Palworld

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest recorded average is 31 FPS at Low settings, which is well below the target. Medium produces 25 FPS, High drops to 19 FPS, and Ultra falls to 15 FPS. None of these configurations should be considered for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but still falls short. The best average FPS is 56 at Low settings, which is close to but not above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium delivers 45 FPS, High 35 FPS, and Ultra 26 FPS. The data indicates that even the least demanding preset at this resolution cannot sustain a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 1920x1080, the system finally clears the threshold. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 68 FPS. Low settings produce 84 FPS, which is also above the threshold, but Medium offers higher visual fidelity while still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60. High settings drop to 53 FPS, which misses the target, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS.

The best settings per resolution are therefore: no playable preset at 3840x2160, no playable preset at 2560x1440, and Medium at 1920x1080 with 68 FPS average.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, all of which are low-end mobile or OEM parts. This positions the Arc B390 well below the performance tier required for demanding modern titles at high resolutions.

The Intel Core i7-13700K, by contrast, is a high-end desktop processor with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116. It sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration; the GPU clearly is.

The scaling between resolutions and presets reinforces this. At 1920x1080, reducing settings from Ultra (40 FPS) to Low (84 FPS) more than doubles the frame rate. At 2560x1440, the same settings swing from 26 FPS to 56 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 15 FPS to 31 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is saturated at every resolution, and lowering graphical settings is the only lever that meaningfully improves performance. The CPU's strong multi-threaded and single-threaded scores do not translate into higher frame rates because the integrated GPU cannot feed frames fast enough.

At 1920x1080, the CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 84 FPS at Low settings. However, the drop to 53 FPS at High settings shows that even at 1080p, the GPU's limited shading units, texture units, and raster operations become the dominant constraint. At higher resolutions, the GPU's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 25 FPS average, 21 FPS minimum, 29 FPS maximum
• High: 19 FPS average
• Ultra: 15 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 56 FPS average
• Medium: 45 FPS average, 38 FPS minimum, 52 FPS maximum
• High: 35 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

1920x1080:

• Low: 84 FPS average
• Medium: 68 FPS average, 58 FPS minimum, 79 FPS maximum
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only configuration in the entire dataset that includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum of 58 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, although the average of 68 FPS clears it comfortably. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum of 38 FPS shows significant frame dips, making that preset unsuitable for consistent play despite the 45 FPS average. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum of 21 FPS confirms the experience is severely impaired.

The gap between Low and Medium settings is substantial at every resolution. At 1920x1080, the difference is 16 FPS (84 to 68). At 2560x1440, it is 11 FPS (56 to 45). At 3840x2160, it is 6 FPS (31 to 25). The diminishing returns at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU is running out of raw throughput, and settings adjustments have less impact when the resolution is already overwhelming the hardware.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 1920x1080?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, both Low (84 FPS) and Medium (68 FPS) presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable setting is Medium with an average of 68 FPS.

Q: Is 2560x1440 playable with this combo?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 2560x1440 is 56 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium produces 45 FPS, High 35 FPS, and Ultra 26 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to nearby GPUs?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These are all low-end parts, and the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than them.

Q: What is the best preset at 3840x2160?

A: No preset achieves 60 FPS at 3840x2160. Low settings produce 31 FPS, which is the highest average recorded at that resolution, but it is far below the playable threshold.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-13700K bottleneck the Arc B390?

A: No. The i7-13700K is a high-end processor in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745. The Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile among GPUs. The GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 3297 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-13700K, the nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (0.5% faster), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (0.5% faster). These processors deliver nearly identical average benchmark scores, so swapping the i7-13700K for any of these would not meaningfully change the Palworld experience in this configuration, since the GPU remains the bottleneck.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), and GT 710 (2.7% slower). These GPUs are all within a few percentage points of the Arc B390's average score of 1482. A system with any of these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Palworld, all of which would fall short of 60 FPS at 2560x1440 and above. At 1920x1080, such GPUs would likely also achieve playable frame rates on Low or Medium settings, but with margins similar to or slightly worse than the Arc B390.

Because the GPU is the limiting factor, upgrading to any of these rival GPUs would not change the verdict. The CPU has ample headroom, and the integrated GPU's performance class dictates the outcome.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3297 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld. This places the system in the 11th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 89% of tested combos perform better in this game. The ranking reflects the severe mismatch between the high-end CPU and the low-end integrated GPU. While the i7-13700K is a top-tier processor, the Arc B390's performance class, as indicated by its 9th percentile standing among all GPUs, drags the overall combo down.

The recorded data confirms that this ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, including a PassMark multi-thread score of 45887 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19429, do not translate into high frame rates in Palworld because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. At 1920x1080 Medium, the system achieves 68 FPS, which is playable, but the overall combo ranking suggests that many other systems with more balanced GPU selections outperform it significantly.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 can run Palworld, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system is playable on Low and Medium settings, with Medium being the best playable preset at an average of 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the closest is Low at 56 FPS, which still misses the threshold. At 3840x2160, no preset is remotely playable, with the highest average being 31 FPS at Low.

The core issue is the Intel Arc B390. As an integrated GPU with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 and a 9th percentile ranking, it is simply not designed for high-resolution gaming. The CPU, by contrast, is more than capable. Users who want to play Palworld at higher resolutions or with higher visual settings would need a significantly more powerful discrete GPU. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, however, the system delivers a playable experience, making it a viable option for 1080p gaming at moderate graphical fidelity.