Palworld

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Palworld delivers a performance profile that is heavily dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions, but reveals a significant CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The data shows that this combination ranks 37th out of 2944 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 1.3% of all configurations. This is an exceptional overall result, but the specific frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a more nuanced story about where the hardware limits lie.

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 based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. This is a mainstream desktop part designed for broad compatibility, using the Intel Socket 1700 interface. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 12,380 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,680 points in single-core, with a 3DMark max-thread score of 5,912. Its average benchmark score is 19,039, which places it at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs.

In Palworld, the CPU's role becomes most evident when the resolution drops, shifting the performance bottleneck away from the GPU. At 4K with High settings, the combination reaches 87 FPS, but at 1080p High, it hits 239 FPS. This massive jump indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is being tasked with feeding frames as fast as possible, and its capabilities become the limiting factor. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game's simulation and AI tasks, but the data suggests that at 1080p, the frame rate is capped by the CPU's ability to process the game logic, not by the GPU's rendering power.

Comparing the i5-12400F to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, it posts an average score of 19,039. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19,047, a delta of 0%, making them effectively tied. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19,056, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the i5-12400F is marginally slower. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18,982, a delta of 0.3%, indicating the i5-12400F is slightly faster. Interestingly, the AMD EPYC 7773X also scores 18,979, a delta of 0.3%. This shows the i5-12400F is a mid-pack performer in terms of raw CPU compute, but in Palworld, its performance is sufficient to avoid being a major bottleneck at higher resolutions, allowing the GPU to shine.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship-class GPU built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It boasts a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it has 21,760 shading units. The GPU's compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. It scores 44,065 in the Passmark G3D benchmark and has an average benchmark score of 77,712, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

In Palworld, the RTX 5090 D's massive memory pool and bandwidth are critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K resolution, where texture data and geometry demands are immense. At 4K High, the combination achieves 87 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 66 FPS. These are playable frame rates for a demanding survival title, but they show that even this GPU is pushed hard by the game's highest settings. The GPU's role is dominant at 4K, where the scaling from Medium to Ultra shows a clear performance drop of 48 FPS (from 114 FPS to 66 FPS), indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76,904, a delta of 1.1% (the RTX 5090 D is faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78,940, a delta of -1.6% (the RTX 5090 D is slower). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB models score 79,396 and 79,605, respectively, with deltas of -2.1% and -2.4%, meaning the RTX 5090 D is slightly slower than these workstation cards in the aggregate benchmark. However, in Palworld, the gaming-specific optimizations of the RTX 5090 D are likely to provide a more favorable result than these synthetic comparisons suggest.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, but the rate of drop varies by settings preset. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 239 at 1080p to 157 at 1440p, a 34% decrease, and then to 87 at 4K, a further 45% decrease. This dramatic falloff from 1440p to 4K is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU is likely keeping up with the GPU's output, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload scales up, and the frame rate is limited by its ability to process the increased pixel count.

The Low settings preset shows a similar pattern, with 329 FPS at 1080p, 252 FPS at 1440p, and 140 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 23%, and from 1440p to 4K is 44%. This indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU is not able to compensate for the increased resolution demand. The Medium settings show a more moderate drop, from 305 FPS at 1080p to 205 FPS at 1440p (33% drop), and then to 114 FPS at 4K (44% drop). This consistency across settings points to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K.

The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, often exceeding 300 FPS on Low and Medium settings. This suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck here, as the GPU has excess capacity and is waiting for the CPU to provide draw calls and game state updates. The fact that the 1080p Low score of 329 FPS is not much higher than the 1080p Medium score of 305 FPS, while the 4K scores diverge more, reinforces this theory. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are likely being fully utilized at these frame rates, and the game's single-threaded performance, as indicated by the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 909, becomes the constraint.

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

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium settings preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 305 FPS on average, with a minimum of 260 FPS and a maximum of 351 FPS. This ensures smooth, tear-free gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors, and the frame pacing is consistent. At 1440p, Medium still achieves a robust 205 FPS average, with a minimum of 174 FPS, which is more than sufficient for competitive play. At 4K, Medium drops to 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 FPS, which remains playable and is a significant improvement over the 66 FPS seen on Ultra.

The High preset is also viable, offering 239 FPS at 1080p, 157 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. However, the drop from Medium to High at 4K is notable, as the average FPS falls from 114 to 87, a 24% reduction. This trade-off might not be worth the visual fidelity gains, especially since the Medium preset likely retains most of the game's visual appeal while providing a much higher frame rate. Ultra settings are only recommended for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, as at 4K it delivers just 66 FPS, which can feel sluggish in a survival game where quick reactions are often needed.

Therefore, the data strongly suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combination. It provides the highest frame rates that remain within a playable range at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p, it delivers exceptional performance that exceeds the refresh rate of most displays. Low settings are unnecessary for this powerful GPU, as even Medium provides a substantial visual upgrade without compromising performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 37th out of 2,944 tested combos in Palworld. This top-tier ranking places it in the top 1.3% of all configurations tested, indicating that it is among the most powerful setups for this game. The high ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's immense power, which allows it to dominate at 4K resolution, where many other combinations would struggle.

The ranking reflects the fact that the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier GPU, and its performance in Palworld is exceptional. The i5-12400F, while not the fastest CPU available, is more than adequate to feed the GPU at 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck. This pairing works well because the CPU's limitations are hidden at higher resolutions, where the GPU's workload is the dominant factor. At 1080p, the combo's ranking might be lower due to the CPU bottleneck, but the overall ranking is based on the aggregate performance across all tested scenarios, which favors the GPU-heavy configuration.

In comparison to other combos, this setup outperforms the vast majority of systems tested. The ranking of 37th out of 2,944 means that only 36 combinations deliver higher frame rates in Palworld, likely featuring even faster CPUs like the latest high-end desktop processors. However, for the vast majority of users, this combo provides an excellent balance of cost and performance, delivering playable 4K frame rates and exceptional 1080p and 1440p performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the performance across all settings and resolutions. The exact numbers are as follows:

At 1920x1080, the average FPS across presets is extremely high:

• Low: 329 FPS
• Medium: 305 FPS (minimum 260, maximum 351)
• High: 239 FPS
• Ultra: 181 FPS

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high, but start to show the GPU's workload:

• Low: 252 FPS
• Medium: 205 FPS (minimum 174, maximum 235)
• High: 157 FPS
• Ultra: 119 FPS

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, with frame rates dropping to more moderate levels:

• Low: 140 FPS
• Medium: 114 FPS (minimum 96, maximum 131)
• High: 87 FPS
• Ultra: 66 FPS

The data reveals that the Medium preset at 4K is the only setting that provides both a high frame rate (114 FPS) and a reasonable minimum FPS (96 FPS), making it the most consistent experience at that resolution. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, while visually richer, suffer from frame rates that drop below 90 FPS, which can cause noticeable stuttering in a game with dynamic world events. The Low preset at 4K, while reaching 140 FPS, sacrifices too much visual fidelity to be recommended for a game like Palworld, which relies on its art style and world detail.

In summary, the Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination is a top-tier performer in Palworld, with its ranking of 37th out of 2,944 combos reflecting its dominance. The GPU is the star of the show, providing exceptional 4K performance, while the CPU is a capable partner that can keep up at lower resolutions, albeit with a clear bottleneck at 1080p. The Medium settings preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, making it the recommended choice for most players.