Evolve

# Evolve: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX + AMD Radeon 8060S — Benchmark Analysis

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the AMD Radeon 8060S produces a fascinating split personality in Evolve, a 2015 FPS that responds dramatically to both CPU and GPU pressure depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, this combo delivers 176 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 28 FPS — a 6.3x swing that reveals a system capable of high-refresh esports play yet struggling under extreme visual loads. The data shows a combo ranked 1664 out of 2872 tested configurations, placing it in the 42nd percentile overall, which suggests a mid-pack performer with specific strengths and clear bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, but the slope varies dramatically by settings preset. At Low settings, the combo drops from 176 FPS at 1080p to 118 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction), then to 67 FPS at 4K (another 43% drop). This pattern indicates the GPU becomes progressively more limiting as pixel count rises, with the 8060S's shared memory architecture struggling to feed the RDNA 3.5 cores at 4K resolution.

Medium settings tell a similar story: 137 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition shows a 43% performance loss, nearly identical to the Low preset's drop. High settings follow the trend: 107 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K — again a 43% reduction between the two highest resolutions.

Ultra settings exhibit the most extreme scaling. The combo achieves 74 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and just 28 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K drop represents a 44% loss, consistent with the other presets, but the absolute numbers are low enough that Ultra at 4K becomes essentially unplayable. The pattern across all presets — a remarkably uniform 43-44% penalty from 1440p to 4K — suggests the limiting component is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth rather than CPU overhead. The Radeon 8060S's system-shared memory bandwidth, listed as "System Dependent," clearly becomes the bottleneck at 4K, where pixel throughput demands exceed what the integrated memory controller can supply.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1664 out of 2872 tested configurations in Evolve places it in the lower-middle tier of all CPU-GPU pairings. This ranking is surprising given the individual component strengths: the Core Ultra 9 275HX sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the Radeon 8060S ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The discrepancy between component-level excellence and combo-level mediocrity suggests Evolve's engine — a 2015 title — may not fully utilize the modern architecture of either component.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context: the Intel Xeon w5-3525 scores 67673 (0.3% higher), the AMD EPYC 4484PX scores 67822 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX scores 67868 (0.6% higher). The Intel Xeon 6515P trails at 67006 (0.7% lower). This grouping shows the 275HX performing within a tight 1.3% band of these workstation-class processors, indicating its 24-core / 24-thread design delivers competitive compute throughput despite its mobile positioning.

For the GPU, the Radeon 8060S's nearest rivals are equally telling: the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 scores 56083 (0.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.7% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 trails at 54247 (2.8% lower). The 8060S sits remarkably close to the RTX 5080 in average benchmark score, yet in Evolve the combo ranking suggests the integrated GPU's shared memory architecture may not translate its raw compute into gaming FPS as efficiently as discrete rivals.

The rank suggests that in Evolve specifically, this combo underperforms relative to what component benchmarks would predict. The game's 2015 release date predates the RDNA 3.5 architecture by nearly a decade, potentially leaving performance on the table due to driver overhead or architectural inefficiencies in legacy workloads.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is built on the Strix Halo chip with RDNA 3.5 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs provide a solid foundation for rasterization-heavy workloads like Evolve. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1295 MHz with a boost of 2900 MHz, and its FP32 throughput of 14.85 TFLOPS places it in the upper echelon of integrated graphics solutions.

The most distinctive feature is the memory configuration: "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. This means the GPU relies entirely on the CPU's DDR5 memory subsystem, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." In Evolve, this shared memory approach shows its limitations at higher resolutions — the uniform 43% performance drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets likely stems from memory bandwidth saturation rather than compute limits.

The GPU's benchmark results show strong synthetic performance: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2162, Geekbench OpenCL score of 84626, and Vulkan score of 80483. These place the 8060S in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 55757. The nearest rival comparison shows it trading blows with the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.1% higher) and the RTX 5080 (0.6% higher), indicating the 8060S punches well above its integrated classification.

The 40 ray tracing cores suggest modern API support, and the DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) compliance means the GPU can handle contemporary rendering techniques. However, Evolve's 2015 engine likely doesn't leverage these features, instead relying on the traditional rasterization pipeline where the 8060S's 64 ROPs and 185.6 GPixel/s pixel rate become the determining factors for fill-rate-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings achieve 176 FPS average, which is exceptionally smooth for competitive play. Medium settings drop to 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings produce 107 FPS average, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings yield 74 FPS, which remains playable but begins to show the GPU's strain at maximum quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings maintain 118 FPS, keeping the experience fluid. Medium settings average 92 FPS with a range of 78 to 105 FPS, demonstrating consistent frame delivery. High settings drop to 72 FPS, still acceptable for most players. Ultra settings fall to 50 FPS, which introduces noticeable stutter in a fast-paced FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings achieve 67 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium settings average 52 FPS with a range of 44 to 60 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS target. High settings produce 41 FPS, which feels sluggish for a shooter. Ultra settings bottom out at 28 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at maximum quality.

