Palworld

Palworld’s measured performance with the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution, but the relationship between settings and frame rates is not uniform. The data indicates that this pairing delivers playable performance at 4K only at specific settings, while at 1080p, it is the CPU that becomes the limiting factor in the most demanding presets.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates the expected GPU-bound scaling, but the magnitude of the frame rate drop varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 317.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 114.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 64%. This steep decline is typical of a scenario where the GPU is doing relatively little work at lower settings, making the resolution increase the dominant variable. At Medium settings, the drop is from 256.3 FPS to 92.1 FPS, a 64% decrease as well, showing a consistent scaling pattern.

However, the High preset tells a more nuanced story. Here, performance goes from 196.0 FPS at 1080p to 131.2 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 73.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 44%, which is less severe than the 64% drop seen at Low settings. This suggests that at High settings, the workload is balanced differently, and the GPU is already being utilized more effectively at lower resolutions. At Ultra settings, the scaling is the most dramatic: the system produces 153.0 FPS at 1080p, 99.0 FPS at 1440p, and only 51.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result represents a 66% reduction from the 1080p figure, indicating that the Ultra preset pushes the RTX 4080 SUPER to its absolute limits, making resolution the overwhelming factor.

The data strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K across all settings, as the frame rates scale inversely with pixel count. At 1080p, however, the picture is different. The fact that the RTX 4080 SUPER can produce 317.3 FPS at Low settings shows it is not being fully utilized, and the CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads are likely the constraint in this scenario. The scaling behavior indicates that for this combo, 1080p is CPU-bound, 4K is GPU-bound, and 1440p is the sweet spot where the workload is most balanced.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance for each resolution, and the optimal setting depends entirely on the target frame rate and resolution. For 4K gaming, the choice is straightforward. Ultra settings yield an average of 51.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. High settings, at 73.8 FPS, provide a playable experience with a 43% improvement over Ultra. Medium settings increase the average to 92.1 FPS, a significant jump, but this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. For a 4K display, High settings are the recommended balance, as they offer a 73.8 FPS average which is comfortably above 60 FPS and retains better visual quality than Medium.

At 1440p, the system is more capable. Ultra settings produce 99.0 FPS, which is playable, but High settings at 131.2 FPS offer a smoother experience with only a modest visual trade-off. Medium settings at 168.7 FPS are excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the data shows that High is the best compromise for most users, as it delivers a 32% improvement over Ultra while still looking substantially better than Medium. For 1080p, the analysis shifts. Ultra settings yield 153.0 FPS, which is already very high. High settings at 196.0 FPS are preferable for competitive play, but the jump to Medium at 256.3 FPS and Low at 317.3 FPS shows that the game is heavily CPU-limited at this resolution. The data suggests that for 1080p, High settings are the best choice because they provide a massive frame rate boost over Ultra without the visual degradation of Medium or Low.

The overall recommendation is to use High settings at 4K and 1440p, and High settings at 1080p as well, unless a player has a 240Hz+ monitor, in which case Medium is the only way to approach those frame rates. Ultra settings are only viable at 1440p and below, and even then, they are not the best use of the GPU’s capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s benchmark results show a strong single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643, and a multi-core score of 32889. This places the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a high-end processor. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K, which has an average score 0.4% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which is 0.6% lower. The performance delta with these rivals is minimal, suggesting that the 14600KF is on par with the best consumer CPUs available.

In Palworld, the CPU’s role becomes evident in the 1080p results. At Low settings, the system produces 317.3 FPS, which is a staggeringly high number. However, the fact that the RTX 4080 SUPER cannot push beyond this at 1080p Low, despite its massive compute power, indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor. The 5.30 GHz boost clock is crucial here, as the game’s logic and physics simulation likely rely on single-threaded performance. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared is also relevant, as Palworld’s open-world environment with many entities can benefit from a larger cache to reduce memory latency. The data shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach 317.3 FPS at 1080p Low, but it cannot sustain that frame rate at higher settings where the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

The Core i5-14600KF’s performance in Cinebench R20 multi-core (13813) and Geekbench multi-core (15636) supports its ability to handle the game’s background tasks. However, the game’s reliance on the CPU is evident in the fact that at 1080p, the frame rates do not scale down as much when going from Low to Ultra as they do at 4K. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 164.3 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is 63.1 FPS. This confirms that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, and the GPU has headroom that is not being used.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 317.3 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the data set.

