Palworld

Palworld is an early-access survival title that can stress both CPU and GPU depending on resolution and settings. This analysis looks at the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, using measured frame-rate data from the benchmark database. The combination ranks 650 out of 3711 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top percentile of systems tested. The data reveals a configuration that delivers very high frame rates at 1080p, remains capable at 1440p, and only starts to show its limits at 4K with the most demanding presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured performance of this CPU and GPU pairing places it at rank 650 out of 3711 in Palworld. That is a strong result, putting the combo in the top 18% of all tested systems for this game. The position reflects a balanced pairing of a high-core-count CPU and a modern graphics card; neither component appears to be a severe bottleneck at most settings, although the data does reveal some pressure points at the highest resolutions.

The rank is not surprising given the component specifications. The Intel Core i7-13700K with 16 cores and 24 threads scores in the 89th percentile against all CPUs in the database. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 83rd percentile for GPUs. When two components in the upper quartile of their respective pools are paired, the resulting combo will naturally rank well in a game that can leverage both. Palworld, which has survival and crafting elements, tends to be sensitive to CPU performance in certain scenarios, but it also scales with GPU power at higher resolutions.

The data suggests this combo is balanced for most users. It falls short of the very top combos, which typically involve even stronger CPUs or GPUs, but it is well above the median tested system. The gap between rank 650 and the top ranks is wide, but the practical gap in frame will be small for most players. In a game where 60 FPS is the target for smooth play, this combo exceeds that at every measured setting and resolution, even at 4K Ultra. The rank is a good indicator that the system will provide a smooth experience in Palworld without the need for drastic settings changes.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER is a substantial contributor to this combo's performance. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. Those clocks and the memory bandwidth are relevant to Palworld, which is a game that can put a heavy load on the GPU when rendering its large open-world environments, especially at 4K.

The GPU's 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs show its raw processing power. Its frame rates scale cleanly with resolution, which points to the GPU being the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the game runs at 276 FPS, which is a massive frame count. But that is not a realistic scenario for a game like Palworld, which has a lot of geometry and draw calls. The more telling data is at 4K, where the GPU is stretched. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 48 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER, while strong, does not have enough raw power to maintain 60 FPS at the highest settings and 4K resolution in this game.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is also a factor. Palworld's environments can be large and detailed, and higher resolutions require more memory. The fact that the combo can run 4K High at 63 FPS average suggests the VRAM is sufficient for 4K with High textures, but the Ultra preset's drop to 48 FPS could be a sign of additional GPU load rather than a memory limit. The data does not show any specific VRAM errors or stutters, so the 12 GB appears to be enough for the tested presets. The GPU's performance percentile of 83 places it above most graphics cards, and its average benchmark score of 43223 is well ahead of older cards like the Quadro M6000. In Palworld, the RTX 4070 SUPER performs as expected for its class.

Resolution Scaling

The frame drop from 1080p to 4K is a critical indicator of which component is limiting performance. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 172. At 1440p High, it drops to 113, a decrease of 59 FPS. At 4K High, it falls to 63, a drop of another 50 FPS. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 109 FPS, roughly a 63% reduction. This is a sharp scaling curve, but it is not uniform across all settings.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. 1080p Low runs at 276 FPS, 1440p Low at 182 FPS, and 4K Low at 101 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 175 FPS, a 63% reduction. This percentage is consistent with the High setting, suggesting that the GPU is the scaling factor in both cases. When the GPU is less loaded at Low settings, the frame is still high, but the relative drop is similar.

The pattern is different at Ultra settings. 1080p Ultra is 131 FPS, 1440p Ultra is 86 FPS, and 4K Ultra is 48 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 83 FPS, a 63% reduction. Again, the same percentage. This is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions and settings combos. The CPU, with its high core count and boost to 5.40 GHz, is able to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the frame is still limited by the GPU's rendering speed.

The data implies that at 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the frame is 276 FPS, which is far beyond what most monitors can display. A 144Hz monitor would be saturated. At 1440p, the frame is more reasonable for high-refresh monitors, and at 4K, the frame is closer to the 60 FPS target. For players with a 4K display, the GPU is the main constraint, and lowering to High or Medium will be necessary to hit a smooth frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a clear picture of the combo's performance.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 276 FPS average
• Medium: 224 FPS average, with a min of 190 and max of 258
• High: 172 FPS average
• Ultra: 131 FPS average

The 1080p row is notable for its high frame rates. Even at Ultra, the average is 131 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and suitable for high-refresh display. The Medium preset shows the only min and max data in this resolution, with a min of 190, indicating that even in the most demanding scenes, the game stays above 190 FPS. This is a very strong result for 1080p gaming.

At 2560x1440p:

• Low: 182 FPS average
• Medium: 147 FPS average, with a min of 125 and max of 170
• High: 113 FPS average
• Ultra: 86 FPS average

1440p is the sweet spot for this combo. High settings produce 113 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor, and Medium gets 147 FPS, which is very smooth. Even Ultra stays above 86 FPS, which is playable and still fast. The 1440p Medium data shows a min of 125, so the game never drops below 125 FPS, even in demanding situations.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average, with a min of 70 and max of 94
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

4K is where the performance becomes more moderate. Low settings give 101 FPS, which is good, but High drops to 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The 4K Medium data shows a min of 70, which is above the 60 FPS target, but the Ultra setting does not have min data, so it is unclear how low it can go. The 63% resolution scaling suggests that 4K will require a settings reduction to maintain a consistent 60 FPS. The data shows that this combo can achieve 4K gaming, but not at the highest settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60 FPS frame?

