Palworld

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 at 4K in Palworld?

A: The data shows the High preset at 3840x2160 delivers 80.6 FPS, which is the highest measured average among the four settings at that resolution. The Ultra preset drops to 60.8 FPS, while Medium delivers 106.4 FPS and Low reaches 126.6 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367. It sits 0.4% above the Intel Core i5-14600K (49166), 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062), and 1.4% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698). The AMD EPYC 4345P edges it out by 0.5% with a score of 49595.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks in the 91st percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 66473, placing it 0.4% above the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733) and 0.5% above the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66127), while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 0.9% (67097).

Q: What is the measured FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 234.7 FPS on average, while the Ultra preset produces 111.9 FPS. This represents a 122.8 FPS gap, with High at 142 FPS and Medium at 187.2 FPS occupying the middle ground.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 4643 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 32889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. In Passmark, single-thread performance is 4273 while multithread score is 38697. The data indicates strong scaling across cores, consistent with its 14 cores and 20 threads.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it relate to high-resolution gaming?

A: The RTX 4090 features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This high bandwidth supports the measured 4K performance, where even the Ultra preset maintains 60.8 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's role in Palworld is defined by its substantial memory subsystem and high clock rates. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 24 GB GDDR6X frame buffer on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is directly relevant to the measured frame rates at high resolutions.

The GPU's compute capabilities are extensive: 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. The FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS indicates the card's capacity to handle Palworld's rendering workload, which includes both rasterization and real-time effects. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s provide context for how the card processes the game's visual data.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a critical factor. The measured FPS data shows a clear progression: Low settings at 126.6 FPS, Medium at 106.4 FPS, High at 80.6 FPS, and Ultra at 60.8 FPS. This scaling pattern suggests that as settings increase, the demand on the memory subsystem and shading units grows proportionally. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth appears sufficient to sustain 4K gameplay, as even the most demanding preset maintains playable frame rates.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 66473 places it in the 91st percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733, -0.4%) and NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66127, 0.5%). These comparisons indicate the RTX 4090 is positioned near the top of the performance spectrum, which aligns with its measured ability to deliver 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra in Palworld.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 354.6 FPS, Medium reaches 285.4 FPS, High delivers 220.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 164.6 FPS. All presets exceed 144 Hz, so the choice depends on whether the user prioritizes maximum frame rate or visual quality.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 142 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium achieves 187.2 FPS, Low reaches 234.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 111.9 FPS. The High preset represents the best balance, as it remains above 140 FPS while providing better visual fidelity than Medium or Low.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. The High preset at 80.6 FPS is the best experience, as it maintains smooth gameplay while offering superior visual quality compared to Medium (106.4 FPS) or Low (126.6 FPS). The Ultra preset at 60.8 FPS is technically playable but sits near the threshold where frame rate drops become noticeable. For 4K users, High is the sweet spot, providing 19.8 FPS more than Ultra while still delivering a visually rich experience.

The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is capable of running Palworld at high frame rates across all resolutions, but the optimal preset shifts with resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, users can afford to run High or Ultra without sacrificing refresh rate. At 4K, High is the recommended preset for the best combination of visual quality and smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 354.6 FPS, Medium at 285.4 FPS, High at 220.1 FPS, and Ultra at 164.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 190 FPS, demonstrating a substantial performance cost for maximum settings. The step from Medium to High costs 65.3 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 55.5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured values are: Low at 234.7 FPS, Medium at 187.2 FPS, High at 142 FPS, and Ultra at 111.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 122.8 FPS. The transition from Medium to High costs 45.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 30.1 FPS. The scaling is more gradual than at 1080p, with each settings tier exacting a smaller relative penalty.

At 3840x2160, the measured values are: Low at 126.6 FPS, Medium at 106.4 FPS, High at 80.6 FPS, and Ultra at 60.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 65.8 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 25.8 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 19.8 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold, while Low remains above 120 FPS.

The data reveals that performance scaling is not linear across settings. At 1080p, the Low-to-Ultra penalty is 53.6% of the Low value. At 1440p, it is 52.3%. At 4K, it is 52.0%. This consistency suggests that the relative cost of higher settings is stable across resolutions, but the absolute frame rate impact diminishes as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows predictable performance scaling. At Low settings, FPS drops from 354.6 at 1080p to 234.7 at 1440p (a 119.9 FPS reduction) and then to 126.6 at 4K (a further 108.1 FPS reduction). This represents a 64.3% decrease from 1080p to 4K in absolute terms.

At Medium settings, the progression is 285.4 to 187.2 to 106.4, a 62.7% total decrease. At High settings, 220.1 to 142 to 80.6, a 63.4% decrease. At Ultra settings, 164.6 to 111.9 to 60.8, a 63.1% decrease. The consistency of these percentages across settings indicates that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, with settings level having a secondary effect.

The drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p. For example, at High settings, the 1080p-to-1440p drop is 78.1 FPS (35.5%), while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 61.4 FPS (43.2%). This pattern holds across all settings, suggesting that the 4K resolution imposes a disproportionately higher load on the GPU.

The limiting component analysis points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 4090's performance degrades consistently as pixel count increases, while the CPU's strong multi-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889) appear sufficient to avoid CPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all processors further supports this interpretation.

At 1080p, the very high frame rates (354.6 FPS at Low) suggest that the CPU may begin to play a more significant role in limiting performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 4643 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong single-core capability, but the measured FPS values at 1080p approach levels where CPU instruction throughput could become a factor, particularly at Low settings where GPU load is reduced. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is the clear limiting component at 4K, while the i5-14600KF maintains sufficient headroom to keep up at lower resolutions.