Palworld

Palworld’s measured performance with the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER shows a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, landing at rank 303 out of 1718 tested combos. The data reveals a pairing where the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the decisive factor as resolution climbs. This combination delivers playable frame rates at 4K High and exceptional speed at 1080p, making it a versatile match for the survival title’s demands.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It carries a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and a multi-thread score of 9979, while Cinebench R23 results reach 4128 single-core and 29241 multi-core. These figures place the CPU in the 89th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700K sits in a tight cluster. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by 0.3% (35802 average score) and the Intel Core i5-14500HX by 0.7% (35940 average score), while leading the Intel Core i7-13700T by 0.6% (35468) and the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.8% (35416). This narrow spread indicates that in Palworld, the CPU’s 20 threads and high boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 278.7 FPS, a figure that underscores the processor’s ability to handle the game’s simulation and entity logic without becoming a bottleneck. The multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a PassMark multithread score of 34404, ensures that the game’s base-building and creature-management systems, which often scale with core count, do not introduce stutter. The single-thread strength, reflected in a PassMark single-thread score of 4013, is equally important for the game’s physics and AI routines, which tend to rely on fewer cores.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its memory configuration includes 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1980 MHz, boosting to 2475 MHz, with a memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It houses 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, alongside 56 ray-tracing cores and 224 tensor cores. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and its pixel rate is 198.0 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s.

In Palworld, the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is a key asset, particularly at higher resolutions and settings where texture detail and draw distances increase memory pressure. The measured frame rates show the GPU scaling as settings rise: at 1080p, the jump from Low (278.7 FPS) to Ultra (128.3 FPS) is a 54% reduction, while at 4K, the same settings change drops from 100.9 FPS to 47.1 FPS, a 53% reduction. This consistent scaling points to the GPU being the primary limiter as quality presets increase, with the VRAM capacity preventing any memory-related hitches that might otherwise appear with smaller frame buffers. The RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, 0.2% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, 0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991, 1.4% behind), and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897, 1.6% behind). The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 29995 and DirectX 12 score of 110 reflect its capability in modern titles, though Palworld’s engine appears to favor raw rasterization power, which the 4070 SUPER delivers in spades.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate data across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher settings, with the CPU taking a backseat only at 1080p Low. At 1080p Low, the system hits 278.7 FPS, which drops to 184.9 FPS at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and further to 100.9 FPS at 4K (a 64% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline as resolution increases is the hallmark of a GPU-limited workload, where the RTX 4070 SUPER’s rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck. Conversely, at 1080p Ultra, the system posts 128.3 FPS, which falls to 84.6 FPS at 1440p (34% drop) and 47.1 FPS at 4K (63% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly 34% from 1080p to 1440p and 63% from 1080p to 4K across both Low and Ultra—indicates that the CPU’s performance headroom is not being taxed differently by resolution changes. The i7-12700K, with its high boost clock and 20 threads, maintains a stable frame delivery even when the GPU is pushed to its limits. Had the CPU been a limiting factor, we would expect to see a flattening of the FPS curve at lower resolutions, but the data shows a linear scaling that tracks with pixel count, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant constraint in Palworld.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 278.7 FPS on Low, 226.8 FPS on Medium, 170 FPS on High, and 128.3 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are 184.9 FPS on Low, 146.9 FPS on Medium, 114.7 FPS on High, and 84.6 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the results are 100.9 FPS on Low, 83.7 FPS on Medium, 62.4 FPS on High, and 47.1 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that the RTX 4070 SUPER can easily handle 1080p gaming at any setting, with even Ultra presets exceeding 120 FPS. At 1440p, High settings produce a smooth 114.7 FPS, while Ultra dips to 84.6 FPS, still well within the bounds of high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, the card manages 62.4 FPS on High and 47.1 FPS on Ultra, which are playable but suggest that users seeking 60+ FPS at 4K should stick to High settings or lower. The gap between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution remains relatively stable—around 150 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K—indicating that the settings menu scales consistently, with no sudden performance cliffs. This stability reflects the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shader throughput, which handle the increased load from higher-quality shadows, textures, and post-processing effects without dramatic frame time spikes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS in Palworld?

A: At 4K High, the system averages 62.4 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. For a safer margin, 1440p High delivers 114.7 FPS, while 1080p Ultra hits 128.3 FPS, so any resolution below 4K Ultra will comfortably exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the drop from 278.7 FPS to 100.9 FPS represents a 64% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop from 128.3 FPS to 47.1 FPS is a 63% reduction. The consistent scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Palworld at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured 47.1 FPS at 4K Ultra shows the GPU is rendering the scene, but the frame rate suggests the VRAM capacity is not causing a failure. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth helps, but the low FPS indicates compute limits rather than memory exhaustion.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700K averages 35684, which is 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940), but 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p Low in Palworld?

A: The 278.7 FPS at 1080p Low is exceptionally high, and the CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and boost clock of 5.00 GHz suggest it can sustain this. The GPU’s 100.9 FPS at 4K Low indicates the card is still the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings average 146.9 FPS, while High settings average 114.7 FPS, a difference of 32.2 FPS (a 22% reduction). This shows that High settings add a noticeable load but remain well above 100 FPS.