Palworld

Palworld is a survival game that stresses both CPU and GPU heavily, and the tested configuration of an Intel Core i5-12400 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a unique performance profile that shifts depending on resolution and settings. The data shows this combo ranks 86th out of 1718 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5% of all tested systems, but the bottlenecks are clearly defined by the game’s engine. This analysis breaks down exactly where the strengths and weaknesses lie, using only the measured benchmark data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake family, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It features a 65 W TDP and 18 MB of shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. In synthetic benchmarks, this chip scores 15935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2249 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 18747 and a single-thread score of 3456. The processor’s overall average benchmark score is 19850, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and it sits within 0.4% of rivals like the Intel Core i7-9700 and Intel Core i5-11600K, effectively tying them in raw compute.

In Palworld, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 326 FPS, which is a massive number that requires strong per-thread performance to feed the GPU. The 4.40 GHz boost clock and solid single-thread score of 2249 in Cinebench R23 are critical here, as Palworld’s simulation and world logic rely heavily on a few main threads. The 12 threads help with background tasks and entity management, but the data suggests that the i5-12400 is not a limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with GPU load. At 4K, the CPU’s workload remains constant, but the GPU becomes the primary constraint, showing that the processor has ample headroom for this game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2617 MHz, with 10752 shading units and 84 RT cores. The card’s raw compute is 56.28 TFLOPS for FP32, and it scores 36565 in PassMark G3D, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A570M, scores 58239 in average benchmarks, which is 1.6% lower, while the Intel Arc Pro A60 is 1.9% higher, showing this GPU is roughly on par with those mid-range parts in aggregate, though the RTX 5080’s real-world gaming performance is far stronger due to driver optimizations.

In Palworld, the RTX 5080’s 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, even at 4K Ultra, where the game uses heavy textures and draw distances. The memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s allows the GPU to stream assets quickly, which is evident in the smooth frame pacing at higher settings. The boost clock of 2617 MHz provides the raw speed needed to maintain high frame rates, but the data shows that Palworld is not purely GPU-bound at all settings. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized, with frame rates reaching 326 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is setting the ceiling. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, dropping to 59.4 FPS, which suggests that the card’s architecture is being pushed to its limits with ray tracing and complex shaders.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the bottleneck at each resolution. From 1080p to 4K, the average frame rates drop significantly across all settings, but the magnitude of the drop varies. At Low settings, the combo goes from 326 FPS at 1080p to 125 FPS at 4K, a 61.7% decrease. This large drop indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher resolutions, even on Low, because the CPU can still push high frame counts at 1080p, but the RTX 5080 cannot maintain that throughput when pixel count quadruples.

At Ultra settings, the drop is from 161.8 FPS at 1080p to 59.4 FPS at 4K, a 63.3% decrease. This consistency across settings suggests that Palworld’s engine scales resolution scaling similarly regardless of graphical complexity, which points to a fill-rate limit. The 4K High result of 73.9 FPS versus the 4K Medium result of 101.6 FPS shows that Ultra settings impose a significant additional cost, likely from shadows and post-processing, while the jump from Low to Medium at 4K is more modest. The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the i5-12400 is strong enough to keep the GPU fed, but at 4K, the RTX 5080 is the clear limiting component, especially on Ultra where it falls below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 86 out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld, which puts it in the top 5% of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the balance between the two components, as the CPU’s 77th percentile and GPU’s 89th percentile combine to produce a system that excels in most scenarios. The data shows that the RTX 5080 is the stronger component, so the combo’s rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s performance, but the i5-12400 does not hold it back significantly.

Compared to other combos, this ranking means that most systems with higher-end CPUs or GPUs will outperform it, but it beats the vast majority of tested configurations. The 86th rank out of 1718 implies that there are 85 combos that are faster, which likely include newer or more expensive processors like the Core i7 or Ryzen 7 series paired with the same or better GPUs. However, for a mid-range CPU like the i5-12400, this rank is impressive, showing that Palworld is more GPU-dependent at high settings. The percentile data for the individual components supports this, as the GPU’s 89th percentile is much higher than the CPU’s 77th, indicating that the system’s performance is closer to its GPU’s potential than its CPU’s potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 326 FPS, Medium hits 274.6 FPS, High reaches 208 FPS, and Ultra drops to 161.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 164.2 FPS, which is a 50.4% reduction, showing that Palworld’s Ultra preset has a heavy impact on performance even at a resolution where the CPU is not the bottleneck. The gap between High and Ultra is 46.2 FPS, which is larger than the gap between Medium and High at 66.6 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings add significant load to the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down as expected. Low averages 220.1 FPS, Medium hits 178.3 FPS, High reaches 140.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 104.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 32-35% across settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra result of 104.9 FPS is still very playable, but it is 56.9 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra result, highlighting the GPU’s growing workload. At 1440p, the CPU is still not limiting, as the frame rates remain well above 100 FPS even on Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop substantially. Low averages 125 FPS, Medium hits 101.6 FPS, High reaches 73.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 59.4 FPS. The 4K results show a clear GPU bottleneck, especially at High and Ultra, where the frame rates fall below 75 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K is significant: Low drops by 95.1 FPS, Medium by 76.7 FPS, High by 66.6 FPS, and Ultra by 45.5 FPS. This scaling indicates that the RTX 5080 is the limiting factor at 4K, and the i5-12400 is no longer the constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 59.4 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, which may require lowering settings to maintain a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in Palworld?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, no. The data shows the combo reaches 326 FPS at 1080p Low and 220.1 FPS at 1440p Low, indicating the CPU can keep up. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the CPU having more headroom, so the i5-12400 is not a bottleneck in this game.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 perform at 4K Ultra in Palworld?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 59.4 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target, so users may need to drop to High settings, which yields 73.9 FPS, to achieve a smoother experience.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra settings deliver 104.9 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. High settings reach 140.5 FPS, so either is viable, but Ultra offers the best visual quality without sacrificing much performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This configuration ranks 86th out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 5% of all systems. This is driven largely by the RTX 5080’s high percentile ranking of 89, while the CPU ranks in the 77th percentile.

Q: Does the RTX 5080’s 16 GB VRAM limit performance in Palworld?

A: The data shows no VRAM-related bottlenecks, as the 16 GB capacity and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for all settings, including 4K Ultra. The performance drops at 4K are due to compute load, not memory capacity.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 326 FPS, while Ultra averages 161.8 FPS. This represents a 164.2 FPS difference, showing that Ultra settings have a significant performance cost even at lower resolutions.