Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable but stratified experience in Evolve, with results heavily dependent on resolution and quality preset. The combination ranks 2025th out of 2872 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. This ranking reflects a pairing where the GPU’s age is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial thread count provides ample headroom for lower-resolution, high-refresh-rate scenarios. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across the twelve measured configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2025 out of 2872 combinations places it in the 30th percentile of tested systems for Evolve. This is a below-median result, indicating that while the hardware is functional, it does not excel in this specific title. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s overall standing; the RTX 2060 SUPER holds a 62nd percentile rank across all GPUs in general benchmarks. However, the CPU is significantly stronger, sitting in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs. The disparity between these two percentiles is the core story of this pairing: a very capable processor held back by a mid-range graphics card.

In synthetic CPU benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 265 achieves an average score of 64640, placing it remarkably close to several server-class AMD EPYC processors. It trails the AMD EPYC 4464P by a marginal 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7%. Conversely, it leads the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 7343 by 0.7%. These sub-1% deltas indicate that the CPU’s raw compute potential is not the limiting factor in most gaming scenarios. For the GPU, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 18093 puts it in a tight cluster with rivals. It is 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, 1.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 460, and 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A770M. These narrow margins show that the GPU is competent for its class but not exceptional.

The measured FPS data reinforces this rank. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 26 FPS, which is not playable. The transition to 1080p Low yields 160 FPS, demonstrating a massive swing. The rank is thus not a measure of failure but of consistency; the combo cannot maintain high frame rates across all settings, pushing its overall standing down.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Evolve at 4K?*

A: Technically, yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 61 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 47 FPS, and at High, it falls to 37 FPS. Ultra settings are not viable, producing only 26 FPS average.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data suggests 1440p is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the combo delivers 65 FPS on High settings and 83 FPS on Medium, both of which are smooth. While 1080p yields higher frame rates, 1440p provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Q: How does the CPU’s 20-core configuration impact gaming performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and 20 threads. While Evolve may not utilize all of them, the high multi-threaded throughput (evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216) ensures that the CPU is never a bottleneck at lower resolutions. This allows the GPU to be the sole performance limiter.

*Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8GB VRAM cause issues in Evolve?*

A: The 8GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for the game’s data at 1080p and 1440p, but the 37 FPS average at 4K High suggests the GPU’s compute limits, rather than VRAM capacity alone, are the primary constraint at that resolution.

Q: How does the combo’s performance scale between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 160 FPS on Low to 124 FPS on Medium, then to 97 FPS on High, and finally to 68 FPS on Ultra. This represents a 57.5% reduction in frame rate from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark percentile (93rd) is far higher than the GPU’s (62nd). The measured FPS data shows that performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the defining component in this configuration for Evolve. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, includes 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for the game’s textures at most settings, but the GPU’s raw compute power, rated at 7.181 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The benchmark results show the GPU’s performance ceiling. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 2011 points, and in PassMark’s G3D test, it scores 16462. These scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, confirming its mid-range status. The measured FPS in Evolve directly reflects this. At 4K Ultra, the average is 26 FPS, which is a slideshow. Dropping to 4K Low improves the average to 61 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the game at lower graphical loads. However, the jump from 4K Medium (47 FPS) to 4K High (37 FPS) is a 21% drop, indicating that the GPU’s shading and texture units are being saturated.

The RTX 2060 SUPER’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1.6% of its average score. This tight grouping suggests that users should expect similar performance from these cards in Evolve. The GPU’s 175W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for its generation. The data indicates that for Evolve, the GPU is the primary arbiter of performance; the CPU provides a stable platform, but the frame rate is governed by the graphics card’s ability to process the scene.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the combo is highly capable. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 160 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High settings yield 97 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 68 FPS. All of these averages are above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making 1080p a very comfortable resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still solid but requires more careful settings selection. Low settings produce an average of 107 FPS. Medium settings deliver 83 FPS, with a min-max range of 71 to 96 FPS. High settings achieve 65 FPS, which is still playable. Ultra settings, however, fall to 45 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold. This resolution demonstrates the GPU’s scaling behavior; the gap between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is just playable. Medium settings drop to 47 FPS, with a min of 40 FPS and a max of 55 FPS. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The 4K results are largely unusable for a fast-paced FPS like Evolve, except for the Low preset. The data shows a clear resolution ceiling for this GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 160 FPS at 1080p to 107 FPS at 1440p, and then to 61 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% drop from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 97 FPS to 65 FPS to 37 FPS. This is a 33% drop and a 43% drop respectively, showing a consistent scaling pattern.

This behavior is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU’s performance is constant across resolutions, but the GPU must render more pixels as resolution increases. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The scaling factor, where 4K performance is roughly 38% of 1080p performance, is consistent with the pixel count difference (4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, but the frame rate does not drop to 25%, indicating that the GPU is not purely fill-rate limited but also bound by other factors like shading and memory bandwidth).

The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is further confirmed by the CPU’s synthetic scores. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4689, the processor has ample headroom. The resolution scaling data thus points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component, especially at 1440p and above.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the data suggests prioritizing Medium or High settings depending on the target resolution. At 1080p, High settings are recommended, as they deliver 97 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 1080p still achieve 68 FPS, making them viable for users who prefer maximum visual quality over raw frame rate. Medium settings at 1080p are also excellent, offering 124 FPS.

At 1440p, Medium settings provide the best balance, with an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, ensuring no major stutters. High settings are also viable, with a 65 FPS average, but users sensitive to frame drops may prefer Medium. Low settings at 1440p are unnecessary given the CPU headroom, but they do offer 107 FPS for competitive play. Ultra settings at 1440p should be avoided, as the 45 FPS average is below the smoothness threshold.

At 4K, options are limited. Low settings are the only playable option, averaging 61 FPS. Medium settings at 4K average 47 FPS, which is borderline, and the minimum of 40 FPS indicates potential dips. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for gameplay. The optimal experience is thus 1440p Medium or High, which provides a good mix of visual quality and performance, leveraging the CPU’s strength to keep the GPU fed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The processor includes 30 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its synthetic benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. This places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is far more powerful than what is typically required for gaming.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable foundation. The game is not heavily multi-threaded, but the 20-core processor ensures that background tasks and game logic do not cause frame hitches. The high single-core performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4689) is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU can become the bottleneck in less capable systems. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 160 FPS, which is likely near the game’s engine limit or the GPU’s output limit, not the CPU’s.

The CPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is marginal. It is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P and 0.7% slower than the AMD EPYC 9124, but 0.3% faster than the Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% faster than the EPYC 7343. These differences are negligible in gaming. The CPU’s 65W TDP and 3 nm process make it efficient, but that is not a factor in gaming performance. The conclusion from the data is that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo. The frame rates are dictated by the GPU’s performance, and the CPU’s job is to ensure that the GPU is never waiting for data. The 20-core configuration provides a massive reserve of compute power that Evolve simply does not tax.