Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS built on the CryEngine, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and AMD Radeon 880M combination. Benchmark data indicates this pairing is positioned in the lower tier of tested configurations, ranking 3614 out of 3700 combos. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial multi-threading capabilities become more relevant only at lower settings and resolutions. The data suggests that achieving a playable experience requires significant compromises in visual fidelity, with the most balanced performance found at 1080p with Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data clearly indicates that the Ultra preset is not viable for this hardware combination in Evolve. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 32 FPS, which falls below the threshold for a smooth gaming experience in a fast-paced FPS. The situation deteriorates further at higher resolutions, with the Ultra preset producing an average of 21 FPS at 2560x1440 and a stutter-prone 12 FPS at 3840x2160. These numbers suggest that the Ultra preset places an insurmountable load on the AMD Radeon 880M, resulting in frame rates that would severely hinder gameplay.

The optimal experience, based on the data, is achieved with the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, this setting delivers an average of 58 FPS, with a measured minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS. This frame rate range provides a reasonably fluid experience that is more suitable for the game's action-oriented mechanics. While the High preset at 1080p produces an average of 45 FPS, it lacks the minimum frame rate data, and the 13 FPS average drop from Medium suggests a less stable performance profile. The Low preset at 1080p offers the highest average at 75 FPS, but this comes with a significant reduction in visual quality that may not be acceptable to all users.

For users with a display that can only operate at 2560x1440, the data shows that the Medium preset is the only viable option, delivering an average of 39 FPS. This is playable but not ideal. The High preset at this resolution drops to an average of 30 FPS, and the Low preset, while reaching 50 FPS, represents a substantial visual downgrade. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely; even the Low preset at 3840x2160 only manages an average of 29 FPS, which is below the playability threshold. Ultimately, the benchmark results indicate that the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance for this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores are substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 and a single-core score of 2200.5. This places the CPU in the 88th percentile of all tested processors, showing it is a high-performing mobile part. In the context of Evolve, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, a task it is well-equipped to handle given its multi-threading capabilities.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most tested configurations. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 75, which is the highest recorded for this combo. This indicates that at lower graphical loads, the CPU can push the frame rate to a level that is constrained by the GPU. However, as the resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops significantly, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is adequate to maintain these lower frame rates without becoming a further constraint.

The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock contribute to its strong single-thread performance, which is often relevant for game logic. However, the benchmark data for this specific game shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining final frame rates. The CPU's high multi-core score of 2955 in Cinebench R15 suggests it has ample headroom for processing the game's background tasks. Ultimately, the data indicates that while the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a capable processor, its performance in Evolve is overshadowed by the limitations of the integrated GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, featuring 768 shading units and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. Its performance, as measured by the Passmark G3D test, is 7615, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals based on average benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X, with delta percentages of 0.1% and 1.3% respectively, indicating that the 880M's raw compute performance is comparable to those older discrete mobile parts.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is critical, as the game's rendering load is significant. The measured FPS data shows a clear correlation between graphical settings and performance, which is directly tied to the GPU's workload. For example, at 1920x1080, increasing from Low to Ultra settings reduces the average frame rate from 75 FPS to 32 FPS, a drop of over 50%. This demonstrates that the GPU is the primary component determining performance across the settings spectrum.

The GPU's 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a modest figure, and it is inadequate for higher resolutions in this game. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves 29 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to a dismal 12 FPS. The system shares its memory between the CPU and GPU, meaning the "System Shared" VRAM is a potential bottleneck, as it relies on the dual-channel LPDDR5X memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. The data suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources are insufficient for maintaining acceptable frame rates at resolutions above 1080p, making it the definitive limiting factor in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and AMD Radeon 880M is ranked 3614 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations, a clear indicator of its low performance ceiling for this game. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's weak standing, as the Radeon 880M's 43rd percentile performance is a severe bottleneck compared to the CPU's 88th percentile ranking.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The CPU's average benchmark score of 44466 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, delta -0.2%) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, delta 0.3%). This shows the processor is a high-end mobile chip. In contrast, the GPU's average score of 8436 is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458, delta -0.3%), which is a low-end entry-level mobile GPU. This mismatch means the combo's ranking is dragged down entirely by the graphics solution.

The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is unbalanced for a demanding title like Evolve. While the CPU would be able to handle the game's logic and physics at high frame rates, the GPU cannot render the frames fast enough to utilize that capability. The 3614th ranking out of 3700 combos is therefore a direct consequence of the integrated GPU's inability to provide playable performance at higher settings, making this configuration suitable only for undemanding games or older titles at low resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and consistent decline in performance as the resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This scaling is a critical indicator of the system's bottleneck. For the Medium preset, the average frame rate falls from 58 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p and finally to 22 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 44% drop from 1440p to 4K, showing a non-linear scaling that is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

The same pattern is evident across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 75 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p and 29 at 4K. At High settings, it drops from 45 at 1080p to 30 at 1440p and 17 at 4K. The consistent and significant frame rate reductions with each resolution step up strongly suggest that the AMD Radeon 880M is operating at its limits, and the increased pixel count directly translates into a proportional increase in rendering workload that the GPU cannot handle.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between resolutions, as the CPU's workload would be similar regardless of pixel count. Instead, the data shows a clear and pronounced resolution dependency, which is a classic sign of a GPU that is saturated. The frame rate at 4K, even on Low settings, is only 29 FPS, which is barely playable. This confirms that the system is not suitable for high-resolution gaming in Evolve, and users should stick to 1080p for the best possible experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a wide range of performance across the four settings presets. The Low preset achieves the highest average frame rate at 75 FPS. The Medium preset delivers a playable average of 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS. The High preset averages 45 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. The data shows a clear progression, with each step up in settings costing a significant amount of performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. The Low preset now averages 50 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 30 FPS. The Ultra preset is largely unplayable, with an average of just 21 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU is struggling to maintain frame rates at this resolution, and even the Low preset may feel less fluid than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, performance is critically low across all settings. The Low preset averages 29 FPS. The Medium preset averages 22 FPS, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS. The High preset drops further to an average of 17 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, with an average of only 12 FPS. The data shows that 4K resolution is not a viable option for this hardware combination in Evolve, as even the lowest settings fail to provide a consistently playable frame rate.