Palworld

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1055th out of 1718 tested combinations in Palworld, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This position reflects a pairing where a six-core Coffee Lake processor from 2018 meets a Turing-generation GPU that sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's standing suggests it is not a top-tier performer for this survival title, but it is far from the bottom of the field. The CPU itself holds the 50th percentile among all processors, and its average benchmark score of 2305 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 with a delta of 0.2 percent. This indicates that the processor is a modest performer by modern standards, and its impact on the game's frame rates is likely to be a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1055 out of 1718 places it in the 61st percentile of tested configurations, meaning roughly 39 percent of combinations deliver better performance in Palworld. This is a mid-pack result that aligns with the individual components' standings. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with an average benchmark score of 22206, is nearly matched by the NVIDIA RTX A400, which scores 22307 with a delta of -0.5 percent, and it outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5700, which scores 21670 with a delta of 2.5 percent. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, is effectively a statistical tie at 0.2 percent difference. The data shows that neither component is a standout, but the combination works well enough to deliver playable frame rates at most settings. The rank is dragged down by the CPU's age and six-thread limitation, which becomes more apparent in a game like Palworld that relies on consistent physics and world simulation.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the stronger half of this pairing, and its specifications confirm its role as the primary driver of visual fidelity. It uses the TU104 chip on a 12 nm process, with 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1605 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Palworld's open-world environments, which stream large textures and asset data. The GPU's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but are not a major factor in this title, as Palworld does not rely heavily on ray tracing or DLSS. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective, which provides enough headroom for high-resolution textures. In the measured results, the GPU's capability is evident in the scaling from 1080p to 1440p, where frame rates remain high, but the processor begins to show its limits at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of CPU limitation at 1080p and GPU limitation at 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 105.3 FPS, and at 1440p High, it drops to 68.4 FPS, a reduction of 35 percent. Moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 36.4 FPS, a further drop of 47 percent from 1440p. This scaling indicates that at 1080p, the i5-9400 is likely the bottleneck, as the GPU has enough headroom to push higher frame rates but is constrained by the CPU's six threads. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the pixel count overwhelms the 8 GB of VRAM and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Low settings at 4K yield 59 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1440p High result of 68.4 FPS, showing that the GPU can still handle lower graphical loads at higher resolutions. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p, where the balance between CPU and GPU load is more even, avoiding the extreme bottleneck seen at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality for this combination. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 88.8 FPS, which is smooth for a survival game that requires responsive controls and quick camera movements. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate jumps to 137 FPS, providing a high-refresh-rate experience for players with 144 Hz monitors. The High preset at 1440p yields 68.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced combat, while the Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 54.7 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stuttering in dense areas. For 4K users, the Low preset at 59 FPS is the only viable option, as the Medium preset falls to 49.8 FPS and High to 36.4 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, where it still only manages 77.4 FPS. The data shows that Medium is the most efficient preset, offering a significant frame rate uplift over High with minimal visual compromise in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset produces 165.4 FPS, which is the maximum measured across all settings and resolutions. Medium follows at 137 FPS, High at 105.3 FPS, and Ultra at 77.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, at 88 FPS, indicating that the GPU has the headroom to scale with graphical demands at this resolution, but the CPU's six threads may limit the absolute ceiling. The 1080p Medium result of 137 FPS is particularly notable, as it provides a 30 percent improvement over High while maintaining a visually acceptable experience for most players.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop predictably. Low delivers 112.2 FPS, which is still excellent for a high-resolution display. Medium drops to 88.8 FPS, a 21 percent reduction from Low, while High falls to 68.4 FPS and Ultra to 54.7 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High is a 23 percent drop, which is more pronounced than the 1080p scaling, suggesting that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor at this resolution. The 1440p Low result of 112.2 FPS is nearly double the 4K Low result, showing the GPU's capability at lower pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low produces 59 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches playable smoothness. Medium drops to 49.8 FPS, a 16 percent reduction from Low, while High falls to 36.4 FPS and Ultra to 26.8 FPS. The 4K results show a clear GPU bottleneck, as the 8 GB of VRAM and the memory bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel load at higher quality settings. The difference between 1440p High and 4K High is 32 FPS, a 47 percent drop, which is the largest relative decrease across the resolution scale. This data confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is best utilized at 1440p Medium, where it delivers a smooth 88.8 FPS, or at 1080p Medium for high-refresh-rate play.