Palworld

Palworld with an Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B370 produces a fundamentally GPU-bound experience, and the data confirms this pairing is far better suited to 1080p play than higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show a steep decline as resolution increases, with the Arc B370’s limited compute resources becoming the primary bottleneck. This combination ranks 2706th out of 2944 tested combos for this title, placing it in the bottom tier of performance, so expectations should be adjusted accordingly for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 47 FPS, which is playable for a survival game. Moving to 1440p High drops that average to 31 FPS, and at 4K High it falls to 17 FPS. This represents a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern that points almost entirely to the GPU being overwhelmed. The Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not the limiting factor in this scenario; the Arc B370’s 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute simply cannot keep up with the pixel workload at higher resolutions.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With Low settings, the average FPS goes from 76 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p and then to 28 at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 26 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 22 FPS. This is a nearly linear degradation, which is typical for a GPU that is severely underpowered for the task. If the CPU were the bottleneck, you would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload per frame stays constant. Instead, the data shows a consistent decline, confirming that the Arc B370 is the sole limiting factor.

At Medium settings, the measured frames with min/max values provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 71. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 41 FPS with a range of 35 to 47. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 23 FPS with a range of 19 to 26. The minimum frame rates are particularly telling; at 4K Medium, the minimum of 19 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable playability in a game where timing and reaction matter. The scaling suggests that the Arc B370’s memory bandwidth, which is "System Dependent" and shared, is also a contributing factor, as higher resolutions demand more memory throughput that this integrated-style GPU configuration cannot provide.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its specifications are modest, with 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. The boost clock is listed at 2400 MHz, and while that is a reasonable frequency, the overall compute throughput is the limiting factor. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. These numbers are low for running a modern game at high resolutions.

The memory configuration is critical to understanding the performance. The Arc B370 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system’s DDR4 or DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice means it is constrained by the memory controller and the speed of the installed system memory. For a game like Palworld, which has large open-world environments, this shared memory setup can cause stuttering and low frame rates, especially when the GPU has to fetch assets from system RAM while simultaneously handling rendering tasks.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its low standing. It has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, and its percentile ranking among all GPUs is just 5. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested GPUs, which is a very poor showing. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are older cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with scores of 1186 and 1190, respectively. The delta percentages are small, with the Arc B370 being 0.2% slower than the HD 5570 and 0.5% slower than the HD 5770. This puts its raw compute performance in the same class as hardware from over a decade ago, which explains why it struggles so much in Palworld.

The GPU’s 25 W TDP is remarkably low, but this does not translate into gaming capability. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, so it has modern API support, but the underlying hardware is just not powerful enough. The 10 RT cores are present, but ray tracing performance is irrelevant when the base rasterization performance is this low. The low power draw and integrated nature suggest this is designed for basic productivity or light media tasks, not for gaming at high settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Palworld with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only viable resolution for a decent experience. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 76, and at 1080p High it is 47. At 1440p and 4K, the averages drop significantly, with 4K High only reaching 17 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF affect gaming performance here?

A: The CPU is not the bottleneck. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 44167 and single-core is 6235, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate drops are entirely attributable to the GPU’s limitations, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game’s logic.

Q: Is this GPU comparable to any older hardware?

A: Yes, its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). The performance delta is less than 1%, meaning it is effectively in the same performance class as those legacy parts.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The Arc B370 has only 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and relies on system-shared memory with dependent bandwidth. As resolution increases, the pixel workload grows exponentially, and the GPU’s low pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s cannot handle it, resulting in the steep FPS decline.

Q: Can this combo run Palworld at 4K at all?

A: Technically yes, but it is not playable. At 4K Low, the average is 28 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 23 FPS with a minimum of 19 FPS. These figures are below acceptable thresholds for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the bottleneck in this system for Palworld?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The CPU’s high benchmark scores and the consistent FPS drop with resolution scaling confirm that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component, unable to feed frames fast enough at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Palworld is 2706 out of 2944 tested combinations. This is a very low rank, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s poor performance, as the CPU is quite capable. The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163 and is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, but the Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of GPUs. The mismatch is stark.

The data suggests that the CPU’s potential is entirely wasted in this configuration for Palworld. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with a score of 69515 and a delta of 0.9%, are all high-end processors, but they would perform similarly in this game because the GPU is the wall. The rank of 2706 reflects that this specific combination is poorly optimized for the game’s demands, and users should expect a subpar experience relative to the CPU’s capabilities.

The low rank is not a surprise given the GPU’s benchmark percentile. The Arc B370’s 3DMark score of 1184 is a fraction of what modern dedicated GPUs achieve, and this single score is the primary driver of the combo’s placement. The ranking indicates that most other tested combos, even those with older or less powerful CPUs, will outperform this setup because they likely pair them with more capable graphics hardware. For a game like Palworld, the GPU is the dominant factor, and this combo fails on that front.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a full picture of the performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 76 average FPS
• Medium: 62 average FPS, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 71
• High: 47 average FPS
• Ultra: 36 average FPS

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably:

• Low: 50 average FPS
• Medium: 41 average FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47
• High: 31 average FPS
• Ultra: 24 average FPS

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become largely unplayable:

• Low: 28 average FPS
• Medium: 23 average FPS, with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 26
• High: 17 average FPS
• Ultra: 13 average FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: lowering settings at any resolution yields a significant FPS boost. At 1080p, moving from Ultra to Low more than doubles the average FPS, from 36 to 76. At 1440p, the jump from Ultra to Low goes from 24 to 50 FPS. Even at 4K, the difference between Ultra and Low is notable, going from 13 to 28 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is highly sensitive to the settings preset, and users have some control over performance, albeit within a limited range.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the 52 FPS minimum is acceptable for a survival game. At 1440p Medium, the 35 FPS minimum is borderline, and at 4K Medium, the 19 FPS minimum is a stuttery mess. The lack of min/max data for other presets means we can only evaluate averages, but the Medium data suggests that frame pacing is likely poor at higher resolutions, contributing to a less smooth experience than the averages might imply.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, 1080p is the only resolution that offers a playable experience, and the settings preset you choose depends on your tolerance for visual fidelity versus frame rate. The data shows that 1080p Low at 76 FPS is the smoothest option, providing a fluid experience that is ideal for a game with crafting and exploration mechanics. This preset should be the default for anyone who prioritizes gameplay responsiveness over visual quality.

If you prefer better visuals, 1080p Medium at 62 FPS is a strong choice. The minimum of 52 FPS is still within a playable range, and the visual upgrade from Low to Medium is often significant in terms of texture detail and lighting. This is the recommended balance of performance and quality, as the average is comfortably above 60 FPS. The 1080p High preset at 47 FPS is playable, but it is getting closer to the edge of what is acceptable for a game with potentially many on-screen elements. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips too low for consistent gameplay.

At 1440p, the options are limited. The Low preset at 50 FPS is the only one that approaches a smooth experience. Medium at 41 FPS is playable but may feel slightly sluggish, and High at 31 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are too slow. The data indicates that 1440p is not a practical resolution for this combo if you want a stable frame rate, so sticking to 1080p is the better path. At 4K, all presets yield averages below 30 FPS, which is not recommended for any game that requires active participation. The 4K Low preset at 28 FPS is the only one that is even technically playable, but it will be a compromised experience. For Palworld, the best experience is clearly at 1080p with Medium settings, offering a solid 62 FPS average and a minimum above 50 FPS. This provides a balanced experience that respects the GPU’s limitations while still delivering a visually acceptable result.