Evolve

# Evolve with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

This combination pairs a modern 14-core Arrow Lake desktop processor with an end-of-life Turing-based GPU from 2019, creating a substantial bottleneck imbalance for a 2015 FPS title. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card consistently limits performance, while the CPU's headroom goes largely unused in this particular game. The data shows a combo ranking in the 2468th position out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the lower tier of tested hardware pairings for Evolve.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 75 FPS at 1920x1080 to 50 FPS at 2560x1440, then plummets to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 42% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario — the rendering load increases with pixel count, and the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus width become increasingly taxed as resolution rises.

At Low settings, the drop is even more pronounced in absolute terms: 123 FPS at 1080p falls to 83 FPS at 1440p (a 32.5% decline), then to 47 FPS at 4K (a 43.4% decline from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K result barely reaches 47 FPS suggests the GPU's raw throughput, not just memory bandwidth, is the limiting factor. The 5.437 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 84.96 GPixel/s pixel rate simply cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K in this title, regardless of how light the settings become.

Medium settings follow the same trajectory: 95 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The min/max values at Medium settings tell an interesting story about frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the range spans 31 to 42 FPS — a 11 FPS spread that represents roughly 35% variance from the average. At 1440p Medium, the range tightens to 54-74 FPS (20 FPS spread), and at 1080p Medium it expands to 81-110 FPS (29 FPS spread). The relative variance actually decreases as resolution increases, which is counterintuitive but suggests that at higher resolutions the GPU is consistently saturated, while at lower resolutions there is more headroom for spikes.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling: 52 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and just 20 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS is borderline unplayable, and the 1440p Ultra result of 35 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold most players target. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra (a 32.7% drop) is nearly identical to the percentage drop seen at High settings (33.3%), indicating that the GPU's resource ceiling is hit consistently across quality presets.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 Ti operates with a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, paired with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus. This yields a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units, producing a texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s.

For Evolve, a game that relies heavily on detailed environment textures and character models, the 6 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest memory pressure is a contributing factor to the low frame rates. The pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s is the most relevant metric for understanding 4K performance — at 3840x2160 (8.3 million pixels), the theoretical maximum fill rate would allow roughly 10 full-screen passes per frame at 20 FPS, which aligns with the measured 4K Ultra result.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 41 among all GPUs places it in the lower-middle tier of graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 540 (0.7% faster), AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (1.9% faster), AMD Radeon R7 250 (2.2% faster), and Intel Arc A310 (2.3% faster). These are all modest-performing cards, confirming that the GTX 1660 Ti is not a high-end solution by current standards — the data shows it sits just above the 41st percentile, meaning roughly 59% of tested GPUs outperform it.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 and Passmark G3D score of 12871 provide synthetic confirmation of the GPU's mid-range positioning. The DirectX 11 Passmark score of 103 is particularly relevant for Evolve, which predates widespread DX12 adoption. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not a limiting factor for this 2015 title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2468 out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the 14.1st percentile of all tested pairings. This means approximately 86% of tested combos perform better in Evolve. The ranking reflects the GPU's modest capabilities — the CPU is in the 90th percentile among all processors, but the GPU's 41st percentile ranking drags the overall combo down significantly.

This rank disparity between CPU and GPU performance is the defining characteristic of this pairing. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a percentileVsAllCpus of 90, meaning it outperforms 90% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.5% slower), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.6% faster), and Intel Core i5-14600K (0.8% faster). This is a strong, upper-tier processor.

In contrast, the GTX 1660 Ti's nearest GPU rivals are all significantly weaker cards. The combination of a top-decile CPU with a bottom-half GPU creates a system where the CPU is essentially waiting on the GPU at every resolution and settings combination. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most room to stretch, the 123 FPS average is still well below what this processor could deliver if paired with a stronger GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum is playable by most standards. Low settings deliver 123 FPS average, Medium delivers 95 FPS (with a min of 81 and max of 110), High delivers 75 FPS, and Ultra delivers 52 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear progression: each settings tier from Low to Ultra reduces average FPS by roughly 23-28 FPS, though the gaps narrow slightly at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, performance drops become more consequential. Low settings still manage 83 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Medium delivers 64 FPS (min 54, max 74), which remains acceptable. High drops to 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that players targeting 60 FPS should stick with Medium or Low settings, while those willing to accept 50 FPS can use High.

