Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released in early 2024, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher fidelity levels, while the processor’s strength becomes evident at lower resolutions. This analysis examines the benchmark data to understand how this pairing performs, where its limits lie, and what settings offer the most balanced experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a pronounced performance drop as resolution increases, which is a clear indicator of GPU-bound operation. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers 102.4 FPS, but moving to 1440p High reduces this to 67.4 FPS, a significant 34% decrease. Pushing further to 4K High yields only 38.1 FPS, representing a further 43% decline from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling curve suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor, as the workload per frame increases exponentially with pixel count.

The pattern holds across all settings, but the relative drops vary. For instance, at Low settings, 1080p produces 170.1 FPS, which falls to 108.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 61.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is about 64%, while at High it is roughly 63%. This consistency indicates that resolution scaling is uniform regardless of the graphical preset, reinforcing that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the dominant constraints. The CPU appears to have ample headroom, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra scenario (29.1 FPS) does not suggest a processor-side limitation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, is the central figure in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is likely a key factor in the 4K performance. The measured frames at 4K Ultra (29.1 FPS) and 4K High (38.1 FPS) suggest that the card’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 64 ROPs are stretched thin by Palworld’s high-resolution rendering. The card’s boost clock of 1770 MHz is standard, but the data indicates that raw throughput, not clock speed, is what matters here.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 65 versus all GPUs places it in the mid-range, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 4060 Mobile (with a -2.3% deltaPct) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (with a +2.5% deltaPct). This context suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive with entry-level modern cards, but its age shows in 4K workloads. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also be a factor, as Palworld’s open world with many assets could exceed this limit at Ultra settings, causing the sharp drop from High (38.1 FPS) to Ultra (29.1 FPS) at 4K, a 24% reduction that is larger than the step from Medium to High (50.8 to 38.1 FPS, a 25% reduction).

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance for most resolutions. At 1080p, Medium yields 137.3 FPS, which is smooth for survival gameplay, while High drops to 102.4 FPS and Ultra to 80.5 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs about 35 FPS, a significant loss for marginal visual gains. At 1440p, Medium produces 87.7 FPS, which is playable, whereas High falls to 67.4 FPS, and Ultra drops below 60 FPS to 50.3 FPS. For 4K, Medium is the only setting that approaches playability at 50.8 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 38.1 and 29.1 FPS respectively.

For users prioritizing frame rate, Low settings at 1440p (108.4 FPS) or 1080p (170.1 FPS) are viable, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data suggests that Medium is the "sweet spot" because it retains enough graphical fidelity while keeping the frame rate above 50 FPS even at 4K. Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p, where 80.5 FPS is still acceptable, but the performance cost at higher resolutions is prohibitive.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows strong performance across the board. Low settings hit 170.1 FPS, Medium reaches 137.3 FPS, High achieves 102.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 80.5 FPS. These numbers indicate a 1080p experience that is fluid even at maximum settings, with the CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads likely providing enough headroom to avoid bottlenecks.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. Low settings still deliver a high 108.4 FPS, Medium produces 87.7 FPS, High manages 67.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50.3 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at this resolution costs 17 FPS, suggesting that the extra effects in Ultra heavily tax the GPU. At 4K (3840x2160), the frame rates become marginal. Low yields 61.7 FPS, Medium provides 50.8 FPS, High drops to 38.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is below the threshold for comfortable play, indicating that this resolution is only viable with reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware configurations, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1047 out of 1718 combos for Palworld. This places it in the lower-middle tier of the database, reflecting the GPU’s aging performance relative to newer cards. The CPU, however, is a high performer, ranking in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, which suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combo’s rank implies that many other systems, likely with newer GPUs, will outperform it in Palworld. The delta to the top is substantial, but the data shows that this pairing is still capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings. The rank is a holistic measure, but the resolution-specific FPS numbers provide a more nuanced picture of where this combo succeeds and fails.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. In Palworld, this processing power ensures that the CPU is rarely a bottleneck, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is saturated.

At 1080p Low, the 170.1 FPS figure reflects the CPU’s ability to feed frames quickly, as the GPU is less burdened. The nearest rival, the Core i7-13700KF, scores only 0.1% higher on average, indicating that this chip is near the top of its class. However, the data shows no signs of CPU limitation even at 4K Ultra (29.1 FPS), where the GPU is clearly struggling. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock likely help maintain consistent frame times, but the measured FPS is dictated by the GPU’s rendering speed, not the CPU’s throughput.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld?

A: The data shows 1080p is the most comfortable, with High settings achieving 102.4 FPS and Ultra still hitting 80.5 FPS. At 1440p, Medium is playable at 87.7 FPS, but 4K is only viable with Low or Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER perform at 4K in this game?

A: At 4K, the GPU delivers 61.7 FPS on Low, 50.8 FPS on Medium, 38.1 FPS on High, and 29.1 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 4K is not ideal unless visual quality is significantly reduced.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: No, the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile and has high multi-core scores, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. The frame rate drops with resolution indicate GPU limitation, not CPU.

Q: Which settings preset gives the highest frame rate at 1440p?

A: Low settings provide the highest measured FPS at 1440p with 108.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 87.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 50.3 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1047 out of 1718 combos for Palworld, placing it in the lower-middle tier, likely due to the GPU’s age relative to newer graphics cards.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1080p?

A: High achieves 102.4 FPS, while Ultra drops to 80.5 FPS, a difference of 21.9 FPS. This suggests Ultra’s extra effects have a moderate cost at this resolution.