Palworld

Palworld on the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B570 combo presents a clear picture of a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the processor provides ample headroom for the game's world simulation and entity logic. The measured data shows a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with settings adjustments, but 4K requires significant compromises to maintain acceptable frame rates. This analysis breaks down the performance scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 81 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 30 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 43% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the Intel Arc B570's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The system delivers 130 FPS at 1080p, drops to 85 FPS at 1440p, and falls to 47 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition here cuts performance by 45%, which is the largest percentage drop observed in any settings group. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the GPU is still overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at 4K, rather than being relieved by simpler shading work.

The Medium preset shows the most linear scaling, with 105 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS values for Medium at 1080p and 1440p are 89 FPS and 59 FPS respectively, which are close to the averages and indicate relatively stable frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 33, which is only 5 FPS below the average, suggesting the GPU is consistently saturated rather than spiking.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 61 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 30 FPS across the entire dataset, making it effectively unplayable for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 34% drop, while 1440p to 4K is a 45% drop, mirroring the Low preset's behavior.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the dominant component in this combo, and its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is the key specification influencing these results. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These figures align with a mid-range card that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles with 4K.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for Palworld, which features large open-world environments. The 10 GB capacity is sufficient for the measured resolutions, but the 160-bit bus width limits memory bandwidth. This is evident in the 4K results, where the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is not the bottleneck—rather, the memory subsystem cannot feed the shaders quickly enough at higher pixel counts.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the Intel Arc A750 with a deltaPct of -0.1. These comparisons show the B570 is essentially on par with those cards in synthetic tests, but the game-specific measurements reveal its real-world behavior in Palworld is more constrained at high resolutions.

The 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with the performance observed, but the data does not indicate thermal throttling as a factor since the measured FPS values are stable across the Medium settings' min and max ranges. The 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die at TSMC's 5 nm process node provide the underlying efficiency, but the raw performance numbers are what matter for gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its role in this combo is to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and physics calculations, and the data suggests it does so without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257, placing it at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 18683 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7643 with a deltaPct of -0.1 and the Intel Core i7-1355U with a deltaPct of -0.3. This indicates the i5-12400 is a well-rounded processor, but its gaming performance is more dependent on single-threaded tasks. The PassMark single-thread score of 3456 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 910 are the relevant metrics for Palworld's main game thread.

The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game's entity tracking. The fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, rather than showing a plateau at lower resolutions, confirms the CPU is not limiting the frame rate. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 130 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to expose any CPU weakness, but the measurements show no such issue.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice, but the data shows its performance is sufficient for Palworld even at high settings. The multi-threaded benchmarks, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and the Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6715, indicate headroom for background tasks while gaming.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. It delivers 105 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without the need for extreme hardware utilization. The High preset at 1080p offers 81 FPS, which is still playable but with a lower safety margin for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, with 69 FPS average and a minimum of 59 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that maintains a consistent 60 FPS floor, making it ideal for competitive or exploration gameplay. The High preset at 1440p drops to 53 FPS, which is acceptable but may feel less fluid during intense combat or when many Pals are on screen.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, providing 47 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K offers 38 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable stuttering in busy areas. The High preset at 4K falls to 30 FPS, and Ultra at 4K drops to 22 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution for this combo. Even at 1080p, it only achieves 61 FPS, and the visual improvement over High is unlikely to justify the 20 FPS loss. The data suggests that High settings at 1080p or Medium settings at 1440p offer the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this processor and GPU pairing in Palworld is 2985 out of 3711 tested combos, placing it in the 20th percentile of all configurations. This rank is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 72nd, GPU at 65th), indicating that this specific combination underperforms relative to what the parts might suggest. The gap between the component percentiles and the combo rank highlights that the Arc B570 is a limiting factor in this game.

The rank of 2985 means there are 725 other combos that perform better in Palworld, which is a substantial number. This is likely due to the GPU's 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus being insufficient for the game's open-world streaming at higher resolutions. The CPU's strong benchmark scores do not translate into a high combo rank because the GPU cannot take full advantage of the CPU's capabilities at the resolutions where the CPU would matter most.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals show it is closely matched with other mid-range cards, but the combo rank suggests that Palworld specifically favors GPUs with wider memory buses or more VRAM. The data does not include comparisons to other CPUs or GPUs in this game, so the rank must be interpreted as a standalone metric.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings is usable. Low settings produce 130 FPS average, Medium produces 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 121 FPS, High produces 81 FPS, and Ultra produces 61 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 69 FPS, showing a wide performance range that allows for flexible tuning.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent. Low settings give 85 FPS, Medium gives 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS, High gives 53 FPS, and Ultra gives 40 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 45 FPS, but the Medium preset remains the most stable option.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows: Low settings provide 47 FPS, Medium provides 38 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS, High provides 30 FPS, and Ultra provides 22 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum and maximum values are the tightest range of any measurement, indicating consistent performance, but the absolute values are low.

The data shows that the Intel Arc B570's performance in Palworld is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the CPU offering consistent support across all configurations. The 1080p Medium result of 105 FPS is the most compelling metric, as it balances frame rate with visual quality, while the 4K results demonstrate the GPU's limitations in this title.