Palworld

Palworld is a survival game that can hammer both the CPU and GPU depending on what is happening on screen. The combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K and an AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a wide spread of frame rates across resolutions and quality presets, and the data shows a system that is clearly limited by the graphics card at higher settings. The measured results indicate that the Radeon RX 6600 is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios, with the Core i7-14700K's strong single-threaded performance leaving headroom for higher frame rates when the GPU load is reduced.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, and the scaling pattern tells a clear story about which component is doing the heavy lifting. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 139 FPS at 1920x1080 down to 92 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 51 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a drop of roughly 34% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 45% drop when moving to 4K. This steep decline at Low settings suggests that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU is running out of headroom at higher resolutions. At High settings, the pattern is similar: 87 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 34%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 44%. The consistency of these percentages across Low and High presets indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor regardless of settings.

At Medium settings, the measured results include minimum and maximum frame rates for each resolution, which provides additional insight. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 45%. The minimum frame rates at Medium settings show that even the dips scale with resolution.

At Ultra settings, the frame rates are the lowest, with 66 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 44%. The Ultra preset consistently delivers frame rates that are roughly half of what the Low preset achieves at each resolution. The resolution scaling data indicates that the RX 6600 is the limiting component across the board. The CPU has more than enough headroom to push higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 139 FPS result at 1080p Low, which is a frame rate that would be difficult to achieve if the CPU were the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2890 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld. This places the combo in the lower third of all tested combinations, which is a result that reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning. The Core i7-14700K is a much stronger CPU than the GPU, and this ranking indicates that the combo is ultimately limited by the graphics card. The data shows that the combo is not positioned to deliver high frame rates at high resolutions or Ultra settings, but it is still capable of playable performance in many scenarios.

The combo ranking of 2890 out of 3711 means that about 22% of tested combos rank below this one. This is not a strong showing, but it is important to note that the ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU. When paired with a more powerful graphics card, the Core i7-14700K would likely rank much higher, as the CPU itself is in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, by comparison, sits in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. This disparity in percentile rankings is a clear sign that the combo's position in the Palworld ranking is due to the GPU's mid-range performance.

The nearest rivals to the Core i7-14700K in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD EPYC 9115, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F. The Core i7-14700K has an average score of 69355, which places it roughly in line with these rivals. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a delta of 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, a delta of -0.7%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, a delta of -0.9%. These deltas are all very small, within a single percentage point, which means the CPU is competitive with a wide range of high-end processors. The combination ranking in Palworld, however, shows that this CPU's strength cannot overcome the GPU's limitations in this game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The memory bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s, and the memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU has a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. The GPU is based on the Navi 23 chip, which is manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process node. The die size is 237 mm² and contains 11,060 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 46.7M per mm². The GPU includes 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 279.0 GTexel/s, with a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a notable limitation in a game like Palworld, which can have large open-world areas and many objects on screen. At 4K resolution, the 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor, especially at High or Ultra settings. The benchmark data shows a clear drop in performance at 4K, with the average frame rate falling to 32 FPS at High settings and 24 FPS at Ultra. This is likely a combination of the GPU's raw compute power and the VRAM capacity. The 128-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are also relatively low for a modern GPU, which can be a bottleneck in memory-intensive games.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 with a score of 19030 and a delta of 0%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile with a score of 19049 and a delta of -0.1%, the NVIDIA Tesla K20m with a score of 19089 and a delta of -0.3%, and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation with a score of 18954 and a delta of 0.4%. These deltas are tiny, indicating that the RX 6600 sits in a very tight performance cluster. The GPU's passmark G3D score is 15096, which is a common metric for comparing GPU performance. Its DirectX 12 score is 51, which is quite low, but this is a synthetic benchmark and may not directly translate to game performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of how the combo performs in Palworld across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest settings yield an average of 139 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. High settings average 87 FPS, and Ultra settings average 66 FPS. The 1080p results show that this combo can handle the game at high frame rates with the right settings, but Ultra settings will not reach 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are much lower. At Low settings, the average is 92 FPS. Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. High settings average 57 FPS, and Ultra settings average 43 FPS. The 1440p results show that the combo can still deliver playable frame rates at Medium and High settings, but Ultra is a bit too demanding for a stable experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are the lowest. At Low settings, the average is 51 FPS. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average 24 FPS. The 4K results show that the system cannot deliver 60 FPS at any setting, and even Low settings only reach an average of 51 FPS. For 4K gaming, the RX 6600 is clearly the limiting factor, and the combo would need a more powerful GPU to achieve smooth performance at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a desktop processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a codename of Raptor Lake-R. It is manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node with a die size of 257 mm². The CPU has 20 cores and 28 threads, which is a hybrid design of performance and efficiency cores. The base clock is 3.40 GHz and the boost clock is 5.60 GHz. The CPU has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory supported. It is designed for the Intel Socket 1700 and has a TDP of 125 W. The CPU also includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, but this is not used for gaming when a discrete GPU is present.