Q: Is 4K Ultra settings playable with this hardware?

A: No, the data shows an average of 51.7 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings at 73.8 FPS are the minimum for a playable 4K experience.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the i5-14600K?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score that is 0.4% lower than the i5-14600K, making the performance difference negligible for gaming purposes.

Q: What is the largest frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The largest drop occurs at Low settings, where the average frame rate falls from 317.3 FPS at 1080p to 114.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 202.5 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Palworld at 4K?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory. The measured data shows that it can handle 4K High settings at 73.8 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 51.7 FPS suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are strained at the highest settings.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 117th out of 1718 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems tested for Palworld.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node, featuring 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores. Its memory configuration is 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock is 2550 MHz, and it has a pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s. The GPU’s benchmark results are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, has an average score that is 0.2% higher, indicating they are very closely matched.

In Palworld, the GPU’s role is dominant at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K, the frame rates are directly tied to the settings preset, which reflects the GPU’s workload. At Ultra settings, the 51.7 FPS average indicates that the GPU is fully saturated, likely due to the combination of high-resolution textures and complex shaders. The 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 4K, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited at High settings, where it produces 73.8 FPS. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is also a factor, as the drop from High to Ultra at 4K represents a 30% performance penalty, suggesting that the memory subsystem is taxed by the Ultra preset’s data requirements.

At 1440p, the GPU shows its strength. The 99.0 FPS average at Ultra settings is playable, and the 131.2 FPS at High settings shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The 209.9 FPS at Low settings is the highest at 1440p, but this is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU has plenty of headroom. The data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a capable 4K GPU, but it cannot maintain 60 FPS at Ultra settings in Palworld, and the High preset is the maximum visual quality that allows for a smooth experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 317.3 FPS at Low settings, 256.3 FPS at Medium, 196.0 FPS at High, and 153.0 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show that at 1080p, the frame rate is high enough for any monitor, and the differences between settings are substantial, with Ultra being 48% slower than Low. At 2560x1440, the results are 209.9 FPS at Low, 168.7 FPS at Medium, 131.2 FPS at High, and 99.0 FPS at Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 53% reduction, which is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more involved. At 3840x2160, the results are 114.8 FPS at Low, 92.1 FPS at Medium, 73.8 FPS at High, and 51.7 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results show a clear pattern where each settings tier has a significant impact on performance, with Ultra being 55% slower than Low.

The data also shows that the frame rate differences between resolutions are not linear. For example, at High settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p reduces the average FPS by 64.8 FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K reduces it by 57.4 FPS. This indicates that the GPU’s scaling is more efficient at higher resolutions, likely due to better utilization of its shading units and memory bandwidth. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and the Low preset at 1080p is the only one that exceeds 300 FPS. These extremes define the performance envelope of this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 117th out of 1718 tested combos for Palworld, which places it in the top 6.8% of all systems. This high ranking is expected given the hardware’s capabilities. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking suggest that this is a high-end pairing, but the combo’s rank in-game (117) is slightly lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest. This is because Palworld’s performance is heavily dependent on the interaction between the CPU and GPU, and the data shows that at 1080p, the CPU limits the GPU, while at 4K, the GPU limits the CPU.

The ranking implies that there are 116 other combos that perform better in Palworld, likely featuring more powerful CPUs or GPUs. However, the fact that this combo is in the top 7% indicates that it is a very capable system for this game. The gap between the CPU’s percentile (93) and the GPU’s percentile (88) shows that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, which is a good balance for a game like Palworld that can be CPU-intensive at lower resolutions. The combo’s rank confirms the RTX 4080 SUPER’s ability to handle 4K High settings, as very few systems can achieve 73.8 FPS at that resolution. Overall, the data suggests that this combo is a top-tier choice for Palworld, with the only weakness being the inability to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.