Palworld

Intel Core i3-12100F with Intel Arc B390 in Palworld: the recorded data shows a combination that depends heavily on resolution and preset selection. The CPU is a 4-core, 8-thread Alder Lake desktop part with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, while the GPU is an integrated Arc part from the Panther Lake generation with 1536 shading units and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The benchmark results cover four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160), and the analysis below walks through each measurement.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint in this pairing. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 84 FPS on Low to 53 FPS on High, a 37% reduction. At 2560x1440, the same preset change moves from 56 FPS to 35 FPS, a 37.5% reduction. At 3840x2160, the drop is from 31 FPS to 19 FPS, a 39% reduction. These consistent percentage losses across resolutions indicate that the graphics workload scales predictably with preset quality, which points to the GPU being the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, is not showing a bottleneck pattern where frame rates would collapse at lower resolutions due to CPU limits; instead, the frame rates improve steadily as resolution decreases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

Resolution scaling reinforces this conclusion. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 68 to 45, a 34% drop. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the same preset, the average falls from 45 to 25, a 44% drop. This increasing sensitivity to resolution at higher pixel counts is a classic GPU-limited signature. The CPU has enough headroom at 1080p to push 84 FPS on Low, which is the highest recorded average in the entire dataset, so it is not the constraining component at that setting. The GPU, however, cannot maintain playable rates beyond 1080p Medium, which further confirms that the Arc B390 is the deciding factor.

Preset scaling at each resolution follows a similar pattern. At 1920x1080, Low produces 84 FPS, Medium produces 68 FPS, High produces 53 FPS, and Ultra produces 40 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 19% loss, from Medium to High is a 22% loss, and from High to Ultra is a 25% loss. At 2560x1440, the sequence is 56, 45, 35, and 26 FPS, with percentage losses of 20%, 22%, and 26%. At 3840x2160, the sequence is 31, 25, 19, and 15 FPS, with losses of 19%, 24%, and 21%. The consistent loss pattern across resolutions indicates that the GPU's architecture handles preset changes uniformly, with no anomalous spikes or drops.

The data also shows that min and max FPS are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080 Medium, the min is 58 FPS and max is 79 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, min is 38 and max is 52. At 3840x2160 Medium, min is 21 and max is 29. These ranges show that frame pacing is relatively tight, with the spread between min and max being 21 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 8 FPS at 4K. The smaller spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less variance in frame delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded averages are as follows: Low delivers 84 FPS, Medium delivers 68 FPS with a min of 58 and max of 79, High delivers 53 FPS, and Ultra delivers 40 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 16 FPS, from Medium to High is 15 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 13 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, while Medium also stays above 60 FPS on average. High falls below 60 FPS, and Ultra is significantly lower. The min FPS at Medium is 58, which is just under the 60 FPS playable threshold, so occasional dips below 60 are possible even on that preset.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 56 FPS, Medium at 45 FPS with a min of 38 and max of 52, High at 35 FPS, and Ultra at 26 FPS. No preset at this resolution reaches 60 FPS on average. The closest is Low at 56 FPS, which is 4 FPS short of the threshold. Medium is 15 FPS short, High is 25 FPS short, and Ultra is 34 FPS short. The min FPS at Medium is 38, which indicates that even the average is not the whole story; the frame rate can dip well below the average during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 31 FPS, Medium at 25 FPS with a min of 21 and max of 29, High at 19 FPS, and Ultra at 15 FPS. All presets are far below 60 FPS. Low is 29 FPS short, Medium is 35 FPS short, High is 41 FPS short, and Ultra is 45 FPS short. The max FPS at Medium is 29, which is still less than half of the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution is clearly not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

The data shows a monotonic decrease in FPS as either resolution or preset quality increases. There are no outliers or anomalies. The only preset with recorded min and max values is Medium, which provides a partial view of frame pacing. For other presets, only the average is available, so the analysis cannot speak to variance for those settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU, Intel Core i3-12100F, has an average benchmark score of 13494, which places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core 3 N355 with an average score of 13492 and a delta of 0%, the Intel Core i5-9500 with a score of 13452 and a delta of 0.3%, the Intel Core 5 120UL with a score of 13594 and a delta of -0.7%, and the Intel Core i7-1250U with a score of 13351 and a delta of 1.1%. These deltas are all within 1.1% of the i3-12100F's score, meaning that any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Palworld. The i5-9500 is slightly slower by 0.3%, while the Core 5 120UL is slightly faster by 0.7%. In practice, the game would see no meaningful difference in frame rates when paired with the same GPU, since the GPU is the limiting factor.

