Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents a demanding mix of large-scale environments, dynamic lighting, and creature effects that stress both the CPU and GPU. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, using benchmark data captured at multiple resolutions and settings. The dataset reveals a system where the GTX 1070, an end-of-life Pascal architecture card, is consistently the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the modern Core Ultra 5 245 provides ample headroom. The following sections break down the measured FPS, the combo’s standing among tested configurations, and the specific roles of each component in shaping the gaming experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Evolve shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 132 FPS, which is more than double the 50 FPS achieved at 3840x2160 with the same Low settings. This 82 FPS drop (from 132 to 50) represents a 62% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, a scaling factor that points squarely at the GTX 1070’s pixel throughput limits rather than any CPU constraint.

The trend continues across all settings. At High settings, the system produces 80 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 26 FPS (a 32.5% reduction), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is another 23 FPS (a 42.6% reduction). Medium settings tell a similar story: 102 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result including a min FPS of 33 and max FPS of 45. Ultra settings, which are the most demanding, yield 55 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and just 21 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior suggests that the GTX 1070’s 256-bit memory bus and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are saturated at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for Evolve’s textures, but the raw fill rate and shading power (6.463 TFLOPS FP32) are not enough to maintain playable frame rates at 4K. Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 77 FPS (132 vs 55), but at 4K, the difference narrows to 29 FPS (50 vs 21). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings yields diminishing returns, as the pixel count becomes the dominant factor.

The data also shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, can easily feed the GTX 1070 at 1080p Low (132 FPS) without dropping frames. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to plateau or even decrease at lower resolutions, but instead, the FPS scales consistently with GPU load. This is a classic case of a modern processor paired with an older mid-range GPU, where the GPU’s age (released in 2016) is the primary constraint on performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 2369 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the 17.5th percentile of all configurations, meaning roughly 82.5% of tested combos deliver higher average FPS in this game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GTX 1070’s age and performance class, as the GPU sits at the 47th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 90th percentile among all CPUs.

The combo’s rank of 2369 suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU drags the overall experience down. For context, the GTX 1070’s average benchmark score is 9780, with nearest rivals such as the AMD FirePro W5000 (9803, deltaPct -0.2%), NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9832, deltaPct -0.5%), NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9724, deltaPct 0.6%), and NVIDIA Tesla C2070 (9716, deltaPct 0.7%). These rivals are all within 1% of the GTX 1070’s score, confirming that the GPU is a mid-pack performer in synthetic tests. In Evolve specifically, the measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (55 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth, which explains why the combo ranks so low.

The CPU, by contrast, is a standout. The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, deltaPct -0.4%), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, deltaPct -0.5%), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, deltaPct 0.6%), and Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, deltaPct 0.8%). These rivals are all within 1% of the CPU’s score, indicating that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive with high-end processors from both AMD and Intel. In Evolve, this CPU strength is evident in the high FPS at 1080p Low (132 FPS), where the GPU is less stressed and the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648) can shine.

Overall, the combo rank reflects a mismatch: a 90th-percentile CPU paired with a 47th-percentile GPU. For Evolve, which is GPU-bound at most settings, the ranking is lower than what the CPU alone would suggest. If the GTX 1070 were replaced with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would likely improve significantly, as the CPU has plenty of headroom to drive higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Evolve, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 132, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only result above 120 FPS in the dataset, indicating that the combo can handle high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming only at the lowest quality preset.

Q: Is this combo capable of smooth 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 21 (Ultra settings) to 50 (Low settings). Even at Low settings, the 50 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and at Ultra, the 21 FPS average is unplayable. The GTX 1070’s 256.3 GB/s bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS are insufficient for 4K in this title.

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

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it near the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, deltaPct -0.5%) and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, deltaPct -0.4%). It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, deltaPct 0.8%) and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, deltaPct 0.6%). These rivals are all within 1% of each other, showing that the Ultra 5 245 is a top-tier performer.

Q: What is the FPS range for Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 102, with a min of 87 and max of 117. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 68, with a min of 58 and max of 79. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 39, with a min of 33 and max of 45. These results show a consistent drop of roughly 30-40% per resolution step.

Q: Does the GTX 1070’s 8 GB VRAM cause any issues in Evolve?

A: The measured data does not indicate VRAM-related stuttering or texture pop-in, as the 8 GB GDDR5 memory is sufficient for Evolve’s textures. The game’s release date of 2015 means it was designed for GPUs with 4 GB or less, so 8 GB is more than adequate. The performance limitations are due to compute and bandwidth, not memory capacity.

