Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER presents a striking performance profile in Evolve, one defined by a massive CPU surplus and a decisive GPU bottleneck. The data shows a combo that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K, particularly on higher presets. The benchmark results indicate that this system's performance ceiling is firmly set by the graphics card, not the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases, a clear indicator that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average framerate at High settings falls from 75.2 FPS to 48.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%. The scaling is even more dramatic when pushing to 3840x2160, where the High preset averages only 31.7 FPS—a 58% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern is repeated across all settings presets, with the Low preset dropping from 126.7 FPS at 1080p to 80.9 FPS at 1440p and finally to 44.8 FPS at 4K.

The nature of this scaling strongly suggests that the game's performance is bound by pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are simply insufficient to feed the massive pixel count of 4K resolution. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, has ample computational headroom, as evidenced by its high synthetic scores, but this power is left largely unused as the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The data shows a classic GPU-limited scenario: frame rate scales inversely with resolution, and the CPU's potential is never the deciding factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the average framerate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and GTX 1660 SUPER combo achieves an average of 93.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Evolve?*

A: At 3840x2160, the system only manages 31.7 FPS on High and a barely playable 44.8 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset averages just 18 FPS, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this combination.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 79102, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, and 0.9% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo can exceed 100 FPS. At Low settings, it reaches 126.7 FPS, and at High settings, it maintains a solid 75.2 FPS.

Q: Is there a big performance jump between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is significant. The average framerate drops from 80.9 FPS on Low to 65.2 FPS on Medium at 2560x1440, a decrease of about 19%.

Q: How does this GPU rank against its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is an exceptionally powerful processor, and its role in this Evolve benchmark is to provide a performance ceiling that the GTX 1660 SUPER can never reach. With 20 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 3.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, this Arrow Lake-S architecture chip is built for heavy multi-threaded workloads. Its synthetic benchmark results are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 50009 and a single-core score of 7060, which places it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs.

However, in this gaming scenario, these capabilities are largely irrelevant. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution or settings level. The framerate differences between presets at the same resolution are entirely attributable to GPU load. For instance, at 2560x1440, the average FPS scales from 36.9 on Ultra to 80.9 on Low, a range that reflects the GPU's workload, not the CPU's ability to feed it. The CPU's performance is so far ahead of the GPU's that it acts as a static, unchanging baseline. The data shows that the 265K is effectively "idle" in this pairing, waiting for the GPU to catch up. This means that while the CPU is a top-tier part, its contribution to Evolve's framerate is negligible, as the game is clearly bound by the graphics card's pixel and texture processing limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a clear picture of performance across four resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo is capable of smooth gameplay. The Low preset achieves an average of 126.7 FPS, which drops to 93.9 FPS on Medium and 75.2 FPS on High. Selecting the Ultra preset results in a more substantial penalty, bringing the average down to 51.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limitations. The Low preset averages 80.9 FPS, which is still respectable. However, Medium drops to 65.2 FPS, and High falls further to 48.8 FPS. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable, with an average of just 36.9 FPS. The trend is exacerbated at 3840x2160. No preset manages to hit 60 FPS. Low averages 44.8 FPS, Medium drops to 38.8 FPS, and High falls to 31.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is a non-starter, with an abysmal average of 18 FPS. The data shows a consistent and predictable pattern: for every step up in resolution or preset, the average FPS takes a significant hit, confirming the GPU's status as the primary performance limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific configuration of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1499th out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested, a ranking that reflects the GPU's age and performance class rather than any deficiency in the CPU.

This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GTX 1660 SUPER's standing in the GPU hierarchy. The GPU's average benchmark score of 14286 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all similarly modest parts. The fact that the combo ranks so low despite having a top-tier CPU (97th percentile) highlights how heavily Evolve's performance is weighted towards the graphics card. The data suggests that the high-performing CPU is effectively "wasted" in this pairing, as it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. Users with this combo are experiencing the GPU's performance ceiling, not the CPU's potential. The 1499th rank is a clear verdict: this is a low-end gaming system for Evolve, despite the presence of a high-end processor.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution and desired framerate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset is the best choice, as it delivers a smooth 75.2 FPS average while offering improved visual fidelity. The Medium preset, at 93.9 FPS, is a viable option for those who prefer a higher frame rate, but the jump to High is worth the small performance cost. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as the drop to 51.8 FPS introduces noticeable stutter and reduces responsiveness.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only option that ensures a consistently playable experience, with an average of 80.9 FPS. The Medium preset, at 65.2 FPS, is borderline acceptable, but users sensitive to frame drops may find it lacking. The High and Ultra presets, at 48.8 FPS and 36.9 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. For 4K, the data shows that even the Low preset, at 44.8 FPS, is below the ideal threshold for a fast-paced FPS. The recommendation is to stick with 1080p High for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or 1440p Low if a higher resolution is preferred. The Ultra preset is not a viable option at any resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the definitive performance bottleneck in this system. Based on the Turing architecture and manufactured on a 12 nm process, this GPU is equipped with 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its core clocks run at a base of 1530 MHz and a boost of 1785 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s.

In Evolve, these specifications are not enough to handle the demands of higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's compute throughput (5.027 TFLOPS FP32) and memory bandwidth are quickly saturated. The steep decline in performance from 1080p to 4K is a direct result of the GPU's inability to process the increasing number of pixels. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is also a potential concern at higher settings, though the FPS data already shows that the GPU is compute-bound before hitting a hard memory limit. The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 12699 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1278, place it in a modest performance tier. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, both of which are integrated or low-end discrete solutions. This confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a capable 1080p card but is out of its depth at higher resolutions, and its performance is the primary factor in the combo's low overall rank.