Palworld

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor from the Alder Lake generation, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a 2.50 GHz base clock and can boost to 4.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 909, a 3DMark 8-thread score of 4779, and a 3DMark max-thread score of 5912. Its Cinebench R23 results are 2332 single-core and 16518 multi-core. The Geekbench scores are 2221 single-core and 9138 multi-core. PassMark multithread performance lands at 19433, with a single-thread score of 3481. The processor sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221.

The nearest rivals for this CPU are tightly grouped. The Intel Core i7-8700K scores 19210, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 19167, 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS scores 19364, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD EPYC 7773X scores 18979, 1.3% lower. These deltas are small, indicating the i5-12400F sits in a dense performance cluster.

For Palworld, the CPU's role is to feed the Radeon RX 7900 XTX with draw calls, physics, and AI updates for the survival world. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 288.5 FPS average. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, it drops to 50.2 FPS. The pattern shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU must keep up with the GPU's massive frame output. The 6-core/12-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at 1080p, where the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that even at 1440p Low (191 FPS), the CPU maintains high throughput.

The single-thread performance, measured at 909 in 3DMark, matters for Palworld's game logic. Many survival games rely on a primary simulation thread. The 2332 Cinebench R23 single-core score indicates strong per-core performance, which helps maintain consistent frametimes in CPU-bound scenarios. The 18 MB shared L3 cache also reduces memory latency for frequently accessed game data.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It carries 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 raster operation units. It features 96 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 1929 MHz, the game clock is 2365 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2498 MHz. Memory runs at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Compute performance is substantial: FP32 throughput is 61.39 TFLOPS, FP16 is 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1), the pixel rate is 479.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 959.2 GTexel/s. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its power draw is rated at 355 W TDP, requiring a 750 W suggested PSU and two 8-pin power connectors.

In benchmarks, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 189573 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 192597 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark G3D score is 31238, with a GPU compute score of 17689. The GPU sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44019.

Nearest GPU rivals show close competition. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 44195, 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667, 0.8% lower. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 scores 43313, 1.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 44900, 2% higher. The 7900 XTX is thus positioned within a tight band of high-end graphics hardware.

For Palworld, the GPU's 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures and world streaming. The measured FPS data shows how the GPU scales with settings. At 3840x2160, the average goes from 50.2 FPS at Ultra to 67.4 at High, 88.1 at Medium, and 105.8 at Low. This is a clear 2.1x improvement from Ultra to Low at 4K. At 2560x1440, the range is 92.5 FPS (Ultra) to 191 FPS (Low), a 2.06x spread. At 1920x1080, it goes from 138.3 FPS (Ultra) to 288.5 FPS (Low), a 2.09x spread.

The consistency of the performance scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of these differences. The 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps at higher resolutions where texture fetch and memory traffic increase. The 24 GB capacity means there is no risk of VRAM overflow at any tested setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS at Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo averages 50.2 FPS. At 2560x1440 Ultra, it averages 92.5 FPS. Therefore, 2560x1440 Ultra is the highest resolution that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 288.5 FPS, while Ultra averages 138.3 FPS. Low is approximately 2.09x faster, based on the measured averages.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data does not show a clear CPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 288.5 FPS, which is very high. Even at 2560x1440 Low (191 FPS), the CPU sustains high output. The i5-12400F with a 4.40 GHz boost appears capable of keeping up.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos for Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 229th out of 1718 tested combinations. This places it in the top 13.3% of all tested pairs for this game.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Medium at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, High averages 67.4 FPS, while Medium averages 88.1 FPS. Medium is 20.7 FPS faster than High at this resolution.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB VRAM useful for Palworld?

A: The measured data does not show any VRAM-related performance drops. The 24 GB capacity and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth support smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K without stutter or texture pop-in indicated by the FPS averages.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 229th out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the upper tier of all tested pairings, roughly in the top 13.3% (229 divided by 1718).

