Palworld

Palworld pairs the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, and the measured data places this combination at rank 1470 out of 1718 tested combos. That puts it in the bottom 15% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a clear signal that this pairing is not built for high-end Palworld performance. The GTX 1070, with its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus, is the limiting factor here; the i5-14400F is a modern 10-core, 16-thread Raptor Lake chip that ranks in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, but it cannot overcome the GPU’s age. Benchmark results indicate this combo will deliver playable frame rates at 1080p, but you will need to make significant compromises in settings to keep things smooth, and 4K gaming is largely out of reach.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo sits at rank 1470 out of 1718 tested configurations, placing it in the lower tier of Palworld performance. This rank reflects the GTX 1070’s position in the GPU hierarchy: it holds the 51st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (0.7% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (1.3% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (1.4% behind). The CPU, meanwhile, is a much stronger component—the i5-14400F scores 32508 on average, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with its closest competitor being the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32513 (0% delta). This imbalance is the defining characteristic of the pairing: the CPU has plenty of headroom, but the GPU holds the whole system back, especially at higher resolutions. In Palworld, which is a survival game that can be demanding on both CPU and GPU, this rank suggests you are getting roughly the performance you would expect from a mid-range GPU from 2016, not a modern setup.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Palworld at 1080p smoothly?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 123.8, which is very smooth. Medium settings deliver 101.4 FPS, and High settings still manage a solid 80 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 60.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced survival game.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this setup?

A: No, 4K is not viable. At 3840x2160, the best result is 43.4 FPS on Low settings, and that drops to 27.7 FPS on High and 19.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are below the threshold for comfortable play, so you should stick to 1080p or 1440p.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-14400F scores 32508 on average, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32513 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 at 32446 (0.2% behind). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 250 at 32584 (-0.2% delta). This shows the CPU is a strong performer for its class.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. All settings at 1080p produce playable frame rates, with Low at 123.8 FPS, Medium at 101.4 FPS, High at 80 FPS, and even Ultra at 60.4 FPS. 1440p is also viable, but you will need to stick to Low or Medium settings for good performance.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck?

A: Yes, the data strongly suggests this. The CPU ranks in the 88th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 51st percentile. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel count, not the CPU.

Q: Should I upgrade the GPU or the CPU first?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i5-14400F has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093, which are strong numbers. Upgrading the GTX 1070 would yield a much larger performance gain in Palworld than upgrading the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which gives it strong single-threaded performance, crucial for Palworld’s game logic and physics. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache, which helps with data-heavy tasks. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 21914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3093 in single-core, plus 11209 in Geekbench multi-core and 2333 in single-core. These numbers place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, showing it is more than capable of feeding a modern GPU. However, in this combo, the CPU’s performance is largely wasted at higher resolutions because the GTX 1070 cannot translate that processing power into frames. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to ensure the GPU is the limiting factor, but the overall experience is still dictated by the graphics card’s 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data paints a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 123.8 FPS on Low, 101.4 FPS on Medium, 80 FPS on High, and 60.4 FPS on Ultra. These are all playable numbers, with Low and Medium offering very smooth experiences and High still being quite good. At 2560x1440, the scores drop noticeably: Low delivers 80.6 FPS, Medium 64.4 FPS, High 50.2 FPS, and Ultra 39.1 FPS. The 1440p results are still playable on Low and Medium, but High and Ultra start to feel sluggish. At 3840x2160, performance collapses: Low yields 43.4 FPS, Medium 39 FPS, High 27.7 FPS, and Ultra 19.7 FPS. None of these 4K results are suitable for regular play, with even Low falling below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is capable at 1080p, adequate at 1440p with settings adjustments, and inadequate at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the limiting component. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on High settings, the FPS falls from 80 to 50.2, a drop of 37%. Moving further to 4K, it falls to 27.7, a drop of 65% from the 1080p baseline. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: the GTX 1070’s 256.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB of GDDR5 memory are simply not enough to handle the increased pixel count. In contrast, the CPU’s performance is constant across resolutions, so the steep decline is entirely attributable to the graphics card. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see less variation between resolutions, but the data shows a clear and consistent penalty as resolution increases. This confirms that the GTX 1070 is the primary constraint, and players should target 1080p to get the most out of this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which delivers 101.4 FPS. This provides a high frame rate that is smooth for exploration and combat, while still offering better visual fidelity than Low. If you prefer maximum smoothness, Low settings at 123.8 FPS is the way to go, but you will sacrifice visual quality. High settings at 80 FPS is a good middle ground for those who want better graphics and can tolerate slightly lower frame rates. Ultra at 60.4 FPS is technically playable, but it is not recommended because Palworld is a survival game where quick reactions matter, and a frame rate that close to 60 FPS can feel inconsistent. At 1440p, the data suggests using Low settings (80.6 FPS) for the best balance, or Medium (64.4 FPS) if you can accept occasional dips. Avoid 4K altogether, as even Low settings at 43.4 FPS are not enjoyable. In summary, stick to 1080p Medium for the best overall experience, and reserve 1440p for Low settings if you have a higher-resolution monitor.