Palworld

Palworld with an Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 presents a fascinating study in component scaling, particularly at high refresh rates. The data shows a combination that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s capabilities become a defining factor at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) to understand where each component flexes its muscles and where the bottlenecks lie.

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this chip posts a strong showing, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004. Its performance percentile of 82 against all CPUs indicates it sits above the majority of processors tested. The data suggests this CPU is more than capable of feeding a high-end GPU, as evidenced by the massive frame rates achieved at lower resolutions.

When looking at the measured FPS, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p. At this resolution, the graphical load on the RTX 5080 is lighter, allowing the CPU to become a more significant factor. The jump from 1080p Medium (271.5 FPS) to 1080p Low (336.5 FPS) shows a 65 FPS difference, highlighting how the CPU can push frames when the GPU is not the primary constraint. The CPU's single-threaded performance, shown by its Geekbench single-core score of 2301 and Passmark single-thread score of 3634, is crucial for Palworld's game logic and physics, which often rely on a few strong cores. The i5-13400F’s boost clock of 4.60 GHz provides the necessary headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5080, keeping frame rates high even in demanding scenes at lower graphical presets.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a powerhouse built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its high boost clock of 2617 MHz and massive 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power are directly reflected in the benchmark results. The GPU's performance is exceptional, especially at higher resolutions where its raw rendering power is most needed. It holds a percentile rank of 89 against all GPUs, placing it in the top tier of graphics cards.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings increase. At 4K, the RTX 5080 is the clear limiting factor. The difference between 4K Low (125.8 FPS) and 4K High (77.8 FPS) is a substantial 48 FPS drop, a direct result of the increased pixel count and shading complexity taxing the GPU's cores. The 16 GB of VRAM is a significant asset, ensuring that even at 4K Ultra, where memory demands are highest, the card does not run out of memory, which would cause stuttering or texture pop-in. The data shows the RTX 5080 is built to handle the most demanding scenarios, but it still scales predictably with graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Core i5-13400F and RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 76 out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the top 4.4% of all configurations tested, a very strong result. This high ranking is unsurprising given the individual strengths of both components. The CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures it rarely holds the GPU back, while the GPU’s immense compute power delivers high frame rates across all resolutions.

This rank signifies that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for a game like Palworld. It outperforms the vast majority of other systems tested, indicating that users with this setup will have a top-tier experience. The data implies that while there are more powerful CPUs and GPUs available, this specific combination hits a sweet spot, providing performance that is likely near the maximum playable for most high-refresh-rate monitors, especially at 1440p. The combo's position in the rankings suggests that it is a high-end choice that competes effectively with more expensive or more specialized pairings.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5080 compared to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A570M?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 59188, which is 1.6% higher than the Intel Arc A570M's average score of 58239.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Core i5-13400F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D?

A: The Core i5-13400F has an average score of 25236, which is 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D's average score of 25365.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p Low and 4K Low settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 336.5 at 1080p Low to 125.8 at 4K Low, a difference of 210.7 FPS.

Q: At which resolution does the RTX 5080 begin to show its limits in this pairing?

A: The data shows a significant drop in performance at 4K. The average FPS at 4K High is 77.8, which is dramatically lower than the 137.3 FPS seen at 1440p High, indicating a clear GPU bottleneck at 2160p.

Q: Is the Core i5-13400F CPU a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in Palworld?

A: The benchmark results suggest it is not a significant bottleneck. The very high frame rates at 1080p (e.g., 208.8 FPS on High) indicate the CPU can push frames effectively, and the framerate scales down as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 perform in DirectX 12 compared to DirectX 11?

A: In Passmark tests, the RTX 5080 scores 151 in DirectX 12 and 324 in DirectX 11, indicating that the card performs better in the older DirectX 11 API in this specific synthetic benchmark.

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

The frame rate scaling across resolutions provides a clear picture of the system's bottleneck. Starting at 1080p on High settings, the combo achieves an average of 208.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 137.3 FPS, a reduction of 34%. Then, moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 77.8 FPS, another 43% reduction from 1440p. This pattern of significant percentage drops with each resolution increase is a textbook indicator of a GPU-bound system.

If the CPU were the primary limiter, the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p would be much closer together, as the CPU's workload (game logic, draw calls) doesn't scale with resolution as much as the GPU's workload (pixel shading). The fact that the FPS nearly halves when going from 1440p to 4K shows that the RTX 5080's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Conversely, the high absolute numbers at 1080p and 1440p demonstrate that the i5-13400F is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU's output, ensuring that the system is not leaving performance on the table. The scaling suggests that for maximum frame rates, sticking to 1440p or lower is ideal, while 4K is best for visual fidelity over raw speed.

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

For players targeting high refresh rates, the data points to 1440p Medium as the sweet spot for this combo. It delivers an average of 180.5 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and only 41.8 FPS slower than the Low preset at the same resolution. This provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining frame rates well above the 144Hz threshold that many high-end monitors support. The 1440p High preset, at 137.3 FPS, is also excellent if a user prefers higher visual quality and has a 144Hz monitor, as it is on the cusp of that limit.

At 4K, the choice is more about preference. The 4K High preset offers a playable 77.8 FPS and is a good balance for a single-player experience. The 4K Ultra preset, with an average of 56.5 FPS, might be preferred for visual purists who value maximum fidelity over frame rate, but it represents a significant 27% performance hit compared to High. For competitive play, the 1080p Low preset at 336.5 FPS is the optimal choice, providing the absolute highest frame rate to minimize input lag. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of high frame rate and improved visual fidelity for this specific hardware configuration.

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

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for Palworld with the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 336.5 FPS
• Medium: 271.5 FPS
• High: 208.8 FPS
• Ultra: 159.7 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 222.3 FPS
• Medium: 180.5 FPS
• High: 137.3 FPS
• Ultra: 106.8 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 125.8 FPS
• Medium: 99.9 FPS
• High: 77.8 FPS
• Ultra: 56.5 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent performance hierarchy. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound or at least CPU-limited, as the GPU has ample headroom, evidenced by the 336.5 FPS on Low. The transition to 1440p reveals the GPU's growing influence, with the frame rate dropping proportionally across all settings. At 4K, the RTX 5080 is the definitive bottleneck, and the frame rates across all settings are more tightly grouped, showing that the GPU's raw power is the sole determinant of performance. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance cost for higher visual quality, with the biggest relative jumps occurring at 1080p.