Palworld

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, using the 10 nm process node. It runs at a 2.10 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its benchmark results place it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,620.

In the context of Palworld, a survival game that often involves large open-world exploration, base building, and many concurrent entities, the CPU's thread count and boost clock matter significantly. The 28 threads provide ample headroom for background simulation tasks, while the 5.40 GHz boost ensures strong single-thread performance for game logic. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,122 and single-core score of 4,958 indicate that this processor handles both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads effectively. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,257 and multi-thread score of 41,317 further confirm its balanced profile.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F sits within a tight cluster. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53,701, which is 0.2% higher, placing the i7-14700F essentially at parity. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53,288, which is 0.6% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53,206, which is 0.8% lower. This means the i7-14700F is competitive with high-end server and desktop parts, though its advantage is marginal. For Palworld, this suggests the CPU is rarely the bottleneck; the data shows that frame rates scale more with GPU load and settings than with CPU frequency changes across the measured resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 902nd out of 3,711 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the top 24.3% of all configurations tested, which is a solid mid-to-high-tier result. The ranking reflects not just the absolute performance of the components but also how well they work together in this specific game.

The combo's position suggests that while the hardware is capable, there are many other pairings that deliver higher frame rates in Palworld. This is partly because the RX 9070 XT, despite its modern architecture, has a benchmark percentile of only 55 among all GPUs, with an average score of 13,543. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% higher), and the NVIDIA P106-090 (0.5% higher). This is a surprising grouping, as these are older or lower-tier cards, which indicates that the RX 9070 XT's raw benchmark scores may not fully capture its gaming performance in titles like Palworld.

The CPU, on the other hand, ranks much higher relative to its peers, at the 91st percentile. The gap between the CPU's strong standing and the GPU's middling percentile explains why the combo ranks where it does. In Palworld, the GPU appears to be the limiting factor in many scenarios, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The i7-14700F's performance headroom is not fully utilized because the RX 9070 XT cannot push frames fast enough to saturate the CPU's capabilities in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Palworld reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 155 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at High, the average drops to 102 FPS, a 34.2% decrease. At 3840x2160 at High, the average falls to 57 FPS, which is a 63.2% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance remains constant while the rendering load increases.

The Low settings tell a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 248 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 163 FPS, and at 4K Low, it hits 91 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 63.3%, nearly identical to the High settings drop. This consistency suggests that the scaling overhead is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The Medium settings show 201 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K, with the 1080p-to-4K drop being 63.7%. Ultra settings produce 117 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, a 63.2% reduction.

The fact that the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical across all four settings presets (ranging from 63.2% to 63.7%) is telling. It means the frame rate scaling is purely resolution-bound, not complexity-bound. This is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario where the RX 9070 XT's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's processing speed, determines the final output. The i7-14700F has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at 4K, but the GPU cannot maintain higher frame rates as pixel count increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld if I want 60 FPS or higher?

A: At 1440p High, the combo averages 102 FPS, which is well above 60. Even at 4K High, it averages 57 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. For a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, 1440p High is the recommended choice.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark standing compare to its gaming performance?

A: The i7-14700F ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 53,620. In Palworld, it pairs with the GPU to achieve a combo rank of 902 out of 3,711, indicating that the CPU's strong synthetic performance does not translate to a top-tier gaming rank because the GPU limits overall frame rates.

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

A: At 1080p Low, the combo averages 248 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, it averages 117 FPS. This is a 52.8% reduction in frame rate from Low to Ultra, showing the significant impact of graphical settings on performance.

Q: Is the RX 9070 XT's benchmark percentile consistent with its Palworld performance?

A: The GPU's percentile is 55, with an average benchmark score of 13,543. In Palworld, it delivers 57 FPS at 4K High, which is playable but not high-refresh. The benchmark percentile suggests it is an average card, and the measured frame rates align with that assessment.

Q: How much does resolution affect the frame rate from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average is 132 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 73 FPS, a 44.7% reduction. The minimum FPS also falls from 113 at 1440p to 62 at 4K, indicating that 4K pushes the system closer to its limits.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this combo for Palworld?

A: The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rate drops by roughly 63% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, while the CPU's performance is constant. The GPU's relatively low benchmark percentile compared to the CPU's high percentile supports this conclusion.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. The memory runs at 2518 MHz, which translates to 20.1 Gbps effective. The shader configuration includes 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units, along with 64 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 380.2 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 760.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS.

In Palworld, the RX 9070 XT's role is central to determining achievable frame rates. The measured data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is capable of delivering very high frame rates—up to 248 FPS at Low settings. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows exponentially, and the frame rates drop accordingly. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 43 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at all settings, as there is no indication of memory-related stuttering in the data.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 55th percentile, with an average score of 13,543. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% higher), and the NVIDIA P106-090 (0.5% higher). This grouping is unusual because these rivals are much older cards, which suggests that the RX 9070 XT's synthetic benchmark scores are not representative of its real-world gaming capabilities in modern titles. In Palworld, the GPU manages 57 FPS at 4K High, which is a respectable result for a game that is not heavily optimized for high-end hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combo. The goal is to balance visual quality with frame rate, aiming for at least 60 FPS on average. At 1080p, all settings presets exceed this threshold. The High preset delivers 155 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed. The Medium preset offers 201 FPS, sacrificing some visual fidelity for higher smoothness. The Ultra preset still achieves 117 FPS, which is excellent, but the visual gains over High may be marginal in a game like Palworld.

At 1440p, the High preset averages 102 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and offers a solid balance of quality and performance. The Medium preset hits 132 FPS, providing even higher smoothness for competitive play. The Ultra preset drops to 77 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the threshold where frame rate dips might become noticeable. The Low preset at 1440p yields 163 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial, making it less desirable for a game that relies on environmental immersion.

At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset averages 57 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, which is above the threshold and offers a better experience. The Low preset reaches 91 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe. The Ultra preset averages only 43 FPS, which is below the acceptable threshold for smooth gameplay and should be avoided. Given these results, the best experience for this combo is to play at 1440p with High settings, which yields 102 FPS and maintains strong visual quality. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, providing 73 FPS without sacrificing too much detail. The data indicates that the RX 9070 XT is capable at 1440p, but at 4K, users must compromise on settings to maintain playable frame rates.