Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile produces a wide performance envelope in Evolve, scaling from extremely high refresh rates at 1080p to playable, albeit more demanding, frame rates at 4K. The benchmark data shows a clear and predictable progression: as resolution increases, the average frame rate drops significantly, which indicates a transition from a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound scenario at higher ones.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a distinct pattern in how the system handles Evolve across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 275 FPS. This is an exceptionally high number that suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 185 FPS, a reduction of 90 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 105 FPS. This scaling from 1080p to 4K represents a 61.8% decrease in performance, which is a substantial hit.

This trend becomes more nuanced when examining higher settings presets. With High settings, the frame rate goes from 167 FPS at 1080p, to 112 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 64 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 61.7%, nearly identical to the Low preset drop. However, the absolute numbers are much lower, indicating that the GPU is working harder even at 1080p. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, starting at 116 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 78 FPS at 1440p, and then plummeting to 44 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is 62.1%, which is consistent with the other presets, but the final 4K number is the lowest of the entire set.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-limited. The high frame rates, especially at Low and Medium settings, point to a strong CPU contribution. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is well-equipped to feed the GPU with data. However, as the resolution climbs, the rendering load on the GPU increases. The RTX 5090 Mobile begins to become the limiting factor, which is why the frame rates drop so consistently. The fact that the percentage drop is roughly the same across all presets indicates that the scaling is primarily a function of pixel count rather than the complexity of the scene. The limiting component at 1080p is likely the CPU's single-thread performance, while at 4K, the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth become the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is a powerful mobile GPU, and its specifications align with the performance observed in Evolve. It features 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are critical for handling the high-resolution textures and complex scenes at 4K, where the frame rates are lowest. The GPU's 10496 shading units and 112 ROPs are tasked with the pixel processing, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is struggling to maintain a high frame rate, averaging only 44 FPS.

The clock speeds of the GPU are listed with a base of 990 MHz and a boost of 1515 MHz. These clocks are relatively modest for a flagship part, but the architecture's efficiency compensates. The RTX 5090 Mobile's benchmark scores place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 45152 is very close to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which has an average score of 45384 and a deltaPct of -0.5, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which scores 44795 with a deltaPct of 0.8. This indicates that the 5090 Mobile is a top-tier performer, but not the absolute best in every scenario.

In Evolve, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the GPU is likely not fully utilized, resulting in the 275 FPS average. As settings are raised to Ultra, the GPU's compute units are more heavily engaged, and the frame rate drops to 116 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The 44 FPS average at Ultra is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to process the increased pixel count and visual effects quickly enough. The 24 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the memory capacity is more than sufficient for a 2015 title. The performance is instead dictated by the raw compute power of the chip, which, while substantial, is not enough to maintain high frame rates at the most demanding settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Evolve?*

A: The highest average frame rate is 275 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much of a performance drop does the system experience when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The performance drop is significant. For example, on High settings, the average frame rate falls from 167 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 4K, which is a decrease of 103 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 Mobile a top-tier GPU based on its benchmark score?

A: Yes, the GPU's average benchmark score is 45152, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. It performs slightly better than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which has a deltaPct of 0.8.

Q: Which settings and resolution combination provides the most balanced experience?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with Medium settings offers a strong balance, with an average frame rate of 143 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a high level of visual fidelity.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 44 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX has a percentile rank of 94 when compared to all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performance processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is ranked 795 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the combo in the top 21.5% of all tested systems. While this is a strong showing, it is not a top-tier result. The rank suggests that while both components are individually powerful, their combined performance in this specific game is not the absolute best available. This is likely due to the game's age and its engine's behavior, which may not fully utilize the modern architecture of the CPU or the GPU.

The CPU itself is a high performer, with a 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525, with an average score of 67673 and a deltaPct of -0.3, and the AMD EPYC 4484PX, which scores 67822 with a deltaPct of -0.5. This indicates that the Ultra 9 275HX is only marginally slower than these server-class chips in synthetic benchmarks. The GPU, as previously mentioned, is in the 84th percentile. The combo rank is a reflection of how these two parts work together in Evolve.

Considering the high percentile rankings of both components, a rank of 795 out of 3700 seems modest. It is important to note that the combo rank is specific to this game. Evolve, released in 2015, may not be optimized for the latest hardware. The game's engine might be more sensitive to high-frequency cores than to core count, or it might have a frame rate cap that limits the system's potential. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 275 FPS, which is high, but the rank indicates that other combos are capable of even higher results in this title. The rank serves as a reference point, but the actual FPS numbers provide a more practical understanding of the system's capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming performance, as many games, including Evolve, are sensitive to single-thread performance. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps to keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 275 FPS, which confirms the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls quickly. The 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample processing power, but the game is unlikely to use all of them effectively. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the primary driver of the high frame rates in these scenarios. The CPU's benchmark scores support this, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and a multi-core score of 35589, indicating strong performance in both single and multi-threaded tasks.

As the resolution increases, the CPU's influence on the final frame rate diminishes. At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, and the CPU has more than enough headroom to keep up. The CPU's performance is not a bottleneck in Evolve at higher resolutions. The data shows that the frame rate drops consistently with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is capable of maintaining a high frame rate, but the GPU cannot render the frames fast enough. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469, confirms that it is a top-tier processor that will not hold back the RTX 5090 Mobile in most gaming scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system shows excellent performance. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 275 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 213 FPS, with a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 245 FPS. High settings produce an average of 167 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, still manages an average of 116 FPS. This demonstrates that the system is highly capable at 1080p, with all settings providing a fluid gaming experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a noticeable decrease. Low settings average 185 FPS. Medium settings average 143 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS. High settings average 112 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 78 FPS. This resolution is a sweet spot for the combo, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The 143 FPS average on Medium is particularly impressive, providing a smooth experience with enhanced visuals.

At 3840x2160, the system is pushed to its limits. Low settings average 105 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 64 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of only 44 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience, suggesting that 4K Ultra is not a practical setting for this game unless a lower frame rate is acceptable. The frame time variance, as shown by the min and max values at Medium settings, also increases with resolution, which can lead to a less consistent feel.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience in Evolve with this hardware depends on the user's priorities. For players with a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, the High preset is an excellent choice. It delivers an average of 167 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and provides a very smooth experience. The Ultra preset is also viable at 1080p, with an average of 116 FPS, but the visual improvement over High may be minimal while the performance cost is significant.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. It achieves an average of 143 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz display. The High preset provides a more detailed image at 112 FPS, which is still very playable. The Ultra preset, at 78 FPS, is a bit more demanding but could be suitable for users who prefer visual quality over maximum frame rates. The data shows that Medium settings provide a 31 FPS advantage over High, which is a significant margin.

For 4K displays, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset, averaging 105 FPS, is the best option for a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor. The Medium preset, at 81 FPS, is a good balance for a standard 60Hz display. The High preset, at 64 FPS, is just above the 60 FPS threshold and is a viable option for slower-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 44 FPS average will likely result in a suboptimal experience. The data suggests that Medium settings at 4K provide the best balance, offering a significant improvement in visual quality over Low while maintaining a respectable frame rate.