Palworld

Palworld with an Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a clear picture of a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU holds its own at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates across four presets and three resolutions show a consistent pattern of scaling that highlights the balance between the six-core processor and the Ada Lovelace graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic reduction in frame rates across all settings, confirming that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the main constraints at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 180.5 at 1080p to 67.7 at 4K, a reduction of roughly 62%. This steep decline indicates that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates when pixel count quadruples.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings shows a similar pattern: the average drops from 71.6 FPS to 38.7 FPS, a 46% decrease. The gap between Medium and High settings widens at 4K, with Medium delivering 52.8 FPS versus High’s 38.7 FPS, suggesting that texture and shading complexity disproportionately affect the GPU at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the 4K result of 29.2 FPS falls below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for smooth play, while 1440p Ultra manages 58.5 FPS.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate. At Medium settings, FPS drops from 144.1 to 98.5, a 32% reduction, while High settings go from 112.2 to 71.6, a 36% drop. This suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-limited, as the i5-12400’s six cores and 12 threads can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The data shows that the RTX 4060 becomes the bottleneck once resolution exceeds 1440p, while the CPU’s influence fades as pixel count rises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 980th out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This percentile position reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the RTX 4060 sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 77th percentile. The gap between these two percentiles suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing for this particular game.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show how tightly clustered performance is in this segment. The Intel Core i7-9700 scores a nearly identical average benchmark of 19831 versus the i5-12400’s 19850, a delta of just 0.1%. Similarly, the Intel Core i7-8700 trails by only 0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX is 0.4% behind. The Intel Core i5-11600K leads by 0.4%. These negligible differences indicate that the i5-12400 is squarely in the middle of its performance class, with no meaningful advantage over older or newer rivals.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals display similar tight clustering. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23321 versus the RTX 4060’s 23181, a delta of -0.6%, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 0.7% behind. The Intel Arc B580 comes within 0.7% of the RTX 4060, and the AMD Radeon 760M trails by 0.8%. This narrow spread means that in Palworld, the RTX 4060’s rank of 980 is not driven by a decisive performance gap but rather by the sheer number of combos tested, many of which feature higher-end GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings six physical cores and 12 threads to the pairing, operating at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, provides 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In Palworld, a survival game that typically involves world simulation and creature AI, the CPU’s multithreaded capability matters, but the benchmark results show that at higher resolutions, the GPU dominates the frame rate equation.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its role. In Cinebench R23, it achieves a multicore score of 15935 and a singlecore score of 2249. The Passmark multithread score of 18747 and single-thread score of 3456 indicate balanced performance across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and max-thread score of 5890 show that scaling beyond 12 threads yields minimal gains, which is consistent with a six-core design.

In Palworld, the CPU’s influence is most visible at 1080p Low settings, where the system reaches 180.5 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the i5-12400 can feed the RTX 4060 sufficiently at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s rendering capacity becomes the limiting factor as settings and resolution increase. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 indicate a power-efficient design that does not constrain the GPU in most scenarios. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 versus the GPU’s 66 further supports the interpretation that the processor is the stronger component in this combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 delivers playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 180.5 FPS, Medium reaches 144.1 FPS, High hits 112.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 85.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 95.3 FPS, a 53% reduction, which shows that the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages become 119.9 FPS at Low, 98.5 FPS at Medium, 71.6 FPS at High, and 58.5 FPS at Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is 26.7 FPS, while at Low it is 60.6 FPS, indicating that lower settings scale more poorly with resolution increase because the GPU is already working harder to maintain high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the results fall to 67.7 FPS at Low, 52.8 FPS at Medium, 38.7 FPS at High, and 29.2 FPS at Ultra. Only the Low and Medium presets maintain averages above 50 FPS, while High falls below 40 FPS and Ultra drops below 30 FPS. The 4K Low result of 67.7 FPS is actually lower than the 1440p Ultra result of 58.5 FPS, showing that resolution has a more significant impact than settings at these extremes. The data reveals that the RTX 4060 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K only viable at lower presets.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with all presets exceeding 85 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra still delivers 58.5 FPS, making it viable for high-refresh monitors, while 3840x2160 only reaches acceptable levels at Low and Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 23181 is within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, Intel Arc B580, and AMD Radeon 760M. This indicates near-identical overall performance, though Palworld-specific results may vary.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4060?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. The i5-12400 ranks at the 77th percentile among CPUs, above the GPU’s 66th percentile. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 180.5 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU effectively.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 67.7 FPS and Medium yields 52.8 FPS, both playable. High drops to 38.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 29.2 FPS, which may feel sluggish for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: The combination ranks 980th out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range position rather than a specific deficiency in the pairing.

Q: Does the CPU’s boost clock affect performance?

A: The i5-12400’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz contributes to its single-thread score of 2249 in Cinebench R23, which helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more relevant.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data suggests using Medium settings at 2560x1440, which delivers 98.5 FPS with a noticeable improvement over Low. This preset provides a smooth experience while maintaining acceptable detail levels. At 1920x1080, High settings at 112.2 FPS offer the best visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate, as the difference from Medium is only 31.9 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p still achieve 85.2 FPS, making them viable for players who prioritize image quality.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings at 52.8 FPS are the recommended choice, as Low drops to 67.7 FPS but sacrifices too much visual detail. High settings at 38.7 FPS may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but Ultra at 29.2 FPS is not recommended for consistent play. The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is best paired with 1080p or 1440p displays, with 4K reserved for players willing to accept lower settings or use upscaling technologies.