Palworld

Palworld with an Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a highly playable experience across most settings, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra. The combination ranks in the 75th percentile of tested combos, indicating strong overall capability, yet the scaling pattern shows that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, particularly at the highest preset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K, but the rate of decline varies significantly depending on the graphics preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 248 FPS at 1920x1080 to 163 FPS at 2560x1440, a 34% reduction, and then further down to 91 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 44% drop from 1440p. This aggressive scaling at Low settings indicates that the CPU is keeping up well, and the GPU's rendering workload is the dominant factor driving the FPS down.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but slightly less steep in percentage terms. The average FPS goes from 201 at 1080p to 132 at 1440p, a 34% decrease, and then to 73 at 4K, a 45% drop from 1440p. The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales proportionally, with 171 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests that the game's engine is scaling the workload evenly across these settings, with no sudden bottlenecks emerging.

High settings show a more moderate scaling curve. Average FPS drops from 155 at 1080p to 102 at 1440p, a 34% reduction, and then to 57 at 4K, a 44% decline from 1440p. The relative consistency of these percentage drops—hovering around 34% and 44-45%—across Low, Medium, and High presets indicates that the limiting component is scaling uniformly with resolution. The GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed progressively, and the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RX 9070 XT is sufficient to avoid any capacity-related stutters at these resolutions.

Ultra settings present a different story. The average FPS at 1080p is 117, which drops to 77 at 1440p (a 34% decrease) and then plummets to 43 at 4K (a 44% drop from 1440p). While the percentage drops are similar to other presets, the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra are notably low. The 43 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth, and it suggests that the RX 9070 XT's compute resources—specifically its 48.66 TFLOPS FP32 performance—are being saturated by the combination of high resolution and maximum graphical effects.

The scaling data points to the GPU as the limiting factor at 4K, especially on Ultra settings. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is unlikely to be a bottleneck at these frame rates, as the FPS drops are consistent with a purely resolution-driven workload. The fact that the 1080p Ultra average of 117 FPS is still well above the 4K Low average of 91 FPS further confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that dropping from Ultra to High yields a substantial 14 FPS improvement (from 43 to 57), which is a 33% increase in performance with a likely minor visual penalty.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining a 60 FPS average in Palworld with this hardware?

A: The data shows that the 2560x1440 High preset achieves an average of 102 FPS, comfortably above 60 FPS. Even the 3840x2160 Medium preset averages 73 FPS, which also clears the 60 FPS threshold. Only the 4K Ultra setting falls below 60 FPS, averaging 43 FPS.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS jumps from 117 on Ultra to 248 on Low, representing a 112% increase in performance. This indicates that the graphics preset has a massive impact on frame rates at this resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K holding back the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the FPS drops consistently across all presets as resolution increases, which is a signature of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 3DMark max threads score of 12412 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 suggest ample processing headroom for the game's engine.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS, while the High preset averages 102 FPS. This is a 30 FPS difference, or a 23% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Medium to High.

Q: Does the RX 9070 XT have enough memory for 4K gaming in Palworld?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured data shows playable frame rates at 4K on Medium (73 FPS) and High (57 FPS), indicating that the memory capacity and bandwidth are sufficient for these settings, as no min FPS data suggests a memory-related stutter.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 902 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld, placing it in the top 24% of all configurations. This indicates a strong, above-average performance level for the game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 45887. In Palworld, a survival game that often involves complex world simulation and many simultaneous entities, this CPU provides a solid foundation.

The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 248 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that could potentially stress the CPU's single-thread performance. However, the 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116 indicate that the processor has sufficient per-core strength to handle the game's logic at these frame rates. The fact that the FPS scales down consistently with resolution increases points to the GPU being the limiting component.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core are beneficial for game performance, as they reduce the latency of accessing frequently used data. The processor also supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, allowing for flexible system configurations that can further feed the GPU with data. The Passmark data compression score of 595292 and integer math score of 154446 show that the CPU handles general processing tasks efficiently, which is relevant for a game like Palworld that involves inventory management, building, and resource gathering.

When paired with the RX 9070 XT, the Core i7-13700K's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates. At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck (43 FPS), the CPU is likely idling, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. This means that the CPU's headroom is not being fully utilized at higher resolutions, and the system's performance is limited by the GPU's 48.66 TFLOPS of compute power. The CPU's percentile rank of 89 versus all CPUs further confirms that it is a high-end part that will not hold back a modern GPU in most games.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT achieves a rank of 902 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms 75% of the configurations in the database. This is a strong ranking, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game's demands.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 has an average score of 46971, which is 0.2% higher than the Core i7-13700K's average of 46881. Similarly, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is 0.3% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are both 0.5% behind. This shows that the CPU is competitively matched with other high-end processors, and its performance is not a distinguishing factor in the combo's ranking.

The GPU, however, has a more complex story. The RX 9070 XT's average benchmark score is 13543, which places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% ahead), NVIDIA P106-090 (0.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon Pro 555 (1% ahead). These rivals are significantly older and less powerful in real-world gaming scenarios, suggesting that the average benchmark score may not fully capture the RX 9070 XT's gaming capabilities. The high ranking of the combo in Palworld, despite the GPU's modest average benchmark percentile, indicates that the RX 9070 XT performs particularly well in this specific title.

The combo's rank of 902 suggests that there are many other systems that perform better, likely featuring higher-end GPUs or more optimized pairings. However, the data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1440p and even playable frame rates at 4K with adjusted settings. The ranking is a holistic measure, and the measured FPS data provides a more granular view of the actual gaming experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution target and performance preference. For 1920x1080, all settings are playable, but the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset averages 201 FPS with a minimum of 171 FPS, which is well above any refresh rate target. High settings at 1080p average 155 FPS, which is also excellent, but the jump from Medium to High provides diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a 46 FPS loss.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation for a high-refresh-rate experience. It averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 1440p averages 102 FPS, which is still very good, but the Medium preset offers a 30 FPS advantage that may be more valuable for competitive or action-heavy gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 77 FPS, which is playable but may show occasional dips on more demanding hardware.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the best choice for a consistent 60+ FPS experience. It averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 57 FPS, which is playable but not consistently smooth, as the minimum FPS is not provided but the average is below 60. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 43 FPS and should be avoided if smooth gameplay is a priority, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this hardware across all resolutions. It provides a significant performance boost over High and Ultra while likely retaining most of the visual quality that matters in a survival game. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p, Medium settings will allow the system to fully utilize the display's capabilities. For 4K users, Medium is the only preset that consistently delivers a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across twelve different combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves the highest average FPS of 248, followed by Medium at 201 FPS, High at 155 FPS, and Ultra at 117 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 171 and a maximum of 231, showing a tight frame time distribution that indicates stable performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 163 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset averages 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. The High preset averages 102 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 77 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in performance across all presets, with the Low setting losing 85 FPS, Medium losing 69 FPS, High losing 53 FPS, and Ultra losing 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 91 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1440p Low. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. The High preset averages 57 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 43 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 62, which is very close to the 60 FPS target, indicating that there may be occasional dips below the average in demanding scenes.

The data shows a clear trend: the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 131 FPS (248 vs 117). At 1440p, the gap is 86 FPS (163 vs 77). At 4K, the gap narrows to 48 FPS (91 vs 43). This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the settings have less relative impact on the final frame rate, as the rendering resolution is the dominant factor. The 4K Medium preset's min FPS of 62 and max FPS of 84 show that the game is playable but with some frame time variance, likely due to the GPU's compute load.