Palworld

Palworld places the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in a specific performance bracket. The measured data shows a system that is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but which encounters a hard ceiling at 4K. The RTX 3070 Ti, with its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, is the dominant component in this pairing, while the six-core i5-9400 provides enough throughput to keep up at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to explain where this combo excels and where it falls short.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Palworld with this hardware?

A: According to the measured frames per second data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of image quality and performance. At High settings, the combo averages 88 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while 3840x2160 at High settings drops to an average of 49 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's core count affect performance in Palworld?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 6629, which places it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. In this game, the data suggests this is sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, as frame rates scale well with lower settings, but it may contribute to the significant performance drop at 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB VRAM a limiting factor at 4K?

A: The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus. The measured data shows a substantial performance cliff at 3840x2160, with High settings yielding only 49 FPS and Ultra dropping to 37 FPS. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and demanding settings is taxing the GPU, likely including its memory capacity and bandwidth.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show an average of 196 FPS on Low settings and 101 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a significant 95 FPS drop, demonstrating that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy load on the system.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: The combo is ranked 1368 out of 3711 tested combinations in Palworld. This places it in the upper portion of the database, indicating that it performs better than a majority of tested systems, though it is not a top-tier configuration.

Q: Does the game run smoothly at Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: The data shows that Medium settings provide the only rows with min and max FPS values. At 1920x1080, it averages 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 FPS. At 2560x1440, it averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average drops to 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is still playable but not as consistently smooth as lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets. For the best experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 stands out as the most balanced option. It delivers an average of 114 FPS with a reported minimum of 97 FPS, ensuring consistent fluidity without the steep performance cost of the High or Ultra presets. This makes it the recommended starting point for most players using this hardware.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 174 FPS, with a minimum of 148 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at this resolution still delivers a strong 134 FPS average, making it a viable choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity over maximum frame rates. The Ultra preset, while providing the highest fidelity, drops to 101 FPS, which is a significant reduction for the visual gain.

For players who prefer 4K, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the only practical option, with an average of 63 FPS and a minimum of 54 FPS. The High preset falls to 49 FPS, and Ultra is largely unplayable at 37 FPS. The Low preset at 4K yields 78 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. Therefore, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the best combination of performance and visual quality, with 1080p High being a strong alternative for those seeking higher fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of performance in this configuration. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR6X memory, a 256-bit memory bus, and a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 1770 MHz, and it features 6144 shading units. These figures contribute to its Passmark G3D score of 23356 and its 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution. At 1920x1080, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck only at higher settings, as frame rates are very high. The jump to 2560x1440 shows a linear scaling, with High settings dropping from 134 to 88 FPS. However, the transition to 3840x2160 reveals a more dramatic cliff, with High settings falling to 49 FPS.

This cliff is likely due to the demands of 4K rendering on the 8 GB VRAM buffer and the memory bandwidth. The data shows that the gap between Medium and High settings at 4K is 14 FPS (63 to 49), while the gap between High and Ultra is 12 FPS (49 to 37). This suggests that the GPU is running out of resources to maintain higher quality textures and effects at this resolution, making the 8 GB capacity a tangible constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured data places this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at rank 1368 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld. This position indicates that the system performs better than roughly 63% of the tested configurations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

The CPU's percentile rank of 47 and the GPU's percentile rank of 75 help contextualize this overall position. The GPU is significantly stronger relative to its peers than the CPU, which means the combo's ranking is likely held back by the older processor. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, with a delta of -0.2%, suggesting that this class of processor is the performance ceiling for this pairing in CPU-bound scenarios.

The combo's rank is not a reflection of poor absolute performance, but rather a statement about the balance of the components. The RTX 3070 Ti is a high-end GPU, while the i5-9400 is a mid-range CPU from an older generation. The data suggests that this pairing is capable of excellent performance in most scenarios, but it will not compete with systems that pair the same GPU with a newer, higher-core-count processor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 6629, and its single-core score is 935. These scores place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is an average performer by modern standards.

In Palworld, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, frame rates are high enough that the GPU is likely the primary limiting factor. However, the CPU's limitations become more apparent at 4K, where the overall FPS drops are not purely proportional to the pixel count increase, suggesting a potential CPU bottleneck in game logic or draw calls.

The CPU's memory support is DDR4 on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. While this is not a bottleneck for this game based on the data, it is a factor in the system's overall balance. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is also a modest amount for a modern game, but the measured FPS results show that it is sufficient to maintain playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 196 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 FPS, High averages 134 FPS, and Ultra averages 101 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 141 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The frame rates remain highly playable, with all presets except Ultra staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 78 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. This data shows that only the Low and Medium presets are viable for consistent gameplay at 4K, with Medium being the highest quality option that stays near 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the nature of the performance bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 134 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p, a 34% decrease. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe, falling from 88 to 49 FPS, a 44% decrease. This non-linear decline indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly strained as resolution increases.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is more consistent. The average FPS goes from 174 at 1080p to 114 at 1440p (a 34% decrease) and then to 63 at 4K (a 45% decrease). The minimum FPS values tell a similar story, with 148 at 1080p, 97 at 1440p, and 54 at 4K. This pattern suggests that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor across all resolutions.

The Low preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 196 FPS at 1080p, 141 at 1440p, and 78 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 45%, which is consistent with the other presets. The data indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound, and the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth are the most likely constraints at 4K, as the performance cliff is not solely explained by the pixel count increase.