Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents a demanding workload that stresses both processor and graphics card in equal measure. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a highly capable system, but the data reveals a distinct performance hierarchy that shifts with resolution and settings. The measured frame rates indicate that at 1080p, the CPU can become a limiting factor at lower settings, while at 4K, the GPU's immense power is the primary driver of performance. This analysis breaks down the specific contributions of each component, how the system scales across resolutions, and where this particular pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor built on the Meteor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded headroom, which is relevant for Evolve's need to manage game logic, AI for the monster and hunters, and physics calculations concurrently. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743, indicating strong all-round capability. Its Passmark multi-thread score of 24873 and single-thread score of 3468 further confirm its robustness.

In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 263 FPS average. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain such performance. However, when comparing the 1080p Low result to the 1440p Low result (177 FPS), the drop is significant, but the more telling comparison is the scaling from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium (204 FPS). The 59 FPS difference between these two settings indicates that the game's rendering load is increasing, but the CPU is still keeping pace. The processor's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32697, places it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T with an average score of 32707 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 with a score of 32662 (0.1% delta), showing the Core Ultra 7 155H is competitive within its performance class, though not a standout leader.

The data suggests that at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 111, a significant reduction from the Low setting. This is a 152 FPS difference, which implies that the GPU is now the limiting factor, as the increased graphical fidelity demands more from the rendering pipeline. The CPU's 22 threads are likely sufficient to handle the game's logic at this level, but the GPU's workload becomes the primary constraint. The benchmark results indicate that the Core Ultra 7 155H provides a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate gaming in Evolve, but it is not the component that determines the ultimate ceiling at higher graphical presets.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship Ada Lovelace architecture GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. With 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the RTX 4090 is designed for extreme rasterization and ray-tracing workloads. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores further enhance its feature set. In synthetic tests, it scores 38194 in Passmark G3D and 255416 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 60347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta), though this is an anomaly in the data, as the RTX 4090's real-world gaming performance is far superior.

In Evolve, the GPU's dominance is evident across all resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system still manages an average of 42 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Evolve's textures and assets at any setting, ensuring there are no memory-related stutters. The GPU's raw compute power is the main driver of frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. For instance, at 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 74, which is a 68% increase over the 4K Ultra result, highlighting the GPU's scaling with resolution. The RTX 4090's performance is so high that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 263 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is not being fully utilized, and the CPU is becoming a bottleneck.

The GPU's role is further clarified by the Passmark DirectX 11 score of 326 and DirectX 12 score of 150, which, while low in absolute terms, are relative to the GPU's massive feature set. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is the unequivocal performance leader in this combo, but its full potential is only realized at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the GPU's power is often wasted, as the CPU cannot push frames fast enough to keep it fully occupied. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M with a score of 61896 (-2.5% delta), do not reflect its gaming superiority, indicating that the synthetic average is skewed by other workloads.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear trend: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 107 at 1440p, and then to 61 at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the increased pixel count demands more from the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth. The 24 GB of VRAM is not a constraint, but the GPU's compute throughput is the bottleneck.

At Low settings, the trend is even more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 263 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p (a 33% drop) and then to 101 at 4K (a 43% drop). The fact that the relative percentage drops are similar across High and Low settings suggests that the GPU is consistently the limiting component, even at lower settings where the CPU has more headroom. However, the absolute frame rates at 1080p Low (263 FPS) are so high that the CPU's 22 threads may be nearing their limit. This is supported by the fact that the 1080p Low to 1080p Medium drop is 59 FPS, which is a larger absolute reduction than the 1080p Medium to 1080p High drop of 44 FPS.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings shows a similar pattern: 204 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The drops are 33% and 43%, respectively, which is consistent across all settings. This uniformity strongly suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions in Evolve, but the CPU's influence becomes more noticeable at 1080p Low. The data shows that the RTX 4090's performance scales predictably with resolution, but the Core Ultra 7 155H can only push the system to 263 FPS maximum, which is likely a CPU ceiling. For a game like Evolve, this means that the combo is best suited for 1440p or 4K gaming, where the GPU's power is fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system's performance in Evolve. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 263 FPS on Low settings, 204 FPS on Medium, 160 FPS on High, and 111 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS, showing good frame pacing. At this resolution, the GPU is often underutilized, and the CPU is the limiting factor at Low settings, as evidenced by the 59 FPS drop from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 177 on Low, 137 on Medium, 107 on High, and 74 on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent at around 33% across all settings, indicating that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The 1440p Ultra result of 74 FPS is still smooth and playable, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 101 on Low, 78 on Medium, 61 on High, and 42 on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset, indicating that the RTX 4090 is finally being pushed to its limits. The 4K High result of 61 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for a cinematic experience. The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is CPU-bound at Low settings, while 1440p and 4K are GPU-bound across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 599th out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 79th percentile of all configurations. This rank is surprisingly modest given the GPU's power, but it reflects the CPU's relative weakness in this specific game. The RTX 4090 is an end-of-life product with a 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, but the Core Ultra 7 155H's 83rd percentile ranking among CPUs is slightly lower, and this disparity contributes to the combo's mid-pack placement.

The rank of 599 out of 2872 means that the combo is in the top 21% of all systems tested, which is strong, but not exceptional. Many combos with higher-end desktop CPUs and the same GPU would likely rank higher, as Evolve's CPU demands at 1080p Low are significant. The data indicates that the combo's performance is limited by the CPU's mobile nature, which has a lower TDP of 28 W compared to desktop processors. This is a key factor in the ranking, as the combo's 1080p Low result of 263 FPS is likely a CPU bottleneck, preventing the RTX 4090 from reaching its full potential. In contrast, at 4K Ultra, the combo's rank would be much higher, as the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The combo's overall rank is a compromise between these two extremes, reflecting its versatility but also its limitations in CPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo for a smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that at 4K High, the average FPS is 61, which is just above 60. For a more comfortable margin, 1440p Ultra provides an average of 74 FPS, while 1080p Ultra offers 111 FPS. The 1440p Ultra setting is the best balance of visual quality and performance.

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

A: The bottleneck shifts with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiter, as the system only reaches 263 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as the FPS drops consistently by about 33% and 43% respectively, regardless of settings.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 155H compare to its nearest CPU rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707 (0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 (0.1% delta). The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F scores 32750 (-0.2% delta), showing they are all statistically similar in performance.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4090 have, and is it sufficient for Evolve?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. This is more than sufficient for Evolve at any resolution or setting, as the game is from 2015 and does not require large texture pools. The memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s also ensures no memory-related bottlenecks.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 61 at 4K, a 99 FPS difference. This represents a 62% reduction in performance, highlighting the GPU's workload at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 599th out of 2872 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. While this is a strong result, it is not top-tier, primarily due to the mobile CPU's limitations at lower resolutions.