Palworld

Palworld with the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER presents a compelling mid-range pairing for survival gaming. The measured FPS data reveals a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck at higher loads while the CPU provides ample headroom. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, offering a clear picture of what this combination can achieve.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K dramatically impacts frame rates, clearly demonstrating the GPU's workload scaling. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 93.8 at 1920x1080 to 61.8 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 32 FPS when moving to 1440p. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields 36.5 FPS, which is a 57.3 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The pattern is consistent across all presets: Low settings see a drop from 149.4 at 1080p to 102.1 at 1440p and finally 52.7 at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh — at High settings, the FPS nearly halves (61.8 to 36.5), which suggests the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and bandwidth are being saturated. Notably, the 1080p to 1440p transition is more forgiving, with FPS reductions of roughly 30-40% across presets, while the 1440p to 4K jump often exceeds a 40% loss. This non-linear scaling points to the GPU hitting a compute or memory wall at 4K, rather than a smooth degradation. The data implies that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, while 4K is only viable at Low settings, where 52.7 FPS remains playable but far from ideal. The 1440p results offer a balanced middle ground, with High settings at 61.8 FPS providing a decent experience, though the gap to 1080p's 93.8 FPS is significant.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant factor in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but strained at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz drive the 2176 shading units, and the measured FPS data shows this hardware is well-utilized until 4K. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) is a key detail — at 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 27.7, indicating the memory subsystem cannot keep up with the texture and geometry demands. The GPU's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but Palworld's rasterization-heavy workload suggests they play a minor role here. The FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is the raw compute available, and the scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows the GPU maintains efficiency, but the 4K results fall off a cliff. For instance, at Medium settings, the FPS goes from 124 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p, then drops to 46.8 at 4K — a 41.5% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This aligns with the GPU's 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, placing it in the mid-range tier. The RTX 2060 SUPER's nearest rival, the RTX 2070, scores 0.5% higher in average benchmarks, but in Palworld, the measured data shows this combo's GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K. The 175 W TDP and 450 W recommended PSU are not limiting factors in the FPS data; rather, it is the raw throughput that caps performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on optimal settings. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 149.4 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but Medium at 124 FPS offers a significant visual upgrade with only a 17% performance penalty. High at 93.8 FPS is still smooth and represents the best balance for most players, as Ultra drops to 69.9 FPS — a 25.5% reduction from High that may not justify the visual gains. For 2560x1440, Low at 102.1 FPS is the only preset that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, making it the choice for high-refresh monitors. Medium at 80 FPS is playable, but High at 61.8 FPS is the highest setting that maintains a stable 60 FPS baseline. Ultra at 49.6 FPS is borderline, and the data suggests avoiding it unless the player prioritizes visuals over smoothness. At 3840x2160, the choices are limited: Low at 52.7 FPS is the only option above 50 FPS, while Medium at 46.8 FPS and High at 36.5 FPS are below the 60 FPS target. Ultra at 27.7 FPS is not recommended for any serious gameplay. The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p High (93.8 FPS) for a mix of quality and performance, or 1440p Low (102.1 FPS) if resolution is more important. The data indicates that dropping from High to Medium at any resolution yields a consistent 20-30% FPS boost, which is a practical trade-off for maintaining higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which achieve 102.1 FPS. Medium settings at 80 FPS also exceed 60 FPS, while High settings at 61.8 FPS just barely hit the mark. Ultra settings fall short at 49.6 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable experience at 52.7 FPS. Medium drops to 46.8 FPS, High to 36.5 FPS, and Ultra to 27.7 FPS, making 4K unsuitable for demanding play.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop between presets?

A: The largest single drop occurs at 1440p from Low to Ultra, where FPS falls from 102.1 to 49.6, a reduction of 52.5 FPS. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 79.5 FPS (149.4 to 69.9).

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER scores 19,774 average benchmark points, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070's 19,680. It also leads the GTX TITAN by 0.3% and the Quadro K5200 by 0.8%.

Q: What settings should be avoided for smooth gameplay?

