Palworld

Palworld pairs the Intel Core i5-12400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, a combination that lands at rank 1395 out of 1718 tested combos in this title. The data shows a system that is firmly capable of smooth 1080p play but encounters significant difficulty as resolution scales upward. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides a solid, stable foundation for frame generation.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a predictable yet pronounced drop in performance as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system delivers strong results across all presets, with the Low preset achieving an average of 140.8 FPS, Medium hitting 112.4 FPS, and High reaching 85.2 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the i5-12400F and RTX 2060 combination has sufficient headroom to maintain high frame rates, even with the Ultra preset producing a respectable 66.1 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the impact of increased pixel count becomes evident. The Low preset still maintains a playable 93.2 FPS average, and Medium holds at 73.4 FPS, but High drops to 58.7 FPS. The Ultra preset suffers a more substantial reduction, falling to 40.9 FPS. This pattern suggests that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are beginning to limit performance as the rendering load increases, though the system remains viable for 1440p gaming at medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens dramatically. The Low preset manages an average of 50.9 FPS, which is still within a playable range, but Medium drops to 40.9 FPS, High falls to 31.2 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 26.6 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 63.8% reduction in FPS, while the High preset sees a 63.4% drop. This consistent decline across presets indicates that the limiting component at 4K is overwhelmingly the GPU, as the CPU’s role in frame generation becomes less relevant when the rendering pipeline is saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16518 and a single-core score of 2332. The 3DMark results further illustrate this, with a max-threads score of 5912, an 8-thread score of 4779, and a 4-thread score of 3067. This data positions the CPU at the 77th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 19221.

In Palworld, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with frames and manage game logic. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 140.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The nearest rival data for the i5-12400F shows it is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-8700K, with a deltaPct of 0.1%, and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.3%. This indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo, as even the most demanding preset at 1080p (Ultra at 66.1 FPS) does not push the CPU to its limits.

The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide adequate bandwidth for gaming workloads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895, which is close to the max-threads score of 5912, suggests that the processor’s 12 threads are fully utilized in multi-threaded scenarios, but Palworld’s engine does not appear to be heavily thread-bound, as evidenced by the stable frame rates at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the TU106 chip and Turing architecture, is the clear performance gatekeeper in this configuration. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, the GPU delivers a Passmark G3D score of 14111 and an average benchmark score of 16074, placing it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, is only 0.5% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 trails by 1.7%.

The GPU’s role in Palworld becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the RTX 2060 is able to maintain high frame rates across all presets, indicating that the GPU has sufficient compute and memory bandwidth for the game’s demands at this resolution. The 140.8 FPS at Low settings shows the GPU can easily handle the workload, and even at Ultra, the 66.1 FPS average is playable.

However, at 1440p and 4K, the GPU’s limitations become clear. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is likely a factor at 4K Ultra, where the 26.6 FPS average suggests the GPU is struggling with both memory capacity and compute throughput. The 192-bit memory bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher pixel counts, resulting in the sharp FPS drops observed. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p, as the CPU’s performance ceiling is not reached when the GPU is constrained.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations for Palworld, this pairing of the i5-12400F and RTX 2060 ranks 1395th out of 1718 combos. This places it in the lower 19% of all tested configurations, which is a notable finding given the individual components’ mid-range standing. The CPU’s 77th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking suggest that each component is capable, but their combination in this title does not yield a top-tier result.

The rank is likely influenced by the game’s performance characteristics at higher resolutions, where the GPU’s limitations are exposed. At 1080p, this combo performs admirably, but the rank reflects performance across all measured resolutions and presets. The data shows that the system is more competitive at 1080p, where it can achieve high frame rates, but falls behind at 1440p and 4K, where the RTX 2060’s specifications become a hindrance. The rank also suggests that other combos with more powerful GPUs, even with similar CPUs, would outperform this configuration in Palworld’s more demanding settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution. The High preset, with an average of 85.2 FPS, provides a smooth and visually detailed experience. For players seeking maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 140.8 FPS offers a significant performance boost, while the Medium preset at 112.4 FPS represents a balanced compromise between visual quality and speed. The Ultra preset at 66.1 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action, as the frame rate dips below the 70 FPS threshold that many consider optimal for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 73.4 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 58.7 FPS is borderline, but may be acceptable for less demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 40.9 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate becomes inconsistent and may impact gameplay responsiveness.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 50.9 FPS is the only viable option for a playable experience. The Medium preset at 40.9 FPS is below the 45 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for acceptable playability, and the High and Ultra presets at 31.2 FPS and 26.6 FPS, respectively, are not suitable for a smooth experience. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a strength of this combo, and users should either lower their resolution expectations or reduce graphical settings to achieve a more stable frame rate.