Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 647th out of 2,872 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the top 22.5% of all configurations. This is a strong result, but the ranking reveals an interesting dynamic: the combo sits in the upper-middle tier rather than the absolute top, suggesting that while the hardware is capable, Evolve’s engine may not fully exploit the extreme capabilities of either component. The data shows a configuration that delivers high frame rates across all settings, yet the percentile positions of the individual parts—96th for the CPU and 55th for the GPU—hint at an imbalance where the processor’s headroom is not fully utilized by the graphics card at certain resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, while its PassMark multithread score is 60,860. These numbers place it at the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83,807 (0.2% lower), the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% lower). Interestingly, the AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus, showing that this desktop chip is not uncontested even among server-class parts.

For Evolve, a game released in 2015, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining a stable frame delivery rather than pushing raw frame rates. The 24 cores and 24 threads are far more than Evolve requires, as the game’s engine is unlikely to scale beyond a handful of threads. The data reflects this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 262 FPS average, which is a very high number, but the CPU’s single-thread performance—evidenced by the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 736 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,823—is what matters most for this older title. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded workloads are handled with minimal latency, which is critical for a game where frame pacing affects gameplay responsiveness. The L3 cache of 36 MB shared across the 24 cores provides ample room for game assets, though Evolve’s data footprint is modest by modern standards. The memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over DDR5 dual-channel is more than sufficient for this workload, and the PCIe Gen 5 interface with 20 lanes ensures no bottleneck when feeding the GPU. In essence, the CPU is over-provisioned for Evolve, but its strength in single-threaded tasks keeps the frame rate from dipping at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU features 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, with 64 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock is 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a base clock of 1660 MHz. The memory runs at 2518 MHz, which translates to 20.1 Gbps effective. In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 9070 XT achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 65,879, and a PassMark G3D score of 26,795. Its average benchmark score is 13,543, placing it at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in terms of average score are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M at 13,536 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 at 13,515 (0.2% lower), the NVIDIA P106-090 at 13,470 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 at 13,407 (1% lower). This is a striking comparison: the RX 9070 XT sits right next to legacy GPUs in average benchmark terms, which is misleading for Evolve, where its raw power is more evident.

For Evolve, the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is far beyond the game’s requirements, but its memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is a decisive factor at higher resolutions. The 256-bit bus and GDDR6 memory ensure that texture-heavy scenes at 4K do not cause stuttering. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s give the GPU the throughput needed to handle Evolve’s environments, which feature dense vegetation and dynamic lighting. The 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial, but Evolve’s engine, being a 2015 title, is not optimized for modern GPUs, so the card’s full potential is never tapped. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern APIs, but Evolve likely runs on DirectX 11, which limits the benefit of newer features. The 2970 MHz boost clock is high, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 42, indicating that the rendering load overwhelms even this powerful card. At lower resolutions, the GPU has spare capacity, allowing the CPU to push higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Evolve shows a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the average frame rates are high across all presets: 262 FPS on Low, 203 FPS on Medium (with a min of 172 and max of 233), 159 FPS on High, and 110 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 59 FPS drop, while Medium to High is a 44 FPS drop, and High to Ultra is a 49 FPS drop. This suggests that each settings tier adds a significant rendering burden, but even at Ultra, the 110 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p shows the most consistent frame delivery, with a narrow range between min and max (172 to 233), indicating stable performance. At 1440p, the averages are 176 FPS on Low, 136 FPS on Medium (min 116, max 156), 107 FPS on High, and 74 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not severe: at Low, the FPS falls by 86, at Medium by 67, at High by 52, and at Ultra by 36. This shows that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more stressed, but the CPU still has headroom at lower settings. At 4K, the averages are 100 FPS on Low, 77 FPS on Medium (min 66, max 89), 61 FPS on High, and 42 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure of 42 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, making it less playable for smooth gameplay, while 4K High at 61 FPS is just above the threshold. The 4K Medium at 77 FPS is a better option, with a min of 66 FPS ensuring no major dips.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the data shows that Medium is the most balanced preset. At 1080p Medium, the 203 FPS average with a 172 min and 233 max shows excellent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the 136 FPS average with a 116 min and 156 max remains smooth. At 4K Medium, the 77 FPS average with a 66 min and 89 max is the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The Ultra presets, while visually superior, suffer from significant frame drops at 4K (42 FPS average) and even at 1440p (74 FPS), which may not be ideal for competitive play. The Low presets, while offering the highest frame rates, sacrifice visual fidelity for speed, making them suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset offers a middle ground, but at 4K it barely hits 61 FPS average, which could lead to occasional stutters in busy scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS minimum?

