Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Evolve with the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 show a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 103 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p drops that to 69 FPS, a 33% reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 39 FPS, which is 62% below the 1080p figure. This is a classic sign that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, with the CPU's headroom being less relevant at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 169 FPS. At 1440p Low, it maintains 114 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 65 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 104 FPS, a 61.5% decline. This mirrors the High settings trend, suggesting that the RTX 4060's rendering throughput is the limiting factor regardless of the quality preset. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely contributors to this behavior, as higher resolutions demand more memory bandwidth and capacity.

Ultra settings tell a more extreme story. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 27, which is barely playable. At 1440p Ultra, it reaches 48 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it hits 71 FPS. The gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 44 FPS, a 62% drop. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and maximum quality settings pushes the RTX 4060 well beyond its comfort zone. The data suggests that for smooth 4K play, users would need to dial back to Low settings, where 65 FPS is achievable, or accept Medium settings at 50 FPS with occasional dips to 43 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Evolve, a game released in early 2015, the CPU's role is largely about maintaining consistent frame pacing rather than pushing raw frame rates. The game's engine was designed for the multi-core processors of its era, and this 2025-era mobile CPU has far more computational headroom than the title requires.

Benchmark results for the 275HX show strong synthetic performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,589 and a single-core score of 2,204. Geekbench results are similarly robust, with a multi-core score of 20,795 and a single-core score of 2,458. These numbers place the CPU in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, indicating that it outclasses the vast majority of processors on the market. However, Evolve does not appear to stress the CPU to anywhere near its limits, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least burdened, the system only reaches 169 FPS — a figure that is likely constrained by the GPU rather than the CPU.

The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's 24 threads are more than sufficient for Evolve's thread utilization, which was designed for the 4-core/8-thread era of 2015. In practical terms, the 275HX ensures that the RTX 4060 is never starved for data, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential in most scenarios. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or settings combination tested, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution, which is a GPU-bound behavior.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1,740th out of 2,872 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all possible pairings, which is somewhat surprising given the individual components' specifications. The CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, dragging the overall combo ranking down.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database help contextualize its position. It scores within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon HD 7790, the AMD Radeon 780M, the AMD Radeon Pro 560, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460. This is a tight cluster, indicating that the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17,639 is essentially on par with these older or integrated solutions. In Evolve, this mid-range GPU performance translates to playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K, especially on higher presets.

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are workstation and server parts: the Intel Xeon w5-3525, AMD EPYC 4484PX, AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX, and Intel Xeon 6515P. All of these are within 0.7% of the 275HX's average benchmark score of 67,469. This highlights that the 275HX is positioned as a high-end mobile processor with performance comparable to desktop workstation chips. However, in Evolve, this CPU strength does not boost the combo ranking because the game is not CPU-bound. The 1740th rank out of 2,872 combos reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how the combo performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1080p, the system delivers its best results: 169 FPS on Low, 131 FPS on Medium, 103 FPS on High, and 71 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS, indicating smooth performance with minor variance. These numbers suggest that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with all presets achieving playable frame rates.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop notably but remain respectable. Low settings produce 114 FPS, Medium delivers 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, High reaches 69 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is borderline for smooth gameplay, but the Medium and High presets offer a good balance of visual quality and performance. The data indicates that 1440p is viable for most settings, though users seeking the highest fidelity will need to accept frame rates in the 50-70 FPS range.

At 4K, the combo struggles significantly. Low settings yield 65 FPS, Medium drops to 50 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS, High falls to 39 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 27 FPS. The 4K results show that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming in Evolve, as even Low settings barely maintain 60 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 43 FPS could result in noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action sequences. For 4K play, users would need to accept Low settings or consider the frame rates insufficient for competitive play.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1,830 MHz and a boost clock of 2,460 MHz, with 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. These specifications place it as a mid-range mobile GPU, which is reflected in its 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is primary, as the game's frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but at 4K, the memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors. The 128-bit bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, which likely contributes to the significant performance drop at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 27. The 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for the game's DirectX 12 rendering, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. Its Passmark G3D score of 19,545 is respectable, but its DirectX 12 score of 76 and DirectX 11 score of 175 suggest that the GPU performs better in older APIs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,302 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 95,057 indicate moderate performance. In Evolve, which was released before the RTX 4060's 2023 launch, the GPU's architecture and drivers handle the game well at lower resolutions but cannot overcome the hardware limits at 4K. The RTX 4060's end-of-life production status and its predecessor/successor relationship (GeForce 30 before, GeForce 50 after) further contextualize its position as a mid-cycle mobile solution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Evolve with this combo?*

A: The data shows 1080p is the optimal resolution, with all presets achieving at least 71 FPS. At 1440p, Medium and High presets remain playable at 88 FPS and 69 FPS respectively, but 4K only reaches playable levels on Low settings at 65 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, which is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon HD 7790, AMD Radeon 780M, AMD Radeon Pro 560, and AMD Radeon Pro 460. This places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

*Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX bottleneck the RTX 4060 in Evolve?*

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,589 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 20,795, place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Frame rates scale with resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. This is a smooth experience for most gameplay scenarios.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: Only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 65. Medium settings yield 50 FPS with dips to 43 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 39 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for a fast-paced FPS.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos in Evolve?*

A: It ranks 1,740th out of 2,872 tested combos. This position reflects the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is top-tier but the game is not CPU-bound.