Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released on 2024-01-18, presents a demanding workload that varies significantly across resolution and quality presets. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 reveals a combination that is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific hardware pairing, interpreting the benchmark results within the context of its measured rank and rival components.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings preset for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the data shows that the High preset delivers an average of 88.9 FPS, which is a solid, highly playable experience for a survival game. While the Low preset achieves a much higher 139.4 FPS, the jump from High to Low does not offer a proportional benefit for most users, as 88.9 FPS is already above the standard 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 112.4 FPS provides a substantial boost over High with a modest visual trade-off, making it a strong alternative for users who prioritize frame rate above all else. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable, but the performance cost relative to High is significant, and the visual uplift is typically not worth the 20 FPS loss.

For 2560x1440, the ideal choice is the Medium preset, which yields an average of 72.9 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS target. The High preset drops to 59.3 FPS, which is borderline and may lead to noticeable stutters in busy scenes. The Low preset at 88.7 FPS is the best for competitive play, but the drop in visual fidelity is more apparent at this higher resolution. The Ultra preset at 42.9 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, no preset provides a truly smooth experience. The Low preset, at 47.6 FPS, is the only one that approaches playability, but it will still feel less fluid than ideal. The High and Medium presets, at 32.6 and 41.3 FPS respectively, are too demanding for this GPU. The Ultra preset at 22.9 FPS is effectively unplayable. Therefore, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by using the High preset at 1080p or the Medium preset at 1440p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration for Palworld. Its performance is defined by its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's architecture is Turing, built on a 12 nm process, and it operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern where the GPU's capabilities are the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The VRAM capacity is a critical constraint. At 1920x1080 with the High preset, the 6 GB frame buffer appears sufficient, as the combo achieves 88.9 FPS. However, at 3840x2160, the demands on VRAM and memory bandwidth become overwhelming. The frame rates plummet to 32.6 FPS on High, indicating that the GPU's memory subsystem is saturated. The data suggests that the RTX 2060's 6 GB allocation is insufficient for high-resolution textures in this game, leading to severe performance degradation. The GPU's compute capabilities, while adequate for 1080p, are simply not enough to handle the pixel count of 4K, resulting in a significant drop in performance that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Palworld, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds a rank of 1411 out of 1718 combos. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a lower-midrange performer for this specific title. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU, and in this case, the GPU's limitations are clearly the dominant factor.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU is a strong performer. The Intel Core i5-14400F, with 10 cores and 16 threads, scores an average benchmark score of 32508, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H, which is a near-exact match with a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, which is only 0.2% behind. This indicates that the CPU provides ample processing power for the game's simulation and AI tasks. In contrast, the GPU is a weaker link. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 16074, placing it in only the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, are within a narrow performance band, with a deltaPct of 0.5%. This disparity in component percentiles—88th for the CPU versus 58th for the GPU—is the primary reason why the combo ranks so low. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU is unable to translate that data into high frame rates at demanding settings. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is severely imbalanced for Palworld, with the RTX 2060 holding the system back from achieving a higher rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low preset averages 139.4 FPS, Medium averages 112.4 FPS, High averages 88.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. These numbers show a linear scaling pattern, where each step up in quality results in a roughly 20-25 FPS decrease. This is a healthy range for PC gaming, with the Low preset offering high refresh rate potential and the High preset still providing a smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops as expected. The Low preset averages 88.7 FPS, which is still excellent. The Medium preset averages 72.9 FPS, High averages 59.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 42.9 FPS. The scaling here is more aggressive, with the gap between Medium and High being about 13 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra being about 16 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is starting to struggle with the increased pixel load.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The Low preset averages 47.6 FPS, which is the only playable option. The Medium preset averages 41.3 FPS, High averages 32.6 FPS, and Ultra averages just 22.9 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is massive, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle 4K rendering. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset cannot maintain a stable 60 FPS, cementing this resolution as unsuitable for this hardware combo in Palworld.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a significant performance penalty when scaling from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 88.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 32.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33% decrease in performance from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is a staggering 63%.

This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound workload. When the CPU is the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU is doing the same amount of work regardless of pixel count. However, the FPS here drops dramatically with each resolution increase, proving that the RTX 2060 is the component that is being saturated. The 6 GB VRAM and the 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for the texture and pixel data required at 4K, causing the rendering pipeline to stall. Conversely, the CPU's strength is evident in the 1080p results, where the frame rates are high, indicating that the i5-14400F is not a limiting factor at that resolution. The benchmark results clearly show that this combo is optimized for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a stretch and 4K being out of reach for a smooth experience.