Evolve

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265's position relative to other CPUs in the database?

A: The CPU sits at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tracked, with an average benchmark score of 64,640. Its closest rival is the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64,823, a delta of -0.3% (meaning the Ultra 7 265 is essentially tied with it, being 0.3% slower). Conversely, it is 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64,438.

Q: How much VRAM does the Radeon RX 7900 XT have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU is equipped with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 2500 MHz, which is specified as 20 Gbps effective.

Q: What is the best frame rate achieved for this combo in Evolve, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 282, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 219 FPS at the same resolution with Medium settings, followed by 172 FPS at High and 119 FPS at Ultra.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations for this game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 713th out of 3,700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the top ~19% of all configurations tested for this title.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics, and what are its core and thread counts?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units. The CPU itself has 20 cores and 20 threads, meaning it does not support simultaneous multithreading (SMT). Its base clock is 2.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory size relative to its performance in the highest settings?

A: At 4K Ultra settings, the combo averages 45 FPS. The GPU's 20 GB of VRAM is substantial for high-resolution textures, but the data shows that even with this capacity, the Ultra preset at 4K drops the frame rate to 45 FPS, indicating that the rendering load, not memory capacity, is the limiting factor at that extreme setting.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, specifically the Navi 31 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its boost clock reaches 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz and a base clock of 1387 MHz. The GPU's raw compute capabilities are significant: it delivers 51.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s, alongside a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s. These figures translate into a card that is clearly designed for high-end gaming.

In Evolve, the GPU's role becomes evident when examining the measured FPS across settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 282 FPS, which is over twice the 119 FPS seen at Ultra settings at the same resolution. This spread of 163 FPS between Low and Ultra demonstrates that the GPU is heavily tasked by the game's higher-quality presets. The 20 GB of GDDR6 memory, with its 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, provides ample headroom for texture streaming and asset loading, yet the performance drop from Low to Ultra suggests that the shading units and ROPs are the primary bottleneck at higher settings, not memory capacity.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. Its PassMark G3D score is 29,009, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 71,068, indicating strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance. However, its overall percentile is 55, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, is 1.5% faster in average benchmark score. This places the RX 7900 XT in a competitive but not dominant position. In Evolve, the 4K High setting yields 66 FPS, while 4K Low yields 108 FPS, showing that even at lower settings, the GPU is producing playable frame rates at 4K, but the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 45 FPS, which is a substantial reduction.

The data implies that for Evolve, the GPU's clock speeds and architecture are sufficient for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the 189 FPS at Low and 115 FPS at High on that resolution. The 4K results are more modest, with the card handling Medium at 84 FPS but struggling with Ultra. The 20 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this game, as even the highest settings at 4K would not exhaust this capacity for a 2015 title. Instead, the GPU's raw processing power is what determines the frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 713 out of 3,700 tested configurations places it in the upper echelon of systems tested for Evolve. This percentile position suggests that the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is well-balanced for this game, but not at the absolute top tier. The 3,700 combos include a wide variety of CPUs and GPUs, so a rank of 713 indicates that roughly 80% of tested systems are slower in this game.

To contextualize this rank, consider the CPU's own performance metrics. The Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640 and sits at the 93rd percentile among CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all server-class EPYC processors, which indicates that the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are on par with enterprise-level chips. This is notable because Evolve, being a 2015 FPS, may not fully utilize 20 cores, but the CPU's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960) ensures it is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The GPU, by contrast, has a more modest percentile of 55 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,745. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 660M and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile, which are significantly lower-end products. This discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's mid-range percentile suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this combo for Evolve. The rank of 713 reflects this balance: the CPU provides a solid foundation, but the GPU's performance cap prevents the combo from reaching the top 10% of tested systems.

