Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released on January 18, 2024, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical preset. The measured configuration, pairing the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, delivers a wide performance envelope, from extremely high refresh rate gaming at 1080p to a still-playable but more constrained experience at 4K. The recorded data across all twelve measured scenarios provides a clear picture of where this combination excels and where its limitations become apparent.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is substantial and reveals a system that becomes progressively more GPU-bound as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 235 FPS at 1080p to 165 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 70 FPS, and then further to 99 FPS at 4K. This represents a 58% decrease in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The configuration produces 316 FPS at 1080p, 280 FPS at 1440p, and 187 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 129 FPS, a 41% reduction. This larger absolute drop at lower settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at very high rates at 1080p, but the GPU workload at 4K becomes the dominant constraint. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is only 36 FPS, while the difference between 1440p and 4K is 93 FPS, showing an accelerating performance penalty as resolution increases.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, with 277 FPS at 1080p, 218 FPS at 1440p, and 132 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings also scale with resolution: 235 FPS at 1080p, 185 FPS at 1440p, and 112 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that even the frame pacing, not just the averages, suffers at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 192 at 1080p to 134 at 1440p and finally to 81 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result, at 81 FPS average, is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 124 FPS (316 vs 192). At 1440p, that gap narrows to 146 FPS (280 vs 134). At 4K, the gap is 106 FPS (187 vs 81). This compression of performance headroom at 4K confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the additional shading and texture work required by Ultra settings at high pixel counts consumes the RTX 4080's available throughput.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, is a central component in these results. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the texture and geometry demands of Palworld at all tested resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz, combined with 9728 shading units, delivers the raw compute necessary for the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%, indicating that the two cards are effectively tied in synthetic tests. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6% higher. These small deltas in synthetic benchmarks, however, do not translate directly to Palworld performance, where the RTX 4080 demonstrates strong real-world results.

At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4080 produces an average of 81 FPS, which is a demanding workload. The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are designed for this type of sustained load. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is not exhausted in any of the recorded scenarios, as even the highest settings at 4K do not show the frame rate collapsing due to memory overflow. The memory clock of 1400 MHz, with 22.4 Gbps effective data rate, contributes to the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth that keeps the GPU fed with texture data.

The transition from High to Ultra settings at 4K results in a drop from 99 FPS to 81 FPS, an 18% reduction. This is a smaller relative change than the drop from Medium to High at the same resolution, which goes from 132 FPS to 99 FPS, a 25% reduction. The GPU's performance scaling with settings suggests that Ultra presets in Palworld include effects that are particularly taxing on the RTX 4080's computational resources, such as increased draw distances or more complex lighting calculations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance for this configuration. At 1080p, Medium delivers 277 FPS average with a minimum of 235 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. At 1440p, Medium produces 218 FPS average with a 185 FPS minimum, still excellent for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 132 FPS average with a 112 FPS minimum, which is playable on displays with up to 120 Hz refresh rates.

The High preset is also a strong option, particularly for users with 1440p displays. At 1440p High, the configuration achieves 165 FPS average, which is perfect for 165 Hz monitors. The 4K High result of 99 FPS average is acceptable for 100 Hz displays but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The data shows that High settings at 1080p (235 FPS) are excessive for most display capabilities, and the extra visual quality from Ultra settings at 1080p (192 FPS) may not justify the 43 FPS drop.

Ultra settings should be reserved for users with 1080p displays seeking maximum visual quality, where the 192 FPS average remains fluid. At 1440p, Ultra's 134 FPS average is still very playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 81 FPS is the only scenario where the configuration dips below the 100 FPS threshold. For 4K users, Medium settings provide a significantly better experience than High or Ultra, with the 132 FPS average being 33 FPS higher than High and 51 FPS higher than Ultra.

Low settings offer the highest frame rates but sacrifice visual quality. The 316 FPS at 1080p Low is the fastest recorded result, but the gap to Medium (277 FPS) is only 39 FPS, making Medium a clearly better choice for most users. At 4K, Low's 187 FPS is impressive, but the visual downgrade from Medium is substantial, and the 55 FPS difference between Low and Medium at 4K may not be worth the loss in image quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this configuration?

A: The highest average FPS is 316 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 280 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, followed by 277 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (1.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (2.6% higher).

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded across all tested scenarios?

