Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a dataset for Evolve that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) values across three resolutions and four quality presets provide a complete picture of how this combination behaves in a 2015-era FPS title, where the modern high-end processor is rarely the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K shows a predictable but steep decline that firmly establishes the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 190 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 33% reduction, and then falls further to 72 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 43% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical load, the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly demanding on the graphics card as pixel count rises.

The Medium preset shows a similar scaling curve, with averages of 147 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The percentage decrease from 1080p to 4K is roughly 62%, which is slightly steeper than the Low preset's 62% decline, suggesting that additional graphical features at Medium scale more aggressively with resolution. The High preset follows with 115 FPS, 77 FPS, and 44 FPS respectively, showing a consistent 33% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p and a 43% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe scaling, starting at 80 FPS in 1080p, dropping to 54 FPS at 1440p, and plunging to 31 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction here is 61%, but the absolute numbers are far lower, indicating that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus are severely strained by the combination of maximum detail settings and high pixel counts. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU still has headroom to push higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 190 FPS Low result, but by 1440p the GPU begins to dominate the performance equation, and at 4K it becomes the sole limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, brings 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs to the table. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are relatively modest for a modern graphics card, but the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth proves to be the critical constraint in Evolve's higher settings. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639, places it as a mid-range performer, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a delta of -0.2% and the AMD Radeon 780M at +0.3%, showing that its raw compute capabilities are closely matched by older or integrated solutions.

The measured FPS data confirms that the RTX 4060's memory subsystem is the weak link. At 1080p Medium, the average of 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 169 shows that the card can sustain high throughput when the memory bandwidth is not saturated. However, at 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 31 FPS, and even at 4K Medium the average is only 56 FPS with a minimum of 48 and maximum of 65. The 17 Gbps effective memory clock and 2125 MHz memory clock cannot compensate for the narrow 128-bit bus when the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for the game's geometry, but the pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s becomes a bottleneck at 4K. The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is best utilized at 1080p where it can deliver over 100 FPS on Medium and High presets, and remains playable at 1440p on Medium, but the 4K results are largely below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database for Evolve, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a combo rank of 1533 out of 2872 tested combinations. This places it in the 53rd percentile of all tested combos for this game, meaning that slightly more than half of the tested CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in Evolve. Given that the CPU is a top-tier 24-core processor with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and the GPU is a mid-range card in the 61st percentile, the combo rank is expectedly dragged down by the graphics card's limitations.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a delta of 0.2% and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 1.1%, while the GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (-0.2%) and AMD Radeon 780M (+0.3%). In Evolve specifically, the combo's rank of 1533 suggests that many other pairings with similar or better GPUs outperform this one, particularly at higher resolutions where the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory buffer is insufficient for Ultra settings. The data shows that the combo is competitive at 1080p, where its rank would likely be much higher, but the 4K results pull the overall ranking down significantly.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Evolve?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, delivering 190 FPS on Low, 147 FPS on Medium, 115 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 127 FPS on Low and 54 FPS on Ultra, while 3840x2160 only manages 72 FPS on Low and 31 FPS on Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K Ultra, resulting in a 31 FPS average. Even at 4K Medium, the average is only 56 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS, indicating that the memory subsystem is the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the 190 FPS result shows the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The 4K results show a steep decline regardless of settings, confirming the RTX 4060 is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: What settings should be used for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: According to the data, Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 99 FPS, while High settings produce 77 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, so High or Medium are the appropriate choices for a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1533rd out of 2872 tested combinations in Evolve, placing it in the lower half of all tested pairings. This is primarily due to the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's performance in Evolve consistent with its overall benchmark score?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 17639 places it in the 61st percentile, and its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a delta of -0.2%. In Evolve, the GPU performs as expected for a mid-range card, delivering strong 1080p results but struggling at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the play experience with this combo. For players targeting a consistent 60 FPS or higher, the 1920x1080 resolution offers the most headroom, with Ultra settings delivering an average of 80 FPS, High settings at 115 FPS, and Medium at 147 FPS. Even the most demanding preset at 1080p remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, making this the ideal resolution for this pairing.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more constrained. The Medium preset produces an average of 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay, while High settings at 77 FPS are also acceptable. The Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS, which is marginally below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutter during intense combat scenes. For those prioritizing visual fidelity at 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it balances the 77 FPS average with the higher detail level.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a 60 FPS average, with the best result being Low at 72 FPS and Medium at 56 FPS. The Ultra preset at 31 FPS is effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS title. The data suggests that 4K should be avoided with this combo, or players should accept the Low preset for a playable but visually reduced experience. The Medium preset's minimum of 48 FPS indicates that even this setting will experience drops below 50 FPS, which may be problematic in multiplayer scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC with 17,800 million transistors. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz, combined with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, make it an exceptionally powerful processor for gaming and productivity tasks. The CPU's benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731, a single-core score of 7303, and a PassMark multithread score of 60860, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the processor is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 190 FPS average. The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark score include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a delta of 0.2% and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 1.1%, indicating that the 290K Plus is at the top of its class. The PassMark physics score of 3315 and floating-point math score of 214760 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's simulation workloads without issue.

The data indicates that the CPU's high core count and clock speeds do not translate into proportionally higher FPS in Evolve when paired with the RTX 4060, because the game is primarily GPU-bound at most settings. However, the CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 736 and PassMark single-thread score of 4823, ensures that it will not cause frame drops even in CPU-intensive scenes. The 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1851 compatibility are notable for system builders, but the performance in this game is dictated by the GPU's capabilities rather than the CPU's raw power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a wide range of performance across settings. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 190 FPS, followed by Medium at 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 FPS and maximum of 169 FPS. High settings produce an average of 115 FPS, while Ultra drops to 80 FPS. This progression shows a 16% reduction from Low to Medium, a 22% reduction from Medium to High, and a 30% reduction from High to Ultra, indicating that each quality tier has a meaningful impact on frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 127 FPS for Low, 99 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS, 77 FPS for High, and 54 FPS for Ultra. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p are 33% for Low, 33% for Medium, 33% for High, and 33% for Ultra, showing a consistent scaling factor across all settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Ultra preset's 54 FPS average falls below it.

At 3840x2160, the results are significantly lower: 72 FPS for Low, 56 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS, 44 FPS for High, and 31 FPS for Ultra. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a 43% reduction for Low, 43% for Medium, 43% for High, and 43% for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K is the only setting that approaches playable territory, but its minimum of 48 FPS suggests inconsistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 31 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay scenario, and even the High preset at 44 FPS falls short of a smooth experience. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with acceptable performance at 1440p on Medium or High settings, and marginal performance at 4K on Low or Medium presets.