Palworld

# Palworld CPU & GPU Performance Analysis

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust Palworld experience across all tested resolutions, with the combo ranking 423rd out of 1,718 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the top 25% of all configurations, indicating strong overall capability for a survival title that blends base building, creature collection, and open-world exploration. The measured frame rates show a system that can handle both competitive and immersive play, though settings and resolution choices significantly alter the experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts up to 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP that keeps thermal demands modest. The CPU features a three-tier cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This configuration supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and the processor connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-13400F demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a 3DMark max-thread score of 7,307 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279. Single-thread performance is equally respectable, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,004. These results place the CPU at the 82nd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 25,236. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13620H (0.1% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (0.5% slower), AMD EPYC 9474F (0.5% faster), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (0.5% faster) — all essentially trading blows within a hair's breadth of performance.

For Palworld, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for the game's simulation systems, which track numerous creatures, building structures, and world state changes simultaneously. The boost clock of 4.60 GHz ensures responsive single-threaded behavior for physics and AI updates, while the 20 MB L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close at hand. The measured frame rates suggest the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as evidenced by the scaling pattern: moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows the expected GPU-bound degradation, but the CPU maintains sufficient throughput to feed the RTX 3080 Ti at even the highest settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung's 8 nm process, featuring the GA102 chip with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, while its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at an effective 19 Gbps across a 384-bit bus, yielding 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The card houses 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. Compute performance reaches 34.10 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, with pixel and texture rates of 186.5 GPixel/s and 532.8 GTexel/s respectively.

In aggregate benchmarks, the RTX 3080 Ti scores an average of 41,224, placing it at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3090 (0.5% faster), AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (0.9% faster), RTX 5070 (1.1% faster), and Tesla M40 (1.6% faster) — a surprisingly tight cluster given the generational differences. The GPU's 12 GB VRAM capacity is particularly relevant for Palworld at 4K Ultra, where texture-heavy environments and numerous on-screen creatures can strain memory. The 912.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures that high-resolution textures stream efficiently without causing stutter.

The measured Palworld performance shows the RTX 3080 Ti scaling predictably with resolution. At 1920x1080, the GPU pushes 249 FPS on Low settings, dropping to 118.2 FPS on Ultra — a 52.5% reduction that reflects the heavy shading and post-processing load. At 2560x1440, frames range from 163.2 FPS (Low) to 77.1 FPS (Ultra), while 4K sees 91.3 FPS (Low) down to 40.9 FPS (Ultra). These results indicate the GPU is the primary performance driver, with the CPU providing adequate support throughout.

FAQ

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors, and what does that mean for Palworld?

A: The i5-13400F sits at the 82nd percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 82% of all CPUs. In Palworld, this translates to sufficient headroom for the game's creature-count and physics simulations, as the measured FPS scaling across resolutions follows GPU-bound patterns rather than CPU limitations.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its closest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti's average score of 41,224 is within 1.6% of all four nearest rivals. The RTX 3090 leads by 0.5%, while the Radeon Pro 5300 and RTX 5070 are 0.9% and 1.1% faster respectively, and the Tesla M40 is 1.6% ahead. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS at High settings?

A: Both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 comfortably exceed 60 FPS at High settings, with measured averages of 157.8 FPS and 104.7 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, High settings drop to 56.5 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low is 110.6% faster than Ultra (249 vs 118.2 FPS). At 1440p, the gain is 111.7% (163.2 vs 77.1 FPS). At 4K, the improvement is 123.2% (91.3 vs 40.9 FPS). The relative gain increases with resolution, indicating the GPU's compute load scales steeply with quality settings.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM capacity appear sufficient for Palworld's highest settings?

A: The measured data shows playable frame rates (above 40 FPS) at 4K Ultra, which suggests the 12 GB buffer handles the game's texture and geometry requirements without catastrophic spills, though the 40.9 FPS average indicates the GPU's compute limits are the binding constraint rather than memory capacity.

Q: How does the combo's rank of 423 out of 1,718 translate to a percentile position?

A: This rank places the combo in the top 24.6% of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 75% of configurations perform worse. Given the i5-13400F's 82nd CPU percentile and RTX 3080 Ti's 83rd GPU percentile, the combo's in-game rank aligns closely with the individual component rankings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Palworld combo ranking of 423 out of 1,718 tested combinations places this system in the upper quartile of all pairings. This position is consistent with the individual component percentiles — the CPU at 82 and GPU at 83 — suggesting a well-balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other. The rank implies that while there are 422 faster configurations, the vast majority of systems (1,295) will deliver lower performance in this game.

The rank's significance becomes clearer when considering the measured frame rates. At 1440p High, this combo delivers 104.7 FPS, which would satisfy most players seeking smooth gameplay. At 4K High, the 56.5 FPS average approaches the 60 FPS target, though users wanting a locked 60 FPS would need to drop to Medium settings (74.2 FPS) or accept Low settings (91.3 FPS) for headroom. The combination's position in the rankings reflects a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but requires settings compromises at 4K — a typical profile for this performance tier.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1920x1080, Ultra settings at 118.2 FPS provide a fully immersive experience without sacrificing playability, making this the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 2560x1440, High settings at 104.7 FPS offer a strong balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, while Medium at 133.2 FPS is preferable for competitive play or 144 Hz displays. Ultra at 1440p drops to 77.1 FPS, which remains playable but sacrifices the smoothness that lower settings provide.

For 3840x2160, the trade-offs become more pronounced. High settings at 56.5 FPS are borderline for smooth gameplay, while Medium at 74.2 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. Low settings at 91.3 FPS deliver excellent responsiveness but noticeably reduced visual quality. The data suggests that 4K players should default to Medium as the best compromise, with High reserved for slower-paced exploration and Low for action-heavy sequences. Across all resolutions, the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the jump to Ultra, making Medium the "sweet spot" for maintaining high frame rates while retaining good visuals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates scale from 249 FPS on Low to 201.3 FPS on Medium, 157.8 FPS on High, and 118.2 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 19.2% performance, Medium to High costs 21.6%, and High to Ultra costs 25.1%. This progressive degradation indicates that each quality tier adds meaningful GPU load, with the Ultra preset being particularly demanding.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 163.2 FPS (Low), 133.2 FPS (Medium), 104.7 FPS (High), and 77.1 FPS (Ultra). The relative costs are 18.4% (Low to Medium), 21.4% (Medium to High), and 26.4% (High to Ultra). Compared to 1080p, the higher resolution amplifies the cost of Ultra settings, while the lower tiers remain highly playable.

At 3840x2160, the results are 91.3 FPS (Low), 74.2 FPS (Medium), 56.5 FPS (High), and 40.9 FPS (Ultra). The percentage drops are 18.7% (Low to Medium), 23.9% (Medium to High), and 27.6% (High to Ultra). The 4K Ultra result of 40.9 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, underscoring the GPU's limits at this extreme resolution. Across all settings, the 4K results are roughly 55-65% of the corresponding 1080p values, demonstrating the expected resolution scaling for a GPU with this bandwidth and compute capacity.