A: Ultra settings at any resolution below 1440p, and all presets above Low at 4K, produce FPS below 60. Specifically, 4K Ultra at 27.7 FPS and 1440p Ultra at 49.6 FPS are the worst offenders.

Q: Does lowering settings from High to Medium provide a significant boost?

A: Yes, the data shows a consistent 20-30% improvement. At 1080p, Medium (124 FPS) is 30.2 FPS higher than High (93.8 FPS). At 1440p, the gain is 18.2 FPS (80 vs 61.8), and at 4K, it is 10.3 FPS (46.8 vs 36.5).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides a strong foundation for this gaming combo. With 6 cores and 12 threads, its architecture features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache. The base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts to 4.40 GHz, and the CPU's 65 W TDP is modest, suggesting thermal headroom. In Palworld, the measured FPS data implies the CPU is not the limiting factor — the GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions is clear. The i5-12400's single-thread performance, as shown by a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249, is sufficient for the game's physics and AI. Multi-threaded capabilities are robust, with Cinebench R23 multicore scoring 15,935 and 3DMark max threads at 5,890. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, has a nearly identical average score (19,831 vs 19,850, a 0.1% delta). This means the i5-12400 performs comparably to older i7 parts, confirming it won't hold back the RTX 2060 SUPER. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the CPU still allows 149.4 FPS, indicating it can feed frames fast enough. The Passmark single-thread score of 3,456 and multithread score of 18,747 further support that the CPU has ample headroom for this game's demands. However, the data does not show any CPU-bound scenarios — even at 1080p Ultra (69.9 FPS), the GPU is likely the constraint, as the CPU's boost clock can handle the load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured FPS reveals a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 149.4 FPS, Medium reaches 124, High delivers 93.8, and Ultra drops to 69.9. This represents a 53.2% reduction from Low to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the numbers are 102.1 (Low), 80 (Medium), 61.8 (High), and 49.6 (Ultra), with a 51.4% drop from Low to Ultra. At 3840x2160, the values are 52.7 (Low), 46.8 (Medium), 36.5 (High), and 27.7 (Ultra), showing a 47.4% reduction. The consistency across resolutions — roughly a 50% performance loss from Low to Ultra — indicates that the settings presets scale uniformly in their demands on the GPU. The 1080p Low result of 149.4 FPS is the highest measured, while 4K Ultra at 27.7 FPS is the lowest. The gap between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra is a staggering 121.7 FPS, underscoring the GPU's limitations. Interestingly, 1440p Low (102.1 FPS) outperforms 1080p High (93.8 FPS) by 8.3 FPS, suggesting that resolution scaling is more impactful than preset changes at lower settings. At 4K, the difference between Medium and High is 10.3 FPS (46.8 vs 36.5), which is smaller than the 13.2 FPS gap at 1440p (80 vs 61.8) or the 30.2 FPS gap at 1080p (124 vs 93.8). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration ranks 1,228th out of 1,718 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the 28.5th percentile of all combinations — meaning roughly 71.5% of tested systems perform better. This ranking reflects the mid-range nature of the i5-12400 and RTX 2060 SUPER pairing. The GPU's 63rd percentile ranking (vs all GPUs) and the CPU's 77th percentile (vs all CPUs) do not directly translate to the game's combo rank, suggesting that Palworld's optimization favors higher-end GPUs more heavily. The combo's rank of 1,228 is lower than what the individual component percentiles might imply, indicating that the GPU's performance in this game is below its average standing. The nearest GPU rival, the RTX 2070, is only 0.5% faster in average benchmarks, but in Palworld, the difference could be more pronounced given the game's GPU intensity. The CPU's nearest rival, the Core i7-9700, with a 0.1% delta, is essentially a wash. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a more significant rank improvement than upgrading the CPU, as the combo is likely GPU-bound in most scenarios. The 1,228th rank out of 1,718 combos indicates that while this system is not at the bottom, it sits in the lower-middle tier for Palworld specifically, which is a demanding title at higher settings.