Palworld

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a highly playable Palworld experience at 1080p and 1440p, with performance scaling predictably by settings. The data indicates that this combination ranks in the 63rd percentile of tested configurations, placing it firmly in the mid-to-upper tier for this title. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as frame rates drop below the 60 FPS threshold even on Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 73.4. This is the most demanding 1080p preset tested, and it remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 29024. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, has a deltaPct of 0, indicating virtually identical performance. The Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.1% ahead.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-core performance score?

A: In Cinebench R23, the Intel Core i5-14600KF scores 32889 in the multi-core test. This places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, showing strong multi-threaded capability for a desktop processor.

Q: What is the best FPS result recorded across all tested settings?

A: The highest average FPS in the dataset is 160.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the least graphically intensive configuration tested.

Q: Is the frame rate at 4K High settings playable?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 38.9. This is below the commonly accepted 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, indicating the system struggles at this resolution with high graphical fidelity.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and what is its bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor in its performance scaling across resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. The GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, alongside 32 ray accelerators. Its compute capability is rated at 10.79 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory running at an effective speed of 17.5 Gbps. This is paired with a 128-bit memory bus, yielding a total bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The GPU's pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s. These specifications indicate a card designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the memory bandwidth being a potential constraint at higher resolutions.

In Palworld, the GPU's role is clearly demonstrated by the FPS scaling. At 1080p, the card has sufficient headroom to push high frame rates, with Low settings hitting 160.1 FPS and Medium reaching 127.7 FPS. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the demand on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth grows. The 8 GB VRAM buffer and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient to maintain high performance, as evidenced by the significant drop in frame rates at 3840x2160. The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a capable mid-range part, but it is not designed for extreme 4K workloads in demanding titles.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component in this system. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average FPS drops from 101.5 to 67, a reduction of 34.5 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160 on High settings results in an average of 38.9 FPS, which is a 62.6 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline.

The scaling pattern is similar across all settings presets. On Medium settings, the FPS goes from 127.7 at 1080p to 84.3 at 1440p, then to 48.5 at 4K. Even on Low settings, which should minimize GPU load, the frame rate falls from 160.1 at 1080p to 101.8 at 1440p and finally to 57.4 at 4K. This consistent downward trend across all presets points to the GPU's computational limits being reached as pixel count increases.

The CPU, with its high Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and 93rd percentile ranking, is unlikely to be the bottleneck in this scenario. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 160.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames at a high rate. The fact that performance drops so sharply at 4K, even on Low settings, indicates that the RX 6650 XT's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the increased pixel workload. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth become a significant constraint at 4K, limiting the amount of data that can be processed per second.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong performance across all settings. On Low, the average FPS is 160.1, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 127.7 FPS, High settings produce 101.5 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 73.4 FPS. These results show a smooth scaling curve, with each step up in quality costing approximately 25-30 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease substantially. Low settings average 101.8 FPS, which remains highly playable. Medium settings achieve 84.3 FPS, while High settings produce 67 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p deliver 51.3 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold but remains usable for less demanding gameplay scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings are the only preset to remain near the playability threshold, with an average of 57.4 FPS. Medium settings produce 48.5 FPS, High settings drop to 38.9 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 25.4 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32 FPS, showing that the GPU's performance headroom is nearly exhausted at this resolution.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K on Ultra settings is particularly telling, as the frame rate drops from 73.4 to 25.4, a 65% reduction. This is a much larger percentage drop than what is seen on Low settings, where the reduction is from 160.1 to 57.4, a 64% drop. The consistent magnitude of the drop across all settings reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of Palworld, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1086 out of 1718 tested configurations. This places the combo in the 63rd percentile of all tested systems for this game, indicating it performs better than the majority of setups but is not in the top tier.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 49367 and a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores 49166 with a deltaPct of 0.4, meaning the 14600KF is essentially on par with the non-K variant. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is 0.6% behind, while the AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.5% ahead. This shows the CPU is highly competitive in its class.

The GPU, however, is more of a mid-range part. With an average benchmark score of 29024 and a 72nd percentile ranking, it sits below the top graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 0.1% ahead. This places the GPU in a crowded mid-range segment, where performance differences between models are minimal.

The overall combo ranking of 1086 out of 1718 reflects the balance between the strong CPU and mid-range GPU. The data suggests that while the CPU has significant headroom to drive higher frame rates, the GPU limits the system's ability to achieve top-tier performance in Palworld, particularly at higher resolutions. The combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates at most settings, but it falls short of 4K Ultra capabilities.