Palworld

Palworld pairs the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in a mobile combination that lands near the top of the tested field. The combo ranks 910th out of 2,944 tested combos for this game, placing it in the 69th percentile of all systems measured. That rank reflects a platform that is clearly high-end, though not the absolute fastest configuration available, with a substantial number of combos—over two thousand—trailing it in Palworld’s specific workload. The ranking suggests that while this pairing is strong, the game’s demands at the highest settings and resolutions keep it from challenging the very top of the leaderboard. For a survival game that can stress both CPU and GPU depending on world state and player count, this position indicates a balanced but not dominant setup.

The data positions this combo firmly in the upper tier of tested hardware, but the gap to the top is not trivial. With 69% of combos ranked below it, the system is a capable performer, yet the remaining 31% of tested configurations are faster in Palworld. That spread is worth noting because the components themselves are flagship-class parts, so the rank likely reflects how the game scales with the specific combination of a 16-core mobile CPU and a high-end laptop GPU. The ranking is a composite result, so the measured FPS across resolutions and settings provides a clearer picture of where this combo excels and where it falls short.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 910 out of 2,944 tested combinations places it in the upper quarter of all systems tested for Palworld. In percentile terms, this is roughly the 69th percentile, meaning it outperforms about two-thirds of the field while being outperformed by a significant minority. The rank is a strong showing for a mobile platform, especially one that is not the newest generation from either AMD or NVIDIA. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is an 8000-series part, while the RTX 4080 is from the GeForce 40-series, both of which have since been succeeded in the market. Yet in Palworld, this older pairing still holds its own against newer hardware.

What the rank does not tell you is the shape of the performance curve. The measured FPS data shows that this combo is capable of very high frame rates at 1080p, with the Low preset hitting 228 FPS, but it falls to sub-60 territory at 4K Ultra at 39 FPS. That wide spread explains why the rank is not higher: the system is excellent at lower resolutions and settings but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at the most demanding settings. The rank also reflects the CPU’s contribution, as Palworld is known to be CPU-intensive in certain scenarios, and the Ryzen 9 8945HX’s 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for most situations.

Compared to the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU individually, this combo benefits from having both components in the same performance tier. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, is only 0.1% ahead in average benchmark score, which means the 8945HX is essentially on par with Intel’s top mobile part. On the GPU side, the RTX 4080’s nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is 0.1% ahead, so the non-SUPER variant is virtually identical in performance. This parity means the combo’s rank is not dragged down by a weak link; it is simply that Palworld at 4K Ultra is a heavy load for any mobile hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of frame rates in Palworld, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory capacity and bandwidth are critical for Palworld, which loads large open-world environments and can consume significant VRAM at 4K resolution. The 16 GB frame buffer is generous for this game, allowing the GPU to hold textures and geometry without resorting to slower system memory. The GPU’s base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at an effective 22.4 Gbps, which are high figures that contribute to the card’s compute throughput.

The GPU’s 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key indicator of its rasterization capability, and the measured results in Palworld reflect that power. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 228 FPS, which is far beyond what a 60 Hz display needs and shows the GPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes more stressed, but it still manages respectable numbers: 150 FPS at 1440p Low and 83 FPS at 4K Low. The drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is substantial, but the GPU’s raw performance keeps the game playable even at 4K on lower presets.

The RTX 4080’s architecture, Ada Lovelace, includes 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which are relevant for Palworld if the game uses any ray tracing or DLSS features. However, the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing was enabled, so the results should be interpreted as standard rasterized performance. The GPU’s 9728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units provide the parallel throughput needed for the game’s many on-screen entities, from Pals to building structures. The 112 ROPs handle pixel output, and the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s suggests the card can fill high-resolution frames efficiently.

One notable aspect is the GPU’s power envelope: a 320 W TDP with a suggested 700 W PSU. In a mobile context, this is a high-power part that generates substantial heat, but the performance numbers justify the power draw. The RTX 4080 is an end-of-life product now, but its benchmark results—like a PassMark G3D score of 34,457—show it remains competitive. The GPU’s percentile rank of 86 among all GPUs means it is faster than 86% of all tested graphics cards, which is a strong position for a mobile part.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS. That is a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience with no drops below 144 Hz, making Medium the sweet spot at 1080p. High preset at 1080p yields 142 FPS, which is still excellent but slightly below the 144 Hz threshold for maximum smoothness on high-refresh displays. Ultra at 1080p drops to 108 FPS, which is fine for 60 Hz panels but leaves performance on the table for gamers with faster screens.

At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 122 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. This is the best balance between visual quality and performance at this resolution, as it stays above 100 FPS for the vast majority of the time. High at 1440p drops to 94 FPS, which is still very playable but not as consistent for high-refresh gaming. Low at 1440p hits 150 FPS, which is faster but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for most players. Ultra at 1440p falls to 71 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive action.

At 4K, the picture changes dramatically. Medium preset is the only option that maintains a playable frame rate: 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. That is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but the minimum of 57 FPS suggests some dips below 60 in heavy scenes. High at 4K drops to 52 FPS, which is borderline for a 60 Hz display, and Ultra at 4K falls to 39 FPS, which is not smooth. Low at 4K hits 83 FPS, which is surprisingly high and suggests that the GPU has enough headroom at low settings to handle 4K well.

