Palworld

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Palworld presents a striking imbalance: a modern 6-core desktop processor with 96 MB of L3 cache driving an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The benchmark data, measured across three resolutions and four quality presets, reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited, with the CPU’s capabilities largely untapped in this survival title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep, predictable decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 84 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, then to 31 FPS at 4K. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario: each pixel doubling roughly halves the frame rate, and the Arc B390 simply runs out of throughput at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the pattern holds. The average is 68 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34%, and from 1440p to 4K is 44%. These percentages are nearly identical to the Low preset, indicating that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are the dominant constraints regardless of quality level. The CPU is not changing its behavior; it is the same processor at every resolution, and the FPS deltas are purely a function of pixel count.

High settings show a similar trajectory: 53 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p reduction is 34%, and the 1440p-to-4K reduction is 46%. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 40 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. The 1440p-to-4K drop here is 42%, slightly less severe than other presets, but the absolute numbers are already low.

What this scaling tells us is that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component at every resolution. Even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 84 FPS, which is well below what a discrete GPU with this CPU could achieve. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D, with a PassMark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047, is capable of far higher frame rates in Palworld. The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking: if the CPU were the constraint, we would expect FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload would not increase proportionally with pixel count. Instead, FPS drops consistently with resolution, confirming the GPU is saturated.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At Ultra settings, the system averages 15 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. Even at Low settings, 4K yields only 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1440p results are marginal: 26 FPS at Ultra, 35 FPS at High, 45 FPS at Medium, and 56 FPS at Low. Only the 1080p results offer playable frame rates across multiple presets, with Low at 84 FPS, Medium at 68 FPS, and High at 53 FPS. Ultra at 1080p dips to 40 FPS, which is borderline.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Palworld, this pairing ranks 2607 out of 2944 combos. That places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, which is expected given the GPU’s performance class. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and its nearest rivals are older NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% faster), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% faster), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% faster), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% faster). This places the B390 in the company of entry-level GPUs from over a decade ago, and its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a very weak graphics solution.

The CPU, in contrast, is strong. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44573. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database are the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H at 44466 (0.2% slower), the Intel Core i9-13950HX at 44342 (0.5% slower), the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 at 44309 (0.6% slower), and the Intel Core i5-14600 at 44889 (0.7% faster). These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the 7500X3D is in a tightly contested performance tier. Yet in Palworld, this CPU is paired with a GPU that sits at the 9th percentile, creating a massive mismatch.

The combo rank of 2607 out of 2944 reflects this mismatch. If the CPU were paired with a more capable GPU, the rank would be substantially higher, as the CPU is not the limiting factor. The data shows that many other combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs outrank this system, because Palworld is a GPU-bound title at the resolutions tested. The combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s low throughput, not the CPU’s capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D bottlenecking the Intel Arc B390 in Palworld?

A: No. The data shows FPS scaling inversely with resolution, which indicates the GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the system hits 84 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 31 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would not change as dramatically with resolution.

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 40 at Ultra to 84 at Low. At 1440p, the best average is 56 FPS at Low, and at 4K, the best is 31 FPS at Low.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its closest competitors are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% faster), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% faster), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% faster), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% faster). All are within 3% of each other, placing them in the same performance tier.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7500X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 44573, ranking in the 89th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (44466, 0.2% slower), the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, 0.5% slower), the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44309, 0.6% slower), and the Intel Core i5-14600 (44889, 0.7% faster). All are within 1% of the 7500X3D.

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but not smoothly. The best 4K result is 31 FPS at Low settings. At Medium, it drops to 25 FPS; at High, 19 FPS; and at Ultra, 15 FPS. None of these are playable for a fast-paced survival game.

Q: What does the combo rank of 2607 out of 2944 mean?

