Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric multiplayer FPS, places a heavy burden on the GPU, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti demonstrates this clearly. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the definitive bottleneck, with the powerful 20-core processor waiting idly for the GPU to catch up. The data shows a classic pairing of a top-tier modern CPU with an older, end-of-life mid-range graphics card, resulting in performance that is entirely dictated by the latter's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is stark, painting an unambiguous picture of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 75 FPS, but this plummets to 50 FPS at 1440p and further to a nearly unplayable 29 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61% reduction in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that indicates the GTX 1660 Ti is struggling to fill the increasing pixel count. The scaling is not linear; moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 25 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 21 FPS, showing that the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are being saturated at higher resolutions.

The pattern persists across all settings, but the relative drop becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 123 FPS falls to 83 FPS at 1440p and 47 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 52 FPS, 35 FPS, and 20 FPS respectively. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is only 47 FPS suggests that the GPU is not just limited by shading complexity, but also by raw pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The GTX 1660 Ti's 192-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

This data conclusively indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is a high-end processor that scores in the 94th percentile against all CPUs. It is not the source of the frame rate collapse. Instead, the benchmark results indicate that the GTX 1660 Ti, which sits in the 41st percentile for GPUs, is the sole constraint. The CPU is likely providing frames faster than the GPU can render them at all resolutions, meaning the system's performance is entirely a function of the graphics card's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Given the GPU-bound nature of this pairing, the settings menu becomes the primary tool for achieving a playable experience. The measured data offers a clear hierarchy of performance, and the choice of preset should be dictated by the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 75 FPS average at High settings, and the 20 FPS gain makes Medium the recommended preset for 1080p gaming, as it provides a substantial performance buffer over the High preset.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more challenging. The Medium preset yields a 64 FPS average with a 54 FPS minimum, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset drops to 50 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS, which is not recommended for a competitive FPS. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 83 FPS, making it the only way to get a high-refresh-rate experience at this resolution. However, the visual compromise is significant. For a balanced experience at 1440p, Medium is the highest quality preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS in the average, though the minimum of 54 FPS indicates it will dip below that threshold at times.

At 4K, none of the presets offer a consistently playable experience. The Low preset averages 47 FPS, High averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages just 20 FPS. Even the lowest quality setting fails to reach 60 FPS, and the minimum frame rates are likely to be even lower. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Evolve unless the user is willing to accept significant stuttering and a sub-30 FPS experience. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Medium, which provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, a finding supported by the fact that it is the only 1080p preset besides Low to exceed 90 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the defining component of this system's gaming performance. Its role is to render the frame, and in this test, it is the bottleneck. The GPU's specifications directly explain the measured results. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, it has a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This is a moderate amount by modern standards, but the data indicates it is insufficient for the high-resolution textures and complex scenes in Evolve, especially at 4K where the pixel fill rate demand is highest.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, are typical for the Turing architecture, but they do not compensate for the limited memory subsystem. The 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are also modest figures, which explains the substantial frame rate drops when moving from Medium to High and Ultra settings. The PassMark G3D score of 12871 places it in the 41st percentile, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 540 and the Intel Arc A310, with the GTX 1660 Ti leading them by a small margin of 0.7% and 2.3% respectively. This confirms that the GPU is a low-end performer in the current landscape.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is also a factor. While it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, it can become a limiting factor at 4K, where higher resolution textures can easily exceed this amount. The data shows a 61% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is not solely due to compute load but also memory pressure. The fact that the 4K Medium preset (36 FPS) performs better than 4K High (29 FPS) suggests that reducing texture quality and other memory-intensive effects helps alleviate this pressure, providing a modest performance gain. This confirms that VRAM management is a critical aspect of the GPU's role in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Core Ultra 7 265K and the GTX 1660 Ti does not rank highly. The data places this combo at rank 3185 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 14% of all systems. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a top-tier component. The combo's performance is essentially hamstrung by the graphics card, and it is outperformed by a vast majority of systems that pair a less powerful CPU with a more capable GPU.

The discrepancy between the CPU and GPU performance is the key takeaway. The Core Ultra 7 265K is a flagship processor, with an average benchmark score of 70879, placing it in the 94th percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6511P, is a near match with a deltaPct of -0.2%. In contrast, the GTX 1660 Ti is a low-end part, with an average benchmark score of 7723, placing it in the 41st percentile. The combination of a 94th percentile CPU with a 41st percentile GPU creates a massive imbalance, and the system's overall rank in Evolve reflects the weaker component's performance.

This ranking suggests that for the game Evolve, this is not a recommended configuration for anyone seeking a high-performance experience. The system's low rank indicates that many other hardware combos, likely featuring mid-range CPUs and GPUs, would provide a better frame rate. The combo's performance is a textbook example of a CPU bottleneck at the top end, but a GPU bottleneck at the bottom end, with the latter being the determining factor for this game. The measured FPS data, which shows the system struggling at 4K and only achieving acceptable frame rates at 1080p Medium, aligns perfectly with its lowly rank of 3185.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this hardware in Evolve?

A: The measured data indicates that 1080p with Medium settings provides the best experience, delivering a 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS. This is the only preset at 1080p that offers a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality, and it is significantly smoother than the High preset's 75 FPS average.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but not well. The best 4K result is with Low settings, which averages 47 FPS. All other presets at this resolution average below 40 FPS, with Ultra yielding just 20 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for a consistently smooth experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K or the GTX 1660 Ti the limiting factor?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops dramatically from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is a top-tier processor in the 94th percentile, while the GPU is in the 41st percentile, and the performance data reflects the GPU's limitations.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 3185 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 14% of all systems. This low rank is due to the weak GPU, which prevents the powerful CPU from delivering high frame rates in Evolve.

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

A: At 1080p High, the combo averages 75 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 29 FPS. This represents a 61% reduction in performance, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel count.

Q: Is there a big performance jump from Low to Medium settings?

A: No, the jump from Low to Medium is relatively small compared to the jump to High or Ultra. At 1080p, Low averages 123 FPS and Medium averages 95 FPS, a 28 FPS difference. However, moving from Medium to High drops to 75 FPS, and to Ultra drops to 52 FPS, showing that the higher presets demand significantly more from the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following section provides the exact measured average frame rates for every resolution and settings combination tested. The data is presented as measured, without any subjective interpretation.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 123 FPS average
• Medium: 95 FPS average, 81 FPS minimum, 110 FPS maximum
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 52 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 83 FPS average
• Medium: 64 FPS average, 54 FPS minimum, 74 FPS maximum
• High: 50 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 47 FPS average
• Medium: 36 FPS average, 31 FPS minimum, 42 FPS maximum
• High: 29 FPS average
• Ultra: 20 FPS average

The minimum and maximum frame rates are only provided for the Medium preset in the source data, suggesting that this is where the system's performance variability was most notable. The data shows a clear and consistent trend: as resolution and settings increase, the average frame rate falls dramatically, with the GPU being the sole constraint on performance.