When compared to other combos in the database, the 713th rank means that there are 712 configurations that achieve higher average FPS in Evolve. These likely include more powerful GPUs like the Radeon RX 9070 XT, which is 1.5% faster in benchmarks. However, the Ultra 7 265's strength ensures that the combo remains competitive, as a weaker CPU would drag the rank lower. The data suggests that for users seeking higher rankings, upgrading the GPU would be more impactful than upgrading the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo in Evolve depend on the target refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset delivers 282 FPS, which is suitable for 240Hz displays. However, the Medium preset still provides 219 FPS, which is ample for 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, and the High preset at 172 FPS also exceeds 144Hz. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 119 FPS, which is playable but drops below the 144Hz threshold.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 147 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz monitors, while High delivers 115 FPS, which is below that threshold but still smooth for 60Hz or 100Hz displays. The Low preset at 189 FPS is excellent for esports-style play but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, with an average of 84 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS standard for most TVs and monitors. The High preset at 66 FPS is also acceptable, while the Low preset at 108 FPS is surprisingly high, suggesting that Evolve is not particularly demanding at lower settings even at 4K. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is best avoided unless visual quality is prioritized over smoothness.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, it provides 219 FPS with minimums of 186 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutter. At 1440p, it maintains 147 FPS with minimums of 125 FPS. At 4K, it holds 84 FPS with minimums of 71 FPS. This consistency suggests that Medium is the recommended preset for this combo, as it provides a high frame rate without the performance hit of Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Evolve reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 282 FPS, which is the highest recorded score for this combo. The Medium preset drops to 219 FPS, with a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 252 FPS. The High preset yields 172 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 119 FPS. This represents a 58% reduction in FPS from Low to Ultra at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 189 FPS, which is a 33% drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset achieves 147 FPS, with minimums of 125 FPS and maximums of 169 FPS. High settings produce 115 FPS, and Ultra drops to 80 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 58% reduction, mirroring the 1080p pattern. The 1440p results are consistently about 67% of the 1080p scores, indicating a linear relationship with pixel count.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is a 62% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings achieve 84 FPS, with minimums of 71 FPS and maximums of 96 FPS. High settings produce 66 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is also 58%, maintaining the same relative performance gap across settings. The 4K scores are approximately 38% of the 1080p scores, which is consistent with the four-fold increase in pixel count.

Notably, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. This data shows that the variance is relatively stable: at 1080p, the range is 186-252 FPS; at 1440p, it is 125-169 FPS; and at 4K, it is 71-96 FPS. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset provides a predictable experience, with minimums that are roughly 75-85% of the average, ensuring smooth gameplay without severe dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 plays a supporting role in this combo's Evolve performance, but its specifications are noteworthy. With 20 cores and 20 threads, the CPU offers substantial multi-threaded capabilities, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and PassMark multi-thread score of 49,682. Its boost clock of 5.30 GHz and base clock of 2.40 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960.

In Evolve, which is a 2015 title, the game's engine may not be optimized for 20 cores, but the CPU's high clock speeds ensure that single-threaded tasks are handled efficiently. The CPU's L3 cache of 30 MB (shared) is ample for game data, and its dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient memory throughput. The CPU's 17,800 million transistors on a 3 nm process node (TSMC) indicate a modern, efficient design.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a top-tier processor, sitting at the 93rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, has an average score of 64,823, which is just 0.3% higher. This places the Ultra 7 265 in the same performance class as server-grade EPYC processors, meaning it is unlikely to bottleneck the RX 7900 XT in most gaming scenarios. However, the 20-core, 20-thread configuration without SMT may be overkill for Evolve, which likely benefits more from the CPU's high boost clock.

The data suggests that the CPU's role in Evolve is to maintain high minimum frame rates and prevent dips during complex scenes. The PassMark physics score of 2,923 and the Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 4,255 indicate robust processing power. In practice, the CPU's performance allows the GPU to be the primary determinant of FPS, as seen in the resolution scaling. This is a healthy balance, as the CPU provides a stable foundation without becoming a bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is limiting performance in Evolve. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 282 FPS, which drops to 189 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and 108 FPS at 4K (a 62% reduction from 1080p). The pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p (2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels), yet the FPS drops by only 33%, indicating that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p Low.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more linear: 219 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and 84 FPS at 4K (a 62% drop). The same percentage reductions suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor at Medium settings, as the FPS scales proportionally with pixel count. The CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that it is not a bottleneck, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher.

At Ultra settings, the pattern shifts: 119 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (a 62% drop). The consistent 33% and 62% reductions across all settings indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the increased frame rates at lower resolutions. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect the FPS to plateau or drop more steeply at higher resolutions, which is not the case.

The data implies that for Evolve, the Radeon RX 7900 XT's rendering capabilities dictate performance. The GPU's 51.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the key factor, as the game's workload scales with resolution. The CPU's 5.30 GHz boost clock and 20 cores provide enough headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions, preventing CPU-bound scenarios. This is an ideal balance for a gaming system, as the GPU is the component that users would need to upgrade to achieve higher frame rates at 4K Ultra.