Palworld

Palworld is a demanding survival title, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with the Intel Arc B390 produces results that are squarely at the bottom of the tested combinations. This is a configuration where the graphics processor is the overwhelming bottleneck, and the data reflects a system that is only suitable for the lowest graphical presets at 1080p. The measured frames per second across all resolutions and settings are consistently low, placing this combo at rank 2607 out of 2944 tested combos. This is not a build for smooth, high-fidelity gameplay; it is a configuration that will require significant settings compromises to achieve even a playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s position in the database is unambiguous. With a rank of 2607 out of 2944 combos, this pairing sits in the bottom 11.5% of all tested configurations for Palworld. This ranking is a direct consequence of the Intel Arc B390’s performance profile, which is severely limited, especially when compared to the CPU it is paired with. The data indicates that the Ryzen 9 5950X is far more capable than the GPU, meaning the system’s overall gaming performance is capped by the graphics solution. The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU’s potential, but rather a measure of what this specific CPU+GPU combination can deliver in this specific game.

The Intel Arc B390’s own benchmark data reinforces this poor standing. Its average benchmark score is 1482, and it sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This means that 91% of all GPUs tested perform better in synthetic benchmarks. Its nearest rivals in the database are all ancient, low-end parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. The performance deltas against these rivals are tiny, at +1.3%, +1.5%, +2.5%, and +2.7% respectively. This places the Arc B390 in a performance class that is decades old, which is a critical factor in understanding why the Palworld frame rates are so low. When a modern game like Palworld is paired with a GPU that performs on par with a GeForce GT 710, the results are predictable: low resolution and low settings are the only path to a playable experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary factor limiting performance in this configuration. Its specifications are those of a very low-end integrated graphics solution, not a discrete gaming card. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines. It also features 12 ray tracing cores, but the overall compute throughput is minimal. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure for modern gaming. The memory configuration is the most telling detail: the GPU uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM of its own. This forces it to rely on the system’s main memory, which is often slower and creates a significant performance penalty in memory-intensive games.

The clock speeds are also indicative of its position. The base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. While the boost clock is not low, the base clock is very low, and the overall memory bandwidth is described as "System Dependent." This means the actual performance can vary wildly depending on the rest of the system, but in this case, it is clearly a bottleneck. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, and the nearest rival, the GT 520MX, scores 1463, a delta of just 1.3%. This confirms that the Arc B390 is not just a low performer in absolute terms; it is a low performer relative to even the most basic dedicated GPUs from a decade ago.

In Palworld, this translates directly to the measured FPS. At 4K with Ultra settings, the combo manages an average of just 15 FPS. Even at 1080p with Low settings, it only reaches an average of 84 FPS. The GPU’s lack of dedicated video memory and low overall compute power means it is overwhelmed by the game’s rendering demands at any resolution above the most basic. The data shows a clear pattern: for every resolution, the Low preset is the only one that approaches a playable frame rate, and even then, only at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU and GPU in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the only configuration that achieves a comfortable average frame rate, with 84 FPS. All other settings at 1080p, and all settings at higher resolutions, produce average frame rates that are likely to feel sluggish and unresponsive.

Q: Can this combo handle Palworld at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the results are poor. The Low preset achieves an average of 56 FPS, while Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 26 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are clearly not playable, and even the Low preset is only borderline.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X or the Intel Arc B390 the limiting factor in this build?

A: The GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 5950X is a high-end 16-core processor with a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile for GPUs. The CPU’s performance is far ahead of what this GPU can utilize in a game like Palworld.

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

A: The Arc B390’s average benchmark score is 1482. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. Other close rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower). The performance differences are minimal.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 84 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of only 40 FPS. This is a difference of 44 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset demands over twice the GPU performance of the Low preset.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 5950X have a high benchmark score?

A: Yes. The Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947 and sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 26017 and its single-core score is 1614, indicating a very capable processor that is not the source of the low frame rates in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, there is only one rational setting recommendation for this combination. The only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience is 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This yields an average of 84 FPS, which is the only average frame rate in the entire dataset that clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. All other presets at 1080p, and every preset at 1440p and 4K, fall below this mark, with many being far below what is considered playable for a survival game where reactions matter.

The Low preset at 1440p produces an average of 56 FPS, which is close to playable but might suffer from frame time inconsistencies that are not captured by the average FPS data. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 68 FPS, is also a possibility, but the step down from Low to Medium incurs a 16 FPS penalty, which is significant. For a game like Palworld, which features large open worlds and many dynamic objects, maintaining a stable frame rate is crucial. The data suggests that the Low preset at 1080p is the only safe choice. Choosing anything higher will result in an experience that is likely to be frustrating due to low and inconsistent frame rates. The Ultra presets at all resolutions should be avoided entirely, as the highest average frame rate they achieve is 40 FPS at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data paints a clear and consistent picture of this combo’s performance. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are uniformly poor. The Low preset averages 31 FPS, which is not playable. Medium drops to 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 29. High is even lower at 19 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 15 FPS. None of these frame rates are suitable for a smooth gaming experience, and they confirm that 4K is completely out of the question for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation improves slightly but remains challenging. The Low preset is the best performer, with an average of 56 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for many, though it is not high. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52, which is a borderline experience. The High preset drops to 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 26 FPS. The data shows that at 1440p, only the Low preset is a viable option, and even it is not ideal.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the performance is at its best, but the GPU’s limitations are still evident. The Low preset achieves an average of 84 FPS, which is the only result in the entire dataset that can be considered comfortably smooth. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 and a maximum of 79, which is also playable but leaves less headroom. The High preset averages 53 FPS, which is a marginal experience, and the Ultra preset averages just 40 FPS, which is not smooth. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a clear and steep performance cliff, with a 44 FPS difference between the lowest and highest settings. This is a classic sign of a GPU that is severely undersized for the game’s demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a high-end desktop processor that is completely outclassed by the GPU it is paired with in this test. It features 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This is a 5000-series processor on the AMD Socket AM4 platform, and it is built on a 7 nm process. The CPU has a large 64 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614. Its average benchmark score of 51947 places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (delta of -0.2%), AMD EPYC 8124P (-0.3%), Intel Core i9-13900F (+0.4%), and Intel Core i7-14700 (-0.7%). The CPU’s performance is not a limiting factor in Palworld.

In fact, the data suggests that the Ryzen 9 5950X is vastly more powerful than what the Intel Arc B390 can utilize. The CPU is capable of handling the game’s simulation and physics logic with ease, but the GPU is unable to render frames fast enough to take advantage of that capability. This is a classic CPU-bound vs. GPU-bound scenario, and the measured FPS numbers clearly show that the system is severely GPU-bound. The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are far more than what is needed for Palworld, which is a game that likely scales well with multiple cores but is not so demanding that it would bottleneck this processor. The bottleneck rests entirely on the graphics card. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as shown by its 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and Geekbench single-core score of 2083, also ensures that it is not holding back the game’s main thread. The conclusion is simple: the Ryzen 9 5950X is a powerful CPU that is wasted in this configuration, as the Intel Arc B390’s performance is the sole reason for the low frame rates.