Q: What is the combo’s percentile ranking among all tested CPUs and GPUs?

A: The CPU is at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 47th percentile among all GPUs. This places the CPU in the top 10% of processors but the GPU in the middle of the pack, which explains why the combo’s overall rank in Evolve is lower than the CPU’s percentile would suggest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data was captured with the game running on the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, with all settings applied as specified. The results are measured averages, with min and max FPS provided where available.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 132, which is the highest of any configuration in the dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 102 FPS, with a min of 87 and max of 117, indicating a stable frame pacing with only a 30 FPS spread between min and max. High settings drop the average to 80 FPS, which is still smooth for most monitors. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, bring the average down to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable on adaptive sync displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably but remains playable at most settings. Low settings yield an average of 88 FPS, a 33% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 68 FPS, with a min of 58 and max of 79, showing a 20 FPS spread. High settings average 54 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings average 37 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold for acceptable playability and would require reduced settings for a better experience.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 40 FPS. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a min of 33 and max of 45, indicating significant frame dips below 35 FPS during intense scenes. High settings average 31 FPS, which is choppy and would be difficult to play. Ultra settings average just 21 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at this preset.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 77 FPS (132 vs 55). At 1440p, the difference is 51 FPS (88 vs 37). At 4K, the difference is 29 FPS (50 vs 21). This pattern confirms that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the increased pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, based on the GP104 chip and Pascal architecture, is the primary determinant of performance in Evolve. With a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz, the GPU operates at frequencies that are typical for the Pascal generation. The 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs provide a compute throughput of 6.463 TFLOPS FP32, which is the raw processing power available for shading and geometry. The texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggle at 4K.

The GPU’s memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 running at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical factor in Evolve, as the game’s large textures and detailed environments require frequent memory access. At 4K, the bandwidth becomes saturated, leading to the measured FPS drops. The 8 GB capacity, however, is not a limitation, as Evolve was released in 2015 and its texture sizes are well within this budget.

The GTX 1070’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range status. It has a passmark G3D score of 13498 and a passmark DirectX 11 score of 100, but its DirectX 12 score is only 48, indicating weaker performance in newer APIs. In Evolve, which is a DirectX 11 title, the GPU performs relatively better than its DirectX 12 scores suggest. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 9780 puts it at the 47th percentile, and its nearest rivals (AMD FirePro W5000, NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, NVIDIA Tesla M10, NVIDIA Tesla C2070) are all within 1% of its score, confirming that it is a solid but unremarkable performer.

The GPU’s TDP of 150 W and suggested PSU of 450 W are modest, but the card’s end-of-life production status means it is no longer manufactured. The measured FPS data shows that the GTX 1070 can handle Evolve at 1080p with high settings (80 FPS) and 1440p with medium settings (68 FPS), but it is not suitable for 4K gaming. The 21 FPS result at 4K Ultra is a clear indication that the GPU is outmatched at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245, part of the Core Ultra Series 2 and based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture, plays a supporting role in Evolve, providing more than enough processing power to keep the GTX 1070 fed. With 14 cores and 14 threads, the CPU has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, delivering strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, both of which place it in the top tier of desktop processors. Its average benchmark score of 48995 puts it at the 90th percentile, and its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, AMD Ryzen 9 7900, Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, Intel Core i5-14600K) are all within 1% of its score. This indicates that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive with high-end CPUs from both AMD and Intel, despite being a lower-cost part (launch MSRP of $270).

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is most evident at low resolutions and settings, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 132 FPS, which is likely limited by the GPU rather than the CPU, but the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that frame times are consistent. The CPU’s 14 threads are more than sufficient for Evolve, which is not a highly multi-threaded game. The 3 nm process node and TSMC foundry contribute to the CPU’s efficiency, with a TDP of 65 W, but this has no direct impact on gaming performance.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides ample bandwidth for the game’s data streams. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is not used for gaming, as the discrete GTX 1070 is present, but it does not interfere with performance. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes ensures that the GTX 1070, which uses PCIe 3.0 x16, is not bandwidth-limited.

Overall, the Core Ultra 5 245 is not a bottleneck in Evolve. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU-bound performance, and the CPU’s high benchmark scores suggest it could drive significantly higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU. The combo rank of 2369 out of 2872 is primarily due to the GTX 1070’s limitations, not the CPU, which is a top-10% performer. For users looking to upgrade, replacing the GPU would yield a much larger performance gain than replacing the CPU.