Palworld

Palworld presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination, with the measured data showing a system that is heavily taxed at higher resolutions and settings. The benchmark results place this pairing at rank 1502 out of 1718 tested combinations, indicating that while it can deliver playable frame rates, it operates closer to the lower end of the performance spectrum for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant performance drop that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 75.9 FPS, which drops to 47.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of roughly 37%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 25.6 FPS, representing a 66% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a graphics card reaching its limits, as the workload on the rendering pipeline increases exponentially with pixel count. The GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, simply cannot sustain high frame rates when tasked with four times the pixel output of 1080p.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with a different starting point. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 116.6 FPS, which is a strong result. At 1440p Low, it drops to 74.7 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 45.4 FPS. Even at the lowest visual quality, the 4K resolution demands more than the GPU can comfortably deliver, resulting in a frame rate that is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider ideal. The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination, with 1440p being viable only at lower settings, and 4K being impractical for smooth gameplay regardless of the preset chosen.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at an effective speed of 14 Gbps, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which scores 14314 (a delta of -0.2%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT at 14389 (a delta of -0.7%). This indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is closely matched with these competitors, sitting just a fraction behind them in synthetic tests.

In Palworld, the GPU's role is evidently the limiting factor at 4K resolution. The gap between Low and High settings at 3840x2160 is substantial, with a 45.4 FPS result on Low versus 25.6 FPS on High. This 19.8 FPS difference underscores how sensitive the card is to the increased shading and texture work that higher presets demand. The card's memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is likely a constraining factor, as the game's open-world environments require large amounts of texture data to be streamed quickly. With only 6 GB of VRAM, the card may also be forced to swap data more frequently at higher resolutions, further impacting performance. The passmark g3d score of 12699 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 reinforce the card's mid-range positioning, and the measured data confirms that it is not equipped for 4K gaming in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 42.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The processor sits in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2300 (delta 0.2%) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 at 2295 (delta 0.4%), showing that it performs in line with these comparable parts.

The CPU's performance in Palworld appears to be sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 116.6 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the processor can keep up with the rendering demands. The cinebench r23 multicore score of 7969 and singlecore score of 1125 indicate a balanced performance profile, with single-core strength being particularly relevant for game logic and physics calculations. However, at 4K resolution, the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is clearly the constraining element, as evidenced by the sharp frame rate drops that correlate with resolution increases rather than CPU load changes. The 6-thread configuration may present some limitations in heavily populated areas of the game, but the measured data does not show a scenario where the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its potential. The processor's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node suggest it is an efficient part, and its performance aligns with its 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 75.9 FPS provides a strong balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset at 93.8 FPS offers an even smoother experience with only a modest visual downgrade, making it an excellent choice for players who prioritize frame rate. The Ultra preset at 55.1 FPS is playable but dips below 60 FPS, while the Low preset at 116.6 FPS is the best option for competitive play or maximizing responsiveness.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The Low preset at 74.7 FPS is the only setting that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for this resolution. The Medium preset at 64.4 FPS is also viable for those who prefer higher graphical quality, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 47.4 FPS and Ultra preset at 38.9 FPS are below the ideal threshold and may result in noticeable stutters during intense gameplay.

For 4K resolution, the data clearly shows that no preset provides a satisfactory experience. The Low preset at 45.4 FPS is the best achievable result, but it still falls short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 37.4 FPS, High at 25.6 FPS, and Ultra at 22.4 FPS are all too low for smooth gameplay. Players with a 4K display should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or adjusting the in-game resolution scale to achieve playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 75.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Low preset at 74.7 FPS is the only option that stays above 60 FPS at 2560x1440. The Medium preset at 64.4 FPS is also playable if you prefer better visuals.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: No. The highest frame rate at 3840x2160 is 45.4 FPS on the Low preset, which falls below the 60 FPS standard. All other presets produce frame rates in the low-to-mid 20s and 30s.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286, which is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314) and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389). It performs nearly identically to these cards.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Palworld?

A: The data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 116.6 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The launch MSRP of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is 229 USD.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average frame rates across presets: Low at 116.6 FPS, Medium at 93.8 FPS, High at 75.9 FPS, and Ultra at 55.1 FPS. This resolution shows the widest spread between presets, with a 61.5 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom at this pixel count to be significantly affected by graphical quality changes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all presets: Low at 74.7 FPS, Medium at 64.4 FPS, High at 47.4 FPS, and Ultra at 38.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 35.8 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more constrained at this resolution, with diminishing returns from lowering settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably: Low at 45.4 FPS, Medium at 37.4 FPS, High at 25.6 FPS, and Ultra at 22.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is now only 23 FPS, and even the lowest preset cannot reach 60 FPS. This pattern confirms that the GPU is overwhelmed at 4K, and the data shows that the combination of the i5-9400 and GTX 1660 SUPER is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p viable at lower settings.