Palworld

Palworld with the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a profoundly lopsided pairing, where the GPU’s immense raw power is frequently restrained by the CPU’s older Comet Lake architecture. The benchmark results show a combo that ranks in the 94th percentile of all tested configurations, yet the data reveals a system that is clearly bottlenecked at lower resolutions and heavily favors high-resolution, GPU-bound scenarios. This analysis will break down the specific roles each component plays, the measured performance across resolutions, and what the scaling patterns indicate about the system’s fundamental balance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, alongside a shared 12 MB L3 cache. This is a 10th-generation desktop part from 2020, and its benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer but not a high-end enthusiast chip. In synthetic tests, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 6257 and a single-core score of 1420.

In the context of Palworld, the CPU’s role is to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is adequate for modern gaming, but the low single-thread performance is a critical factor. The 3DMark single-thread score of 688 is notably weak, and this directly contributes to the bottleneck seen at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 240 FPS, but this is likely the ceiling imposed by the CPU rather than the GPU. The processor’s Passmark single-thread score of 2541 and 3DMark 2-thread score of 1350 further confirm that it cannot feed the RTX 5090 D fast enough at lower resolutions, where the GPU is underutilized.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache is another limitation. While it is sufficient for many titles, Palworld’s open-world survival mechanics can be cache-sensitive. The Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1036 and R20 multi-core score of 4318 show that the processor has decent multi-threaded throughput for its class, but it falls short of modern competitors. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the Intel Xeon 6756E with an avgScore of 14163 (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C with an avgScore of 14277 (0.6% higher), are statistically similar in overall CPU performance, yet they are not necessarily better for gaming. The i5-10400F’s 4.30 GHz boost clock is its saving grace, but it cannot overcome the architectural age. In practical terms, this CPU is the limiting factor in high-FPS scenarios, capping performance below what the GPU could theoretically deliver.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Its 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs deliver astronomical compute power, with FP32 performance rated at 104.8 TFLOPS. The GPU’s benchmarks place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 44065 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326.

The 32 GB VRAM is a massive asset for Palworld, which can be memory-hungry at high resolutions and with many assets loaded. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-detail rendering are never constrained by memory throughput. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz is high, but the real story is the sheer number of cores, which allows for massive parallel processing. In the measured FPS data, the GPU shines at 4K, where it is fully utilized. For instance, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the system averages 87 FPS, and at Medium settings, it averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS.

However, the GPU’s performance is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system averages 181 FPS, while at 2560x1440 with Ultra, it averages 119 FPS. These numbers are high, but they are not scaling as steeply as the GPU’s raw power would suggest, indicating that the CPU is holding the system back. The RTX 5090 D is designed for 4K gaming and beyond, and its role in this combo is to deliver playable frame rates at the highest resolutions. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with an avgScore of 78940 (1.6% higher) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with an avgScore of 79605 (2.4% higher), are not direct competitors, as they are either mobile parts or older data center cards. The RTX 5090 D is in a class of its own, and its bottleneck is purely the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 190th out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 6.5% of all configurations. This is an exceptional ranking, but it is not as high as the GPU’s individual percentile (92nd) would suggest, highlighting the CPU’s drag on overall performance. The rank of 190 out of 2944 means that the vast majority of systems are slower, but it also implies that many combinations with better-matched CPUs outperform this pairing.

