Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust experience in Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. This combination ranks in the top quarter of tested configurations, and the measured frame rates show a clear pattern: the CPU provides ample headroom, while the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings. The data indicates that this pairing is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, with 4K Ultra being the only scenario that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

FAQ

Q: How does this CPU/GPU combo rank overall for Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 698th out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it in the top 24.3% of all configurations. This is a strong result, indicating that the pairing is well above average for this title, though not at the very top tier.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the combo achieves a measured average of 106 FPS on High settings and 175 FPS on Low. This makes 1440p the sweet spot, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while still maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average FPS on High drops to 60, which is playable but leaves less headroom.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti or the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus the limiting factor in Evolve?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, which is more than sufficient for Evolve. The GPU's performance, as shown by the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K, is what determines the final output. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 42, a clear sign of GPU limitation.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41187. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, scores 40870, which is 0.8% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707, putting it 1.2% higher. This shows the RTX 3080 Ti sits in a tight performance band relative to these specific cards.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p on Low settings is 261, while on Ultra it drops to 110. This represents a 151 FPS difference, or a 57.9% reduction in performance. The data shows that Ultra settings are still very playable, but Low settings offer a significant competitive advantage in terms of frame rate.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus have integrated graphics that could affect the test?

A: Yes, the CPU includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU. However, the benchmark data for this combo uses the discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The integrated graphics are present but are not the primary rendering device in these measured FPS results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, which can boost up to 5.50 GHz. For a game like Evolve, which was released in 2015, this level of CPU performance is exceptional. The data shows the CPU’s multi-threaded performance is high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439. This indicates that the processor can handle not only the game's main thread but also any background tasks without creating a bottleneck.

The CPU’s memory support is DDR5, with a dual-channel memory bus and a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. This provides fast data transfer to the CPU, which is beneficial for loading game assets. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, ensures that frequently accessed data is stored close to the processing cores. In Evolve, which relies on consistent physics and AI calculations for the monster and hunters, this cache configuration helps maintain consistent frame times.

The benchmark results show that the CPU's performance percentile is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 93785, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P's score of 93786. It trails the AMD EPYC 4564P by 1.5% and the AMD EPYC 9175F by 1.9%. These are server-class processors, which highlights how strong the 270K Plus is for a desktop gaming CPU. In Evolve, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. The measured FPS scales more dramatically with resolution changes, which typically indicates a GPU-bound scenario. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 261, but at 4K Low, it drops to 99. This scaling is consistent with the GPU handling the increased pixel count, while the CPU has enough headroom to feed it frames.

Given its 24 threads, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is also capable of handling modern workloads beyond gaming. The Passmark multi-thread score of 68574 and the data encryption score of 59097 show it is a capable workstation part. For Evolve, this means the CPU will not cause stutters or frame drops, even in chaotic scenes with multiple hunters and the monster using abilities. The data suggests that players can rely on this CPU to maintain a stable baseline, and any performance dips will be attributable to the GPU or game engine, not the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti holds the rank of 698 out of 2872 total combinations. This places it in the upper 24.3% of all tested systems, which is a solid result. The data shows that most other combos, which likely feature older or lower-tier hardware, cannot match the performance of this setup. The rank is a measure of the overall average FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, and this combo's high ranking is driven by its ability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings.

The comboRankInGame is a global metric, meaning it compares this pairing against every other CPU and GPU combination tested for Evolve. A rank of 698 means there are 697 other combos that perform better in this specific game. These are likely to include newer, top-end GPUs like the RTX 5090 or RX 7900 XTX, but the data does not specify. What is clear is that the 270K Plus and RTX 3080 Ti combination is far from the bottom. It outperforms the vast majority of systems, making it a viable choice for high-refresh-rate gaming.

To put this rank in perspective, consider that the RTX 3080 Ti has a percentileVsAllGpus of 83, meaning it is better than 83% of all GPUs. The CPU has a percentileVsAllCpus of 96. The combination of a top-17% GPU and a top-4% CPU results in a combo that is in the top 25% for this game. The slight drop in ranking compared to individual component percentiles is due to the fact that Evolve is not a particularly demanding title by modern standards, so the GPU's full potential is not always needed. A mid-range GPU might achieve similar FPS at 1080p, but at 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti's power becomes evident, pulling the combo rank up.

