are simply insufficient for high resolutions and detail settings.

The GPU's base clock is 1291 MHz, with a boost clock of 1392 MHz. While these clocks are not exceptionally low, they don't compensate for the fundamental hardware limitations. The GPU's benchmark scores paint a clear picture of its capability. Its Passmark G3D score is 6340, and its DirectX 11 score is a mere 45. These numbers are significantly lower than what a modern gaming GPU would achieve. The data shows that as resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops precipitously, indicating that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and raw compute power.

The GPU's 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a modest figure. The combination of low memory bandwidth and limited compute power means that the GTX 1050 Ti can only handle the game's geometry and textures at lower complexities. The GPU is also an end-of-life product, which means there are no new driver optimizations coming for newer game releases, though its DirectX 12 (12_1) support is present. In essence, the GPU's role is to be a hard cap on performance, and the measured FPS data shows this cap is very low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience with this combo is to prioritize the Low settings preset. The data shows that at 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 62 FPS, which is the only measurement in the entire dataset that clears the 60 FPS threshold.

For those who can tolerate slightly lower frame rates, 1080p Medium is the absolute highest setting that can be recommended for any semblance of playability, with an average of 48 FPS and a minimum of 41 FPS. This is a playable, if not ideal, experience. Anything above this, such as High or Ultra at 1080p, will result in average frame rates below 40 FPS, which is not recommended for a fast-paced FPS.

At higher resolutions, the situation becomes more dire. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is truly playable, averaging 42 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset is playable, with the best average being 24 FPS on Low. The data clearly indicates that this GPU is a 1080p-oriented part, and even then, only for lower graphical settings. The recommended path is to start at 1080p Low and only increase settings if you are willing to accept a significant hit to frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a stark illustration of the GPU's limitations across different resolutions and settings presets.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system is completely overwhelmed. The average frame rates are 24 FPS on Low, 18 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 16 FPS), 14 FPS on High, and 10 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are all well below the threshold for playable performance, rendering 4K resolution a non-option for this combo.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance is only marginally better. The Low preset achieves an average of 42 FPS, which is the only viable option here. Medium settings drop to an average of 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 FPS, which is borderline. High settings average 25 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 17 FPS. The data shows that 1440p is only playable on the lowest settings.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system finally finds a usable performance window. The Low preset delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is the best result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance for this system. High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 26 FPS, both of which are too low for a competitive FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: this system is a 1080p, Low-to-Medium settings machine.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a modern, high-performance processor that is entirely wasted in this configuration for gaming. Its role is to provide the computational foundation, which it does very well, but the GPU cannot keep up. The CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is a powerful Arrow Lake architecture chip built on a 3 nm process.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its strength. It scores 32924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4648 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 38706, and its single-thread score is 4394. These numbers place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it is more powerful than 90% of processors on the market. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, are within a 0.5% performance delta, showing that the Core Ultra 5 245 is at the top of its class.

In the context of Evolve, however, this power is not utilized. The game's frame rate is dictated by the GPU, not the CPU. The CPU is capable of processing far more graphical data than the GTX 1050 Ti can handle. The 24 MB of L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's logic, AI, and physics. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which is a classic sign of a GPU constraint. This CPU is a future-proofing asset, but in this pairing, it is waiting on a graphics card that simply cannot deliver.