Palworld

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache and a per-core L2 cache of 2 MB. This processor sits in the 94th percentile compared to all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 69355.

In Palworld, the CPU's influence is most visible at lower resolutions where frame rates climb substantially. At 1080p Low settings, the combination of the i7-14700K and RTX 4070 SUPER produces 276 FPS average, while at 1080p Ultra it drops to 131 FPS. The 20-core configuration with 28 threads provides ample headroom for the game's simulation and world-streaming demands, though Palworld's engine appears to scale more with raw clock speed than with sheer core count. The 5.60 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant here—at 1080p, where GPU load is lighter, the processor's high single-thread performance keeps the frame pipeline fed.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700K trails the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by just 0.2% in average benchmark score, sits 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115, and leads the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX by 0.7% and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F by 0.9%. These margins are small in synthetic tests, but in Palworld the difference between 276 FPS at 1080p Low and 182 FPS at 1440p Low shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower settings—the GPU takes over as the limiting factor.

The processor's 125 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory (dual-channel) mean that memory bandwidth scales with platform choice, though the measured FPS data does not differentiate between memory types. The UHD Graphics 770 integrated GPU is present but irrelevant for gaming performance with a discrete graphics card installed. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 4070 SUPER's PCIe 4.0 x16 connection.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and the AD104 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory sits on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units drive a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 35.48 TFLOPS.

This GPU ranks in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% slower), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (0.2% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (1% slower). The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Palworld at all tested settings, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across resolutions—no VRAM-related stutters or min FPS anomalies appear in the Medium preset data.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the CPU can push frame rates to 276 FPS at Low settings, but the GPU still delivers 131 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, Ultra drops to 86 FPS, and at 4K Ultra the average falls to 48 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that Palworld is GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings, with the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth proving adequate even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS remains playable though below the 60 FPS threshold.

The GPU's 220 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU rating are consistent with its mid-range positioning. The 1x 16-pin power connector and dual-slot form factor are standard for this class. The display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) support high refresh rate monitors at 1440p, which is where this card shines in Palworld—the data shows 113 FPS average at 1440p High, a sweet spot for competitive play.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience for this hardware combination. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 224 with a minimum of 190 and maximum of 258, which comfortably exceeds high-refresh-rate monitor capabilities. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 170, still well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for 144 Hz displays. Even at 4K Medium, the average FPS of 82 with a minimum of 70 and maximum of 94 delivers smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz monitors.

The High preset is a reasonable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate headroom. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 172, at 1440p High it drops to 113, and at 4K High it falls to 63—just above the 60 FPS line. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, pushes the system to its limits: 131 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is below the 60 FPS target, making it less ideal for action-heavy gameplay.

The Low preset delivers exceptional frame rates—276 FPS at 1080p, 182 FPS at 1440p, and 101 FPS at 4K—but sacrifices visual quality. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, 1080p Low or Medium is the optimal choice. For balanced visual quality and performance, Medium at 1440p provides the best combination of smoothness and detail. The gap between Medium and High at 4K (82 vs 63 FPS) suggests that Medium is the highest preset that maintains consistent 60+ FPS at 4K.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for this hardware in Palworld?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium delivers 147 FPS average with a minimum of 125 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. For 4K, Medium at 82 FPS average is the highest preset maintaining 60+ FPS, while High at 63 FPS is borderline and Ultra at 48 FPS falls below the threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM hold up in Palworld?

A: The 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient across all tested settings. The frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows no VRAM-related anomalies, and the minimum FPS values in the Medium preset (190 at 1080p, 125 at 1440p, 70 at 4K) indicate stable performance without memory pressure.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 276 FPS, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. The CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock and 20-core configuration keep the GPU fed at all resolutions. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU as resolution increases, evidenced by the 48 FPS at 4K Ultra versus 131 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 43223 puts it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the RTX 5050 Mobile, 0.2% ahead of the Quadro M6000, and 1% ahead of the RTX 4090 Mobile. These are all within 1% of each other, indicating very close performance parity in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with this hardware?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 101 (Low) to 48 (Ultra), with Medium at 82 FPS and High at 63 FPS. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for 4K, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay throughout.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a worthwhile performance trade-off?

A: The Ultra preset delivers 131 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. Compared to High, Ultra costs 41 FPS at 1080p (172 vs 131), 27 FPS at 1440p (113 vs 86), and 15 FPS at 4K (63 vs 48). The visual gains are present but the performance cost is steep, especially at 4K where it drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by 59 at Low settings (276 to 182), 77 at Medium (224 to 147), 59 at High (172 to 113), and 45 at Ultra (131 to 86). These reductions represent 33-35% performance decreases, which is consistent with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels (a 78% increase)—the frame rate does not drop proportionally to pixel count, indicating that other factors like fill rate and bandwidth partially compensate.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows even more pronounced scaling. At Low, FPS drops from 182 to 101 (44.5% reduction), at Medium from 147 to 82 (44.2% reduction), at High from 113 to 63 (44.2% reduction), and at Ultra from 86 to 48 (44.2% reduction). The consistent 44% drop across all settings at this resolution step confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K—the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K, and the frame rate reduction is consistent regardless of settings.

This scaling behavior indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are the limiting factors at higher resolutions. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, with the i7-14700K providing sufficient frame production at all tested resolutions. The data suggests that 1440p is the optimal resolution for this hardware, where the balance between CPU and GPU utilization yields the best frame rates relative to visual quality.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 276 FPS average
• Medium: 224 FPS average, 190 FPS minimum, 258 FPS maximum
• High: 172 FPS average
• Ultra: 131 FPS average

At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, with the i7-14700K's high boost clock enabling 276 FPS at Low. The Medium preset shows a tight frame time distribution with a minimum of 190 FPS, indicating consistent performance. The drop from Medium to High (224 to 172 FPS) is significant, while the High to Ultra transition (172 to 131 FPS) shows diminishing returns.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 182 FPS average
• Medium: 147 FPS average, 125 FPS minimum, 170 FPS maximum
• High: 113 FPS average
• Ultra: 86 FPS average

At 1440p, the GPU begins to assert its influence. The Low preset still delivers 182 FPS, but the Medium preset's minimum of 125 FPS shows the GPU working harder. The High preset at 113 FPS is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming, while Ultra at 86 FPS remains smooth on 60-75 Hz displays. The frame rate progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent 30-40 FPS drop per settings tier.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average, 70 FPS minimum, 94 FPS maximum
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. The Low preset manages 101 FPS, but even Medium drops to 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS. High at 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 48 FPS falls below it. The Medium preset's minimum of 70 FPS indicates that the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to maintain smooth gameplay, but the GPU's compute capabilities are stretched at this resolution.

The combo rank in game places this CPU-GPU pairing at 650 out of 3711 tested combinations, which is in the top 17.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balanced performance of the i7-14700K and RTX 4070 SUPER across the tested settings, with the system delivering playable frame rates at all resolutions and settings, with the sole exception of 4K Ultra falling below the 60 FPS target.