Palworld

Palworld, a survival title from January 2024, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with resolution. The measured configuration of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a frame rate curve that is almost entirely dictated by the graphics processor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 84 FPS, but this figure falls precipitously as resolution increases, revealing a stark performance ceiling. The data indicates a configuration where the CPU, a high-end 8-core Zen 5 part, has ample headroom, while the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for Palworld shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 84 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a significant reduction of 28 FPS. Moving to 4K at the same settings yields an average of just 31 FPS, which is a 53 FPS drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390 is running out of pixel-pushing capability, as the workload shifts from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to heavily GPU-bound at higher ones.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. The 1080p average is 68 FPS, which drops to 45 FPS at 1440p, and further to 25 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K here is 43 FPS. This pattern is typical of a system where the graphics card's fillrate and shading capacity are the primary constraints. The data shows no signs of a CPU bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rate scaling is consistent with a purely GPU-limited scenario.

The High preset follows the trend, with averages of 53 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, produces averages of 40 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and just 15 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is similar across all presets, indicating that the relative performance penalty of increasing resolution is consistent regardless of the graphical settings. This uniformity points to a fixed hardware limitation rather than a software or driver-induced scaling issue.

The nature of the scaling indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 16 threads and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz, is more than capable of feeding frames to the Arc B390 at 1080p. As the resolution increases, the demand on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth grows, and the Arc B390's performance collapses. The 4K results, which are all below 31 FPS, are not playable for a smooth experience, while 1440p offers a marginal improvement but still struggles to maintain 60 FPS on any preset.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this configuration's Palworld performance. Its specifications, including a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, are paired with a memory system that is "System Shared." This means the GPU relies on the system's main memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This architecture is a significant contributor to the performance limits observed in the data, as the GPU's access to memory is not dedicated and can be a bottleneck, especially at high resolutions where data transfer demands are high.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures place the Arc B390 in a low-performance tier. The benchmark data supports this, as its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is only 1482, and its percentile rank among all GPUs is just 9th. This indicates that the Arc B390 is slower than 91% of the GPUs in the database, a statistic that aligns with the sub-60 FPS averages seen at 1440p and the sub-30 FPS averages at 4K in Palworld.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which scores 1460. The Arc B390 is a mere 1.3% and 1.5% ahead of these older parts, respectively. This close grouping underscores the B390's position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. For a game like Palworld, which features open-world environments and dynamic physics, this level of GPU performance is insufficient for high-resolution or high-detail gaming. The 12 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate are present, but the raw rasterization power is not there to deliver playable frame rates at 4K.

The VRAM, being system shared, has no dedicated size specified. This is a critical detail; the lack of dedicated graphics memory means the GPU is competing with the CPU for memory bandwidth. In Palworld, which can be memory-intensive, this could cause hitches and frame drops, although the average FPS data does not capture frame time consistency. The data shows that the GPU's role is to provide a baseline of low-end performance that is suitable for 1080p gaming on Low settings, but it is simply outclassed by the demands of higher resolutions and presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration are at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only combination that yields an average frame rate above 60 FPS, reaching an average of 84 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience, which is critical for a survival game where quick reactions can be necessary. While the Medium preset at 1080p offers a better visual quality with an average of 68 FPS, the Low preset provides a more substantial performance buffer, ensuring that frame rates remain high even in demanding in-game scenarios.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that playable performance is possible but with compromises. The Low preset at this resolution averages 56 FPS, which is close to a 60 FPS target but may not be consistently smooth. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 45 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a fluid experience. Therefore, for 1440p users, the Low preset is the only viable option to maintain a frame rate that is near the playable threshold.

The 4K resolution is not recommended for this configuration. All presets at 3840x2160 fail to reach an average of 31 FPS. The High preset averages 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 15 FPS. These results are far below what is considered playable for an action-oriented game. The data indicates that the Intel Arc B390 does not have the performance headroom for 4K gaming in Palworld, and attempting to do so will result in a slideshow-like experience. The best experience, per the measured rows, is unequivocally 1080p Low, which provides the highest frame rate and greatest stability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2607 out of 2944 tested combos for Palworld. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations in the database, a ranking that is heavily influenced by the GPU's low performance. The CPU, which is quite powerful, is effectively held back by the GPU, resulting in a system that underperforms relative to what the processor alone is capable of.

This low combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's percentile ranking. Since the Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, it is expected that any combo featuring it will rank poorly in a game that is graphically demanding. The CPU's high percentile ranking of 86th does not compensate for the GPU's deficiency. The data shows a significant mismatch in performance classes, with a top-tier CPU paired with an entry-level GPU. This creates a bottleneck that prevents the system from achieving a balanced level of performance. The combo rank of 2607 out of 2944 serves as a quantitative measure of this imbalance, showing that most other CPU-GPU pairings in the database would deliver better Palworld performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end desktop processor, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it draws a TDP of 65 W. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 20,485 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,211 in single-core. These scores place it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance relative to other processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E, which it beats by a slim 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, which it also leads by 0.1%.

In the Palworld data, the CPU's role appears to be one of providing ample headroom. The frame rates at 1080p, especially on Low settings, are high enough to suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The 84 FPS average at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation capability for this title, but the GPU prevents the system from achieving higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s provide a solid foundation for gaming, but the GPU cannot utilize this potential effectively.

The discrepancy between the CPU's ability and the GPU's performance is clear. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a processor capable of handling modern games with ease, as shown by its high benchmark scores. However, in this specific configuration, its performance is largely irrelevant to the final frame rate output because the Intel Arc B390 is the primary constraint. The data suggests that the CPU is a "good" match for the GPU in terms of providing enough data, but the GPU is a "bad" match for the CPU in terms of rendering speed. The result is a system that is drastically underutilized from the CPU's perspective.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this configuration can achieve in Palworld?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 84 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of running Palworld at 4K resolution?

A: No. The data shows that all presets at 3840x2160 produce average frame rates below 31 FPS, with the Ultra preset averaging only 15 FPS. This is not a playable experience for a survival game.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460).

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for smooth gameplay?

A: The only combination to exceed 60 FPS is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 84 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset is the best option, averaging 56 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X rank among all CPUs in the database?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X is in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. It scores 20,485 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E.

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

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The frame rate drops significantly with resolution scaling, which indicates a GPU bottleneck. The CPU, which is in the 86th percentile, has enough performance headroom to support higher frame rates than the GPU can render.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 combination in Palworld. Where available, minimum and maximum frame rates are also provided.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :------ | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 15 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | High | 19 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 25 | 21 | 29 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 31 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 26 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 35 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 45 | 38 | 52 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 56 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 40 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 53 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 68 | 58 | 79 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 84 | - | - |

This data shows a consistent performance hierarchy. The Low preset provides the highest frame rates at every resolution, while the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The spread between the Low and Ultra presets is most pronounced at 1080p, where there is a 44 FPS difference, and it narrows to a 16 FPS difference at 4K. This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so saturated that the graphical settings have a reduced relative impact on the final frame rate.