Palworld

Palworld, a survival title from January 2024, presents an interesting scaling study when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. This combination, ranked 340th out of 3,711 tested combos, delivers a wide performance envelope that shifts dramatically between presets and resolutions. The data indicates a system capable of high-refresh 1080p play, smooth 1440p, and playable 4K, but the bottlenecks and frame rate characteristics change significantly across each configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the performance burden shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 307 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low reduces this to 209 FPS, a drop of approximately 32%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 116 FPS, another 44% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling at lower settings suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly.

The scaling pattern changes at higher settings. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 257 FPS (1080p), 169 FPS (1440p), and 94 FPS (4K). The percentage drops are 34% from 1080p to 1440p, and 44% from 1440p to 4K, which is a more consistent scaling curve. This indicates that as the graphical load increases, the GPU becomes more dominant in determining performance, though the CPU still plays a role in maintaining the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p Ultra average is 150 FPS, dropping 34% to 99 FPS at 1440p, and then falling another 44% to 55 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result shows the RTX 4080 being pushed hard, with the frame rate halving from the 1080p result. This pattern suggests that at 4K Ultra, the system is clearly GPU-bound, while at 1080p Low, the CPU's capabilities are the primary constraint, preventing the GPU from achieving even higher frame rates. The gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 191 FPS, highlighting that while the GPU has significant headroom, it cannot be fully utilized at lower resolutions due to the CPU's limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's overall rank of 340 out of 3,711 tested combinations places it in the top 9% of all tested systems. This is a strong position, reflecting the high performance of the RTX 4080 paired with a capable mid-range CPU. However, the ranking is not solely determined by the GPU; the CPU's percentile of 74 against all CPUs, combined with the GPU's percentile of 86, indicates that the processor is the weaker link in this pairing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 20,468 places it extremely close to its nearest rivals, with a delta of only 0.1% from the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and 0.2% from the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G.

These close margins suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the choice between these processors would yield nearly identical results. For Palworld, the rank of 340 implies that the system outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations. The gap between the CPU and GPU performance percentiles suggests that a stronger processor could potentially push the combo higher in the rankings, particularly in scenarios where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. The data shows that while the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, the Ryzen 5 5600's 6-core, 12-thread configuration is adequate but not exceptional, leading to a combo that is strong overall but not maximally balanced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This memory configuration is well-suited for Palworld's open-world environments, which require large texture pools and fast data streaming. The GPU's base clock of 2205 MHz and boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, deliver substantial raw compute power, with an FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS.

The GPU's performance percentile of 86 against all GPUs underscores its high-end status. Its average benchmark score of 54,247 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, with a delta of only 0.1%. This indicates that within the 40-series lineup, the standard 4080 is virtually indistinguishable from the SUPER variant in synthetic tests. In Palworld, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for all tested presets, including 4K Ultra, where the average FPS of 55 suggests that the GPU is nearing its limits but not exceeding its memory capacity. The data shows that the GPU handles the graphical load effectively, with frame rates scaling predictably with resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the optimal settings for different display resolutions. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 150 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh monitors. However, the Medium preset achieves 257 FPS, a 71% increase over Ultra. Given that the difference between Medium and High at 1080p is 59 FPS (257 vs 198), the Medium preset appears to offer the best balance of visual quality and performance for competitive or fast-paced play. The Low preset at 307 FPS offers diminishing returns in smoothness for most users.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides 130 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh 1440p monitors. The Medium preset at 169 FPS offers a 30% improvement over High, but the visual fidelity reduction may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is still playable but drops below 100 FPS. For a consistent high-refresh experience at 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains a frame rate above 120 FPS while preserving more visual details. The data shows that the gap between High and Ultra is 31 FPS at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 72 FPS, which is suitable for 60 Hz displays and some 120 Hz panels with VRR. The Medium preset at 94 FPS is the best option for 4K gaming, as it exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin and is only 22 FPS lower than the Low preset at 116 FPS. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth. Given the data, the Medium preset at 4K provides the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance, offering a 31% improvement over High while still maintaining a solid frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 307 FPS, followed by Medium at 257 FPS, High at 198 FPS, and Ultra at 150 FPS. The Medium preset also has a minimum FPS of 219 and a maximum of 296, indicating stable performance. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 209 FPS, Medium averages 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 and maximum of 195, High averages 130 FPS, and Ultra averages 99 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 116 FPS, Medium averages 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 and maximum of 108, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 55 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions, suggesting that this preset was tested more thoroughly. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 51% reduction in performance (307 to 150 FPS), while at 4K, the reduction is 53% (116 to 55 FPS). This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU limits performance at lower resolutions. The 1080p results show that the RTX 4080 can push frame rates above 300 FPS when unconstrained, but the Ryzen 5 5600 cannot consistently feed it at that level.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 130 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors. At 4K, the High preset provides 72 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth. The 1080p results are very high, but the CPU limits the maximum frame rate.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested systems?

A: The combo is ranked 340th out of 3,711 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9% of all systems. This is a strong result, though the CPU's percentile of 74 is lower than the GPU's percentile of 86.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Palworld?

A: Yes, the data shows that the GPU maintains playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (55 FPS), which is the most demanding preset. The 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth supports the game's open-world textures without causing a performance collapse.

Q: What settings provide the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 offers 130 FPS, which is a good balance. The Medium preset provides 169 FPS but reduces visual quality. The Ultra preset drops to 99 FPS, which may not be ideal for high-refresh displays.

Q: How close is the RTX 4080 to the RTX 4080 SUPER in performance?

A: The synthetic benchmark data shows a delta of only 0.1% between the two GPUs, with average scores of 54,247 and 54,209 respectively. This indicates that they perform nearly identically in standard tests.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600 a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate of 307 FPS is high but does not reach the GPU's potential. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its L3 cache is 32 MB shared, and it supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU's benchmark results show a strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,584 and a multi-core score of 18,309. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 21,541, and its single-thread score is 3,256.

The CPU's percentile of 74 against all CPUs indicates that it is above average but not exceptional. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and AMD Ryzen 5 8500G, with which it trades scores within a 0.2% margin. In Palworld, the CPU's role is apparent in the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 307 FPS, which is high, but the scaling to 1440p Low (209 FPS) and 4K Low (116 FPS) shows a consistent drop that is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. However, the fact that the 1080p Low result is not higher, despite the RTX 4080's capabilities, suggests that the CPU's 6 cores are limiting the maximum frame rate in less demanding scenes.

The CPU's 3DMark scores, such as 5,659 for max threads and 882 for single thread, indicate a balanced performance profile. The data shows that the CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates, but it cannot fully saturate the RTX 4080 at lower resolutions. For players targeting 1080p with high refresh rates, the CPU may be a noticeable bottleneck, as the GPU has more headroom than the processor can provide. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU becomes the primary determinant of performance, as evidenced by the more pronounced frame rate drops when increasing resolution from 1440p to 4K.