The data indicates that while the RTX 5090 D is one of the most powerful GPUs available, the i5-10400F is a mid-range part from a previous generation. This mismatch is evident in the FPS numbers, where the system cannot consistently hit the 240 FPS cap at 1080p Low settings, averaging exactly 240 FPS, which suggests a CPU limit. The combo rank reflects this imbalance: it is a high rank, but not a top-50 rank, which would require a more modern, higher-clock CPU. For perspective, the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking show a 24-point gap, which is substantial. In practical terms, this combo is ideal for 4K gaming, where the GPU does the heavy lifting, but it leaves performance on the table at 1440p and 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 240 FPS on Low settings, 222 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 189 FPS and a maximum of 256 FPS), 202 FPS on High, and 181 FPS on Ultra. The 240 FPS at Low is a hard cap, likely due to the CPU’s limitations, as the GPU could easily push higher. The drop from 240 FPS at Low to 181 FPS at Ultra is a 24.6% reduction, driven by increased GPU load, but the CPU is still the primary limiter.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 209 FPS on Low, 193 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS), 157 FPS on High, and 119 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 43.1% drop, showing that the GPU is becoming more involved as resolution increases. The 119 FPS at Ultra is still highly playable, but it is far below what the RTX 5090 D is capable of with a stronger CPU. At 3840x2160, the system averages 140 FPS on Low, 114 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS), 87 FPS on High, and 66 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 140 FPS at Low to 66 FPS at Ultra is a 52.9% reduction, indicating that the GPU is now the dominant bottleneck, as expected at 4K.

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the CPU bottleneck diminishes, and the GPU’s raw power takes over. The 66 FPS at 4K Ultra is the lowest result, but it is still a playable frame rate for a demanding survival game. The Medium settings at 4K (114 FPS) and 1440p (193 FPS) are the sweet spots for this combo, balancing visual quality and performance. The High settings at 4K (87 FPS) are also viable, but the Ultra preset is the only one that dips below 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling behavior is the most telling aspect of this combo’s performance. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 202 to 157, a 22.3% decrease. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the FPS drops from 157 to 87, a 44.6% decrease. This exponential scaling is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, but the absolute numbers reveal the CPU’s influence. At 1080p High, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the 202 FPS is not much higher than the 1440p result of 157 FPS, which is a smaller gap than expected if the GPU were the sole limiter.

For the Low preset, the scaling is even more revealing: 240 FPS at 1080p, 209 FPS at 1440p (a 12.9% drop), and 140 FPS at 4K (a 33% drop from 1440p). The 1080p Low result is capped at 240 FPS, which is a common CPU limit, while the 1440p and 4K results show a more progressive decline, indicating the GPU is starting to take over. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 222 FPS at 1080p, 193 FPS at 1440p (13.1% drop), and 114 FPS at 4K (40.9% drop).

The Ultra preset shows the most linear scaling: 181 FPS at 1080p, 119 FPS at 1440p (34.3% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K (44.5% drop). This suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions, as the increased graphical load overwhelms the CPU. The data strongly indicates that the i5-10400F is the limiting component at 1080p and, to a lesser extent, 1440p, while the RTX 5090 D becomes the limiting component at 4K. For users seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p, a stronger CPU would be necessary, but this combo is well-suited for 4K gaming, where the GPU’s power is fully utilized.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings preset for this combo?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers an average of 193 FPS, while 3840x2160 with Medium settings averages 114 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and high frame rates, 1440p Medium is optimal. For 4K gaming, Medium or High settings (114 FPS and 87 FPS, respectively) are the most playable options.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The bottleneck shifts with resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU is the primary limiter, as evidenced by the 240 FPS cap at Low settings. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck, as shown by the significant FPS drop from High (87 FPS) to Ultra (66 FPS). The 2560x1440 resolution is a transitional point where both components are stressed.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 190th out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 6.5%. This is a strong ranking, but it is lower than the GPU’s individual percentile (92nd), indicating the CPU is holding back overall performance.

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

A: Yes, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the system averages 140 FPS on Low, 114 FPS on Medium, and 87 FPS on High. Even at Ultra, it maintains an average of 66 FPS, which is playable. The 32 GB VRAM and high bandwidth ensure smooth texture streaming at 4K.

Q: Why is the 1080p Low setting capped at 240 FPS?

A: The 240 FPS average at 1920x1080 Low is a typical CPU limit. The Intel Core i5-10400F’s single-thread performance, as indicated by its 3DMark single-thread score of 688, cannot push frame rates higher, even though the RTX 5090 D has ample headroom.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163) and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115). It is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core 7 160UL (14232) and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277). These differences are negligible, indicating the i5-10400F is a typical mid-range performer.