Palworld

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Palworld presents a unique performance profile. The data indicates that this combination is positioned near the very bottom of the database's tested configurations, with a combo rank of 2607 out of 2944. This places it in the 12th percentile of all tested combos, suggesting that while the game is playable at lower resolutions and settings, it struggles significantly at higher graphical loads and resolutions. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance data to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this hardware pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at the Low preset across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 84 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this configuration in any scenario. This is the only setting that approaches what could be considered a fluid experience for fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 68 FPS, which remains playable but represents a 19% performance drop from Low. High at 1080p produces 53 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40 FPS, showing a clear and steep performance curve as graphical fidelity increases.

For users who prefer higher visual quality, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides 45 FPS, which is a reasonable compromise between visuals and playability. However, the data suggests that High at 1440p (35 FPS) and Ultra at 1440p (26 FPS) fall below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K, even the Low preset only manages 31 FPS, which is likely too choppy for most users. The Medium preset at 4K offers 25 FPS, and High drops to 19 FPS, with Ultra at a sluggish 15 FPS. Given these numbers, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear recommendation for achieving the best balance of playability and performance. If visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, Medium at 1080p is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture. Its performance class is quite low, as indicated by its benchmark results. The GPU scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, with delta percentages of 1.3%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 2.7% respectively. This means the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than these dated entry-level GPUs, which helps explain its struggle with Palworld's demands.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. It has 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This shared memory arrangement is a significant bottleneck for a game like Palworld, which requires substantial texture memory and bandwidth. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but the lack of dedicated memory bandwidth severely limits real-world performance. The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP form factor indicate it is designed for low-power integrated solutions, not high-end gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates the GPU's limitations. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 84 at 1920x1080 to 56 at 2560x1440, a 33% reduction, and then to 31 at 3840x2160, another 45% reduction from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the increase in pixel count directly impacts frame rate. The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 68 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The High preset follows with 53 FPS, 35 FPS, and 19 FPS respectively. At Ultra, the numbers are 40 FPS, 26 FPS, and 15 FPS.

The data reveals that the frame rate drops are roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in this configuration. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is likely not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the GPU is overwhelmed by the rendering workload. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU's fixed computational resources are spread thinner as resolution increases. For example, at 1080p the difference between Low and Ultra is 44 FPS, while at 4K it narrows to 16 FPS, as the GPU is simply unable to deliver higher frame rates regardless of the settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2607 out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, which is consistent with the low GPU benchmark scores. The CPU itself is not the primary issue, as it ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 34260. Its nearest CPU rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.1% faster), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-13450HX (0.2% slower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (0.5% faster). These are all modern mid-range to high-end processors, indicating the 3700X remains competitive in CPU-bound tasks.

However, the GPU's low standing drags the overall combo rank down. The Arc B390's score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all GPUs from over a decade ago. This mismatch between a relatively strong CPU and a very weak GPU creates a severely imbalanced system for gaming. In Palworld, the combo rank of 2607 out of 2944 reflects this imbalance, as the GPU becomes the absolute bottleneck in almost all scenarios. The data shows that even with a capable CPU, the integrated GPU cannot handle the game's requirements at acceptable frame rates beyond low settings and 1080p resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a desktop processor from the 3000 series, built on the Zen 2 architecture with the Matisse codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of L3 cache. The processor uses the AMD Socket AM4 and was released in July 2019 with a launch MSRP of $329.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 3700X shows solid performance: it scores 2092 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 204 in single-core, 8899 in Geekbench multicore and 1593 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 22458, with a single-thread score of 2656. These numbers indicate the CPU is well-suited for multi-threaded workloads, which Palworld can utilize. However, the game's performance is heavily dictated by the GPU, as shown by the resolution scaling data. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed, but even at 1080p Low, the 84 FPS is limited by the GPU's capability rather than the CPU's processing power. The CPU's strong benchmark performance relative to its rivals does not translate to high gaming FPS because the GPU cannot keep up with the render demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for this combo to achieve playable frame rates?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest average FPS of 84, making it the only setting that delivers a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 1080p is also viable with 68 FPS, but anything above that drops below 60 FPS.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low despite having a decent CPU?

A: The combo rank of 2607 out of 2944 is primarily due to the Intel Arc B390's GPU performance, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, indicating it is not designed for modern gaming loads.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It is 0.1% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and AMD EPYC 4244P, and 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i5-13450HX.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in Palworld?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops proportionally with resolution increases, and the GPU's low benchmark scores suggest it cannot handle the rendering workload, regardless of CPU capability.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: No. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 31 at the Low preset, with Medium at 25, High at 19, and Ultra at 15. These frame rates are not suitable for playable gaming.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which limits its ability to handle large textures and data sets efficiently.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data presents the exact average FPS, with minimum and maximum values where available, for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080 (Full HD)

• Low: Average 84 FPS. This is the peak performance for this combo.
• Medium: Average 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• High: Average 53 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 40 FPS.

2560x1440 (Quad HD)

• Low: Average 56 FPS.
• Medium: Average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS.
• High: Average 35 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 26 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K Ultra HD)

• Low: Average 31 FPS.
• Medium: Average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS.
• High: Average 19 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 15 FPS.

These numbers show a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating the frame time variance is most pronounced at this level. The minimum FPS values at Medium are 58 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, which show that even the playable settings can have noticeable dips. The data confirms that this hardware combination is best suited for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, with any higher resolution or quality preset resulting in sub-60 FPS averages.