Palworld

Palworld with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER produces a wide spread of framerates depending on how you configure it, and the data reveals a system that is far more capable at high refresh rates than at demanding 4K Ultra settings. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution climbs, while at 1080p the CPU’s strong single-thread performance helps push frame rates very high.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 316 at 1920x1080 to 208 at 2560x1440, and further down to 115 at 3840x2160. That is a 64% reduction in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low, which is a massive hit that points directly at the GPU’s rendering workload scaling with pixel count.

Moving to High settings tells a similar story. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 197, which drops to 130 at 2560x1440 and then to 72 at 3840x2160. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 67 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 58 FPS. This shows that the scaling is not perfectly linear—the drop from 1440p to 4K is slightly less severe in absolute terms, but the relative reduction is still significant. At 1080p High, the system is delivering nearly triple the frame rate it does at 4K High, which highlights how resolution-bound the experience becomes.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 256 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing 149 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and just 55 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra is a 43 FPS drop, which is a 44% reduction in performance. This suggests that at Ultra settings and 4K resolution, the system is heavily GPU-bound, and the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra averages is 167 FPS (316 vs 149). At 1440p, that gap narrows to 110 FPS (208 vs 98). At 4K, the gap is 60 FPS (115 vs 55). This trend indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, allowing settings to have a larger impact on frame rate. At 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers 60 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gain than at lower resolutions.

The 4K Medium row includes min and max FPS data: 79 and 108 respectively, with an average of 94. This shows a relatively tight frame time distribution, suggesting that the system can maintain consistent performance when not pushed to Ultra. The 1440p Medium row shows a min of 143 and max of 194, while 1080p Medium shows a min of 218 and max of 294—these ranges indicate that the system has enough headroom to avoid major stutters, but the variance increases at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 4K, the measured data suggests that Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 4K Medium average of 94 FPS is well above the 4K High average of 72 FPS and the 4K Ultra average of 55 FPS. The min FPS of 79 at 4K Medium indicates that the system rarely drops below the 60 FPS mark, making it a viable option for smooth gameplay. The 4K High preset, while visually superior, drops to an average of 72 FPS, which is still playable but has less headroom for demanding scenes. The 4K Ultra preset at 55 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is best avoided unless the player prioritizes maximum visual fidelity over frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the choice is more flexible. The 1440p High preset delivers 130 FPS average, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1440p Medium preset at 169 FPS is even smoother, and the 1440p Low preset at 208 FPS is close to the refresh rate of many 240Hz displays. The 1440p Ultra preset at 98 FPS is still above 60 FPS, so it is a reasonable choice for players who want higher quality without sacrificing too much performance. For competitive play, the 1440p Low preset offers the highest frame rate, but for most users, the 1440p High preset provides a strong balance between visuals and speed.

At 1920x1080, the system is extremely capable, and even the Ultra preset produces an average of 149 FPS. The 1080p High preset at 197 FPS and the 1080p Medium preset at 256 FPS are both excellent options. The 1080p Low preset at 316 FPS is likely to be limited by the CPU or the display refresh rate rather than the GPU. For players with a 240Hz or 360Hz monitor, the 1080p Medium or High presets are the sweet spot, as they provide high frame rates without the visual degradation of Low settings.

The measured rows do not include any upscaling technologies, so the recommendations are based purely on native resolution performance. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is best paired with 1440p or 4K Medium/High settings for a balanced experience, while 1080p allows for maximum frame rates with minimal compromises.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2253. This is relevant to Palworld because the game’s frame rate at lower resolutions is likely influenced by CPU throughput, and the data shows that at 1080p, the system achieves very high frame rates, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22174. However, the benchmark results for Palworld show that the CPU’s impact diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p, which suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for a game like Palworld, which is unlikely to scale perfectly across all threads, but the high single-thread performance ensures that the game’s main simulation thread is well-fed.

The Ryzen 9 9900X has a 64 MB L3 cache and a 120 W TDP, which are typical for a high-end desktop processor. Its benchmark percentile versus all CPUs is 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of tested CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the AMD EPYC 9015 has an average score of 57555 with a delta of -0.1%, and the Intel Core i9-14900 has an average score of 58115 with a delta of -1.1%. This places the Ryzen 9 9900X in the top tier of processors, and its performance is more than adequate for Palworld.

The fact that the system can reach 316 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates. The frame rate at 1080p Low is likely close to the CPU’s limit, as the GPU has much less work to do at that resolution. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced system where the CPU can keep up with the GPU even in CPU-light scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 308 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 8.3% of all configurations tested. This is a strong result, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game. The rank reflects the overall performance across all tested resolutions and settings, and it shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 86, and its average benchmark score is 54209. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which has an average score of 54247 with a delta of -0.1%, meaning the RTX 4080 SUPER is essentially tied with the non-SUPER version in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB has an average score of 55698 with a delta of -2.7%, which is slightly higher in the synthetic test but does not necessarily translate to better Palworld performance. The ranking of 308 out of 3711 suggests that the combo is not at the very top, likely because there are faster GPUs (like the RTX 4090) that push higher frame rates, but it is still in the upper echelon.

The rank is particularly impressive given that the RTX 4080 SUPER is an end-of-life product, but its 16 GB of VRAM and high compute throughput make it a capable choice for Palworld. The combo’s performance is consistent with what the synthetic benchmarks suggest—it is a high-end pairing that delivers excellent frame rates at 1440p and solid performance at 4K, but it is not the absolute fastest configuration available.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 10240 shading units, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores. It has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a substantial amount of VRAM and bandwidth, which is crucial for a game like Palworld that features a large open world with many objects and textures.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. Its percentile versus all GPUs is 86, and its average benchmark score is 54209. The GPU’s role in Palworld is evident from the resolution scaling data: as the resolution increases, the frame rate drops, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 55, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is working at its limit. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 115, which shows that the GPU can still deliver playable frame rates when settings are reduced.

The 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a bottleneck in Palworld, as the game’s textures and geometry are not excessively demanding at the tested settings. The memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s is also sufficient for 4K resolution, as the frame rate drops are more likely due to compute and shading limits rather than memory bandwidth constraints. The GPU’s TDP is 320 W, and it requires a 700 W power supply, which is a consideration for system builders, but this does not affect the measured performance.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080, has a delta of -0.1% in average benchmark score, indicating that the SUPER variant offers only a marginal improvement in synthetic tests. In Palworld, the measured FPS data does not include a direct comparison to the RTX 4080, but the synthetic scores suggest that the two cards perform similarly. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB has a higher average benchmark score (55698 vs 54209), but this does not necessarily mean it will outperform the RTX 4080 SUPER in Palworld, as the game may favor NVIDIA’s architecture.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot, with High settings delivering 130 FPS average and Medium delivering 169 FPS. At 4K, the best option is Medium at 94 FPS, while Ultra drops to 55 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Palworld?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 94, and at 4K High it is 72. The 4K Ultra preset at 55 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at different resolutions?

A: The CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, where the system reaches 316 FPS at Low settings. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as shown by the significant FPS drops from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER significantly better than the RTX 4080?

A: Based on synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54209, while the RTX 4080 has 54247, a delta of -0.1%. This indicates they perform nearly identically in general tests.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 308 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 8.3% of all configurations.

Q: Should I use Low settings for the highest frame rate?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 316, which is the highest measured. However, at 1440p Low, the average is 208 FPS, and at 4K Low it is 115 FPS, so the gain from Low settings diminishes at higher resolutions.