A: It means that out of 2944 tested CPU and GPU combinations for Palworld, this system performs worse than 2606 of them and better than 337. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested combos, consistent with the GPU’s low performance percentile.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for the best experience with this combo. At 1920x1080, the only resolution worth considering for actual gameplay, the Medium preset offers the best balance. It delivers an average of 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. The minimum frame rate is above the 60 FPS threshold, which means the game should feel smooth in most scenes, with only occasional dips below that mark. The High preset is also viable, averaging 53 FPS, but its minimum is not recorded, and the 15 FPS gap to Medium suggests more variance in demanding areas.

The Low preset at 1080p hits 84 FPS average, which is the highest measured value for this combo. However, Low settings will degrade visual quality significantly, and the jump from Low to Medium is only 16 FPS (from 84 to 68), while the visual improvement is substantial. Medium is the recommended choice because it keeps the average above 60 FPS while providing better textures and effects than Low.

The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended. It averages 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, and the minimum is not recorded, but the average is already too low for a survival game where quick reactions matter. At 1440p, the best option is Low at 56 FPS, but even that is below 60 FPS, and Medium drops to 45 FPS. At 4K, no preset is playable, with the best being Low at 31 FPS.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, the 1080p Low preset is the safest choice, offering 84 FPS average. For those who want a balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p Medium at 68 FPS is the sweet spot. The data does not support playing at 1440p or 4K with this combo, as the GPU cannot maintain acceptable frame rates at those resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, for a total of 12 data points. At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly low. The Low preset averages 31 FPS. The Medium preset averages 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. The High preset averages 19 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 15 FPS. There are no settings at 4K that reach 30 FPS, let alone 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the results improve but remain marginal. The Low preset averages 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches a playable frame rate, and even it falls short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 38 FPS indicates significant dips in demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, the results are the strongest for this combo. The Low preset averages 84 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. The High preset averages 53 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS while also having a minimum above 50 FPS, making it the most consistent option.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Medium is the best playable experience, followed by 1080p Low, then 1080p High. The 1440p Low preset is playable but not ideal, and everything else falls below 60 FPS. The 4K results are all below 32 FPS, confirming that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Palworld.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Raphael codename using TSMC’s 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is a hallmark of the X3D series, designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency.

The CPU’s benchmark results show strong single-thread and multithread performance. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3494, which is identical to the singlethread score of 3494, and its multithread score is 25047. Other scores include data compression at 271649, floating point math at 43594, integer math at 70774, and extended instructions at 20455. These are solid numbers for a desktop processor, and the 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is a high-performing part.

In Palworld, however, the CPU’s role is minimal because the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that frame rates scale with resolution, not with CPU workload. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely idle for significant portions of each frame, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. The 96 MB of L3 cache and 4.50 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for this game’s CPU demands, which are modest compared to the GPU’s pixel throughput requirements.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, all within 1% in average benchmark score, include the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, Intel Core i9-13950HX, AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, and Intel Core i5-14600. These processors would all perform similarly in Palworld when paired with the same GPU, because the game is not CPU-limited. The 7500X3D’s 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate for Palworld, which is a survival game that may not heavily utilize more than a few threads. The 12 threads handle background tasks and the game’s physics and AI without issue, but the GPU cannot translate that capability into higher frame rates.

The memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support are also more than enough for this workload. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support with 24 lanes is irrelevant here because the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with system-shared memory, not a discrete card. The GPU’s memory is "System Shared" with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the CPU’s memory bandwidth, which is a further constraint on performance.

In summary, the Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a capable gaming CPU that would excel with a discrete GPU. Its 96 MB L3 cache and 4.50 GHz boost clock provide excellent raw performance. But in this combo, the Intel Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, operating at a boost clock of 2500 MHz, cannot leverage the CPU’s strengths. The GPU’s 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply too low for Palworld at higher resolutions. The processor is ready to deliver far more than 84 FPS, but the graphics solution holds it back at every turn. The result is a system whose CPU is wasted potential, evidenced by the 2607th place rank out of 2944 combos.