A: The lowest average FPS is 81 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only recorded scenario where the average frame rate falls below 90 FPS.

Q: Does the configuration maintain a minimum FPS above 60 in all scenarios?

A: Yes, the only minimum FPS values recorded are for Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 112 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 185 FPS. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 235 FPS. All exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 235, while at 3840x2160 it is 99. The 1080p result is 136 FPS higher, which is a 137% increase over the 4K result.

Q: What is the ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 3rd out of 3711 tested combinations in Palworld. This places it in the top 0.1% of all configurations tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F, a Raptor Lake Refresh processor with 10 cores and 16 threads, plays a critical role in the lower resolution results. Its boost clock of 4.70 GHz and base clock of 2.50 GHz, combined with 20 MB of shared L3 cache, provide the single-thread performance necessary to drive high frame rates in Palworld. The CPU's benchmark scores show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055, which are strong results for a mid-range desktop processor.

At 1080p Low settings, the configuration achieves 316 FPS average. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of processing game logic and issuing draw calls fast enough to keep the RTX 4080 well utilized. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279, places it slightly above the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, 0.2% higher) and below the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354, 0.2% lower). The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32233, which is 0.1% lower than the i5-14400F.

The CPU's performance at higher resolutions becomes less relevant, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is only 36 FPS (316 to 280), while the difference between 1440p and 4K is 93 FPS (280 to 187). This pattern shows that the CPU can maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU workload at 4K limits the overall output. The CPU's 10 cores are sufficient for Palworld's multithreaded nature, as the game benefits from the 16 threads available, but the architecture's single-thread performance is more critical for the high FPS values recorded.

The i5-14400F supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, which provides adequate memory bandwidth for the CPU's 20 MB L3 cache. Its 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a power-efficient choice, though the measured results do not include power consumption data. The CPU's passmark multi-thread score of 25470 and single-thread score of 3701 indicate balanced performance, with the data compression score of 315521 showing strong integer throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 316 FPS. Medium settings achieve 277 FPS average, with a minimum of 235 FPS and a maximum of 318 FPS. High settings reach 235 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 192 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 124 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to handle significant increases in graphical fidelity without dropping below 192 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the first signs of GPU limitation. Low settings average 280 FPS. Medium settings average 218 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 185 FPS and 251 FPS respectively. High settings average 165 FPS. Ultra settings average 134 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 146 FPS, which is wider than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the configuration still delivers playable frame rates but with a much tighter performance envelope. Low settings average 187 FPS. Medium settings average 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS. High settings average 99 FPS. Ultra settings average 81 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 106 FPS, which is narrower than at 1440p, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 112, which is still well above 60 FPS, but the Ultra setting at 4K drops to 81 FPS average, leaving less headroom for demanding scenes.

The Medium settings provide the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 235 FPS and the maximum is 318 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 185 FPS and the maximum is 251 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 112 FPS and the maximum is 151 FPS. These values show that the frame pacing is consistent, with no major stutters, even at 4K Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In Palworld, the combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 3rd out of 3711 tested combinations. This top-tier ranking places the configuration among the fastest systems tested for this specific game. The rank reflects the overall performance across all measured scenarios, weighted by the game's demands on both CPU and GPU resources.

The 3rd place ranking is notable given that the CPU is not a flagship model. The i5-14400F's 83rd percentile standing among all CPUs, with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% higher score) and Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% higher score), shows that this mid-range processor does not hold back the RTX 4080 in Palworld. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking, with the RTX 4080 SUPER only 0.1% higher in average benchmark score, suggests that the graphics card is the primary driver of this high ranking.

The 3711 combinations tested include a wide range of CPUs and GPUs, from budget to extreme enthusiast parts. Ranking 3rd means that only two other configurations produce higher average FPS in Palworld. This result indicates that the i5-14400F and RTX 4080 pairing is exceptionally well-suited to this game's specific performance characteristics, which include heavy draw call processing at high frame rates and GPU-intensive rendering at high resolutions.

The data shows that the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 at 1080p, where the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings. At 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's performance is less critical. This balance between CPU and GPU capability is what allows the combination to achieve such a high rank. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% lower score) and Intel Core i7-12800H (0.5% higher score), would likely produce similar results when paired with the same GPU, but the measured data specifically confirms the i5-14400F's compatibility with the RTX 4080 in this title.