Evolve

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M presents a compelling mobile combination for Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. The data shows a system that can handle high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and remains playable at 4K, though the performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, component roles, and the system's standing among other tested configurations in the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 215 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset. This drops to 91 FPS at the Ultra preset, indicating a substantial graphical load impact even at this resolution.

Q: Does the system maintain 60+ FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only up to the Medium settings preset. At 3840x2160, the combo records 82 FPS on Low and 64 FPS on Medium, but falls to 50 FPS on High and 35 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset also shows a minimum FPS of 54, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo is ranked 1191 out of 2872 total combos tested in Evolve, placing it in the upper half of the database. This position reflects a capable but not top-tier performance profile for this specific title.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (score 44573). It outperforms the Intel Core i9-13950HX by 0.3%, which has a score of 44342.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M has an average benchmark score of 97487, which is 4.3% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (score 101872). Conversely, it is 5.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, which scores 92466.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at the High preset?

A: At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 131 at 1920x1080 to 50 at 3840x2160. This represents a 61.8% reduction in frame rate, suggesting a strong reliance on GPU performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the primary driver of Evolve’s performance at higher resolutions, and its specifications explain the observed scaling. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. This ample capacity and bandwidth are sufficient for Evolve’s textures and assets, even at 4K, preventing memory from being a limiting factor. The card's base clock of 1825 MHz and boost clock of 2090 MHz, combined with 4608 shading units, deliver the raw compute throughput needed for this title.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark performance places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 97487. This high percentile suggests the RX 7900M is a robust performer. However, when compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows it is 4.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 but 5.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60. In the context of Evolve, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are high, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings is significant (215 FPS vs 91 FPS), indicating the GPU's shading units are still heavily engaged.

At 4K, the GPU’s workload becomes the dominant factor. The drop from 82 FPS on Low to 35 FPS on Ultra at 3840x2160 shows a clear scaling curve tied to pixel count and graphical fidelity. The GPU's 38.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the likely reason the system can still manage 50 FPS on High at 4K, a respectable result for a demanding resolution. The data implies that while the CPU can feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the RX 7900M becomes the sole bottleneck at 4K, with its performance directly determining the playable settings presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H plays a supporting role in Evolve, ensuring the GPU is adequately fed at lower resolutions where frame rates are high. This processor features 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The high boost clock is critical for maintaining high minimum frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, which is a common characteristic of FPS titles. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, which can benefit game logic and physics calculations.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores an average of 44466, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, scores 44573, a difference of only 0.2%, indicating near-identical overall processing power. This level of performance is more than sufficient for a game from 2015. The data suggests the CPU is rarely the limiter, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 215 FPS, a figure that highlights the CPU’s ability to process game frames quickly.

However, the CPU’s influence wanes as resolution increases. The 16 cores and 16 threads do not see a proportional increase in workload when moving from 1080p to 4K; that burden falls on the GPU. The benchmark results show that while the CPU is a high performer, its role in Evolve is to provide a stable foundation. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18911 and single-core score of 2200.5 confirm its strength. The data implies that for this game, the Core Ultra X9 388H is a capable partner, but the measured FPS differences across resolutions are primarily attributable to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a detailed view of its performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset yields an average of 215 FPS, Medium produces 167 FPS (with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192), High averages 131 FPS, and Ultra drops to 91 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors even at the High preset, with Ultra still providing a smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limitations. The Low preset averages 144 FPS, which is still very high. Medium averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, ensuring a stable experience. High drops to 88 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61 FPS. The 1440p data reveals that the combo can handle this resolution comfortably, with even the Ultra preset averaging just above the 60 FPS mark, though it lacks the headroom seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 82 FPS, which is playable. Medium averages 64 FPS, but its minimum FPS of 54 indicates occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which could be noticeable in fast-paced action. High averages 50 FPS, a playable but not ideal frame rate for an FPS. Ultra averages just 35 FPS, which is not recommended for competitive play. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent drop in FPS across all settings, with the Ultra preset suffering the most severe decline.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s standing in the database is measured by its rank of 1191 out of 2872 tested combinations for Evolve, placing it in the 58th percentile. This rank is a reflection of the entire system’s capability, balancing the strong CPU with the powerful GPU. The position suggests that while this is a high-performing combo, there are 1190 other configurations that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific game. The rank is not a measure of failure but rather a contextual placement among a wide variety of hardware.

When interpreting this rank, it is important to consider the GPU’s percentile of 94 and the CPU’s percentile of 88. The fact that the combo ranking is lower than both component percentiles implies that Evolve is a demanding title that tests the synergy between CPU and GPU. The data suggests that the bottleneck shifts more heavily toward the GPU at higher resolutions, and the combo’s overall rank is likely pulled down by the 4K Ultra performance, which is a common metric for ranking. A system with a slightly less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU might rank higher in this game, indicating that Evolve’s ranking is more sensitive to GPU performance.

The rank also implies that the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it would outperform many other systems. However, for 4K Ultra settings, it falls behind. The measured data supports this, as the 4K Ultra average of 35 FPS is a significant outlier compared to the rest of the results. Therefore, the combo rank of 1191 is a summary of its mixed performance across the tested spectrum, excelling at lower resolutions but struggling at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution and refresh rate priority. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 131 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and close to the 144 Hz threshold. The Ultra preset, at 91 FPS, offers marginal visual improvements at a significant performance cost, while Medium and Low are only necessary if targeting very high refresh rates like 215 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 112 FPS and a minimum of 95 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay with no dips below 60 FPS. The High preset is also viable at 88 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a safer margin. The Ultra preset, at 61 FPS, is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, making it a less desirable choice for competitive play.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only choice that guarantees a consistently high frame rate, averaging 82 FPS. The Medium preset, at 64 FPS, is acceptable for less competitive play, but its minimum FPS of 54 suggests potential stuttering. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this resolution, as their averages of 50 and 35 FPS respectively will result in a subpar experience for an FPS title. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, users should prioritize High settings at 1080p or Medium settings at 1440p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shift in system bottleneck. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 131 at 1920x1080 to 88 at 2560x1440, a 32.8% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 88 to 50, a 43.2% decrease. This escalating rate of decline indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the pixel count grows. The CPU, with its high single-thread performance, is not the limiting factor; the workload is simply too heavy for the GPU at 4K.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At the Low preset, the drop from 215 FPS at 1080p to 82 FPS at 4K is a 61.9% reduction. At the Ultra preset, the drop is even steeper, from 91 FPS to 35 FPS, a 61.5% reduction. The consistency of this percentage drop suggests that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the primary constraint. The data implies that the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has enough headroom to push frames at 1080p, but at 4K, the RX 7900M’s pixel fill rate and shading power become the definitive limits.

The scaling behavior is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario at high resolutions. The CPU’s 16 cores and high boost clock ensure that it can keep up with the game’s logic, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s inability to render more pixels. For users, this means that the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where the CPU and GPU work in better balance. The 4K results suggest that for this title, a more powerful GPU would be necessary to achieve higher frame rates, as the current GPU is the clear limiting component.