A: Based on the data, 4K Medium is the highest resolution and settings combination that keeps the average FPS above 60, with a 77 FPS average and a 66 FPS minimum. 4K High averages 61 FPS, but the minimum is not reported, so it may dip below 60. For a guaranteed 60 FPS minimum, 1440p Ultra with a 74 FPS average (no min reported) or 4K Medium are the safest choices.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p for high-refresh-rate monitors?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers very high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 262 FPS, Medium averages 203 FPS, High averages 159 FPS, and Ultra averages 110 FPS. This makes it suitable for monitors with refresh rates up to 240 Hz at Low settings, or 144 Hz at High settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Evolve?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, especially at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 42. At 1080p, the CPU’s single-thread performance (boost clock of 5.80 GHz) allows the GPU to push high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering load caps performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium averages 136 FPS (with a min of 116 and max of 156), while Ultra averages 74 FPS. This is a 62 FPS difference, meaning Ultra is roughly 45% slower than Medium at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking in Evolve compare to its individual component rankings?

A: The combo ranks 647th out of 2,872 combos, which is in the top 22.5%. The CPU is at the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The combo’s ranking is lower than the CPU’s percentile, indicating that the GPU holds back the overall performance in this game.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 42 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 66 FPS at 4K Medium, which shows that the combo never drops below 60 FPS in the measured data for that preset.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 203 FPS with a minimum of 172 FPS, providing a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors without sacrificing too much detail. At 1440p Medium, the 136 FPS average with a 116 FPS minimum is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it ideal for gaming at this resolution. At 4K Medium, the 77 FPS average with a 66 FPS minimum is the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS, ensuring a playable experience without major drops. The Ultra presets, while offering the highest visual fidelity, result in average frame rates that dip to 42 FPS at 4K and 74 FPS at 1440p, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. The High preset is a viable alternative at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K it only averages 61 FPS, which is marginal for a 60 FPS target. For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 262 FPS, making it the best choice for competitive play on very high refresh rate displays. Given the data, the Medium preset is recommended as the default for most users, as it provides the highest minimum FPS across all resolutions, ensuring consistent performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 262, which drops to 176 at 1440p (a 33% decrease) and further to 100 at 4K (a 62% decrease from 1080p). This steep drop indicates that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck as resolution increases, since the CPU has ample headroom at 1080p. At Medium settings, the averages are 203 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p (a 33% decrease), and 77 FPS at 4K (a 62% decrease from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across Low and Medium suggest that the GPU’s fill rate is the primary constraint, as the resolution scaling follows a predictable pattern. At High settings, the averages are 159 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p (a 33% decrease), and 61 FPS at 4K (a 62% decrease from 1080p). The same percentage pattern holds, confirming that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor. At Ultra settings, the averages are 110 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p (a 33% decrease), and 42 FPS at 4K (a 62% decrease from 1080p). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistently a 33% drop across all settings, and from 1080p to 4K is consistently a 62% drop, indicating a linear relationship tied to the pixel count. This pattern strongly suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in Evolve at any resolution; the GPU’s performance scales directly with resolution, and the RX 9070 XT’s 16 GB VRAM and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory bottlenecks. The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS is the only setting where the combo fails to reach 60 FPS, highlighting that the GPU’s raw compute power (48.66 TFLOPS) is insufficient for the most demanding configuration in this older title. Overall, the data shows that the combo is best used at 1080p or 1440p for high frame rates, while 4K is only viable at Medium settings or lower.