Palworld

Palworld on the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combo delivers a playable but demanding experience that scales predictably across resolutions. The data shows a clear CPU-bound ceiling at lower resolutions and a GPU-bound reality at 4K, making this pairing a balanced mid-range option for the survival title. Measured results indicate that the combo ranks 1046th out of 1718 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which reflects the age of the components relative to newer hardware.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, running on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it carries 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration is typical of a modern mid-range desktop chip, and benchmark results confirm it sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested. In synthetic workloads, the chip scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,332 in single-core, indicating strong multi-threaded throughput for a 6-core part.

Palworld is a survival game that relies heavily on world simulation, creature AI, and physics, all of which benefit from solid multi-core performance. The i5-12400F’s 12 threads provide enough parallelism to handle these background tasks without choking, but the game’s engine appears to scale only modestly with thread counts. The 3DMark results show a jump from 5,895 with 16 threads to 5,912 with max threads, suggesting diminishing returns beyond the physical cores. In practice, this means the CPU can keep up with the GPU at 1080p, but it does not leave much headroom for high refresh rate monitors.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400F is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19,210 in average benchmark score versus the i5’s 19,221, a delta of just 0.1%. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.3% but trails the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3%. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the CPU is not a bottleneck in Palworld when paired with the RTX 2070 SUPER. The 65W TDP also suggests it runs cool and efficiently, though the data does not include thermal measurements.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The core clocks are 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

The GPU sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22,206. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22,307, a delta of -0.5%, while the RTX 2070 SUPER beats the GTX TITAN Z by 0.9% and the RX 5700 by 2.5%. However, it trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3%, indicating that mobile silicon has caught up to this desktop card. In Palworld, the 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with high textures, it may approach capacity limits, though the measured FPS does not indicate stuttering or crashes.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 1770 MHz boost clock is moderate by today’s standards, and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The game’s open-world nature means textures and draw distances are memory-heavy, and the data shows a steep FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for a GPU of this class. The 215W TDP and 550W suggested PSU are reasonable, but the card is now end-of-life, so driver optimizations for newer titles like Palworld may be limited.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling across resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 101.9 FPS, which is smooth for most gameplay. Dropping to Low settings at 1080p yields 169.5 FPS, indicating the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well above 144 FPS when the load is light. Medium settings at 1080p produce 134.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 81.4 FPS, showing a 48% reduction from Low to Ultra at the same resolution.

Moving to 1440p, the numbers fall sharply. High settings at 1440p average 71.4 FPS, which is still playable, but the drop from 101.9 FPS at 1080p High represents a 30% reduction. Low settings at 1440p hit 107.6 FPS, while Medium manages 90.5 FPS and Ultra falls to 50.4 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 61.9 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is starting to become the primary limiter as pixel count increases.

At 4K, the scaling becomes steep and the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. High settings at 3840x2160 average only 38.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 4K reach 59.1 FPS, just under 60, while Medium drops to 50.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 28 FPS. The difference between 1080p Low (169.5 FPS) and 4K Low (59.1 FPS) is a 65% reduction, which is far more severe than what the CPU alone would cause. This indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution Palworld, and the CPU is no longer the limiting factor beyond 1080p.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, High settings offer 101.9 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most players, and it is only 6% slower than Medium (134.9 FPS) in terms of absolute FPS, but the visual quality improvement is substantial. Ultra at 1080p drops to 81.4 FPS, which is still playable but not worth the 20% performance loss over High unless the player prioritizes maximum fidelity.

At 1440p, High settings at 71.4 FPS is the sweet spot, as it stays above 60 FPS while providing good visuals. Medium at 90.5 FPS is also viable, but it sacrifices some detail for a 27% FPS boost. Low at 107.6 FPS is only recommended for competitive play, and Ultra at 50.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, so it should be avoided for consistent gameplay.

At 4K, the data shows that even Low settings at 59.1 FPS barely hits 60, and High at 38.8 FPS is not recommended. Medium at 50.7 FPS is marginally better but still below 60. For a playable 4K experience, Low is the only viable preset, and even then it is marginal. The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p High, which balances visual quality and performance, or 1440p Medium for those with 1440p monitors. For 4K, the data suggests lowering resolution or accepting Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 1046th out of 1718 tested combinations in Palworld, placing it in the 39th percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack ranking, which is consistent with the hardware’s age and performance class. The i5-12400F is a capable CPU, sitting at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, and the RTX 2070 SUPER is at the 65th percentile among GPUs, but the pairing does not boost either component to a top-tier status.

The ranking indicates that many newer or higher-end combos outperform this system, particularly at 4K where the GPU’s limitations are exposed. However, the combo is not a bottom-tier option either, as it outperforms 39% of tested systems, which likely include older or lower-end hardware. The rank is a composite of all tested resolutions, so the system’s strong 1080p performance (169.5 FPS at Low) helps offset its weak 4K showing (28 FPS at Ultra).

In practical terms, this combo is well-suited for 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming and can handle 1440p at medium-to-high settings. It is not a 4K machine, and users should not expect smooth performance at that resolution. The ranking reflects this: it is a solid mid-range build that excels at lower resolutions but struggles with the highest demands.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Palworld at 60 FPS on 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows 101.9 FPS at High settings and 169.5 FPS at Low settings at 1920x1080, both well above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld?

A: 1080p is the strongest resolution, with all presets except Ultra staying above 80 FPS. 1440p is playable at Medium (90.5 FPS) and High (71.4 FPS), but 4K is only playable at Low settings (59.1 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Palworld?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is more capable than the GPU, but at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiter. The FPS drop from 1080p Low (169.5) to 4K Low (59.1) shows the GPU cannot keep up with pixel count.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1046th out of 1718 combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the benchmark database. This is below the median but not at the bottom.

Q: Should I use Ultra settings in Palworld?

A: Only at 1080p, where it averages 81.4 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 50.4 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 28 FPS, both of which are below 60 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM cause issues?

A: The data does not show any VRAM-related crashes, but the steep FPS drop at 4K suggests memory bandwidth and capacity are limiting factors. 8 GB is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K High textures may push it to its limits.