The GPU, Intel Arc B390, has an average benchmark score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 and a delta of 1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with a score of 1460 and a delta of 1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with a score of 1446 and a delta of 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with a score of 1443 and a delta of 2.7%. These deltas indicate that the Arc B390 is only 1.3% to 2.7% faster than these older NVIDIA parts. For Palworld, this means that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these rivals would result in a negligible change in FPS, well within measurement noise. The GT 710, being the slowest of the group, would produce approximately 2.7% lower frame rates, which at 1080p Low would translate to roughly 2 FPS less, still around 82 FPS.

The combination of this CPU and GPU produces a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. Any of the rival CPUs would perform identically, and any of the rival GPUs would perform nearly identically. The recorded frame rates in Palworld are therefore representative of a broad class of low-end GPUs from the past decade, not just the Arc B390 specifically.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Palworld? The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, no preset is playable, meaning none reaches an average of 60 FPS. The best average at this resolution is 31 FPS on Low, which is far below the threshold. At 2560x1440, the same result applies: no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best average is 56 FPS on Low, which is close but still short of the target. At 1920x1080, two presets are playable: Low at 84 FPS and Medium at 68 FPS. The best playable setting at 1080p is Medium, with an average of 68 FPS. The verdict is that this system can run Palworld smoothly only at 1920x1080, and only on Low or Medium presets. High and Ultra at 1080p fall below 60 FPS, as do all presets at higher resolutions.

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average exceeds this by 24 FPS. At 1080p Medium, it exceeds by 8 FPS. However, the min FPS at Medium is 58, which is below the threshold, so there will be moments where the frame rate dips under 60. At 1080p Low, no min FPS is recorded, so it is possible that dips occur, but the average is high enough that the experience is likely smooth. For users who prioritize a stable 60 FPS, Low is the safer choice. For those who accept occasional dips, Medium is viable.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this CPU and GPU combination ranks 3297 out of 3711 tested combos for Palworld. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the GPU's low percentile (9th) and the CPU's mid-range percentile (68th). The GPU drags the overall ranking down significantly, as most other combos in the database feature more capable graphics hardware. The rank is not a measure of failure; it simply indicates that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this one in Palworld. However, the system is still capable of hitting 60 FPS at 1080p on Medium, which means it is not at the very bottom of the rankings. The 414 combos below it are likely those with even weaker GPUs or CPUs.

The data shows that the combo's performance is consistent with its component scores. The CPU's 68th percentile does not help much because the game is GPU-bound. The GPU's 9th percentile is the dominant factor in the ranking. For any user considering this combination, the expectation should be that it performs like a low-end system from several years ago, not like a modern entry-level gaming PC.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 68 FPS. Low also clears the threshold at 84 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still maintaining a playable average. High and Ultra do not meet the 60 FPS requirement.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best average is 56 FPS on Low, which falls short. Medium is 45 FPS, High is 35 FPS, and Ultra is 26 FPS. Therefore, there is no recommended setting at this resolution for a 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best average is 31 FPS on Low, which is far below the threshold. Medium is 25 FPS, High is 19 FPS, and Ultra is 15 FPS. This resolution is not recommended for this hardware.

For users who must play at 1440p or 4K, the only option is to accept frame rates well below 60 FPS, or to reduce the resolution to 1080p and use Medium settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this system can achieve in Palworld?

A: The highest recorded average is 84 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is Palworld playable at 2560x1440 with this CPU and GPU?

A: No. The best average at 2560x1440 is 56 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No preset reaches 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Which preset at 1920x1080 provides the best visual quality while staying above 60 FPS?

A: Medium is the most demanding preset that clears the threshold, with an average of 68 FPS. Low also works at 84 FPS, but Medium has better graphics.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. These differences are minor and would result in nearly identical Palworld performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1920x1080 Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 Medium is 58 FPS, while the maximum is 79 FPS. This means the average of 68 FPS includes dips below 60 FPS.

Q: Where does this CPU and GPU combination rank among all tested systems in Palworld?

A: It ranks 3297 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11% of tested systems.