Palworld

Palworld pairs the Intel Core i7-13700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, a combination that lands at rank 308 out of 3711 tested combos in this game. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K demands careful settings selection to maintain smooth frame rates. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, offering practical guidance for owners of this specific hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 308th out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8.3% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-13700K scores 46881 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022). It is 0.5% ahead of both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653).

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4080 SUPER and the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, which is just 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080's 54247. The difference is statistically negligible in synthetic tests.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 130 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER have enough VRAM for Palworld at 4K?

A: With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus providing 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, the card has ample memory capacity and bandwidth for the measured 4K results in this game.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 149 at 1920x1080 to 55 at 3840x2160, a 63% reduction in frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). The card's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Palworld's open-world environments where large textures and draw distances are common.

In Palworld specifically, the GPU's role is dominant across all measured resolutions. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs drive the rendering workload, while its 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores handle any ray-traced or AI-accelerated effects. The card achieves a pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s, which directly translates to the high frame rates observed in the benchmark data.

The 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler design indicate this is a high-power part, with the suggested 700 W PSU being a minimum requirement. The 1x 16-pin power connector is the sole power input. For Palworld, the GPU's compute capabilities, including 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, ensure that the game's physics and simulation elements do not bottleneck the rendering pipeline. The card's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its position as a top-tier performer, though it sits marginally behind the RTX 4080 by 0.1% in average benchmark score.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how performance scales across the three tested resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 316 FPS at 1920x1080 to 208 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 34% reduction), then further to 115 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 64% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

At Medium settings, the frame rates are 256 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 44%. This pattern suggests that the transition from 1440p to 4K imposes a heavier relative load on the GPU than the 1080p to 1440p transition, which is typical given the pixel count increases from 3.7 million to 8.3 million.

High settings show 197 FPS at 1080p, 130 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 34% and 45%, respectively, mirroring the Medium setting trend. Ultra settings produce 149 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K, with drops of 34% and 44%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings strongly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the scaling pattern remains uniform regardless of graphical complexity.

The min FPS values recorded at Medium settings (218 at 1080p, 143 at 1440p, 79 at 4K) show that even the lowest frame times remain playable at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the minimum of 79 FPS is close to the 72 FPS average at High settings, suggesting occasional stutters may occur in demanding scenes at 4K Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 308 out of 3711 tested systems in Palworld. This places the pairing in the top 8.3% of all tested combinations, indicating that this hardware configuration is substantially more capable than the vast majority of systems tested for this game.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 89 among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's 86th percentile ranking, creates a balanced system where neither component is drastically mismatched. The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provide ample processing power for Palworld's simulation-heavy gameplay, while the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM and 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance handle the graphical workload.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher than the i7-13700K's 46881. This near-identical performance means that in CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions, the choice between these processors would have minimal impact. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080, scores 54247 versus the 4080 SUPER's 54209, a 0.1% difference that is well within measurement error.

The high combo rank of 308 suggests that this pairing is well-suited for Palworld, with the measured FPS data confirming that the system can deliver playable frame rates at all tested settings and resolutions, though 4K Ultra pushes the average down to 55 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 316 FPS, Medium hits 256 FPS (with a range of 218 to 294 FPS), High achieves 197 FPS, and Ultra manages 149 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is not GPU-limited in any meaningful way, as even Ultra settings provide frame rates well above typical high refresh rate monitor capabilities.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. Low settings average 208 FPS, Medium averages 169 FPS (ranging from 143 to 194 FPS), High averages 130 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. The 1440p results show that this combo is well-suited for high refresh rate gaming at this resolution, with High settings still clearing the 120 FPS mark comfortably.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 115 FPS, which is solid for 4K gaming. Medium settings average 94 FPS with a range of 79 to 108 FPS, providing a playable experience. High settings drop to 72 FPS average, which is borderline for smooth gameplay on 60 Hz monitors but may feel less responsive on 120 Hz displays. Ultra settings fall to 55 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold preferred by most gamers for single-player experiences.

The Medium settings row is the only preset with recorded min and max FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 218-294 FPS; at 1440p, it is 143-194 FPS; and at 4K, it is 79-108 FPS. These ranges indicate that the frame pacing is consistent, with no extreme stutters or frame time spikes observed in the data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users, Ultra settings at 149 FPS average provide an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, easily supporting 144 Hz displays. The 197 FPS at High settings offers even more headroom for competitive play, while the 256 FPS at Medium is suitable for esports-style gaming where frame rate is paramount.

At 1440p, High settings at 130 FPS represent the sweet spot for most gamers, offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining frame rates above 120 FPS. The 98 FPS at Ultra is still playable on 100 Hz monitors, but the 32 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gains for most users. Medium settings at 169 FPS provide excellent responsiveness for those prioritizing frame rate, though the visual compromise may be noticeable.

For 4K gaming, the choice is more constrained. Medium settings at 94 FPS average (79 min) offer the best balance, providing a smooth experience on 60-90 Hz displays while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. High settings at 72 FPS are acceptable for 60 Hz monitors, but the drop from Medium's 94 FPS is significant. Low settings at 115 FPS are an option for those with 120 Hz 4K displays, though the visual quality will be noticeably reduced. Ultra settings at 55 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold and are not recommended for consistent smoothness.

The data suggests that for the best experience, 1440p High or 4K Medium are the recommended presets, depending on whether the user prioritizes visual fidelity or frame rate. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even at 4K Medium, there is no memory pressure, as evidenced by the stable frame ranges recorded.