Palworld

Palworld at 4K with this Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination is a demanding prospect, with the data showing a heavy reliance on the graphics card. The measured frame rates indicate that the GTX 1070 becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's capabilities are more evident at 1080p where frame rates scale significantly with settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 79.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49.7 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to a marginal 26.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus width are simply insufficient to maintain playable performance at the highest pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the drop is from 123.8 FPS at 1080p to 79.8 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 44.1 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings 4K performance struggles to reach 45 FPS confirms that the resolution is the dominant factor, not the visual fidelity. The GPU's pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are being saturated at 4K, leaving little headroom for the CPU to matter.

Conversely, the frame rate jump between 4K Low (44.1 FPS) and 4K High (26.1 FPS) shows how drastically pixel shading demands increase with quality. The data suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but the GTX 1070's raw compute power of 6.463 TFLOPS becomes the hard ceiling as resolution climbs.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of playing Palworld at 4K?

A: Not at playable frame rates. The best 4K result is 44.1 FPS at Low settings, while High and Ultra settings yield 26.1 FPS and 19.3 FPS respectively. These numbers indicate that 4K is only viable for Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is below the 60 FPS target most gamers expect.

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a smooth experience?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where this combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is 103.8 FPS, and even Ultra settings manage 57.7 FPS. The 1440p resolution is playable but requires dropping to Low settings to reach 79.8 FPS, which is not ideal.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which scores 12241 with a deltaPct of 0.7. It also sits close to the GeForce GTX 880M (12490, -1.3 deltaPct) and the GTX 1650 SUPER (12504, -1.4 deltaPct). This places it in the middle of the pack for its generation.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in Palworld?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 123.8 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the CPU is likely still keeping up. The CPU's single-thread performance of 2332 in Cinebench R23 and multi-thread score of 16518 are strong, indicating it is not the primary constraint at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. Medium settings provide 66.2 FPS, which is playable, while Ultra settings drop to 37.1 FPS, which is not. This 29.1 FPS difference highlights the significant cost of the Ultra preset's additional graphical effects on the GTX 1070.

Q: Is this a well-rounded combo for its hardware class?

A: The data ranks this combo at 1474 out of 1718 tested combinations in Palworld, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. This indicates that while it can handle the game at lower settings, it is not a high-performing pairing for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1474 out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the bottom 14% of all systems, which is a poor result for a game that can be demanding on hardware. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance class, as the GTX 1070 sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs, meaning half of all graphics cards on the market are faster.

The CPU, however, is a strong performer, ranking at the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 19221 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210, deltaPct 0.1) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167, deltaPct 0.3). This contrast between a capable CPU and a mid-range GPU explains the overall low combo ranking: the system is held back by the graphics card in this GPU-intensive title. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield a significant improvement in Palworld performance, while the CPU would not need to be replaced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system performs admirably. Low settings deliver an average of 123.8 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced gameplay. Medium settings drop slightly to 103.8 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings provide 79.6 FPS, and Ultra settings manage 57.7 FPS, which is close to but not quite reaching a smooth 60 FPS experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline significantly. Low settings yield 79.8 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings drop to 66.2 FPS, maintaining a playable level. High settings fall to 49.7 FPS, which is below the ideal target, and Ultra settings bottom out at 37.1 FPS, making the game feel sluggish.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce 44.1 FPS, which is borderline. Medium settings drop to 38 FPS, High settings fall to 26.1 FPS, and Ultra settings are unplayable at 19.3 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the GTX 1070 cannot handle the pixel count at 4K, and even the most optimized settings fail to reach a consistently smooth frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary determinant of this combo's performance. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p but insufficient for 4K. The base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the 1920 shading units are tasked with rendering Palworld's environments.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range status. It achieves a passmark G3D score of 13498 and a passmark DirectX 12 score of 48, which is low for modern games. Its nearest rival, the Quadro K4200, scores similarly at 12241, showing that the GTX 1070 is not exceptional in its class. The GPU's percentile rank of 51 means it is exactly average, which explains why 4K performance is poor and even 1440p requires reduced settings.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p, but at 4K, the game likely exceeds this limit, causing texture thrashing and frame rate drops. The data suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute power are the bottlenecks, not the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a solid foundation for this gaming combo. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it offers robust multi-threading capabilities, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and 3DMark max-thread score of 5912. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark scores are competitive. Its Geekbench single-core score of 2221 and multi-core score of 9138 show it can handle demanding workloads. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data access, and the processor's 77th percentile ranking indicates it outperforms most CPUs on the market.

In Palworld, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 123.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. At 4K, the CPU has plenty of headroom, as the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The data shows that the i5-12400F is not a hindrance to performance in this title; it is the GPU that holds the system back.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings are the sweet spot, providing 103.8 FPS, which is smooth and visually appealing. High settings at 79.6 FPS are also viable if visual fidelity is preferred, but Ultra settings at 57.7 FPS are borderline and may cause occasional stutters.

For 2560x1440, the recommendation is to use Low settings, which yield 79.8 FPS. Medium settings at 66.2 FPS are still playable, but High settings at 49.7 FPS and Ultra at 37.1 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience. The drop from Low to Medium is 13.6 FPS, which is acceptable, but the jump to High is too significant.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is Low settings, providing 44.1 FPS. This is not ideal, but it is the only way to achieve a frame rate above 30 FPS. Medium settings at 38 FPS are barely playable, while High and Ultra settings should be avoided entirely due to sub-30 FPS performance. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p only possible at lower settings.