At 3840x2160, all settings produce sub-60 FPS results. Low settings achieve 47 FPS, Medium delivers 36 FPS (min 31, max 42), High drops to 29 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 20 FPS. The 4K results are consistently below the threshold for smooth gameplay, with even the lowest settings failing to reach 50 FPS.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include min and max FPS data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the system produces a 29 FPS spread between min and max, suggesting some frame time inconsistency. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 20 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 11 FPS. This trend indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated at higher resolutions, reducing the variance that comes from occasional CPU-bound frames.

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 by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, with ECC support available.

This processor's benchmark results are impressive. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 place it well above average. The Passmark multi-thread score of 38706 and single-thread score of 4394 confirm its strong performance. The Cinebench R20 scores of 13828 (multi-core) and 1952 (single-core) reinforce this picture. The Passmark physics score of 2569 and data compression score of 400942 demonstrate strong computational throughput.

However, for Evolve, the CPU's capabilities are largely underutilized. The game is from 2015, and while it can be CPU-intensive in certain scenarios (especially with many AI-controlled monsters and environmental effects), the 14 cores and 14 threads provide far more parallel processing capacity than a title from this era typically requires. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to become the limiting factor, the system achieves 123 FPS — a solid result but not one that suggests CPU saturation.

The processor's nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, AMD Ryzen 9 7900, Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and Intel Core i5-14600K — all have similar average benchmark scores within 0.8% of the Core Ultra 5 245. This indicates the CPU is well-positioned among its peers, but in this specific game, the GPU bottleneck prevents the CPU's performance advantage from manifesting in higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at lower resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, Low and Medium settings deliver 123 FPS and 95 FPS respectively. At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 83 FPS, while Medium hits 64 FPS. At 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS — the best result is 47 FPS at Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 41st percentile. The frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings follows GPU-bound patterns, with the CPU's 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock providing far more headroom than this 2015 title requires.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide 95 FPS average with a min of 81 FPS, which ensures consistent frame delivery above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 75 FPS are also viable, but Ultra at 52 FPS falls below 60 FPS and may feel less smooth.

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

A: It ranks 2468 out of 2872 tested combinations for Evolve, placing it in the 14th percentile. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's modest performance, as the CPU is well above average.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB VRAM sufficient for Evolve?

A: The 6 GB GDDR6 memory appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p across all settings, but the 4K results suggest memory bandwidth and capacity may contribute to the low frame rates. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 192-bit bus are modest by current standards, and the 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS indicates the GPU's resources are exhausted at that resolution.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 83 FPS, Medium delivers 64 FPS (min 54, max 74), High delivers 50 FPS, and Ultra delivers 35 FPS. For smooth 60 FPS gameplay, Low or Medium settings are recommended at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance: 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS ensures the frame rate never drops below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 75 FPS are also acceptable, but the 20 FPS gap to Medium suggests that Medium offers more headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 52 FPS is technically playable but sits below the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low settings for guaranteed smoothness (83 FPS), though Medium at 64 FPS also clears the 60 FPS bar in most scenes. The min FPS of 54 at Medium means occasional dips below 60 are possible, so players prioritizing consistency should choose Low. High at 50 FPS and Ultra at 35 FPS are best avoided for competitive play but could be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves the 60 FPS target. Low settings at 47 FPS is the best option, providing the highest frame rate while sacrificing visual fidelity. Medium at 36 FPS and High at 29 FPS progressively trade away performance for quality, while Ultra at 20 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay scenario. Players using this combo at 4K should either accept the performance limitations or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this system is 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, depending on the player's preference for resolution over detail. The measured min FPS values at Medium settings (81 at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, 31 at 4K) indicate that the system can maintain playable frame rates in most scenes at these presets, but the tightest frame pacing occurs at 1080p Medium, where the 29 FPS spread between min and max suggests the GPU has sufficient headroom to handle spikes in rendering load.