Palworld

Palworld, the survival crafting phenomenon, is demanding in ways that don't always show up in a simple frame rate. The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination produces a set of results that reveal a clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions, while proving itself remarkably capable for smooth high-refresh 1080p play. The data shows a system that is well-balanced at lower resolutions but becomes distinctly GPU-limited at higher settings and resolutions, a classic pairing of a six-core Rocket Lake CPU with a mid-range RDNA 4 graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p High settings?

A: The measured average is 104 FPS. The data shows a consistent performance level that comfortably exceeds standard 60 Hz displays. Raising the preset to Medium increases the average to 135 FPS, and dropping to Low yields 167 FPS. At Ultra, the average falls to 79 FPS.

Q: Should I worry about the minimum frame rate in Palworld?

A: The fact pack only includes minimum FPS data for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 115 FPS, which is still a very high floor. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 76 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The minimum at 4K Medium is 42 FPS, which indicates the GPU is being pushed hard.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in general purpose performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400 F has an average benchmark score of 17177, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. The data positions it within a tight group: it is 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12, 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12450H, 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. The deltaPct values are all under 1%, meaning these processors are virtually indistinguishable in composite synthetic tests.

Q: How does the GPU stack up against its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060’s average GPU score is 16014. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which is 0.7% faster. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1% slower, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is 1% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 2.1% slower. The RX 9060 sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the 4K Ultra experience like on this system?

A: The data shows that 4K Ultra is the most demanding preset tested, with an average of 29 FPS. This is the only configuration to dip below 30 FPS. Dropping to 4K High yields 38 FPS, 4K Medium yields 49 FPS, and 4K Low yields 61 FPS. The step from Medium to Ultra at this resolution represents the largest performance delta in the dataset.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate a classic graphics card bounded scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 167 FPS, which suggests the GPU has plenty of headroom. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 29 FPS, while the CPU is the same in both scenarios. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit bus will be the primary constraint at high resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows allow for a clear-eyed recommendation based on the balance between visual quality and fluidity. For the primary target of 1080p, the High preset at 104 FPS is excellent for a survival title where combat dodges and Pal-catching are time-critical. However, Medium at 135 FPS is the sweet spot. The 31 FPS gain from High to Medium is a massive jump, and the visual penalty in a game with stylized environments is likely minimal. The fact that Medium is the only preset with min FPS data at 1080p (115 FPS) shows that this is the most stable configuration in the dataset.

At 1440p, the decision is more nuanced. High setting delivers 69 FPS, which is a solid lock for 60 Hz displays. Low jumps to 110 FPS, but the visual hit is considerable. Medium, with a minimum of 76 FPS and an average of 89 FPS, is the optimal balance for a high-refresh 1440p monitor. The 89 average is 29% higher than High, and the minimum of 76 is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. For players prioritizing smoothness, Medium is the recommendation.

At 4K, the system is fighting to maintain playable frame rates. Low at 61 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 49 FPS is playable, but the 42 FPS minimum will produce noticeable stutter in dense bases. High at 38 FPS and Ultra at 29 FPS are not advisable for anything other than screenshots. The data suggests that 4K is not this combination's home turf; those targeting 4K should consider a more capable GPU.

The overall best experience for this combo is 1440p Medium. The 89 FPS average with a 76 FPS minimum offers the best combination of visual fidelity and smoothness. At 1080p, High or Medium are both viable, but Medium is the recommended setting for headroom. For 4K, Low is the only truly playable setting.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a Navi 44 chip built on TSMC's 4 nm process with an RDNA 4.0 architecture. It has a 128-bit memory bus paired with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The chip's boost clock is 2990 MHz with a game clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU has a 132 W TDP and requires only a single 8-pin power connector, making it a very power-friendly option for a mid-range rig.

The frame data shows the GPU is heavily responsible for the performance scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU produce an average of 167 FPS. The fact that at 4K Ultra the average falls to just 29 FPS is a direct consequence of the memory system and the shading unit count. The GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, which is a configuration that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The pixel rate is 191.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 334.9 GTexel/s.

The 8 GB VRAM is the key constraint for Palworld at high settings and 4K. The game's world streaming and large draw distances can strain the memory buffer. The 4K Medium result (49 FPS avg) likely represents a point where the VRAM is fully utilized, and the transition to Ultra (29 FPS avg) shows a massive drop as the GPU falls off a memory bandwidth cliff. The 128-bit bus is the villain here. The synthetic benchmarks reflect this, with the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 17631 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, is only 0.7% faster overall, indicating that the RX 9060 is a direct competitor in raw performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the measured results show a linear progression in performance. Low hits an average of 167 FPS. Medium drops to 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. High provides 104 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, hitting 79 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 19.2% drop, while Medium to High is a 23% drop, and High to Ultra is a 24% drop. The performance is consistent, and all settings are playable.

At 1440p, there's a significant decrease in frame rates, but the system still delivers a strong experience. Low is 110 FPS. Medium is 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. High is 69 FPS. Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 19.1%, while the drop from Medium to High is 22.5%. The step from High to Ultra is a 24.6% drop. The 1440p High setting is the first point where the system falls below the 60 FPS high-refresh threshold.

At 4K, the performance is the most limited. Low yields 61 FPS. Medium is 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 57. High is 38 FPS. Ultra is 29 FPS. The scaling pattern here is steeper than at lower resolutions. The drop from Low to Medium is 19.7%, from Medium to High is 22.4%, and from High to Ultra is 23.7%. The minimum frame rate at 4K Medium (42 FPS) is the lowest in the entire dataset, indicating significant frame-time variance under load. The 4K results show a system that's clearly being pushed past its optimal zone.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined system ranks in the bottom half of the database for Palworld. The combo rank is 2181 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the 58.8th percentile of all tested combos. This means there are over 1500 combos that deliver better performance in this game, and only about 450 that are worse. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which has a 59th percentile rank across all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 71st percentile. The CPU is a stronger component than the GPU in this pairing.

The rank gives context to the frame data. The system is not a top-tier performer, but it's also not a low-end combo. It lands in the middle of the pack. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking indicates it's a capable enough to drive the GPU at lower resolutions. But as the resolution climbs, the GPU's 59th percentile ranking holds the system back. This is the classic profile of a balanced mid-range build.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 per core. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel, with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU is unlocked, but has a TDP of 65 W. It's a solid mid-range chip for Palworld, which is known for being thread-hungry during base building.

The CPU's benchmark data shows a strong single-thread performance, which is important for a game that frequently has to path-find and simulate. The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2024, and the 3DMark single-thread score is 868. The multi-thread results are also solid: Cinebench R23 multi-core is 14340, and the 3DMark max-threads score is 5652. The CPU's average score is 17177, placing it in the 71st percentile. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, is only 0.3% slower.

In Palworld, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 167 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit. At 4K Ultra, the CPU is not the constraint; the GPU is. The data shows that the i5-11400F is well-matched to the RX 9060. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for the game's simulation, while the 4.4 GHz boost clock ensures the GPU is fed with data in the most demanding scenarios. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking is higher than the GPU's 59th percentile, confirming that the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing.