Evolve

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread mobile processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 55 W TDP. The chip carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 93, and its average benchmark score is 63173.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics updates, and AI logic for the monster and hunter characters. The data indicates that the 265HX is not a bottleneck at most tested settings. At 1080p Low, the measured average FPS is 169, which is a substantial frame rate that suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower graphical loads. The processor's strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40642 and PassMark multithread score of 47985, provides ample headroom for the game's background simulation tasks. The single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5737 and PassMark single-thread score of 4500, is also robust, which matters for games like Evolve that rely on a primary game thread for player movement and input handling.

Comparing to its nearest CPU rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265HX scores 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13790F, 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185, and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX. These deltas are small, meaning the 265HX is effectively in the same performance tier as these processors for general compute. In Evolve, this means the CPU is unlikely to differentiate results significantly from those rivals; the GPU will dominate performance scaling.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Evolve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 169, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak frame rate across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63173, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13790F's score of 63080. This indicates nearly identical multi-threaded compute capability.

Q: Does the GPU's average benchmark score place it above or below its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790's score of 17666. It also scores 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average FPS of 114, while Ultra yields 48. This represents a 66 FPS drop, or roughly a 58% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the combo's in-game rank fall in the top half of all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 1740 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the lower portion of the middle, meaning it outperforms the bottom 40% but lags the top 60% of combos.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 43, with an average of 50 and a maximum of 58. This shows the frame time variance at high resolution is moderate.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. Starting at 1080p, the combo achieves 169 FPS on Low, 131 FPS on Medium, 103 FPS on High, and 71 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the same settings yield 114 FPS, 88 FPS, 69 FPS, and 48 FPS respectively. At 4K, the numbers drop further to 65 FPS, 50 FPS, 39 FPS, and 27 FPS.

The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial. For Low settings, the frame rate falls from 169 to 65, a 62% reduction. For Medium, it drops from 131 to 50, a 62% reduction as well. High settings go from 103 to 39, a 62% reduction, and Ultra goes from 71 to 27, a 62% reduction. The consistency of this percentage drop across all settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance headroom, as shown by its high multi-threaded scores, is not being exhausted; instead, the RTX 4060's rendering pipeline is saturated as pixel count increases.

The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K, the memory bandwidth and fill rate become critical. The GPU's pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s. These figures are modest for 4K workloads, which explains the steep FPS drop. The data suggests that at 1080p, the combo is well-balanced, with the CPU able to push high frame rates. At 1440p, the GPU begins to take over as the primary limiter, and at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS averages on all settings except Low.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates. Low yields 169 FPS, Medium 131 FPS, High 103 FPS, and Ultra 71 FPS. For gamers with high refresh rate monitors, Low or Medium would maximize smoothness, with Medium offering a better balance between visual quality and performance. High at 103 FPS is also excellent, and Ultra's 71 FPS is still above the common 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. Low offers 114 FPS, which is very fluid. Medium provides 88 FPS, which is still smooth. High drops to 69 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS, which may feel less responsive. The recommendation is Medium if visual fidelity matters, as the 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS ensures consistent frame pacing. High is viable for those who prioritize image quality, but the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

At 4K, the options are limited. Low is the only setting that reaches 65 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced action. High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS, both of which are below smooth playability standards. For a 4K display, Low is the only reasonable choice, and even then, the 65 FPS average is not ideal for a competitive FPS. Medium could be used for slower-paced gameplay, but the frame drops below 45 FPS are risky.

Overall, the data suggests that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, Ultra provides a solid 71 FPS, making it the best experience for visual quality without sacrificing playability. At 1440p, Medium offers the best balance at 88 FPS, with High as a secondary option. At 4K, Low is the only playable preset, and users should expect a less smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1740 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 60th percentile of all combos, meaning it performs better than 60% of the systems tested but worse than 40%. In a competitive FPS like Evolve, where frame rate consistency is crucial, this rank suggests the combo is adequate for mid-tier gaming but not top-tier.

Given the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 61, and the CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 93, the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. The CPU is a high-performing component, but the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 and its 61st percentile ranking indicate it is a mid-range GPU. The combo's rank of 1740 reflects this imbalance: the CPU is capable of much more, but the GPU limits the overall gaming experience.

In the context of nearest rivals, the RTX 4060's average score is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which is a much older GPU. This is notable because it shows the RTX 4060 is not a high-end part; its performance is comparable to older mid-range cards. This explains why the combo ranks in the lower-middle of the pack. For Evolve, which was released in 2015, the game's engine may not be optimized for modern hardware, but the measured FPS indicates the combo is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, though not for 4K at high settings.

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

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets each. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 169 FPS, Medium averages 131 FPS with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 151, High averages 103 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 98 FPS, indicating that graphical settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the data shows: Low averages 114 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 101, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 66 FPS. The minimum FPS on Medium at 75 is still well above playable thresholds, but Ultra's 48 FPS average is marginal.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 38 FPS. The minimum FPS of 43 on Medium is the lowest recorded across all settings and resolutions, indicating potential frame dips during intense scenes.

Comparing resolutions, the drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is: Low from 169 to 114 (a 55 FPS drop), Medium from 131 to 88 (a 43 FPS drop), High from 103 to 69 (a 34 FPS drop), and Ultra from 71 to 48 (a 23 FPS drop). The drop from 1440p to 4K is: Low from 114 to 65 (a 49 FPS drop), Medium from 88 to 50 (a 38 FPS drop), High from 69 to 39 (a 30 FPS drop), and Ultra from 48 to 27 (a 21 FPS drop). The diminishing absolute drops as settings increase suggest that at lower settings, the GPU is more heavily utilized, leading to larger FPS reductions when resolution increases.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the AD107 chip using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. It operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It features 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is to handle rasterization, shading, and post-processing effects. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures, even at 4K, as the game is from 2015 and does not require large texture pools. However, the 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 27, which is very low, indicating that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 17639, with a percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% higher), AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% lower), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% higher), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (0.7% higher). This places the RTX 4060 in a mid-range tier, which is consistent with its 4K performance in Evolve. The boost clock of 2460 MHz is high, but the limited memory bandwidth (272.0 GB/s) and 8 GB VRAM cap its ability to handle high-resolution workloads.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the combo achieves high frame rates, indicating that the GPU can keep up with the CPU's output at lower pixel counts. At 4K, the FPS drops to unplayable levels on Ultra, confirming that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for 4K gaming at high settings. The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs are modest, and the 128-bit bus is a known limitation for bandwidth-bound scenarios. For Evolve, the RTX 4060 is best paired with 1080p or 1440p displays, where it can deliver smooth frame rates.