Palworld

Palworld with the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 presents a compelling dataset for understanding how this survival title scales across resolutions and settings. The measured frames per second reveal a system that is heavily influenced by graphical load, with the GPU taking center stage at higher resolutions while the CPU's performance becomes more apparent at lower settings. The data indicates a well-balanced pairing, though the scaling patterns suggest specific bottlenecks that are worth investigating.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a significant drop in frame rates, highlighting the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 147.6 at 1920x1080 to 97.2 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 34%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 52.1, which is a 65% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 9070 is being progressively saturated as pixel count increases, with the GPU's rendering throughput becoming the decisive constraint.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the 4K average of 42.4 FPS represents a 61% drop from the 109.6 FPS seen at 1080p. This suggests that the most demanding preset at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits, resulting in a less fluid experience. However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra (73.0 to 42.4 FPS) is a 42% reduction, which is less severe than the 1080p to 1440p drop of 33%. This non-linear scaling implies that while the GPU is the main bottleneck, other factors such as memory bandwidth or driver overhead may begin to play a role at the highest resolution.

At Low settings, the FPS remains exceptionally high at 1080p (235.8), but the drop to 4K (85.1) is a 64% reduction. This larger relative decrease at lower settings suggests that the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes less of a constraint, and the GPU's raw compute power is the sole determinant. The data shows that for consistent performance across all resolutions, users would need to adjust settings, as the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is a substantial 42.4 to 85.1 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivers a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is crucial for Palworld's open-world environments, where texture streaming and asset loading can be demanding. The 16 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra settings, the GPU has ample memory headroom, which is likely why the game does not experience catastrophic frame drops but rather a gradual decline in average FPS.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor in the results. With a base clock of 1330 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the card can dynamically scale its performance based on thermal and power headroom. The game clock of 2070 MHz suggests a typical sustained frequency during gaming loads, which aligns with the observed performance. The RX 9070's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs are responsible for the pixel throughput, and the data shows that at 4K High, the card is working hard to maintain a 52.1 FPS average.

The GPU's score in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark is 6290, and its Passmark G3D score is 25381. These synthetic benchmarks indicate a strong performer, but the real-world Palworld data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card is not quite capable of hitting 60 FPS. This suggests that while the RX 9070 is a powerful GPU, Palworld's Ultra preset at 4K is an extreme load that requires either a more powerful card or a reduction in settings to achieve a smoother experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 97.2.

Q: How does the 4K Low preset compare to the 1080p Ultra preset?

A: The 4K Low preset achieves an average of 85.1 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra preset achieves 109.6 FPS. This indicates that 4K Low is more demanding on the GPU than 1080p Ultra, resulting in a lower frame rate.

Q: Is the RX 9070 capable of 60 FPS at 4K in Palworld?

A: Based on the data, the RX 9070 only exceeds 60 FPS at 4K when using the Low preset (85.1 FPS). At Medium (70.6 FPS) it is above 60, but at High (52.1) and Ultra (42.4) settings, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 187.5 at 1920x1080 to 126.6 at 2560x1440, a difference of 60.9 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 1080p, with a measured 235.8 FPS.

Q: How many total combinations does this build rank among?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 547 out of 1718 tested combinations in Palworld.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is consistently high across all presets. The Low preset yields a 235.8 FPS average, which is exceptionally fluid for competitive play. Medium settings drop to 187.5 FPS, still providing a very smooth experience. High settings further reduce the average to 147.6 FPS, while Ultra settings bring it down to 109.6 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, as the frame rates are high enough to suggest the GPU is not the limiting factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the strain on the GPU becomes more evident. Low settings still produce a high 154 FPS average, but Medium drops to 126.6 FPS. High settings average 97.2 FPS, which is a solid result for 1440p gaming. Ultra settings, however, see a significant drop to 73 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset at this resolution requires substantial GPU resources.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. Low settings produce an 85.1 FPS average, which is playable. Medium settings drop to 70.6 FPS, and High settings fall to 52.1 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 42.4 FPS. This data shows a clear progression where each step up in settings at 4K has a noticeable impact on the final frame rate, with the gap between Low and Ultra being nearly double the FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience at 1920x1080, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering a 147.6 FPS average that is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. While Ultra provides a 109.6 FPS average, the visual fidelity gains may not justify the 26% performance loss. The Low preset at 235.8 FPS is suitable for players seeking maximum responsiveness, but it sacrifices visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is recommended for a smooth experience, with a 97.2 FPS average that is close to the 100 FPS mark. The Medium preset at 126.6 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize higher frame rates, but the drop to Ultra at 73 FPS may be too steep for some. The data suggests that High is the optimal balance between visual quality and performance at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, users will need to make compromises. The Medium preset at 70.6 FPS provides a playable experience, but the High preset at 52.1 FPS is borderline. The Low preset at 85.1 FPS is the only one that offers a consistently smooth 4K experience, but it significantly reduces the game's visual fidelity. Given the data, Medium is the recommended preset for 4K, as it offers a reasonable balance without the sharp drop seen at High and Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, provides substantial processing power for Palworld. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly relevant for the game's single-threaded performance, which is critical for physics calculations and AI behavior. The benchmark results show a strong single-core performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2803 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, indicating that the CPU can handle the game's core logic without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The multi-core performance is also robust, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a Passmark multithread score of 38682. Palworld, being a survival game with a living world, can utilize multiple threads for tasks such as world simulation and pathfinding. The data suggests that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU is able to feed the GPU with enough frames to reach 235.8 FPS, demonstrating that it is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

However, as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the CPU's role diminishes. The fact that the FPS drops so significantly from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU's rendering workload is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance, while excellent, is not the reason for the frame rate drops at higher resolutions. Instead, the data shows a system where the CPU is more than capable, and the GPU's capabilities define the overall experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 547 out of 1718 combos in Palworld. This places it in the top third of all tested systems, indicating a strong performance level. The CPU itself sits in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 79th percentile, suggesting that the CPU is a higher-performing component relative to its peers than the GPU.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which is 0.2% slower in average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, which is 0.4% faster. This tight grouping indicates that the i5-14600K is competitive with other high-end CPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA A2 and the Quadro GV100, show very small performance deltas of -0.2% and 0.3%, respectively, suggesting that the RX 9070 is also positioned closely to its immediate competitors.

The rank of 547 out of 1718 is a strong result, but it is not at the top. This indicates that there are more powerful combinations available, likely with higher-end GPUs. However, for this mid-range to high-end pairing, the data shows that it is well-suited for Palworld, particularly at 1440p where the balance between CPU and GPU performance is most evident. The combination offers a versatile experience, capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions and playable performance at 4K with adjusted settings.