Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 presents a compelling dataset for Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that scales predictably with workload, though the performance ceiling is consistently dictated by the graphics card. This analysis breaks down the component interaction, providing a clear picture of what this combination delivers in practice.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which drops to 110 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 63 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 61.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the lowest preset, a steep decline that points directly at the RTX 5060 as the limiting component.

The scaling pattern intensifies with higher graphical loads. At High settings, the drop from 100 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p is a 33% loss, and then to 38 FPS at 4K is another 43.3% loss from the 1440p figure. This compounding degradation is characteristic of a GPU reaching its pixel throughput ceiling. The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra result of 69 FPS shows a 62.3% performance collapse, indicating that the GPU’s 48 ROPs and 128-bit memory interface are heavily saturated at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 164 FPS. This suggests the Ultra 9 275HX, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, provides ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the gap between presets narrows in absolute terms; the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 37 FPS (63 vs 26), while at 1080p it is 95 FPS (164 vs 69). This compression indicates that the GPU workload becomes the dominant factor, rendering the CPU’s potential largely irrelevant beyond 1440p.

The benchmark results indicate that for 4K gaming, this combo is only viable at Low settings, where it maintains 63 FPS. At Medium, the 41 FPS minimum observed suggests stutter-prone gameplay, while High and Ultra fall below playable thresholds. The 1440p resolution offers a better balance, with Medium delivering 85 FPS average and a 73 FPS minimum, suggesting a smooth experience. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even Ultra achieving 69 FPS, though the 164 FPS Low result confirms the GPU is the bottleneck even at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 26 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that this configuration is not suitable for 4K Ultra in Evolve.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60+ FPS experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo averages 67 FPS on High settings and 110 FPS on Low. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Medium averaging 127 FPS and Ultra averaging 69 FPS. The data supports 1440p High or 1080p Ultra as the optimal balance for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 164 FPS, which is the highest measured value. The lack of a substantial frame rate jump from 1440p Low (110 FPS) to 1080p Low (164 FPS) suggests that while the CPU is capable, the GPU’s rendering limits are still the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Evolve?

A: The RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Given that the game is from 2015 and the highest measured frame rate at 4K Ultra is 26 FPS, the data indicates the GPU’s compute and memory throughput are insufficient for maximum settings at high resolutions, but the VRAM capacity itself does not appear to be the sole limiting factor.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The combo is ranked 1897 out of 2872 tested combinations for Evolve. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, many other pairings deliver higher average frame rates.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS for Medium settings. At 1080p, the range is 108 to 146 FPS (average 127), and at 1440p, it is 73 to 98 FPS (average 85). At 4K, the range is 41 to 56 FPS (average 49), showing a tighter but lower overall performance envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 1897 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve. This percentile placement of 66th (1897/2872) indicates that this system performs worse than the majority of other pairings in the database. The data suggests that while the CPU is a high-end mobile part, the GPU’s performance tier limits the overall gaming experience.

The ranking is likely influenced by the RTX 5060’s position in the GPU hierarchy. Its average benchmark score of 26331 places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which has a deltaPct of 1.2% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, which is 0.8% higher. This indicates the GPU is competitive with mid-range desktop parts from previous generations, but it is not a high-end performer.

Furthermore, the CPU’s performance, while excellent for a mobile processor, does not compensate for the GPU’s limitations in a GPU-bound title like Evolve. The Ultra 9 275HX scores in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469. However, the game’s frame rates are primarily determined by the graphics card, which is why the combo does not rank higher. The 1897th position suggests that users seeking higher frame rates in Evolve would benefit more from a stronger GPU than a stronger CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average frame rates for every combination of resolution and preset, with minimum and maximum values recorded only for Medium settings.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5060 produce the following averages: Low settings yield 164 FPS, Medium settings yield 127 FPS (minimum 108, maximum 146), High settings yield 100 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 69 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 57.9% drop in performance, demonstrating the significant impact of graphical fidelity on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 110 FPS, Medium at 85 FPS (minimum 73, maximum 98), High at 67 FPS, and Ultra at 46 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 32.9% decrease at Low settings and a 33.3% decrease at High settings, indicating a consistent scaling factor across presets.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 63 FPS, Medium at 49 FPS (minimum 41, maximum 56), High at 38 FPS, and Ultra at 26 FPS. The 4K resolution proves challenging, as even Low settings cannot maintain a solid 60 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 26 FPS is barely a slideshow, confirming the GPU is overwhelmed.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the 38 FPS difference between minimum and maximum suggests some variance, but the 127 FPS average indicates smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the 25 FPS variance is tighter, and at 4K, the 15 FPS variance is the smallest, but the average of 49 FPS is marginal.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration for Evolve. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz.

The 4K Ultra performance of 26 FPS is a direct consequence of the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate. The 128-bit memory interface is narrow by modern standards, and the 48 ROPs limit the pixel throughput to 119.9 GPixel/s. In a game like Evolve, which has complex lighting and particle effects, these hardware constraints become apparent at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS, which is respectable for a mid-range part, but it is not sufficient for 4K Ultra settings in this title. The measured data shows a 58.7% performance drop from 1080p Ultra (69 FPS) to 4K Ultra (26 FPS), which aligns with the increase in pixel count. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the data does not suggest it is the primary limiter at 4K; rather, the compute and bandwidth limits are.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 20891 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3628 place it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (1.2% higher score), indicate that the RTX 5060 is slightly weaker than some last-generation desktop cards, which explains its frame rate performance in Evolve.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 60 FPS baseline, the data supports the following choices.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 69 FPS average, which is above 60. However, for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the High preset at 100 FPS or the Medium preset at 127 FPS offer much smoother experiences. The Low preset at 164 FPS is available for competitive play, but the visual fidelity loss is significant. The 1080p Medium preset, with a 108 FPS minimum, is the recommended balance for consistent frame times.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 67 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 85 FPS with a 73 FPS minimum, providing a safer margin for frame drops. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot at 1440p, as it offers a 26.9% increase in average FPS over High while maintaining a minimum above 60. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended for smooth play.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS at 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 49 FPS and a 41 FPS minimum will cause noticeable stuttering. For 4K gaming, users should either accept Low settings or reduce the resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The 4K Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max data, showing a 41 FPS minimum, which is below the 60 FPS target.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p Medium, which provides an 85 FPS average with a 73 FPS minimum. This preset offers a good balance of visual quality and performance headroom, ensuring the RTX 5060 is not overburdened while still delivering a high frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a high-end mobile processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 36 MB L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2458.

In Evolve, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 164 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions, as it can process the game’s data faster than the GPU can render it. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms its high capability.

However, the CPU’s performance advantage does not translate to higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, showing that the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by Geekbench (2458), is sufficient for the game’s main thread, but the GPU’s rendering speed caps the overall output.

The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (0.3% lower score) and the AMD EPYC 4484PX (0.5% lower score), indicating the Ultra 9 275HX is a top-tier performer. Yet, this strength is underutilized in Evolve, as the game does not scale with the 24 cores. The 24 threads are likely underutilized, with the game probably using fewer than eight cores. This is evident from the frame rates, which are limited by the GPU’s 19.18 TFLOPS compute and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, not by the CPU’s processing power.