Palworld

Palworld is a demanding survival title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B370 combination delivers a playable but constrained experience. Benchmark data from the measured rows indicates this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it achieves acceptable frame rates at lower presets, but quickly becomes untenable at higher resolutions and quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all resolution and settings combinations reveals a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 76 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo in the entire dataset. This is the only preset at 1080p that breaks the 60 FPS threshold, marking it as the most fluid experience available. For players prioritizing smoothness, this is the definitive choice.

The Medium preset at 1080p yields 62 FPS average, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. While this remains above the 60 FPS average mark, the minimum frame rate dips below it, which could introduce noticeable stutter in busy scenes. The 62 FPS average represents a 14 FPS drop from Low, a 22.6% performance penalty for the visual upgrade. This preset is a viable middle ground, but the data suggests it is less stable than Low.

The High preset at 1080p drops to 47 FPS average, a 38.2% reduction from the Low preset's 76 FPS. This falls below the 60 FPS smoothness target and begins to compromise the gameplay experience in a fast-paced survival game. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the most demanding, yielding only 36 FPS average, which is a 52.6% drop from Low and is generally considered too sluggish for comfortable play.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower overall performance. The Low preset manages 50 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal. Medium at 1440p produces 41 FPS average (min 35, max 47), High produces 31 FPS, and Ultra dips to 24 FPS. None of these 1440p presets reach the 60 FPS target, and the minimum frame rates suggest inconsistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings yield 28 FPS average, Medium yields 23 FPS (min 19, max 26), High yields 17 FPS, and Ultra yields 13 FPS. These frame rates are below playable thresholds for a game requiring quick reactions, making 4K resolution unrealistic for this hardware combination.

The data strongly indicates that the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the best experience per the measured rows. It is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, offering the headroom necessary for a smooth survival experience. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration that averages above 60 FPS, but its minimum frame rate of 52 FPS introduces variability that the Low preset avoids.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a critical caveat for performance analysis. The GPU's clock speeds show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, figures that directly influence its rendering throughput.

The GPU's compute specifications include 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units. It also features 10 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1). These specifications, while modest, define the GPU's raw capability.

The relationship between the GPU's shared memory architecture and the game's results is evident in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 76 FPS, but this drops to 50 FPS at 1440p and 28 FPS at 4K. The steep decline as resolution increases points to the GPU's limited memory bandwidth and fill rate being insufficient for higher pixel counts. The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184 places this GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its entry-level positioning.

The boost clock of 2400 MHz is relatively high for an integrated part, but the shared memory bandwidth creates a bottleneck. In Palworld, the data shows that the GPU struggles to maintain frame rates as the resolution increases, consistent with a part that lacks dedicated video memory. The GPU sits near the bottom of the performance stack, with its nearest rival being the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (deltaPct -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (deltaPct -0.5%).

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2706 out of 2944 tested combos for Palworld. This places it in the 8th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it performs significantly worse than most other systems in this game. The rank is based on the measured FPS data across all settings and resolutions, reflecting the combo's overall capability in Palworld.

This low ranking is unsurprising given the individual component performances. The GPU ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs based on its 3dmark score, while the CPU ranks in the 47th percentile of all CPUs based on its average benchmark score of 2254. The GPU is the clear limiting factor, dragging the combo's overall standing down substantially.

The combo's position at 2706 out of 2944 means that 238 other tested combinations perform worse, while 2705 perform better. This places the system in the bottom 8.2% of all tested combos for this specific game. The data suggests that Palworld is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the Arc B370's modest specifications cannot keep pace with the majority of discrete graphics cards.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4%). These CPUs are all closely matched in synthetic benchmarks, but the GPU's performance gap is what separates this combo from higher-ranked systems. The combination's rank in Palworld specifically reflects the game's heavy reliance on GPU throughput, which this integrated solution cannot provide.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution for this combination. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 76, while at 2560x1440 Low it drops to 50 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low it falls to 28 FPS. The 1080p resolution is the only one where playable frame rates are achieved.

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

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 36 FPS, which is a 52.6% reduction compared to the Low preset's 76 FPS. The Ultra preset also produces a 40 FPS deficit (76 vs 36), making it significantly less smooth for gameplay.

Q: Is this combo better suited for CPU-bound or GPU-bound scenarios?

A: The data indicates this is a GPU-bound scenario in Palworld. The GPU ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 47th percentile. The steep FPS drops with increasing resolution (76 FPS at 1080p to 28 FPS at 4K on Low settings) confirm that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 35, with an average of 41 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This minimum frame rate indicates potential stuttering during intense moments.

Q: How does the GPU's 3dmark score relate to its in-game performance?

A: The GPU's 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This low score correlates with the in-game results, where the combo ranks 2706 out of 2944 in Palworld, confirming the GPU's weak performance.

Q: Which preset at 4K offers the highest average FPS?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 28. The Medium preset averages 23 FPS, High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS. None of these are considered playable.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 76 at 1920x1080 to 50 at 2560x1440, a 34.2% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the FPS drops further from 50 to 28, another 44% decrease. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 63.2% (76 to 28 FPS).

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 62 FPS at 1080p drops to 41 FPS at 1440p (a 33.9% decrease), then to 23 FPS at 4K (a 43.9% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 62.9% (62 to 23 FPS). At High settings, the pattern holds: 47 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p (34% decrease), and 17 FPS at 4K (45.2% decrease from 1440p). The total drop at High is 63.8% (47 to 17 FPS).

At Ultra settings, the drops are: 36 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p (33.3% decrease), and 13 FPS at 4K (45.8% decrease from 1440p). The total drop at Ultra is 63.9% (36 to 13 FPS). The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets is striking, with each resolution step costing roughly one-third to just under half of the remaining performance.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The proportional FPS drops align closely with the increase in pixel count: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p. The FPS drops of roughly 34% and 44% respectively suggest that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, which is not the case here. The data shows a strong linear relationship between pixel count and performance loss, confirming that the Intel Arc B370's shared memory architecture and limited ROPs are overwhelmed by higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. The average benchmark score across all tests is 2254, placing the CPU in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4%).

The CPU's role in Palworld appears secondary to the GPU, based on the resolution scaling data. The fact that FPS drops consistently with resolution increases indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The i5-9400's 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 76 FPS at 1080p Low. However, the CPU's modest single-thread performance (935 in Cinebench R23) could become a factor if the GPU were more powerful.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.10 GHz is reasonable for gaming, and the 6-core configuration is adequate for modern titles. The 47th percentile ranking suggests it is an average performer, neither exceptionally strong nor weak. In Palworld, the combo's rank of 2706 out of 2944 is driven more by the GPU's 5th percentile standing than the CPU's mid-pack position.

The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is shared between the CPU and the integrated GPU, which could create contention. The Arc B370 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it accesses the same DDR4 memory as the CPU. The data shows that this shared arrangement limits performance, as the GPU cannot access dedicated high-bandwidth memory. The CPU's dual-channel memory controller, while adequate for general tasks, is insufficient for the demands of a modern game at higher resolutions.