The min and max FPS data for Medium settings across all resolutions reveals the frame pacing characteristics: at 1080p, the 116-157 FPS range shows a 30% variance; at 1440p, the 78-105 FPS range shows a 27% variance; at 4K, the 44-60 FPS range shows a 31% variance. This consistency in variance suggests the GPU maintains stable performance without major hitches, even when average FPS drops to unplayable levels.

Settings Recommendations

The data clearly indicates that Low settings at 1080p provide the best competitive experience, with 176 FPS offering maximum headroom for high-refresh displays. For players prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, this preset is the clear choice. The 176 FPS average ensures the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors, eliminating screen tearing and reducing input latency.

For a balance of visual quality and performance, Medium settings at 1080p (137 FPS) or 1440p (92 FPS) represent the sweet spot. The Medium preset delivers 137 FPS at 1080p with a minimum of 116 FPS, guaranteeing no drops below the 100 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium maintains 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS, which remains smooth for most players.

High settings at 1440p (72 FPS) offer the best visual fidelity while maintaining playability. The 72 FPS average is above the 60 FPS standard, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. At 4K, even Low settings (67 FPS) barely achieve playable frame rates, making 4K gaming impractical for Evolve with this combo.

Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p (74 FPS), and even then, the lower average compared to High settings at the same resolution suggests diminishing returns. Given that Ultra at 1440p (50 FPS) and 4K (28 FPS) fall below playable thresholds, players should avoid this preset unless they prioritize visual quality over gameplay smoothness. The data suggests Medium at 1440p offers the best overall experience for most users, balancing graphical detail with consistently smooth frame delivery.

FAQ

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

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers strong performance across all settings, with Low achieving 176 FPS and Medium 137 FPS. At 1440p, Medium maintains 92 FPS and High reaches 72 FPS. 4K is only playable at Low settings (67 FPS), making 1080p or 1440p the recommended resolutions depending on the desired settings preset.

Q: How does this combo's performance compare to the individual component rankings?

A: The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all processors, and the GPU ranks in the 87th percentile. However, the combo ranks 1664 out of 2872 tested configurations, indicating Evolve specifically does not fully leverage the hardware's capabilities.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon 8060S competitive with discrete GPUs?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 55757 places it within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (56083) and 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698). In synthetic tests, it performs comparably to these discrete options.

Q: What causes the significant FPS drop at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU uses system-shared memory with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." The uniform 43-44% performance reduction from 1440p to 4K across all settings suggests memory bandwidth saturation limits the GPU's ability to feed its 2560 shading units at higher pixel counts.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at Low settings (118 FPS) and Medium settings (92 FPS) the combo exceeds 60 FPS. High settings (72 FPS) also stay above the threshold. Only Ultra settings (50 FPS) fall below 60 FPS at 1440p.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 275HX compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU scores 67469 on average, placing it within 0.7% of the Intel Xeon 6515P (67006) and 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (67868). It trails the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673) by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822) by 0.5%.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 2.70 GHz boosts to 5.40 GHz, and the 36 MB shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multi-core 35589, single-core 2204, and Geekbench multi-core 20795 with 2458 single-core.

In Evolve, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but at 1080p Low (176 FPS), the processor's capabilities become relevant. The 24 threads can handle the game's AI, physics, and simulation tasks without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The CPU's 96.4 GB/s memory bandwidth (102.4 GB/s dual-channel DDR5) feeds the shared GPU memory, though this becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

The CPU's PassMark scores reveal its strengths: multithread 55759, single-thread 4713, physics 3338, and integer math 155218. These place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469. The nearest rivals — all workstation or server processors — indicate the 275HX delivers comparable compute performance in a mobile form factor.

The 3 nm process and 243 mm² die size with 17,800 million transistors suggest excellent power efficiency, though the 55 W TDP limits sustained multi-core performance compared to desktop counterparts. In Evolve, the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock likely provides the single-thread performance needed for the game's main loop, while the 24 cores handle background tasks without contention.

The CPU's 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes connect to the GPU via a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, providing ample bandwidth for data transfer. However, the integrated GPU's system-shared memory architecture means the CPU's memory controller plays a critical role in GPU performance, particularly at 4K where bandwidth demands are highest. The data shows this shared memory design creates a consistent bottleneck across all settings at 4K, suggesting the CPU's memory subsystem, rather than its compute cores, limits the combo's performance in this scenario.