Palworld

Palworld, a survival title that blends creature collection with base building, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with both resolution and graphical presets. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a system where the integrated GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor, resulting in a playability profile that is strictly confined to lower resolutions and settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS across various configurations, contextualizes the combo's standing among its peers, and explores the distinct roles played by the CPU and GPU in shaping the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a dramatic and predictable decline in performance as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 84 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops by 33% to 56. The jump to 4K at Low settings further crushes performance, resulting in an average of just 31 FPS, which is a 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep curve indicates that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the pixel throughput demands, leaving very little headroom for the GPU to work with.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. For High settings, the average FPS falls from 53 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, and then plummets to 19 at 4K. Medium settings show a similar trajectory, going from 68 at 1080p to 45 at 1440p and then to 25 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with averages of 40 at 1080p, 26 at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 15 at 4K. The relative performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across settings, suggesting that the bottleneck is purely related to the fill rate and shading capacity of the Intel Arc B390, rather than any CPU-side limitation.

This scaling behavior implies a component mismatch for high-resolution gaming. The data suggests that the Intel Core i5-14600KF is more than capable of feeding frames to the GPU, as the FPS drop is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel count. The system is not balancing its resources; the GPU is the clear chokepoint, and the CPU's significant headroom remains unused. Consequently, users targeting 1440p or 4K with this configuration will face a severely compromised experience, with even Low settings failing to maintain a playable framerate at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Palworld, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 does not fare well. The combo rank in this game is 2607 out of 2944 tested combos. This places it in the bottom eleventh percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is outperformed by the vast majority of configurations. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class, which severely limits the overall gaming potential despite the powerful CPU.

The CPU alone, however, is a top-tier performer. Its average benchmark score of 49394 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, are within a 0.8% performance margin, showing that the i5-14600KF is competitive with high-end desktop processors. This stark contrast between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low in-game rank highlights the imbalance. The system is effectively a high-performance engine coupled with a low-performance drivetrain; the CPU is not the limiting factor, but it cannot overcome the GPU's constraints.

The GPU's own benchmark score is equally revealing. The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are legacy parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the GeForce GT 710, with performance deltas of 1.3% and 2.7% respectively. This context shows that the B390's graphics horsepower is on par with decade-old entry-level discrete graphics solutions, making it fundamentally unsuitable for modern, demanding titles like Palworld at higher resolutions. The data clearly indicates that the combo's rank is almost entirely determined by the GPU's limitations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. Its architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, and it operates as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a bus interface of "IGP" and a slot width of "IGP". Critically, its memory configuration is "System Shared", meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and must draw from the main system memory. The memory bus width is also "System Shared", and its bandwidth is described as "System Dependent", which introduces a significant performance variable outside the GPU's direct control.

The GPU's clock speeds are a mixed bag. It has a base clock of 300 MHz, which can boost up to 2500 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable, the low base clock and shared memory architecture likely prevent it from sustaining high performance under load. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster operation units (ROPs). These specifications, combined with the shared memory, explain the low frame rates observed. The 24 ROPs are particularly low for handling high resolutions, which contributes to the massive FPS drop at 4K.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Despite these modern API supports, the raw pixel throughput is insufficient. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are not competitive for a game like Palworld, which has complex environments and many on-screen entities. The benchmark results bear this out; the GPU's performance places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from over a decade ago. This clearly establishes that the B390's role is to provide basic graphical output, not high-end gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 84 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to an average of 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 and a maximum of 79. High settings produce an average of 53 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 40 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the game becomes consistently playable, particularly on Low and Medium presets.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more strained. The Low preset yields an average of 56 FPS, which is still playable but shows the significant cost of increasing resolution. Medium settings drop to an average of 45 FPS, with a range of 38 to 52. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra falls to an average of 26 FPS. For a survival game that benefits from smooth camera movement, these lower frame rates, especially on High and Ultra, would be noticeable and could detract from the experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is effectively overwhelmed. The Low preset manages an average of 31 FPS, which is borderline. Medium settings average 25 FPS (min 21, max 29), High settings average 19 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 15 FPS. None of these 4K results are suitable for a smooth gaming experience. The data shows a clear and consistent decline, with the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K being 16 FPS, highlighting how much headroom the settings have. The system's memory bandwidth being "System Dependent" likely exacerbates the high-resolution performance issues, as the shared memory bus becomes a severe constraint.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 4K with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is only 19 FPS, which is well below the threshold for smooth, playable performance.

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 84, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration tested that approaches a high refresh rate experience.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, placing it in the 90th percentile. It is 0.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, indicating it is a highly competitive processor.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU more responsible for the low frame rates?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390's benchmark score places it in the 9th percentile, and its performance is close to that of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which is only 1.3% slower. The CPU is in the 90th percentile and is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 84 on Low settings to 40 on Ultra settings. This represents a 44 FPS difference, or a performance reduction of over 50% when using the highest preset.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No. The Intel Arc B390's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than having its own dedicated VRAM. Its memory bandwidth is also listed as "System Dependent."

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable way to play Palworld with this hardware configuration is at 1080p. The data indicates that the Low preset is the most effective for achieving a smooth experience, as it is the only setting that produces an average FPS above 80. While the Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 68 FPS, is also playable and would provide a better visual experience, it comes with a 16 FPS penalty compared to Low.

For users who prioritize a stable framerate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear recommendation. It provides the highest headroom to avoid dips during intense gameplay moments, such as when many Pals are on screen or during base-building activities. The Medium preset is a reasonable compromise, as its minimum FPS of 58 is still within a playable range, but it leaves less margin for error.

The High and Ultra presets at 1080p, with averages of 53 and 40 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience, especially in a game that may have sudden performance spikes. At 1440p, even the Low preset, with an average of 56 FPS, is risky. The 4K resolution is entirely impractical, as even the Low preset only achieves 31 FPS. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p Low or Medium to ensure a playable session, accepting that the graphical quality will be modest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-performance desktop processor, and the benchmark data confirms its capabilities are largely untapped in this configuration. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake, and it has a 24 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications allow it to excel in multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and its Passmark multi-thread score of 38697.

In gaming, this CPU provides a strong foundation, but its performance is irrelevant when the GPU cannot keep up. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49394 places it in the 90th percentile, and it is a close rival to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which it beats by just 0.3%. This shows that the i5-14600KF is not a source of performance issues. It has ample single-thread performance for game logic and physics, and its multi-core prowess is more than sufficient for any background tasks.

The data implies that the CPU is waiting for the GPU. The FPS scaling pattern, which shows a steep decline with resolution, is a textbook sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions. The fact that they are not indicates that the Intel Arc B390 cannot translate the CPU's processing power into frames. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, and in this case, it is doing so with a significant amount of headroom to spare, leaving performance on the table.