The Core i7-14700K scores in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, which means it is a high-end processor. Its average benchmark score is 69355. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 33440.5 and the single-core score is 2160. In Cinebench R20, the multi-core score is 18544 and the single-core score is 2617. In Cinebench R15, the multi-core score is 5035 and the single-core score is 313.5. In Geekbench, the multi-core score is 20767 and the single-core score is 2569. In Passmark, the multi-thread score is 52392 and the single-thread score is 4472. The CPU also has a passmark physics score of 2964, a passmark integer math score of 182876, a passmark floating point math score of 134222, a passmark random string sorting score of 74733, a passmark data compression score of 695234, a passmark data encryption score of 40091, and a passmark extended instructions score of 40632. The CPU is also a passmark find prime numbers score of 212.

In Palworld, the CPU's performance is not the limiting factor. The benchmark data shows that the system can reach 139 FPS at 1080p Low settings, which is a frame rate that would be difficult to achieve if the CPU were the bottleneck. The CPU's strong single-core performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160, is sufficient for Palworld's game engine. The CPU is also capable of high frame rates in multi-threaded scenarios, which is a good sign for a game that may use multiple cores. The Core i7-14700K is a high-end CPU that is not the bottleneck in this combo. The GPU is the limiting factor at most resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data suggests that the Low or Medium settings at 1920x1080 are the most balanced choices. At 1080p Low, the system delivers an average of 139 FPS, which is well over the 60 FPS target and provides a very smooth experience. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 113 FPS, but the minimum frame rate of 96 FPS ensures that there are no significant hitches. The Medium preset offers a better visual experience than Low, and the frame rate is still high enough for a responsive game. 1080p High settings average 87 FPS, which is still playable but not as smooth as the lower settings. 1080p Ultra settings average 66 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, but the minimum frame rate may dip lower and cause visible stutter.

At 2560x1440, the game becomes more demanding. 1440p Low settings average 92 FPS, which is still a high frame rate. 1440p Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is a good target for a smooth experience. 1440p High settings average 57 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may be noticeable in fast-paced scenes. 1440p Ultra settings average 43 FPS, which is too low for a comfortable experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of delivering 60 FPS at any setting. 4K Low settings average 51 FPS, which is the best possible result at 4K. 4K Medium settings average 41 FPS, and 4K High settings average 32 FPS. 4K Ultra settings average 24 FPS, which is not playable for a smooth experience.

For players who prioritize frame rate and smoothness, the 1080p Medium preset is the best choice. It provides an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, which is a good frame rate with no stutter. For players who want to play at 1440p, the Medium preset is the best option, as it provides an average of 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. The High preset at 1440p may be acceptable for players who do not mind a frame rate below 60 FPS, but the Medium preset is a safer choice. For players who want to play at 4K, the Low preset is the only playable setting, but the frame rate will still be below 60 FPS. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, and it can handle 1440p at Medium settings, but it is not recommended for 4K gaming.

In summary, the settings recommendation is to use the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p. The Medium preset at 1080p offers an average of 113 FPS, and at 1440p it offers an average of 74 FPS. Both are above 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth experience. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended at any resolution because the frame rates are too low, especially at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the main bottleneck, and the CPU has enough headroom to deliver high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed.