Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released on 2024-01-18, presents a unique load profile that shifts dramatically based on resolution and settings. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, using the benchmark data to isolate the roles of the CPU and GPU across 12 distinct test scenarios. The data reveals a system capable of extreme frame rates at lower resolutions, but one where the scaling behavior highlights the specific strengths and bottlenecks of this particular combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates decrease. However, the rate of this decrease is not uniform, and it tells a story about where the performance limit lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 343 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 252 FPS, a reduction of roughly 26.5%. Stepping up again to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 140 FPS, a further 44.4% drop from the 1440p result. This pattern—a moderate drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a massive drop from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the system transitions from a CPU-limited state at lower resolutions to a heavily GPU-limited state at 4K.

The data at High settings reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p High, the average is 239 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 157 FPS, a 34.3% decrease. At 4K High, the average drops to 87 FPS, a 44.6% decrease from the 1440p figure. The significant absolute drop from 1440p to 4K, despite the relatively modest increase in pixel count compared to the 1080p to 1440p jump, suggests that the GeForce RTX 5090 D’s raw pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K, even on a High preset. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant constraint.

This is further supported by the Medium settings data, which includes minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 311 FPS with a minimum of 264 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 114 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the min/max spread, remains relatively stable, but the average plummets. The data shows that the gap between the 1080p and 1440p results is proportionally smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, a classic sign that the GPU is becoming saturated. The i5-13400F has sufficient headroom to push high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the RTX 5090 D's workload at 4K is the primary determinant of the final output.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at the Ultra preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 181. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 66. This represents a significant 63.5% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, indicating a substantial increase in GPU load.

Q: Which resolution provides the most stable frame rate on the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data. At 1920x1080, the average is 311 FPS with a minimum of 264 FPS and a maximum of 357 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average is 205 FPS with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 114 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. The spread between min and max is relatively consistent, but the 1080p data shows the highest absolute minimum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The frame rate drops precipitously from 1440p to 4K across all settings. For instance, at Low settings, the FPS falls from 252 at 1440p to 140 at 4K. This large drop indicates that the RTX 5090 D's rendering capacity is being exceeded, rather than the CPU's ability to issue draw calls.

Q: How does the combination rank among all tested system configurations?

A: For Palworld, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 34th out of 2944 tested combos. This places it in the top 1.2% of all tested systems, indicating very high overall performance.

Q: What is the FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 252 FPS. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 119 FPS. This is a 133 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the hardware, nearly halving the frame rate.

Q: Does the GeForce RTX 5090 D's performance in this game align with its general benchmark standing?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 77712, which places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals in general benchmarks are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, with scores of 76904 and 78940, respectively. This indicates that while it is a top-tier card overall, its performance in Palworld, as measured by the FPS data, is part of a high-performing system that is ranked 34th overall.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a high-end card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and the GB202 chip. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. This substantial memory pool and bandwidth are crucial for high-resolution textures and complex scenes common in survival games like Palworld, which often feature large, open environments with many objects.

The benchmark results show a GPU that performs exceptionally well, ranking in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77712 is notable, though the data shows it is closely matched with some other cards; for instance, it is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT but 1.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT in general benchmarks. This suggests that while the 5090 D is powerful, its performance in a specific title like Palworld is what matters most for this analysis.

The measured FPS data demonstrates the GPU's capability. At 1080p Low, it achieves 343 FPS, showing immense raw speed. The critical detail is how its performance scales with settings. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 140 on Low to 66 on Ultra. The significant drop at 4K Ultra, a 52.9% reduction from the 4K Low score, shows the GPU's load increases dramatically with visual fidelity. The 32 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Palworld, given the game's release date and typical requirements; the bottleneck is more likely the shader and pixel processing workload, which is reflected in the FPS scaling. The GPU's measured performance in this game, particularly the 87 FPS average at 4K High, indicates it is able to handle the game at high resolutions, but the Ultra preset pushes it to a point where frame rates dip below 70 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 34 out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld. This places the system in the top 1.15% of all configurations tested, a position that indicates excellent overall performance for this specific game. The ranking considers the combined effect of the CPU and GPU, and the data shows that this pairing is highly effective in Palworld.

This high ranking is supported by the absolute FPS figures. The system is capable of exceeding 300 FPS at 1080p on Medium settings, and it maintains above 140 FPS at 4K on Low settings. These are strong results that would provide a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors at lower resolutions and a very playable experience at 4K. The rank suggests that there are only 33 other system configurations that perform better, likely involving even more powerful CPUs that can further reduce the bottlenecks seen at lower resolutions.

The data underscores that this is a top-tier setup for Palworld. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the absolute fastest CPU on the market, but it provides enough performance to not significantly hold back the RTX 5090 D at most settings. The 34th rank out of 2944 combos confirms that this pairing is far above the average tested system and is more than capable of delivering a high-end gaming experience in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the system is so powerful that even the Ultra preset, with an average of 181 FPS, provides a highly fluid experience that would satisfy most users. For competitive play or use with a very high refresh rate monitor (240Hz or higher), the Medium preset offers 311 FPS, while the Low preset pushes to 343 FPS. The High preset at 239 FPS is a strong middle ground, offering better visuals than Low while still maintaining frame rates well above 200.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an excellent average of 157 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz monitors. The Medium preset provides a massive 205 FPS, which is beneficial for higher refresh rate displays, while the Ultra preset drops to 119 FPS, which is still playable but not as smooth. For most users at 1440p, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, balancing visual quality with a high, consistent frame rate. The Low preset's 252 FPS is an option for esports-style play, but the visual fidelity loss is significant.

At 3840x2160, the priorities shift. The Ultra preset averages only 66 FPS, which may be below the comfort threshold for many players. The Medium preset offers a much more playable 114 FPS, and the High preset provides a solid 87 FPS. For a 60Hz display, the High preset is suitable, but for a 120Hz+ display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice to achieve higher frame rates. The Low preset at 140 FPS is viable for those prioritizing performance above all else, but it undermines the visual benefits of 4K. The data shows that Medium is the most balanced preset for 4K, providing a significant FPS boost over High and Ultra while still offering a reasonable level of detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination in Palworld.

1920x1080:

• Low: 343 FPS average.
• Medium: 311 FPS average, with a minimum of 264 FPS and a maximum of 357 FPS.
• High: 239 FPS average.
• Ultra: 181 FPS average.

2560x1440:

• Low: 252 FPS average.
• Medium: 205 FPS average, with a minimum of 174 FPS and a maximum of 235 FPS.
• High: 157 FPS average.
• Ultra: 119 FPS average.

3840x2160:

• Low: 140 FPS average.
• Medium: 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS.
• High: 87 FPS average.
• Ultra: 66 FPS average.

These figures show a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low is fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 162 FPS (343 vs 181). At 1440p, the difference is 133 FPS (252 vs 119). At 4K, the difference is 74 FPS (140 vs 66). This narrowing absolute gap indicates that at higher resolutions, the settings have a relatively smaller impact on the absolute frame rate because the GPU is already heavily loaded, whereas at lower resolutions, the CPU has more headroom to exploit the lower graphical settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It features 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In general benchmarks, it scores 22604 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 3191 in single-core, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 25292, which is very close to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284) and the Intel Core 5 120 (25362), indicating it is a solid mid-to-high-range performer.

In Palworld, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 343 FPS, a score that is likely limited by the CPU's single-thread performance and ability to process game logic and draw calls. The fact that the FPS drops significantly as resolution increases—from 343 at 1080p Low to 252 at 1440p Low—shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU is powerful enough to maintain high frame rates, but it is the GPU that determines the final output above 1080p.

The data suggests that the i5-13400F provides sufficient computational power for Palworld. The 10 cores and 16 threads are ample for a modern game, which typically scales well with multiple cores. The high boost clock of 4.60 GHz helps with single-threaded tasks that are often the bottleneck in game simulations. The CPU's performance metrics, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314, are robust. However, the ranking of the combination (34th out of 2944) suggests that while the CPU is good, there are faster processors that could push frame rates even higher in CPU-bound scenarios, particularly at 1080p. The data shows that this CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 5090 D, enabling the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions, but it is the GPU that dominates the performance profile at 1440p and 4K.