Palworld

Palworld pairs the Intel Core i5-13400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, and the data shows a combo that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at every preset and resolution tested. This pairing ranks at position 100 out of 3711 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 2.7% of all configurations. The ranking reflects the raw dominance of the RTX 5090, which carries the load almost entirely, while the i5-13400F provides sufficient throughput to avoid becoming a bottleneck at the highest frame rates observed. Benchmark results indicate that this is not a balanced pairing in the traditional sense; it is a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range CPU, yet the measured FPS figures show that the CPU keeps pace admirably even at 1080p, where processor demand is typically highest.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 100 out of 3711 tested configurations places it in the 97th percentile of all tested combos for Palworld. This is an elite result, but the data suggests the ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU. The Intel Core i5-13400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25292 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284 (0% delta), the Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365 (-0.3% delta). The i5-13400F is also just 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, which scores 25201. These rivals are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the CPU is firmly in a mid-pack performance tier.

In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605, +0.3% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, +0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, +1.1% delta). The GPU is 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80959). The GPU's performance class is vastly higher than the CPU's, yet the combo still achieves top-100 status because Palworld's engine scales well with raw GPU power. The data shows that the i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, never holds the RTX 5090 back to a degree that would drop the combo out of the top tier, even though the CPU's own benchmark scores are pedestrian compared to the GPU's.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the undisputed driver of this combo's results. It carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These specifications translate into a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 104.8 TFLOPS. In Palworld, which is a survival game with large open environments and many dynamic objects, the GPU's ability to push pixels and process textures is the primary determinant of frame rate.

The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 343 FPS average, which is the highest figure recorded across all settings and resolutions. This is a scenario where the CPU must feed the GPU as fast as possible, and the i5-13400F manages to do so without creating a hard ceiling. However, the GPU's role becomes even more apparent at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 62, a 5.5x reduction from the 1080p Low peak. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 5090's raw compute is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs aligns with its ability to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, while the CPU's 77th percentile ranking is sufficient but not exceptional.

The GPU's 32 GB VRAM is a notable asset for Palworld, which can consume significant memory for textures and world data at high resolutions. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that data flows quickly, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (62 FPS average) indicates that even this massive memory pool cannot overcome the compute demands of the highest preset. The data shows that the GPU is the star of this pairing, and the CPU is a supporting actor that never becomes a liability.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound pattern across all settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 224 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p, then to 82 at 4K. This represents a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Low settings, the figures are 343 FPS at 1080p, 237 FPS at 1440p, and 131 FPS at 4K — a 31% drop and then a 45% drop. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 291 at 1080p to 192 at 1440p to 106 at 4K, with the 1440p and 4K measurements showing minimums of 163 and 90 FPS, respectively, and maximums of 221 and 122 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical across all settings (around 45%), which strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the drop from 1440p to 4K would be smaller because the GPU would have more time to render each frame. Instead, the data shows that the RTX 5090's workload scales linearly with pixel count, and the i5-13400F is not constraining the system at any resolution. At 1080p, the FPS is high enough (170-343 FPS depending on settings) that the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more relevant, but the i5-13400F's single-thread score of 960 in 3DMark and 3191 in Cinebench R23 is adequate to keep up.

The Ultra preset shows the same scaling trend: 170 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34%, and from 1440p to 4K is 45%. This consistency across all presets is the clearest evidence that the GPU is the sole limiter, and that the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than enough for Palworld's engine at these settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear verdict: the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for most users, but the choice depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 224 FPS average, which is already far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, so the Ultra preset's 170 FPS average is still excellent and provides the best visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. The Low preset at 1080p hits 343 FPS, which is only useful for competitive play or extremely high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 192 FPS average with a minimum of 163 FPS, which is smooth and well above 144 Hz. The High preset at 148 FPS is also excellent, and the Ultra preset at 112 FPS is still very playable. The data suggests that at 1440p, High is the sweet spot for most users, as it offers a 36 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining a high average. The Low preset at 237 FPS is overkill for most displays.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset delivers 82 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 106 FPS average (with a minimum of 90 FPS) is the best choice for 4K, as it provides a 24 FPS improvement over High while still looking good. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS average is borderline, and the Low preset at 131 FPS is the only way to get high frame rates at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual quality.

Overall, the data indicates that the Medium preset is the most versatile recommendation across all resolutions, as it always lands above 100 FPS at 4K and above 190 FPS at 1440p. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, the High preset is the best choice, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium with only a minor FPS penalty. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p or 1440p users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, as it still delivers 170 FPS and 112 FPS respectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 343 FPS average
• Medium: 291 FPS average (minimum 248, maximum 335)
• High: 224 FPS average
• Ultra: 170 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo is capable of exceeding 300 FPS at Low and Medium settings, with the Medium preset showing a tight frame time distribution (248 min to 335 max). The High preset drops to 224 FPS, and Ultra brings it down to 170 FPS. These numbers indicate that the i5-13400F is not a bottleneck even at the highest frame rates, as the GPU is still able to push past 300 FPS without the CPU holding it back.

2560x1440:

• Low: 237 FPS average
• Medium: 192 FPS average (minimum 163, maximum 221)
• High: 148 FPS average
• Ultra: 112 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates remain high, with Low exceeding 200 FPS and Medium staying just under 200 FPS. The High preset at 148 FPS is still excellent for 144 Hz displays, and Ultra at 112 FPS is playable. The Medium preset's minimum of 163 FPS is particularly notable, as it shows consistent performance without significant drops.

3840x2160:

• Low: 131 FPS average
• Medium: 106 FPS average (minimum 90, maximum 122)
• High: 82 FPS average
• Ultra: 62 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset achieves 131 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K, but the Medium preset at 106 FPS is the most balanced option. High at 82 FPS is playable but not ideal for high refresh rates, and Ultra at 62 FPS is the minimum for a smooth experience. The Medium preset's minimum of 90 FPS shows that even in demanding scenes, the combo stays above 90 FPS at 4K, which is a strong result for this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Palworld?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings (a 45% drop from 1440p to 4K), which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 343 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU at very high frame rates. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking is lower than the GPU's 92nd percentile, but the measured results show no CPU-induced performance cap.

Q: How does this combo compare to other CPU-GPU pairings in Palworld?

A: This combo ranks 100 out of 3711 tested configurations, placing it in the top 2.7% of all tested combos. The ranking is driven by the RTX 5090's performance, while the i5-13400F's nearest CPU rivals (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D) all score within 0.3% of each other, showing the CPU is in a mid-pack tier.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice at 4K, delivering 106 FPS average with a minimum of 90 FPS. The High preset drops to 82 FPS, and Ultra falls to 62 FPS. The Low preset achieves 131 FPS but sacrifices visual quality. Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate at 4K.

Q: Can this combo handle high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 148 FPS average, which is above 144 Hz. The Medium preset reaches 192 FPS, and Low hits 237 FPS. The Ultra preset at 112 FPS is still smooth for most users. The data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How much does the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM matter for Palworld?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck at any resolution. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (62 FPS) is limited by compute performance, not memory capacity. The VRAM is more than sufficient for Palworld's largest texture loads, as evidenced by the smooth minimum FPS figures at 4K Medium (90 FPS min).

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the FPS cost at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 170 FPS average, which is still very high and well above 144 Hz. Compared to High at 224 FPS, the Ultra preset costs 54 FPS but offers the best visual quality. For users with 144 Hz monitors, Ultra is playable, but High provides a more comfortable margin above the refresh rate.