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 desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture. It carries a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which positions it as a high-end part in the Core 14th Gen lineup. The processor is manufactured on a 10 nm process node with a 257 mm² die size, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which provides ample on-die storage for the game's world-streaming and entity-management workloads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700F demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. It scores 35,122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,958 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 19,620 for multi-core and 2,429 for single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score reaches 41,317, with a single-thread score of 4,257. These figures place the CPU in the 91st percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,620. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (average score 53,701, delta -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469, delta +0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53,288, delta +0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206, delta +0.8%). The data shows the i7-14700F is effectively neck-and-neck with these parts, trailing the Xeon 6505P by just 0.2% and leading the Xeon Phi 7290 by a similar 0.3% margin.

For Palworld, the CPU's role is to manage the game's simulation logic, including Pals' AI, base building, and the physics of creatures and objects. The 20-core configuration with 28 threads provides substantial parallel headroom for these tasks, and the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures strong single-thread responsiveness for the main game loop. At lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU is less burdened, the CPU's capability becomes more apparent—the measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 76 FPS, which is the highest average across all tested configurations. This suggests that the processor is not the primary limiting factor in this setup, as the frame rates scale more with resolution and graphics settings than with CPU load.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is a graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip manufactured on a 3 nm process. It is an integrated graphics part with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." The GPU features 1,280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12.29 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s.

In the single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1,184 points. This places it in the 5th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1,184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1,186, delta -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1,190, delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1,192, delta -0.7%), and the AMD FirePro M2000 (1,168, delta +1.4%). The data indicates the Arc B370 is essentially tied with these older discrete parts, trailing the Radeon HD 7650M by 0.7% and leading the FirePro M2000 by 1.4%. This places it in the low-end segment for gaming performance, which is consistent with its integrated nature.

For Palworld, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this configuration. The system-shared memory means the GPU must compete with the CPU for bandwidth, and the lack of dedicated VRAM limits texture and geometry throughput. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 76, but as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop sharply—down to 50 FPS and 28 FPS respectively at Low settings. The 3DMark score of 1,184, combined with the 5th percentile ranking, indicates that the GPU's raw rendering power is modest. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the average is only 36 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that the Arc B370 is the limiting component in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2,706 out of 2,944 tested combos in Palworld. This places the system in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which is a poor result for a CPU that sits in the 91st percentile of all processors. The data indicates a stark mismatch: the i7-14700F is a high-end CPU with excellent multi-threaded scores, but the Arc B370's GPU performance drags the overall gaming experience down significantly.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the combo sits just 238 positions above the last place (2,944 - 2,706 = 238). This means the system outperforms only a small handful of the weakest configurations, likely those with even older integrated graphics or severely limited CPUs. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking is the primary driver of this low combo rank, as the CPU's 91st percentile ranking cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations in a graphics-heavy title like Palworld. The game's open-world nature, with its dense foliage and dynamic lighting, places heavy demands on the GPU, and the Arc B370's modest 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for high-quality rendering at playable frame rates.

The benchmark results show that this combo is only viable at the lowest settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 76 FPS, which is playable, but the experience degrades rapidly as quality increases. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 36 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 13 FPS. These numbers confirm that the combo rank is not an artifact of measurement but a reflection of the GPU's fundamental performance ceiling. For users comparing systems, this rank signals that the i7-14700F's potential is largely wasted when paired with the Arc B370 in Palworld, as the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 76 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest frame rate recorded for any configuration. Medium settings reduce the average to 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. High settings yield 47 FPS on average, while Ultra drops to 36 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression: each step up in quality costs roughly 10-15 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 40 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decline significantly. Low settings produce 50 FPS, which is a 34% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings yield 31 FPS, and Ultra drops to 24 FPS. The pattern mirrors the 1080p results but at a lower absolute level, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 26 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 28 FPS, Medium averages 23 FPS (with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS), High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra drops to 13 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so saturated that quality presets have diminishing returns.

The data shows that the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS is 1080p Low. At 1080p Medium, the average is 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the minimum of 52 FPS suggests occasional dips below it. All other configurations fall below 60 FPS, with 1440p Low being the only other option that comes close at 50 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly below 30 FPS, making them impractical for real-time gameplay.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Analyzing the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 76 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p to 28 at 4K. This represents a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 44% drop from 1440p to 4K, for a total decline of 63% from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the progression is 62 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K—a total decline of 63%. High settings show 47 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K, a 64% decline. Ultra settings follow a similar trend: 36 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K, a 64% decline.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all quality presets is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the frame rates scale nearly linearly with the number of pixels, which is the hallmark of a GPU-constrained system. The i7-14700F's high multi-threaded scores (35,122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) suggest it has ample headroom to feed the GPU, but the Arc B370's modest compute throughput (6.144 TFLOPS) cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count.

The data also shows that the scaling is slightly steeper at higher settings. For instance, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 63% at Low and Medium, but 64% at High and Ultra. This marginal difference suggests that the higher presets introduce additional GPU workloads, such as more complex shading and post-processing, which further tax the already-limited GPU. The system-shared memory configuration likely exacerbates this issue, as the GPU must access system RAM for all texture and buffer data, which is slower than dedicated VRAM and becomes more problematic at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average FPS at 76, followed by 1920x1080 Medium at 62 FPS. These are the only configurations that meet or exceed the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53,620, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Xeon 6505P (53,701), 0.3% higher than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469), 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53,288), and 0.8% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the primary bottleneck in this setup?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops by approximately 63-64% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which is a classic GPU-bound pattern. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking versus the GPU's 5th percentile ranking further confirms this imbalance.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in Palworld?

A: This combo ranks 2,706 out of 2,944 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU's limited performance, as the CPU is a high-end part.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Palworld?

A: No. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 28 at Low settings, falling to 13 FPS at Ultra. These frame rates are well below playable thresholds, with even the best 4K result being less than half of the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the GPU's synthetic benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 scores 1,184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1,186), 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1,190), 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1,192), and 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1,168).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this system in Palworld is 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, which provides a balanced experience between visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 1080p achieves the highest average FPS at 76, but the visual fidelity is significantly reduced, and the Medium preset offers a substantial improvement in graphical detail for a modest 14 FPS cost.

For users who prioritize frame rate stability, 1080p Low is the safest choice, as it maintains an average of 76 FPS with no reported minimum below 60. However, for those who want a better visual experience without sacrificing too much performance, 1080p Medium is the recommended compromise. The High preset at 1080p drops to 47 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players, but the 15 FPS loss from Medium to High is steep relative to the visual gains. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 36 FPS, is not recommended, as the frame rate falls below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay.

At 1440p, the only playable option is Low settings, which averages 50 FPS. Medium at 1440p drops to 41 FPS, which may be tolerable for slower-paced gameplay, but High and Ultra at 24-31 FPS are not viable. At 4K, all settings produce average frame rates below 30 FPS, making this resolution impractical for Palworld with this hardware. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p for the best experience, with Medium settings offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. The GPU's system-shared memory architecture means that higher resolutions disproportionately impact performance, so lower resolutions are strongly preferred.