Palworld

# Palworld Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a robust Palworld experience across all tested resolutions, with the data indicating a clear performance hierarchy that favors lower settings for maximum frame rates. This combination ranks in the 82nd percentile among all tested system configurations in this game, placing it solidly in the upper tier of capable builds.

FAQ

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

A: At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 278.9 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest measured frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 180.7 FPS, while 3840x2160 on Low still produces a playable 100.1 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27829 (0% difference). The i5-12600K scores 27851, putting the KF variant 0.1% behind its unlocked sibling.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653, which is 0.2% higher.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide acceptable frame rates at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 46.6 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, but the High preset at 62.9 FPS crosses that line.

Q: How many cores and threads does the CPU offer?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It uses the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GPU?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER comes with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, provides the graphical foundation for this system. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Palworld's asset streaming at all tested resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, paired with 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units, drives the measured performance.

The data shows a clear scaling pattern tied to memory bandwidth and fill rate. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 46.6 FPS, indicating that the 80 ROPs and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Conversely, the Low preset at 4K achieves 100.1 FPS, demonstrating that when texture and shading demands are reduced, the GPU's raw compute power—35.48 TFLOPS FP32—can sustain high frame rates.

The GPU's 224 tensor cores and 56 RT cores are present but the measured data does not isolate their specific impact on Palworld's workloads. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for the 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 resolutions, where even Ultra settings maintain 132.2 FPS and 84.6 FPS respectively. The 4K Ultra result suggests that the 12 GB buffer is not the bottleneck, but rather the shading and pixel throughput limitations at that extreme resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-12600KF and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 306th out of 1718 tested system configurations in Palworld. This places the combo in the top 18% of all tested builds, confirming its position as a high-end setup. The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's 84th percentile performance and the GPU's 84th percentile standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals highlight its competitive position. The i9-10900K scores 27829, just 0.1% higher than the i5-12600KF's 27827. The i5-12600K achieves 27851, a negligible 0.1% advantage. The Core Ultra 5 125H trails by 0.2% with a score of 27872, while the i7-13700H is 0.4% behind at 27716. These tight margins indicate that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's ranking.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER's 42576 average benchmark score places it within 0.2% of the RTX A6000's 42653. The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 42723, 0.3% ahead, while the Radeon Pro 580X and Tesla M40 trail by 1.4% and 1.6% respectively. The rank of 306 suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of Palworld's performance, as the system's overall standing aligns closely with the GPU's percentile strength.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear tiered approach to settings selection based on resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 171.4 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset still achieves 132.2 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1080p users who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 115.7 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 146 FPS provides a substantial frame rate advantage if competitive play is the priority, while Ultra at 84.6 FPS remains playable and visually impressive. The Low preset's 180.7 FPS is excessive for most displays, indicating that the GPU has headroom at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 62.9 FPS is the recommended setting, as it crosses the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 84.7 FPS offers a smoother experience if the visual downgrade is acceptable. The Ultra preset's 46.6 FPS falls short of smooth gameplay standards, while the Low preset's 100.1 FPS demonstrates that even at 4K, this combo can deliver high frame rates when settings are reduced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows a consistent scaling across settings. Low averages 278.9 FPS, Medium drops to 224.6 FPS, High reduces further to 171.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 132.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 146.7 FPS, representing a 53% reduction in frame rate from the lowest to highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute numbers. Low produces 180.7 FPS, Medium achieves 146 FPS, High delivers 115.7 FPS, and Ultra settles at 84.6 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35% of the frame rate at each preset level, which aligns with the pixel count increase of 78%.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low still manages 100.1 FPS, Medium reaches 84.7 FPS, High maintains 62.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46.6 FPS. The 4K resolution represents a 4x pixel increase over 1080p, and the data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER handles this load admirably on lower settings but struggles with Ultra presets. The 1440p to 4K transition costs between 41% and 45% of the frame rate across settings, reflecting the GPU's bandwidth and shading limitations at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides the processing foundation for Palworld, with 10 cores and 16 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz allow for strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by the 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309. These metrics suggest that the CPU can handle Palworld's game logic and physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444 and a Geekbench multicore score of 12373. The Passmark multithread score of 27575 and the 3dmark 16-thread score of 7956 indicate that the 10-core, 16-thread configuration is well-suited for modern game engines that utilize multiple threads. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared across cores provides ample capacity for game data.

The CPU's 84th percentile ranking versus all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27827, places it in the same performance tier as the i9-10900K and i5-12600K, both within 0.1% of its score. This indicates that the i5-12600KF does not limit the RTX 4070 SUPER in Palworld, as the system's 306th rank out of 1718 combos suggests the GPU is the primary performance driver. The CPU's 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice for this configuration, with the measured frame rates confirming that the processing demands of Palworld are met at all tested settings.