Palworld

Palworld is a demanding survival title, and this specific pairing of an Intel Core i5-12400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a combo that ranks 54th out of 1718 tested combinations in the database. This places it in the top 3.1% of all tested systems, a position driven almost entirely by the GPU's raw power rather than the CPU's contribution. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1440p, but one where the processor becomes a noticeable constraint at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 54 out of 1718 is a strong result, but it is not reflective of a perfectly balanced system. The RTX 4090 is the dominant component, and its performance ceiling is far above what the i5-12400 can consistently feed it. This is a classic case of a high-end GPU being paired with a mid-range CPU, resulting in a combo that outperforms the vast majority of systems but leaves performance on the table compared to what the 4090 could achieve with a faster processor. The rank is respectable, yet the data indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor in many scenarios, preventing the combo from reaching the very top of the chart.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed performance driver in this pairing. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Palworld's textures at any resolution. The GPU’s base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and these clocks, combined with the 16,384 shading units, deliver an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what allows the combo to achieve high frame rates, particularly at 4K where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the GPU is not being fully utilized, as the CPU becomes the limiting factor, resulting in a less dramatic FPS increase than one might expect from the 4090's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better for 1080p or 4K gaming in Palworld?

A: The data indicates the system is more efficient at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU limits performance, as seen by the relatively small FPS gain when lowering settings. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, and the FPS scales more predictably with settings, making the GPU's power more relevant.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 66,473. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores slightly higher at 66,733 (a delta of -0.4%). The NVIDIA Tesla P40 scores 66,127 (a delta of 0.5%), showing the 4090 is virtually tied with these professional-grade cards in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance like?

A: The i5-12400 has a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3,456. This is adequate for gaming, but the data shows it is not strong enough to keep up with the 4090 at lower resolutions, where the CPU is more heavily stressed.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. This ensures compatibility with Palworld's rendering requirements and allows for the use of advanced features if the game implements them.

Q: What is the performance difference between the i5-12400 and the Intel Core i7-8700?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19,850, while the i7-8700 scores 19,894. The delta is -0.2%, meaning the i7-8700 is slightly faster in synthetic tests, but the difference is negligible for real-world gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 329.3, but this only drops to 289 at Medium and 221.5 at High. The jump from High to Ultra is significant, dropping to 166.4, but the overall range suggests the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on more of the workload. The average FPS at Low is 233.7, dropping to 189.3 at Medium and 145.4 at High. Ultra settings still yield a playable 112.8 FPS. This is a more balanced scenario, but the CPU is still a factor.

At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The average FPS at Low settings is 128.5, which drops to 106.8 at Medium and 77.4 at High. At Ultra settings, the system manages 58.5 FPS. This resolution shows the most significant FPS scaling with settings, which is the expected behavior when the GPU is the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K tells the story of the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 329.3 at 1080p to 128.5 at 4K, a reduction of 60.9%. This is a massive drop, but it is not proportional to the increase in pixel count, indicating that the CPU is holding back performance at the lower resolution. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 166.4 at 1080p to 58.5 at 4K, a reduction of 64.8%. This is a more significant percentage drop, which suggests the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is most efficiently utilized at 4K, where its power is fully taxed, while the i5-12400's limitations are most apparent at 1080p.

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. It has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and a TDP of 65 W. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,249 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 19,850, placing it at the 77th percentile of all CPUs. While this is a solid mid-range performer, the data clearly shows it is not sufficient to fully utilize the RTX 4090 in a game like Palworld. At 1080p, the CPU's performance ceiling limits the FPS, as evidenced by the relatively small gains when lowering graphical settings. The CPU is the bottleneck in this pairing, and while the combo still ranks highly, a more powerful processor would unlock significantly more performance from the GPU, especially at lower resolutions.