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-12400F, at the 77th percentile among CPUs, is not the absolute fastest processor. However, its 6-core/12-thread design with a 4.40 GHz boost provides enough throughput for Palworld's demands. The RX 7900 XTX, at the 85th percentile among GPUs, is the dominant component in this pairing. The GPU's 24 GB VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth allow it to push high frame rates across all settings.

The data shows that the GPU is more responsible for the combo's strong ranking. If the CPU were severely limiting, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p. Instead, the 2.09x spread at 1080p (288.5 vs 138.3 FPS) indicates the GPU scales its workload output freely. The 229th rank out of 1718 combos is a strong result, but it is not top-tier. The gap to the very top likely comes from the CPU's mid-range positioning (77th percentile) rather than the GPU.

At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo still averages 50.2 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The ranking reflects this: it is a high-end pairing that can handle demanding settings, but it does not dominate the leaderboard.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

At 3840x2160, High settings (67.4 FPS) is the sweet spot. It provides a smooth experience on 60 Hz displays and maintains visual quality. Medium (88.1 FPS) is better for higher refresh rate 4K monitors. Ultra (50.2 FPS) dips below 60 and is not recommended unless the user prioritizes image quality over smoothness. Low (105.8 FPS) is an option for competitive play, but the visual trade-off is significant.

At 2560x1440, Ultra (92.5 FPS) is the recommended setting. It delivers a high frame rate while preserving the game's visual fidelity. High (120.1 FPS) is even smoother for 120 Hz displays. Medium (154.2 FPS) and Low (191 FPS) are for users with 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitors who want maximum responsiveness.

At 1920x1080, Ultra (138.3 FPS) is sufficient for 120 Hz displays and provides the best image quality. High (180.9 FPS) suits 144 Hz monitors with headroom. Medium (231.8 FPS) and Low (288.5 FPS) are for 240 Hz or higher refresh rate displays where frame rate is paramount.

The data suggests that the combo performs best when the user matches the preset to the display's refresh rate. For a 60 Hz 4K display, High is optimal. For a 144 Hz 1440p display, Ultra or High works. For a 240 Hz 1080p display, Medium or Low maximizes the refresh rate potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average FPS by settings is as follows:

• Ultra: 50.2 FPS
• High: 67.4 FPS
• Medium: 88.1 FPS
• Low: 105.8 FPS

The progression from Ultra to Low yields a 55.6 FPS increase (105.8 minus 50.2). Each step down in settings provides a notable gain: Ultra to High adds 17.2 FPS, High to Medium adds 20.7 FPS, and Medium to Low adds 17.7 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are:

• Ultra: 92.5 FPS
• High: 120.1 FPS
• Medium: 154.2 FPS
• Low: 191 FPS

The total spread is 98.5 FPS (191 minus 92.5). The step from Ultra to High adds 27.6 FPS, High to Medium adds 34.1 FPS, and Medium to Low adds 36.8 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the averages are:

• Ultra: 138.3 FPS
• High: 180.9 FPS
• Medium: 231.8 FPS
• Low: 288.5 FPS

The total spread is 150.2 FPS (288.5 minus 138.3). Ultra to High adds 42.6 FPS, High to Medium adds 50.9 FPS, and Medium to Low adds 56.7 FPS.

The scaling pattern is consistent: the FPS gap between settings grows as resolution decreases. At 4K, the GPU is more heavily loaded, so each settings reduction yields a smaller absolute gain. At 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, so the gains are larger. The data shows diminishing returns at higher resolutions for lower settings. For example, at 4K, Low (105.8 FPS) is only 17.7 FPS faster than Medium (88.1 FPS). At 1080p, Low (288.5 FPS) is 56.7 FPS faster than Medium (231.8 FPS).

The highest measured average is 288.5 FPS at 1920x1080 Low. The lowest measured average is 50.2 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. The ratio between these extremes is 5.75x, showing the wide performance envelope of this hardware combination.