Palworld

Palworld is a demanding survival title, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the Intel Arc B390 produces a very specific performance profile. The data shows that this pairing is heavily constrained by the graphics solution, making settings and resolution choices critical for achieving a playable experience. The measured results indicate that players will need to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity to enjoy the game smoothly.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most practical approach for this combo is to operate at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is the only configuration that consistently delivers a frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 84 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin for the unpredictable moments in Palworld, such as exploring dense environments or engaging in large-scale base building, where frame drops are common. While the Medium preset at this resolution still offers a playable average of 68 FPS, the Low preset provides the best insurance against stutters and dips that can occur during intense gameplay.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only viable option, yielding an average of 56 FPS. This is a borderline playable experience, but it will be noticeably less smooth than the 1080p Low setting. Pushing to Medium at 1440p drops the average to 45 FPS, which is a significant compromise in fluidity. At 4K resolution, the situation becomes critical; even the Low preset only manages an average of 31 FPS, which is not recommended for a game that requires active and responsive gameplay. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable at all resolutions, with averages ranging from 40 FPS down to 15 FPS.

The data points to a clear hierarchy: prioritize resolution scaling down before raising settings. The performance cost of moving from Low to Medium is steep, with an average loss of 16 FPS at 1080p, while the jump to High results in an additional 15 FPS loss. This indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck, and its limited capabilities are best utilized by reducing the graphical load. For the most consistent and responsive experience, the 1920x1080 Low preset is the definitive recommendation. If a higher resolution is a hard requirement, then 2560x1440 with the Low preset is the only acceptable compromise, though users should be prepared for a less stable frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 3 nm process node and an Xe3-LPG architecture. Its performance profile in Palworld is the single most important factor in this system's results. The GPU's benchmarks place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 1482. This immediately signals that its rendering capabilities are extremely limited, which is consistent with the low FPS numbers observed across all settings. The nearest rivals in its performance class include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the GeForce GT 710, which are entry-level solutions from a much older generation, further contextualizing the B390's position.

The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. However, these clocks do not translate into high sustained performance in this title. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the main system RAM for video memory. This is a critical limitation, as the bandwidth is "System Dependent" and is shared with the CPU, which can cause performance bottlenecks in memory-intensive games like Palworld. The data shows that the GPU's shared memory architecture is a significant weakness, contributing to the severe frame rate drops when moving from Low to higher settings, as the demand for memory bandwidth increases.

With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, the B390's raw compute power is insufficient for the demands of Palworld at high resolutions and detail levels. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, which sounds capable on paper but is not effectively utilized in this game, as evidenced by the benchmark results. The GPU's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are also too low to handle the game's high-resolution textures and effects. In essence, the Arc B390 is a limiting factor that dictates the entire user experience. It forces the CPU to wait for frames to be rendered, capping the system's potential far below what the i7-12700KF could otherwise deliver.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Palworld at 4K resolution?

A: No, not at a playable frame rate. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the highest average FPS achieved is 31 on the Low preset. The High, Medium, and Ultra presets average 19, 25, and 15 FPS respectively, which is far too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combo?

A: The best balance is the 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This configuration achieves an average of 84 FPS, which is the only result that comfortably surpasses the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. Moving to Medium at this resolution drops the average to 68 FPS, which is still playable but less fluid.

Q: How much performance is lost by increasing the resolution from 1080p to 1440p on the Low preset?

A: The data shows a significant performance hit. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 84. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440 with the same Low preset, the average FPS drops to 56. This represents a substantial 28 FPS loss, highlighting that this GPU is not well-suited for higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the main bottleneck in this system for Palworld?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390's performance is in the 9th percentile, and its frame rates are consistently low across all settings. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a high-end processor with strong benchmark scores, suggesting it has ample headroom that is not being utilized due to the GPU's limitations.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable in Palworld with this hardware?

A: No. The Ultra preset produces the lowest frame rates of all tested settings. At 1920x1080, it averages 40 FPS; at 2560x1440, it averages 26 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it averages 15 FPS. These results are all below the threshold for a comfortable gaming experience.

Q: What kind of frame rate can be expected on a 1080p Medium setting?

A: The measured data shows an average of 68 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The minimum FPS recorded is 58, and the maximum is 79. This is a playable range, but users should be aware of potential dips near the lower end of that spectrum during demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations for Palworld, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2607 out of 2944 total combos. This places it in the lower 12% of all tested systems, confirming that its performance is significantly below the median. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the Intel Arc B390, whose individual GPU benchmark percentile is 9. In contrast, the CPU's percentile is 85, illustrating a massive performance disparity between the two components.

This ranking is a crucial indicator for potential users. It demonstrates that despite having a very capable processor, the overall gaming experience is severely handicapped by the graphics solution. The combo's position is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities but rather a direct consequence of the GPU being an integrated part with limited dedicated resources. The data suggests that this combination would be outperformed by a vast majority of systems featuring even modest dedicated graphics cards. The rank serves as a quantitative warning that this is not a balanced configuration for a game like Palworld, which has high visual demands. The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile is a clear sign of a bottleneck that dictates the entire performance envelope.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a high-performance desktop processor from the Alder Lake architecture. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, which is a substantial amount of processing power for modern games. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.00 GHz, allowing for strong single-threaded performance when needed. The CPU's benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates that it is more than capable of handling the game's logic, world simulation, and AI calculations.

However, the measured FPS data in Palworld shows that the CPU's power is largely untapped. The frame rates are consistently low and scale almost entirely with the GPU's workload. For example, at 1080p, going from Low to Ultra settings changes the average FPS from 84 to 40, a direct result of increased GPU load. The CPU is not the limiting factor in these scenarios. The i7-12700KF's high multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Passmark multithread score of 34092, ensures that it will not cause stutters or hitches in gameplay, even with many background tasks running.

The CPU's large L3 cache of 25 MB shared across the cores helps maintain fast access to frequently used data, which is beneficial for game physics and world streaming. The memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel mode provides flexibility and sufficient bandwidth for the system. In this specific configuration, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data as fast as possible, but the Arc B390 cannot keep up. The bottleneck is so severe that the CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU to process frames. Upgrading the CPU would yield no performance benefit in Palworld, as the system is entirely constrained by the integrated graphics. The i7-12700KF is a future-proof component, but in this pairing, its potential is wasted on a GPU that cannot match its throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average frame rates for this hardware combination in Palworld, broken down by resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 31 FPS.
• Medium: Average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS.
• High: Average 19 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 15 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 56 FPS.
• Medium: Average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS.
• High: Average 35 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 26 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 84 FPS.
• Medium: Average 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• High: Average 53 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 40 FPS.

This breakdown clearly illustrates the performance hierarchy. The 1080p Low setting is the only playable option, with the 1080p Medium setting being a secondary choice for users who prefer slightly better visuals. Every other configuration falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with performance degrading rapidly as resolution and settings are increased. The data shows a consistent pattern where the low-end GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates, making it clear that this system is only suitable for 1080p gaming with reduced graphical settings.