Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a playable but constrained experience in Evolve, with performance heavily dictated by resolution and settings. The data shows this combination ranks in the 13th percentile of all tested combos, placing it near the bottom of the database, yet it manages to hit 60+ FPS at 1080p on Medium and Low presets. The bottleneck is unambiguous: the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and modest compute throughput limit the system long before the 14-core CPU becomes a factor, making this a pairing that favors lower resolutions and dialed-back settings for consistent frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the primary limiter. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 113 FPS, which drops to 76 FPS at 1440p (−33%) and further to 43 FPS at 4K (−62% from 1080p). This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where pixel count directly taxes the rasterization pipeline. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh, with the average falling from 76 to 43 FPS, representing a 43% reduction—far steeper than the linear pixel increase would suggest, indicating that the 4 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus are overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

The High preset tells a similar story with different magnitudes. At 1080p High, the average is 69 FPS, which falls to 46 FPS at 1440p (−33%) and 26 FPS at 4K (−62% from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and High presets suggests that resolution scaling is uniform regardless of quality settings, pointing to a raw fill-rate or bandwidth ceiling rather than a shading-complexity bottleneck. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is essentially unplayable, and even 1440p Ultra at 32 FPS falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay, reinforcing that this combo is designed for 1080p or modest 1440p gaming.

What the scaling data does not show is any sign of CPU limitation. The Core Ultra 5 245, with boost clocks reaching 5.10 GHz, is more than capable of feeding frames at these rates. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see smaller FPS deltas between 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU would have headroom to spare. Instead, every resolution step produces a proportional FPS loss, a hallmark of pure GPU saturation. The 4K Medium result of 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 39 FPS shows tight frame pacing, but the absolute numbers are too low for competitive play, making 1080p the only viable resolution for this pairing in Evolve.

GPU Role

The RTX 3050 4 GB is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling observed. With 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card is severely constrained by modern standards, particularly for a game like Evolve that relies on large textures and dynamic environments. The 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs provide a theoretical peak of 7.127 TFLOPS FP32, but this compute potential is hamstrung by the memory subsystem, which is likely why the 4K results crater so dramatically. The boost clock of 1740 MHz is respectable, but it cannot compensate for the lack of memory capacity.

The data suggests that VRAM capacity, not raw compute, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the card delivers 113 FPS on Low, which is a strong result, but this drops to 69 FPS on High—a 39% penalty that likely reflects increased texture and shader complexity exceeding the 4 GB buffer. At 4K, the penalty for moving from Low (43 FPS) to High (26 FPS) is also 40%, indicating that the memory pressure worsens proportionally with resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is catastrophic, suggesting the card is thrashing as it swaps textures out of VRAM, a classic symptom of insufficient memory. The 12 Gbps effective memory speed is standard for the card's class, but the 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is simply too narrow to feed the GPU at 4K.

The GPU's 90 W TDP and dual-slot design are irrelevant to the benchmark data, but the architecture's limitations are not. The card's percentile ranking of 50th among all GPUs places it exactly at the median, yet in this game, the measured results are disproportionately poor at high resolutions. This is not a case of a weak GPU performing as expected; rather, it is a case of the 4 GB memory capacity being a hard ceiling that no amount of clock speed can overcome. For Evolve, the RTX 3050 4 GB is adequate for 1080p gaming with Medium settings, but any attempt to push beyond that hits a wall that the CPU cannot help breach.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear optimal configuration: 1080p with Medium settings provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, delivering 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 101 FPS. This is the only preset that offers both a high average and a floor above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay during intense firefights. The High preset at 1080p, at 69 FPS average, is also acceptable but offers no minimum FPS data, making it a riskier choice; the gap between Medium and High is 19 FPS, which is substantial enough to warrant staying on Medium for competitive reliability.

For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 113 FPS is the clear choice, providing a 28% improvement over Medium and ensuring the display's refresh rate is saturated. However, the visual downgrade from Medium to Low is noticeable, and the 25 FPS difference may not justify the loss of texture detail and shadow quality in a game where enemy silhouettes matter. At 1440p, the only viable option is Low at 76 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual clarity for a modest resolution gain; Medium at 59 FPS is borderline, and the 50 FPS minimum risks stutter. The data does not support any 4K configuration, as even Low at 43 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual quality at that resolution would be severely compromised by the Low preset.

