Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released in early 2024, exhibits a distinct performance scaling pattern when paired with the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system where the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher settings, but the CPU's limitations become apparent at lower settings and resolutions. This analysis interprets the measured data to clarify the balance between the processor and graphics card in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable inverse relationship between resolution and average FPS, but the magnitude of the drop is highly dependent on the quality preset. At the Ultra preset, performance scales from 153.1 FPS at 1920x1080 down to 98.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 53.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a steep decline, with the 4K result being only about 35% of the 1080p performance. The pattern indicates that at Ultra, the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed to its limits, with the increasing pixel count directly impacting the GPU's fillrate and shading workload. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly severe, suggesting a sharp increase in rendering complexity at the highest resolution.

Conversely, at the Low preset, the scaling is much flatter, suggesting a different bottleneck. From 317.5 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate only drops to 211.1 FPS at 1440p and 115.9 FPS at 4K. While still a significant reduction, the relative drop is less punishing than at Ultra. The fact that the system can exceed 300 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this point; instead, the Intel Core i5-12400F's processing power is likely capping the frame rate. The Medium and High presets fall between these two extremes, with High showing a drop from 195.3 FPS at 1080p to 126.8 FPS at 1440p and 73.4 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior suggests that for this combo, 4K gaming is only viable at lower presets, while 1440p offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary performance limiter at 4K Ultra, given the substantial FPS penalty. However, the smaller performance gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings points to the CPU becoming a more significant factor, as the GPU has spare capacity to render more pixels but is constrained by the processor's ability to feed it frames.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its benchmark results show a strong single-thread score of 3481 in Passmark and a multi-thread score of 19433, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. The processor's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is crucial for gaming performance, as Palworld's core gameplay loop often relies on single-threaded tasks for logic and physics. The data suggests that the CPU can sustain high frame rates at 1080p, as evidenced by the 317.5 FPS result at Low settings, but it appears to be the limiting factor in achieving even higher frame rates.

The CPU's role becomes more pronounced when comparing the Low preset results across resolutions. The drop from 317.5 FPS at 1080p to 211.1 FPS at 1440p is notable, but the GPU is still handling a significant amount of the extra work. However, the fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with the pixel count suggests a combination of CPU and GPU limitations. In its nearest rival comparison, the i5-12400F is virtually identical in average benchmark score to the Intel Core i7-8700K, with a deltaPct of only 0.1%. This indicates that its performance in synthetic tests is on par with that older high-end part, but its 6 cores and 12 threads provide a solid foundation for modern titles.

In Palworld, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a severe bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU's workload. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the system's inability to push beyond 317.5 FPS strongly suggests a CPU limit. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are adequate for this game, but they do not prevent the CPU from capping performance in less GPU-intensive scenarios. The data points to a balanced pairing where the CPU provides enough speed to avoid major stutters, but its ceiling is visible at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 317.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT's score of 53489. It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 7700S by 2.1%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a limiting factor for this game at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 53.5, while at 4K Low, it rises to 115.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU's workload, not the CPU, is the main constraint at this resolution.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the CPU and GPU in their respective benchmark pools?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F ranks in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 126.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 98.9 FPS, a difference of 27.9 FPS in favor of High settings.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS?

A: The i5-12400F's average benchmark score is 19221, which is 0.7% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS's score of 19364.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers an average of 195.3 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The Ultra preset still provides a playable 153.1 FPS, but the jump to High offers a substantial performance buffer without a massive visual compromise, as the data shows a 42.2 FPS difference between the two presets. The Low preset's 317.5 FPS is only relevant for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice for a high-refresh-rate experience, delivering 126.8 FPS. This allows for smooth gameplay on 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. The Medium preset also offers a very high 167.2 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the performance gain for most users. The Ultra preset's 98.9 FPS is still playable, but it drops below the 100 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable on 144Hz displays. For 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience, averaging 115.9 FPS. The Medium preset's 92.6 FPS is acceptable, but the High preset's 73.4 FPS and Ultra's 53.5 FPS are below the ideal range for fast-paced action in a survival game.

The data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. For this combo, prioritizing a high refresh rate is best achieved by using the High preset at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, users must compromise on settings to maintain a playable frame rate, with Low providing the most comfortable margin. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is powerful enough to handle high settings at 1440p, but 4K Ultra is beyond its practical capabilities for this title with this processor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER holds a combo rank of 116 out of 1718 tested configurations for Palworld. This places the combo in the top 7% of all systems tested, indicating a very strong performance level. The high ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional rasterization performance, as evidenced by its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its Passmark G3D score of 34245. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking also contributes positively, ensuring that the system does not have a glaring bottleneck that would drag down its overall standing.

However, the rank is not higher due to the CPU's limitations in specific scenarios. While the combo performs exceptionally well in GPU-bound scenarios at high resolutions, the CPU's performance ceiling at 1080p Low (317.5 FPS) prevents it from competing with combos that feature higher-end processors. The data shows that the CPU's average benchmark score is virtually identical to the older Intel Core i7-8700K, which is a notable comparison point, but its performance in Palworld is sufficient to secure a top-tier ranking. The combo's position at 116th place indicates that it is a high-end solution that will provide an excellent experience in most games, but it is not the absolute fastest configuration available. The ranking reflects a system that excels at high resolutions and settings, making it a strong choice for 1440p and even 4K gaming with adjusted presets.