The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced. There is no significant bottleneck from either component. At 1080p, the CPU is strong enough to push frame rates over 260 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, but it still manages to provide playable frame rates on most settings. This balance is what allows the combo to rank as highly as it does. If the CPU were weaker, it would drag down the 1080p results, and if the GPU were weaker, it would drag down the 4K results. Since both are strong, the overall rank is high.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Evolve provides a comprehensive look at how this combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance. On Low settings, the average FPS is 261, which is extremely high and well-suited for a fast-paced FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 202, with a minimum of 172 and a maximum of 232. High settings yield an average of 158 FPS, and Ultra settings still provide a smooth 110 FPS average. All of these numbers are far above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning players can use any setting at 1080p without worrying about frame rate issues.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent, though the increased pixel count begins to show. Low settings produce an average of 175 FPS, which is still incredibly high. Medium settings drop to an average of 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 156. High settings average 106 FPS, which is ideal for a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor. Ultra settings average 74 FPS, which is still above 60 and provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, as it offers a significant upgrade in visual fidelity over 1080p while maintaining high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB of VRAM and 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth are put to the test. Low settings yield an average of 99 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. High settings average exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings, however, drop to an average of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may not provide a satisfying experience for all players. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is clear: the GPU is the primary driver of these results, and the CPU’s role is to ensure consistent frame delivery.

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions. Moving from Low to Medium typically results in a frame rate drop of around 20-25%. Moving from Medium to High results in a further 20-25% drop, and from High to Ultra results in another 30-35% drop. This is standard behavior for graphically demanding titles. The min and max FPS data for Medium settings shows that there is some variance, but it is not extreme. At 1080p Medium, the range is 172 to 232, which is a 60 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 115 to 156, a 41 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 66 to 89, a 23 FPS spread. This indicates that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more stable, which is a sign that the GPU is working consistently.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the heart of this combo's gaming performance. It is based on the GA102 chip and uses the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process by Samsung. The GPU has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It also features 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, which are useful for ray tracing and DLSS, though Evolve does not use these features. The core clocks are 1365 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost. The memory configuration is 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for 4K gaming, as it allows the GPU to quickly access textures and frame data.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is to render the game world, including the detailed monster models and the environment. The benchmark results show that the RTX 3080 Ti is more than capable of handling this task. At 1080p, it provides frame rates that are often limited by the CPU or the game engine's frame rate cap. At 1440p, it still delivers over 100 FPS on High settings. At 4K, it provides playable frame rates up to High settings, but struggles on Ultra. This is a clear indication that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the average FPS drops to 42.

The GPU's overall benchmark score is 41187, with a percentileVsAllGpus of 83. This means it is better than 83% of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals show how close the performance is at the top. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, which is 0.8% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707, which is 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40377, which is 2% lower. These are all professional or workstation cards, which shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end consumer part that competes with the best.

The 12 GB of VRAM is adequate for Evolve, even at 4K Ultra. The game was released in 2015, and its texture requirements are not as high as more modern titles. The 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth ensures that there is no memory bottleneck, even when the GPU is outputting high frame rates. The GPU's compute performance, as shown by the Passmark GPU compute score of 15282, is also strong. However, for Evolve, the key metric is the pixel and texture fill rates. The pixel rate is 186.5 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 532.8 GTexel/s. These numbers indicate that the GPU can fill the screen with high-resolution textures quickly, which translates to the high FPS numbers seen in the measured data. The GPU is also a dual-slot card that requires a 750 W power supply, which is a consideration for system builders.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the resolution and the player's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the data shows that all settings are viable. Low settings provide an average of 261 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play where every millisecond counts. High settings provide 158 FPS, which is still far above the 60 FPS target and offers a much better visual experience. Ultra settings provide 110 FPS, which is still very smooth and is the best choice for players who want the highest visual quality. Given the high frame rates, there is no reason to avoid Ultra at 1080p unless the player specifically wants to maximize refresh rate for a 240 Hz monitor.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation is to use High settings. The average FPS is 106, which is excellent for a 1440p monitor with a 144 Hz refresh rate. This provides a great balance between visual detail and smoothness. Medium settings average 135 FPS, which is better for players with a 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitor who want to push the frame rate higher. Ultra settings average 74 FPS, which is above 60 and playable, but the drop to below 100 FPS is noticeable. Low settings are not recommended at 1440p, as the visual downgrade is significant, and the frame rate increase from 106 to 175 FPS may not be worth it for most players.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings are the best choice. The average FPS is exactly 60, which is the minimum target for smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 77 FPS, providing a small buffer above 60 and better frame pacing. Low settings average 99 FPS, which is great for 4K gaming, but the visual quality is noticeably reduced. Ultra settings average 42 FPS, which is not recommended because it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and can cause noticeable stuttering during fast-paced action. For a 4K experience, Medium settings offer the best trade-off, with an average of 77 FPS and a minimum of 66, ensuring that frame times remain consistent.

In summary, the ideal preset for this combo is High settings at 2560x1440. This provides a smooth, high-quality experience that is well above the 60 FPS target. For 1080p, Ultra is the best choice due to the high frame rates. For 4K, Medium is recommended to stay above 60 FPS. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is a capable 4K card, but it requires lowering settings to maintain playable frame rates in this title. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus ensures that the CPU is never the bottleneck, allowing the GPU to perform at its full potential.