The Ultra preset is not recommended under any circumstances. At 1080p, it delivers 48 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for a fast-paced FPS, and at 1440p it drops to 32 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is a slideshow. The incremental visual gains from Ultra over High are marginal in this game, but the performance cost is a 30% reduction at 1080p and a 44% reduction at 1440p. The data suggests that the GPU's 4 GB memory cannot handle Ultra textures without severe penalties, making Medium the highest viable preset, with High as a secondary option for those with lower refresh rate displays who prioritize image quality over frame consistency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows a clear progression: Low delivers 113 FPS average, Medium 88 FPS (min 75, max 101), High 69 FPS, and Ultra 48 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 25 FPS, while Medium to High is 19 FPS, and High to Ultra is 21 FPS. This linear degradation of roughly 20 FPS per settings tier indicates that each quality level adds a similar computational load, but the absolute numbers reveal that only Low and Medium exceed the 60 FPS target. The High preset's 69 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for drops, while Ultra fails to maintain a consistent experience. The minimum FPS data for Medium, at 75 FPS, is reassuring, but the lack of min/max data for other presets makes Medium the only fully characterized option at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the story becomes more constrained. Low averages 76 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS, but Medium drops to 59 FPS (min 50, max 68), High to 46 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS. The Medium result is borderline, with the 50 FPS minimum suggesting occasional dips below the playable threshold. The drop from Low to Medium is 17 FPS, while Medium to High is 13 FPS, and High to Ultra is 14 FPS, showing a more compressed range than at 1080p. This compression suggests the GPU is approaching its memory bandwidth limit, where settings changes have diminishing returns on performance. The 4K results are uniformly poor: Low 43 FPS, Medium 33 FPS (min 28, max 39), High 26 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. The Medium result at 4K has the only min/max data, showing a tight 28-39 FPS range, but this is far below acceptable for an FPS.

The data also reveals an interesting pattern in the ratio of FPS between resolutions. At Low settings, the 1080p to 1440p ratio is 113/76 = 1.49, which is close to the pixel ratio of 2.25 (2560x1440 / 1920x1080) but not equal, indicating some efficiency gains at lower resolutions. At High settings, the same ratio is 69/46 = 1.50, showing a consistent scaling factor. However, the 1440p to 4K ratio at Low is 76/43 = 1.77, which is far below the pixel ratio of 2.25, indicating that the 4K resolution is disproportionately punishing due to VRAM exhaustion. This asymmetry confirms that the GPU's memory capacity is the critical constraint, not its shading units or texture units.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2505th out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the 13th percentile of all systems in the database. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's capabilities. The Core Ultra 5 245, when benchmarked alone, achieves an average score of 48995 and sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (−0.4% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (−0.5% delta), and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698 (+0.6% delta). These rival CPUs are all within 1% of the Ultra 5 245's score, indicating that the processor is a top-tier performer. Yet, when paired with the RTX 3050 4 GB, the system's overall rank in Evolve is dragged down to near-bottom.

This disparity between CPU percentile and combo rank is the defining characteristic of this pairing. The CPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 50th percentile ranking. In a game like Evolve, which is GPU-bound, the combo's rank is determined almost entirely by the GPU. The 2505th rank suggests that the RTX 3050 4 GB is among the weakest GPUs in the database for this title, and the CPU's strength cannot compensate. The data implies that if the same CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would improve dramatically, but as measured, this configuration is a poor match for the game's demands.

The rank also contextualizes the FPS numbers: a 2505th rank out of 2872 means that the vast majority of tested combos outperform this one. This is not a system for high-refresh-rate gaming or high-resolution play in Evolve. The 1080p Medium result of 88 FPS is respectable for a mid-range system, but the combo's overall ranking suggests that many other configurations achieve higher frame rates at higher settings. The data does not provide specific rival combo scores, but the percentile placement makes it clear that this pairing is at the low end of the curve. For a user evaluating this combo, the rank serves as a warning that the GPU is the weak link, and any upgrade path should prioritize replacing the RTX 3050 4 GB before considering a CPU change.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide ample bandwidth for gaming workloads, and its passmark multithread score of 38706 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and Ryzen 9 7900, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of −0.4% and −0.5% respectively, confirming that the Ultra 5 245 is a high-performing processor relative to the market. However, in Evolve, the CPU's role is subservient to the GPU, and the data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking.

The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 113 FPS is a moderate load for a CPU of this caliber, and the fact that it scales down to 43 FPS at 4K Low indicates that the GPU is the sole limiter. If the CPU were struggling, we would see similar FPS across resolutions, as the CPU would be the common denominator. Instead, the FPS varies by more than 2.6x from 1080p to 4K, which is a purely GPU-driven phenomenon. The 5.10 GHz boost clock and 14 cores are more than sufficient to handle the game's physics and AI, which are not particularly demanding for a 2015 title. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, ensures that even the most frame-heavy scenarios will not be CPU-limited.

The data suggests that the CPU is effectively idle in this pairing, and its high percentile ranking is wasted on a GPU that cannot keep up. The passmark physics score of 2569, while not directly comparable to gaming performance, indicates that the CPU has headroom for more demanding tasks. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node are irrelevant to the gaming results, but they do explain why the processor is so efficient. For Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the Ultra 5 245 does this without breaking a sweat. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU, and the CPU's performance is a non-factor in this combo's ranking. If the GPU were upgraded, the CPU could easily support a much more powerful graphics card, as its 90th percentile ranking suggests it is ready for higher-end pairings.