Palworld

Palworld, a Survival title released on 2024-01-18, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a dataset characterized by high frame rates that are nonetheless heavily influenced by the chosen settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system capable of handling the game at 4K, but the performance envelope is wide, ranging from a playable 60.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a staggering 353.6 FPS at 1080p Low. This analysis examines the resolution scaling, the combo's rank among other tested pairings, optimal settings, and a detailed breakdown of the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and expected pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average FPS drops significantly across all settings presets, indicating that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count. At the High preset, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a drop from 217.6 FPS to 146.5 FPS, a reduction of 71.1 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K further reduces the frame rate to 77.4 FPS, a 69.1 FPS drop. This linear decline suggests that the bottleneck is shifting from the CPU to the GPU as the pixel workload increases.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the Low preset is even more pronounced, with frame rates falling from 353.6 FPS to 129.8 FPS. This massive 223.8 FPS difference highlights that at lower settings, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU an enormous number of frames, but the GPU's rendering capacity at 4K becomes the limiting factor. The fact that the 1080p Low score exceeds 350 FPS indicates that the Ryzen 7 7700's 8 cores and 16 threads are not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, allowing the RTX 4090's raw power to be fully utilized.

At the Ultra preset, which likely includes the most demanding effects, the scaling is steepest in absolute terms. The frame rate drops from 166.6 FPS at 1080p to 109.6 FPS at 1440p, and then to 60.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this is the most demanding configuration tested. The data implies that for consistent high-refresh-rate gaming at 4K, users will need to rely on the High or Medium presets, as the Ultra preset pushes the hardware to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combo ranks 48th out of 1718 tested combinations in Palworld. This places it in the top 2.8% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performance pairing for this specific game. The rank is a holistic measure of the measured FPS across all resolution and settings combinations, and the data shows that this system is capable of delivering exceptional performance in most scenarios.

The CPU's individual benchmark scores support this high ranking. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 achieves an average benchmark score of 40468, which places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H with an average score of 40431 (a 0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i9-13905H with a score of 40712 (a -0.6% delta). This indicates that the CPU's processing power is competitive with top mobile and desktop parts, providing a solid foundation for the game's simulation and physics logic.

The GPU also performs at an elite level, with a percentile rank of 91 among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 66473, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA Tesla T4 at 66733 (a -0.4% delta). This data confirms that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier graphics card, and its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus provide ample bandwidth for high-resolution textures. The combination of a 91st-percentile CPU and 91st-percentile GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for Palworld, avoiding a scenario where one component severely limits the other.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 77.4 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 60.2 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, while the Medium preset at 101.9 FPS offers a significant performance boost for a moderate visual compromise.

At 1440p, the High preset at 146.5 FPS is an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, delivering a fluid experience. The Medium preset at 189.1 FPS is also viable for competitive play, where higher frame rates are prioritized. The Ultra preset at 109.6 FPS is still quite smooth and is recommended for players who want maximum visual quality without sacrificing the 100 FPS barrier. For 1080p, the data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, so users can freely choose between the High preset at 217.6 FPS and the Ultra preset at 166.6 FPS, both of which are exceptionally high.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates at all resolutions, but the visual quality trade-off is generally not recommended for a game like Palworld, which features a vibrant world. The Medium preset offers a substantial jump in frame rate over High and Ultra, making it a good fallback for users with lower refresh rate displays or those who prefer a performance headroom. In summary, the High preset is the recommended starting point for most users, as it delivers a strong balance of performance and visual quality across all three resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 166.6 at Ultra to 353.6 at Low, with High at 217.6 and Medium at 287.6. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 109.6 at Ultra to 231.7 at Low, with High at 146.5 and Medium at 189.1. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 60.2 at Ultra to 129.8 at Low, with High at 77.4 and Medium at 101.9.

The data reveals a consistent pattern where the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 1080p, the gap is 187.0 FPS (353.6 vs 166.6); at 1440p, the gap is 122.1 FPS (231.7 vs 109.6); and at 4K, the gap is 69.6 FPS (129.8 vs 60.2). This diminishing absolute gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate requirements limit the impact of settings changes that primarily affect shading and post-processing.

The Medium preset consistently offers a significant performance boost over High. At 1080p, it provides 287.6 FPS compared to High's 217.6, a 70.0 FPS increase. At 1440p, the difference is 42.6 FPS (189.1 vs 146.5), and at 4K, the difference is 24.5 FPS (101.9 vs 77.4). This suggests that the High preset includes effects that are disproportionately demanding, and the Medium preset is a strong choice for users seeking higher frame rates without dropping to the visually sparse Low preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's specifications play a crucial role in the observed results. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth provide the necessary capacity and throughput for high-resolution textures and complex scenes, preventing memory-related bottlenecks that could cause stuttering. The GPU's 16384 shading units and 512 texture mapping units allow it to process the massive amount of pixel and texture data required at 4K resolution. The boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with the 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, delivers the raw compute power needed to maintain high frame rates in a demanding survival game.

The GPU's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are also relevant, as Palworld may utilize ray tracing or DLSS features, though the measured data does not specify their usage. The 450 W TDP indicates that this is a power-hungry card, but the benchmark results show that this power is effectively translated into performance. The GPU's percentile rank of 91 and average benchmark score of 66473 confirm its elite status, and the data shows that it is the primary driver of the high FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU can keep up. At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the limiting factor, as seen in the more significant FPS drops when moving from Medium to Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 353.6 at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 4K with a smooth frame rate?

A: Yes, at 4K with the High preset, it achieves an average of 77.4 FPS, and with the Medium preset it achieves 101.9 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that drops below 60 FPS, averaging 60.2 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40468. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, scores 40431, which is a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i9-13905H scores 40712, which is a -0.6% difference from the 7700.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between the High and Medium presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 146.5 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 189.1 FPS, a difference of 42.6 FPS.

Q: What is the performance rank of this CPU+GPU combo in Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 48th out of 1718 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.8% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 4090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s with a 384-bit bus and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. This high bandwidth ensures that the GPU is not starved for data, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K resolution with demanding textures.