The best experience across all resolutions is the Medium preset. At 1080p and 1440p, it delivers high frame rates with no significant stutters, and at 4K, it is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS on average. The data shows that Medium is the optimal choice for this combo, offering a strong balance of visual detail and performance. For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, Low preset at 1440p or 4K provides even higher FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial. Ultra is only recommended for players who value image quality over smoothness and are willing to accept sub-60 FPS at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of this combo’s performance in Palworld. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 228 FPS, which is the highest number recorded in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU and GPU are both well underutilized at this resolution, with the game easily pushing far beyond any display’s refresh rate. Medium at 1080p achieves 185 FPS, with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS, showing a consistent frame delivery with no major dips. High at 1080p drops to 142 FPS, which is still high but represents a 23% reduction from Low. Ultra at 1080p brings the average down to 108 FPS, a 53% drop from Low, which illustrates the significant cost of the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low at 1440p delivers 150 FPS, which is still very high and only 34% lower than 1080p Low. Medium at 1440p achieves 122 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS, showing decent consistency though the minimum is noticeably lower than the 1080p Medium minimum. High at 1440p drops to 94 FPS, a 34% reduction from Medium, and Ultra at 1440p falls to 71 FPS, which is a 42% reduction from High. The step-down from Medium to High is significant, while the jump from High to Ultra is even steeper, indicating that Ultra settings impose a large performance penalty at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low at 4K delivers 83 FPS, which is surprisingly playable and only 45% lower than 1080p Low. Medium at 4K achieves 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that averages above 60 FPS. High at 4K drops to 52 FPS, an 22% reduction from Medium, and Ultra at 4K falls to 39 FPS, which is a 25% reduction from High. The 4K results show that the RTX 4080 is capable of handling Palworld at this resolution, but only at lower presets. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 19% performance, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 22%, and Ultra costs a further 25%.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: lower resolutions and settings yield higher FPS, with the biggest performance cliffs occurring at 4K Ultra and 1080p Ultra. The combo’s strength is in high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can easily exceed 100 FPS on Medium or High. At 4K, the experience is more constrained, but Medium preset provides a playable 67 FPS average. The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium presets, and those figures—157 at 1080p, 103 at 1440p, and 57 at 4K—suggest that the Medium preset is the most stable, with no severe frame-time spikes.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is limiting performance in Palworld. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 228 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p, a 34% reduction, and then to 83 at 4K, a further 45% reduction. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario: as resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, and frame rates drop accordingly. The fact that Low settings at 1080p hit 228 FPS suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU is capable of producing very high frame counts.

At Medium settings, the scaling is slightly different: 185 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34%, similar to Low, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 45%, which is steeper. This indicates that the GPU is becoming more heavily loaded as resolution increases, and the higher settings compound that load. At High settings, the numbers are 142 FPS at 1080p, 94 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K, with drops of 34% and 45% respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter in all cases, as the scaling is uniform.

The step from 1080p to 1440p represents a 2.25x increase in pixel count, while 1440p to 4K is a 2.25x increase as well. If the system were purely GPU-bound, we would expect FPS to drop by roughly 56% at each step, but the observed drops are closer to 34% and 45%. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is still contributing to the frame rate, preventing the GPU from being fully utilized. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes more saturated, and the FPS drops become more pronounced. At 4K, the GPU is almost certainly the limiting factor, as the FPS drops align more closely with the pixel-count increase.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 9 8945HX is not holding back the RTX 4080 at higher resolutions. At 4K Low, the combo still manages 83 FPS, which is a strong result and indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle 4K at lower settings. The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Palworld’s gameplay logic, and the 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded tasks, such as game logic and physics, are handled quickly. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops when enabling higher presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which are high figures for a mobile part. The CPU’s 64 MB of L3 cache is shared across the chip, providing fast access to frequently used data. In Palworld, which can be CPU-intensive when many Pals are on screen or when the world simulation is active, the 8945HX’s core count and high boost clock are advantageous. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 and single-core score of 6,030 demonstrate strong performance in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

The CPU’s role in Palworld is less about raw FPS and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 228 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, and the CPU is not the bottleneck at that point. At 1080p Ultra, the FPS drops to 108, but this drop is more attributable to the GPU rendering more complex scenes than to CPU limitations. The CPU’s 16 cores ensure that background tasks and game logic do not interfere with frame rendering, and the 32 threads provide ample resources for any parallel processes.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 8945HX is essentially tied for the top spot among mobile CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 76,212 is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, and it is 0.4% higher than the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P. The CPU’s percentile rank of 95 among all CPUs means it is faster than 95% of all processors tested, which places it in the top 5% globally. This high ranking is reflected in Palworld’s performance, where the CPU does not appear to limit the GPU at any resolution or setting.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 and dual-channel configuration provides 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for feeding the GPU with data. The 5 nm process node, manufactured by TSMC, allows for high clock speeds while keeping power consumption in check, though the TDP of 55 W is modest for a 16-core part. The CPU’s integrated Radeon 610M graphics are not used in this configuration, but they are available as a fallback. In Palworld, the CPU’s role is to maintain a steady frame supply, and the data shows that it does so without issue, as the FPS drops across resolutions follow a GPU-bound pattern rather than a CPU-bound one.