A: From the measured data, 4K High gives an average of 63 FPS, and 4K Ultra gives 48 FPS. 1440p Ultra gives 86 FPS, and 1080p Ultra gives 131 FPS. The data shows that 4K High is the highest resolution and settings combination that stays above 60 FPS average, while 4K Ultra drops below that threshold.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A:** The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU is the limit at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the frame is 276 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 48 FPS. The CPU with 16 cores and 24 threads has a high multi-threaded score, but the game's frame drops with resolution, indicating the GPU is the main constraint.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A:** At 1080p, Low is 276 FPS and Ultra is 131 FPS, a difference of 145 FPS. At 1440p, Low is 182 FPS and Ultra is 86 FPS, a difference of 96 FPS. At 4K, Low is 101 FPS and Ultra is 48 FPS, a difference of 53 FPS. The gap shrinks as resolution increases.

Q: Does the combo maintain a smooth 60+ FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A:** Yes. The 1440p High preset gives an average of 113 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. The 1440p Medium preset gives 147 FPS with a min of 125 FPS, so the game stays consistently high.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A:** The highest average is at 1080p Low, which is 276 FPS. This is the maximum in the measured data. For more demanding settings, 1080p Ultra still gives 131 FPS.

Q: How does this combo's GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A:** The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with a score of 43262, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile with 43268, and the Quadro M6000 with 43301. The RTX 4070 SUPER is slightly below these, but the differences are within -0.2% to -1%. These are small gaps in synthetic benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU has a 30 MB shared L3 cache and a dual-channel memory bus supporting DDR4 and DDR5. In the benchmark database, it scores in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881.

In Palworld, the CPU's role is significant at lower resolutions and in certain game scenarios. The data shows that the 1080p Low setting achieves 276 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU quickly enough to maintain high frame rates, even in a game with a lot of world simulation. The CPU's multi-core performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19429. These scores suggest that the CPU can handle the many background tasks that Palworld might run.

However, at higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary limiter. The fact that the frame rate drops consistently from 1080p to 4K by the same percentage at all settings indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this game at higher resolutions. The CPU is strong enough to keep the game's logic running smoothly while the GPU renders frames. The 16 cores and 24 threads are likely more than enough for Palworld's current state, and the CPU's high single-thread performance of 1136 in 3DMark single thread ensures that the game's main thread is handled efficiently.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 is slightly lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, which have scores of 46971 and 47022, respectively. The delta is -0.2% and -0.3%, which is a negligible difference in real-world performance. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is a strong asset for games, and the CPU's performance in Palworld is likely sufficient. The CPU's role is to provide high single and multi-thread performance, and it does this without being a limiting factor at the resolutions tested.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which settings are best for different resolutions. At 1080p, the combo has a lot of headroom. The High preset gives 172 FPS, and the Ultra gives 131 FPS. For most players, the Ultra preset will provide the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness, since 131 FPS is still very high. If a player prefers maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 224 FPS is a good choice, but it comes with some visual compromises. The data also shows that the 1080p Medium preset has a min of 190 FPS, which ensures a very stable experience. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is recommended for the best balance of visuals and performance.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice. It gives an average of 113 FPS, which is high enough for a 144Hz monitor, and it likely provides a good visual experience. The Ultra preset at 86 FPS is also playable, but the drop from High to Ultra is 27 FPS, which is a noticeable reduction. The Medium preset at 147 FPS is a great choice for players who want a higher frame rate, but High offers a better mix of quality and speed. The 1440p Medium data shows a min of 125 FPS, so the game never feels slow. For 1440p, High is the best preset.

At 4K, the situation is different. The Ultra preset is not recommended because it drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard. The High preset is at 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but it is not stable enough for a locked 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset is the best choice for 4K, with an average of 82 FPS and a min of 70 FPS. The 70 FPS minimum ensures that the game stays smooth even in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 101 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality loss is significant. The recommendation for 4K is to use the Medium preset for a smooth, high-quality experience.

The data indicates that this combo can handle 1080p and 1440p with Ultra settings, but at 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal balance. The combination of the RTX 4070 SUPER and the Core i7-13700K is powerful enough for most gaming scenarios, but the highest settings at 4K require a settings reduction. The measured results show a competent system that can play Palworld smoothly at all resolutions, with the only compromise being at 4K Ultra.

The combo ranks 650 out of 3711 in Palworld, and the data shows why. It delivers high frame rates across the board in all settings and resolutions, except for 4K Ultra, where it drops to 48 FPS. The CPU and GPU are well-matched for this game, with the CPU's strong single and multi-thread performance not holding back the GPU. The RTX 4070 SUPER is the main factor at higher resolutions, and its 12 GB VRAM is enough for the game's textures. For the best experience, players should use High settings at 1440p and Medium settings at 4K. The combo is a strong performer in Palworld, and the data confirms that it can deliver a smooth gaming experience in most scenarios.