Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetric FPS, presents an interesting case study in how a modern high-end mobile platform handles a title from a previous hardware generation. The data for the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti shows a combination that is never fully challenged at lower settings but begins to show its limits as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of very high frame rates, yet the scaling patterns reveal a nuanced balance between the CPU's capabilities and the GPU's raw power.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 220 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 148 FPS, a reduction of 72 FPS, and at 4K the average falls to 84 FPS, which is a 61.6% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline from 1080p to 4K indicates that the graphics card is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload on the render pipeline increases significantly with each pixel count.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all settings presets. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 134 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p, and then to 51 at 4K. The pattern is similar for Medium and Ultra presets, with the 4K averages being drastically lower than their 1080p counterparts. The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly half or more when moving from 1080p to 4K across all presets strongly suggests that the system is not CPU-bound at higher resolutions; a CPU bottleneck would typically show less severe scaling as the GPU waits for data.

The data suggests that at 1080p, particularly with Low settings, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, allowing the RTX 5070 Ti to reach its maximum output. However, as the resolution climbs, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities become the limiting factor. The 4K results, which range from 35 FPS at Ultra to 84 FPS at Low, demonstrate that the GPU is working progressively harder, with the lower settings allowing it to complete frames faster but still not keeping pace with the demands of the higher pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear winner, delivering an average of 220 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. A more balanced experience can be found at the Medium preset, which offers a significant visual upgrade while still maintaining high performance. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 171 FPS, which is a 28% reduction from Low but still far above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold for most monitors. At 1440p, the Medium preset provides an average of 115 FPS, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate QHD gaming.

The High preset represents a middle ground. At 1080p, it yields 134 FPS, and at 1440p, it drops to 90 FPS. While still playable, the step up to Ultra at these resolutions results in a disproportionate performance penalty. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 93 FPS, which is a 30.6% decrease from High. At 1440p, Ultra averages 62 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to a stutter-prone 35 FPS. The data indicates that the Ultra preset is not well-optimized for this title, or it introduces effects that are too demanding for the hardware to maintain a smooth experience.

Based on the measured rows, the best experience per the data would be the Medium preset. It offers a substantial improvement in visual quality over Low while maintaining frame rates that are high enough for competitive play. At 4K, the Medium preset's average of 65 FPS is the only setting that approaches a playable 60 FPS standard, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays. The High preset at 4K, with its 51 FPS average, would be less desirable for smooth motion, while the Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended due to its sub-40 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination ranks 1059 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the 63rd percentile of all tested systems for this specific game. While this is a solid ranking, it is not at the absolute top, which suggests that there are other configurations that can extract even more performance from this title. The ranking is likely influenced by the game's age and its reliance on specific CPU features, as well as the inherent balance of the components.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 44466 places it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (scoring 44573, a 0.2% difference) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (scoring 44342, a 0.3% difference). This indicates that the processor is a top-tier performer in synthetic tests. However, the in-game rank of 1059 out of 2872 combos suggests that the CPU's raw power does not directly translate to a top-tier ranking in Evolve, potentially due to the game's engine not fully utilizing the processor's architecture.

The GPU, with a Passmark G3D score of 32974 and an average benchmark score of 49957, is also a high performer, sitting in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (scoring 50001) and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (scoring 50951). The combination of a top-tier CPU and GPU should theoretically place this system in the upper echelon of gaming performance. The fact that it sits at 1059 out of 2872 combos indicates that other factors, such as the game's optimization for specific hardware configurations or memory bandwidth, might be limiting its full potential in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The raw data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 220 FPS on Low, 171 FPS on Medium (with a min of 145 and max of 196), 134 FPS on High, and 93 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear hierarchy, with the Ultra preset demanding a significant performance cost over High. The 1080p results are all exceptionally high, indicating that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 148 on Low, 115 on Medium (with a min of 97 and max of 132), 90 on High, and 62 on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, averaging a 33% reduction in performance across all settings. This is a typical result for a GPU-bound scenario, as the increased pixel count directly impacts the GPU's workload. The 1440p Medium setting, with its 115 FPS average, remains a strong contender for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a more significant hit. The average FPS is 84 on Low, 65 on Medium (with a min of 55 and max of 75), 51 on High, and 35 on Ultra. The 4K resolution proves to be a heavy burden for the GPU, with even the Low preset failing to reach the 100 FPS mark. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset's 35 FPS average is barely playable and would likely result in a poor experience. The frame time data for Medium settings shows the 4K preset has a wider variance (55-75 FPS) compared to 1440p (97-132 FPS), indicating more inconsistent frame pacing at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a powerful graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. The card's base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2452 MHz. These specifications, combined with its 8960 shading units, make it a formidable piece of hardware for rendering complex scenes.

In Evolve, the GPU's role is clearly the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show that as the resolution increases, the GPU is the component that dictates the frame rate. The 4K results, which are significantly lower than 1080p, demonstrate the GPU's struggle to fill the additional pixels. The high memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s is likely sufficient for the game's textures, but the sheer computational load of 4K rendering is a bottleneck. The card's FP32 performance of 43.94 TFLOPS is substantial, yet it is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maxed-out settings.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as its Passmark G3D score of 32974, places it in the 86th percentile, showing it is a top-tier part. However, the in-game data for Evolve suggests that the game's engine may not fully utilize the card's newer features, such as its 70 RT cores, which are not typically used in a 2015 title. The card's 16 GB of VRAM is more than ample for Evolve, as the game likely does not require more than a fraction of that capacity, even at 4K. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is the most telling indicator of the GPU's role as the primary limiting factor in this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread mobile processor based on the Panther Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It features a large L3 cache of 18 MB (shared) and supports LPDDR5X memory on a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18911 and a single-core score of 2200.5, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

In Evolve, the CPU's role is less prominent than the GPU's, especially at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows that while the CPU is powerful, it is not the bottleneck in this scenario. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to suggest that the CPU is able to keep up with the GPU's output. However, the game, being from 2015, may not be well-optimized to take advantage of the processor's 16 cores, as many games from that era were designed for fewer threads. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 36811 is high, but the game's engine might be limited by single-thread performance, which is still strong at 4280 in Passmark's single-thread test.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, which has a nearly identical average score (44573 vs 44466), suggests that it provides similar compute capabilities. However, the in-game ranking of 1059 out of 2872 combos indicates that the CPU's architecture might not be the ideal match for Evolve's specific demands. The 2.10 GHz base clock, while boosting to 5.10 GHz, may be a factor in sustained workloads, but the data shows that the frame rates are consistently high across all 1080p settings, suggesting the CPU is adequately feeding the GPU. The system's 153.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is a potential limiting factor in CPU-bound scenarios, but the measured data does not indicate this is a significant issue in Evolve.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for the highest frame rate?

A: The best combination for the highest average frame rate is the 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings, which achieves an average of 220 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K with a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 4K, only the Medium preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, with an average of 65 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS, so a locked 60 FPS experience is only possible with Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of overall benchmark score?

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's score of 44573, making them nearly equal in overall performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 148 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. This represents a 58.1% reduction in average FPS when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it sufficient for Evolve?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory. This is more than sufficient for Evolve, as the game is from 2015 and likely does not require a large amount of video memory, even at 4K.

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

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 1059 out of 2872 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems for this game.