Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released on 2024-01-18, exhibits a performance profile that is heavily dictated by the graphics settings applied. The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT produces a wide range of frame rates, from highly playable at 1080p to demanding at 4K. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU provides a robust foundation for the game's simulation and world-building mechanics.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has a profound impact on average FPS, underscoring the Radeon RX 6750 XT's role as the limiting component. At the High preset, the system averages 116.9 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 80.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 31.1%. Moving further up to 3840x2160, the average falls to 40.8 FPS, representing a 65.1% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory are being saturated at higher resolutions.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. With the Low preset, the system achieves 190.8 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 124.3 FPS at 1440p and 71.8 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K for Low settings shows a 62.4% performance loss, which is slightly less severe than the High preset's loss. This suggests that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the pixel throughput required for 4K is a substantial challenge for the RDNA 2.0 architecture.

The data clearly indicates that the 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the GPU is forced to work much harder, and the average FPS figures fall below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on the High and Ultra presets. The scaling between Medium and High at 4K is also telling; the 17.4% difference (58.5 vs. 40.8 FPS) shows that each incremental increase in visual quality has a noticeable cost at this resolution. This is a GPU-bound scenario, where the Core i7-14700KF's capabilities are largely held in reserve.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination can achieve in Palworld?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 190.8, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This demonstrates the system's ability to push very high frame rates when graphical demands are minimized.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the system delivers an average of 71.8 FPS on Low settings, which is playable. However, on the High and Ultra presets, the average FPS drops to 40.8 and 34.2 respectively, which may not be smooth enough for all players.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 60.7 FPS, while High averages 80.5 FPS. This represents a 24.6% performance cost for enabling the highest settings, which provides a significant visual upgrade but requires a compromise in frame rate.

Q: Is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p large?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. For example, on the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 152.7 at 1080p to 103.1 at 1440p, a 32.5% decrease. This shows that moving to a higher resolution has a notable impact on the Radeon RX 6750 XT.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: For refresh rates above 144 Hz, 1920x1080 is the most suitable. The system can achieve over 116 FPS on High settings and over 152 FPS on Medium at this resolution, allowing the user to take advantage of high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the CPU's core count relate to the frame rates?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, which provides ample processing power. The high FPS at 1080p, such as 190.8 on Low, suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor in these tests, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers 116.9 FPS while providing a substantial visual upgrade over Medium. Users with higher refresh rate monitors could consider the Medium preset, which yields 152.7 FPS, but the High setting offers a more complete experience without dropping below 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice for a smooth experience, averaging 80.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is playable at 60.7 FPS, but the 24.6% performance hit compared to High may not be worth the graphical gains for all users. For those who prioritize frame rate, the Medium preset at 103.1 FPS provides a very fluid experience, but it compromises on visual quality.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only one that consistently provides a playable experience, with an average of 71.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 58.5 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets at 40.8 and 34.2 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay. Users with 4K displays should either accept the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to use higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its full potential. With the Low preset, it achieves 190.8 FPS. Increasing to Medium reduces this to 152.7 FPS, and High brings it down to 116.9 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding at this resolution, yielding 90.5 FPS. The progression shows a consistent, incremental cost for each tier of visual quality, with a 47.6% difference between the Low and Ultra presets.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU's increasing workload. The Low preset averages 124.3 FPS, while Medium drops to 103.1 FPS. High is still strong at 80.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 60.7 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 51.2%, indicating that the GPU is being stretched more as the pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits are clearly visible. The Low preset produces 71.8 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium drops to 58.5 FPS, High to 40.8 FPS, and Ultra to 34.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 52.4%, showing that the highest settings are nearly halving the frame rate compared to the lowest settings. This resolution is clearly GPU-bound, with the Radeon RX 6750 XT's 192-bit memory bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth being a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Palworld, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is ranked 829 out of 1718 tested combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, indicating that it is a capable but not top-tier configuration for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's high performance and the GPU's mid-range capability.

The CPU itself is a high performer, ranking in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has a deltaPct of 0, indicating essentially identical performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is slightly ahead at -0.4% deltaPct, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is 1.3% behind. This shows the 14700KF is at the top of its class, providing a strong platform for gaming.

The GPU, however, is more firmly in the mid-range, ranking in the 79th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600M (0.2% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon 880M (0.9% behind). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is notably 1.3% ahead in average score. This GPU performance level, combined with the top-tier CPU, results in the overall rank of 829, suggesting that the GPU is the primary bottleneck preventing a higher ranking in Palworld.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high core count and thread count, combined with 33 MB of shared L3 cache, ensures that the CPU can handle the complex simulation and AI tasks in Palworld without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark results for the CPU are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, demonstrating excellent multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 190.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data quickly. The fact that the FPS scales down significantly as resolution increases, regardless of the CPU's performance, confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a flexible and powerful choice, but for Palworld, the data indicates that its performance is more than sufficient, leaving the Radeon RX 6750 XT as the component that defines the overall experience.