Evolve

Evolve pairs a 24-core, 24-thread Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with a 12 GB AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, a combination that lands at rank 1480 out of 2872 tested combos for this title. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets show a system that leans heavily on the GPU at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom becomes visible only when graphical load drops.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Arrow Lake Refresh generation, built on a 3 nm TSMC process. It runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts to 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP and a dual-channel DDR5 memory interface rated at 115.2 GB/s. The chip carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. Its benchmark results place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 84003.

In synthetic testing, the processor's multi-threaded muscle is evident: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 51731, while single-core reaches 7303. PassMark multi-thread testing yields 60860, and integer math hits 166194. These numbers indicate a CPU with far more compute capacity than a 2015-era FPS like Evolve would typically demand. The game's original release predates this hardware by nearly a decade, so the 290K Plus is effectively over-provisioned for the title's CPU workload.

Comparing the 290K Plus to its nearest rivals shows just how tightly packed the high-end landscape is. Against the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, the 290K Plus averages 84003 versus 83807, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4584PX sits at 83090 (1.1% behind), and the EPYC 9135 at 82980 (1.2% behind). On the flip side, the AMD EPYC 7F72 posts 85072, which is 1.3% ahead. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming terms, but they confirm the 290K Plus is at the top of the desktop stack.

The measured FPS data supports the interpretation that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution in Evolve. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 192 FPS average. At the same resolution with Ultra settings, it drops to 81 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 111 FPS, a change driven almost entirely by the GPU's workload, not CPU limits. If the CPU were struggling, the Low preset would not hit nearly 200 FPS. The 24 threads and 5.80 GHz boost clock provide ample single-thread performance for Evolve's game logic, and the PassMark single-thread score of 4823 reinforces that capability.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking across all CPUs means it outperforms roughly 96% of tested processors. In a game like Evolve, where the original release targeted far older hardware, this processor sits in a performance tier that ensures frame rates are governed by the graphics card and settings, not the central processor. The 24 threads are far more than Evolve can utilize, but that headroom means no stutter from thread saturation, even in busy monster-vs-hunter encounters with multiple AI creatures on screen.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2321 MHz, a boost clock of 2581 MHz, and a game clock of 2424 MHz. Memory is 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 throughput is 13.21 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s.

In the GPU benchmark hierarchy, the RX 6700 XT sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27425. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile matches at 27435 (0% delta), while the RTX 3090 scores 27565 (0.5% ahead). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 leads by 1.5% with 27839, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell trails by 1.1% at 27135. This places the RX 6700 XT in solid mid-to-upper range territory for Evolve's demands.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU is the primary performance arbiter in Evolve. At 4K High, the combo averages 45 FPS. Dropping to 4K Low raises that to 73 FPS, a 28 FPS gain from settings alone. At 1440p, the spread is wider: Low hits 129 FPS, Medium 100 FPS, High 78 FPS, and Ultra 54 FPS. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for a game from 2015, which would have been designed around 2-4 GB cards, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor at any tested setting.

The GPU's 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.21 TFLOPS of compute are the specs that matter for Evolve's rendering. The game's dynamic lighting, particle effects for monster abilities, and large environmental detail all place load on the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (81 FPS) versus 1080p Low (192 FPS) shows a 111 FPS swing, which is a 58% reduction in frame rate from the lowest to highest quality preset. That magnitude of change is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU is waiting on the graphics card to finish each frame.

The RX 6700 XT's end-of-life production status and 2021 release date mean it is older hardware, but its benchmark scores still place it competitively. In Evolve, the card's 40 ray tracing cores are irrelevant since the game does not use ray tracing, but its 2560 shading units handle the traditional rasterization workload well. The 12 GB VRAM never approaches exhaustion at 4K Ultra, where the game would likely use only a fraction of that capacity, leaving headroom for texture mods or higher resolutions if the monitor supports them.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern that identifies the GPU as the bottleneck. At High settings, the combo delivers 117 FPS at 1080p, 78 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. That is a 39 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p (a 33% reduction) and another 33 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K (a 42% reduction). The frame rate halves from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of fill-rate and bandwidth limits on the GPU.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper in absolute terms but similar in pattern: 192 FPS at 1080p, 129 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop is 119 FPS, a 62% reduction. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is only 73 FPS confirms that the RX 6700 XT's 384.0 GB/s bandwidth and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are the limiting factors, not the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock or 24 threads.

Medium settings show the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 149 FPS with a range of 127-171 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 100 FPS with a range of 85-115 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 57 FPS with a range of 48-65 FPS. The min FPS values track the averages closely, indicating consistent frame pacing without major spikes or drops. The 4K Medium min of 48 FPS is still playable, but it is 79 FPS below the 1080p Medium min of 127 FPS.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions: 81 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playability, and it is a 50 FPS drop from 1080p Ultra. This scaling behavior is entirely consistent with a GPU that has 13.21 TFLOPS of compute and 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, where increasing pixel count from 2.07 million (1080p) to 8.29 million (4K) quadruples the fill-rate demand.

The resolution scaling data also rules out a CPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would plateau at similar levels regardless of resolution, because the CPU workload is largely resolution-independent. Instead, every preset shows a monotonic decline from 1080p to 4K, with the largest absolute drops at lower settings where the CPU has the most headroom. The 192 FPS at 1080p Low shows the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions, confirming that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting component in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for settings selection based on target frame rates and resolution. At 1080p, all presets are playable, but the Medium preset at 149 FPS average with a min of 127 FPS offers the best balance. High at 117 FPS is also smooth, but Medium's 32 FPS advantage over High comes with only a modest visual penalty in a game like Evolve where the art style benefits from higher frame rates. Ultra at 81 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 68 FPS, which is a 46% reduction for diminishing visual returns.

At 1440p, Medium is again the sweet spot with 100 FPS average and a min of 85 FPS. High at 78 FPS is playable but drops below the 90 FPS mark that high-refresh monitors prefer. Low at 129 FPS is the fastest option, but the visual quality loss is significant enough that Medium's 100 FPS is the better recommendation. Ultra at 54 FPS is marginal, and the 46 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra is not worth the settings jump for a competitive FPS title.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Medium at 57 FPS with a min of 48 FPS is the only preset that stays above the 45 FPS threshold for smooth playability. High at 45 FPS is at the edge, and Low at 73 FPS is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin. Ultra at 31 FPS is not recommended for anything beyond screenshots. For 4K play, Low is the safest recommendation if you prioritize frame rate, but Medium offers a 12 FPS reduction from Low in exchange for noticeably better image quality, and its 57 FPS average is acceptable for slower-paced modes.

Across all resolutions, Medium provides the most consistent experience. The measured min FPS values for Medium are 127 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 48 at 4K, which means the worst-case frame rate is always above 45 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 45 FPS average, which does not guarantee a 45 FPS minimum since min FPS data is not provided for that preset. The Medium preset's recorded min FPS gives confidence that frame pacing holds up under load.

For players with 1080p or 1440p monitors, Medium is the clear choice. The 149 FPS at 1080p Medium and 100 FPS at 1440p Medium both provide headroom above 60 FPS, allowing for V-sync or G-sync without dropping below the display's refresh rate. The 127 FPS min at 1080p Medium ensures that even in chaotic monster fights with multiple hunters and AI creatures, the frame rate stays well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is only worth considering if you have a 60 Hz monitor and prefer maximum visual fidelity, but the 81 FPS at 1080p Ultra does not justify the 68 FPS loss from Medium.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1480 out of 2872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the 48.5th percentile of all combinations. That means roughly half of the tested CPU-GPU pairings in this game perform better than this one, and half perform worse. Given the CPU's 96th percentile standing and the GPU's 72nd percentile, the combo rank is dragged down significantly by the GPU's mid-range positioning.

The rank of 1480 out of 2872 suggests that Evolve is more GPU-sensitive than CPU-sensitive in how it ranks combos. A CPU like the 290K Plus, which outranks 96% of all CPUs, cannot compensate for a GPU that only outranks 72% of all GPUs. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 31 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS minimum for most players. The GPU's 13.21 TFLOPS and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to push Evolve's highest settings at 4K.

The nearest rival comparisons for the GPU highlight how close this card is to its peers. The RTX 4070 Mobile matches the RX 6700 XT's average score exactly (27435 versus 27425, 0% delta), while the RTX 3090 is only 0.5% faster. If a system with the same CPU but an RTX 3090 were tested, it would likely rank higher than 1480, but the delta is small enough that the ranking difference would be modest. The GPU's 72nd percentile is the primary determinant of this combo's position in the 2872-combo field.

For context on where this combo sits, consider that a 1480 rank out of 2872 means it is just below the median. The top-ranked combos in Evolve would pair top-tier CPUs with top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which would push frame rates well above the 192 FPS maximum seen here at 1080p Low. The bottom-ranked combos would feature older or entry-level hardware that struggles to maintain 30 FPS at any resolution. This combo lands in the middle because the GPU is competent but not exceptional, while the CPU is overkill for the game's demands.

The combination of a 96th percentile CPU with a 72nd percentile GPU creates an imbalance that the combo rank reflects. If the goal is to move up in the rankings, the GPU is the component to upgrade, not the CPU. Swapping the RX 6700 XT for a higher-tier GPU would directly improve the measured FPS at every resolution and preset, while keeping the 290K Plus in place. The CPU's 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 24 threads ensure it would not bottleneck a faster GPU in Evolve.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Evolve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 192 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 149 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 129 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 31 FPS. Since the CPU scores in the 96th percentile and produces 192 FPS at 1080p Low, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The RX 6700 XT's 13.21 TFLOPS and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra in Evolve.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested CPU-GPU pairings in Evolve?

A: This combo ranks 1480 out of 2872 tested combinations, placing it just below the median. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU's 72nd percentile pulls the overall combo rank down.

Q: What settings preset provides the highest minimum FPS at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings provide the highest recorded minimum FPS of 85, with an average of 100 FPS. Low settings average 129 FPS, but no minimum FPS is recorded for that preset.

Q: How much faster is the 290K Plus compared to its closest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, while the Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83807. The delta is 0.2%, meaning the 290K Plus is only marginally faster in average CPU benchmarks.

Q: Does the RX 6700 XT's 12 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K in Evolve?

A: No. Evolve launched in 2015, and its 4K Ultra preset runs at 31 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds, but the 12 GB GDDR6 memory is not the cause. The GPU's compute and bandwidth limits are the constraint, as 12 GB is far more than a 2015 game would require.