Palworld

Palworld’s performance on the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination reveals a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength becomes apparent at lower settings. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy of performance scaling, with the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and Turing architecture dictating the experience more than the i9-14900K’s 24 cores. This pairing lands at rank 2149 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific game, with the GPU scoring in the 65th percentile overall and the CPU in the 95th percentile.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that Palworld becomes GPU-bound as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 167 at 1920x1080 to 110 at 2560x1440, a 34% reduction, and then to 61 at 3840x2160, which is a 63% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K, as the i9-14900K’s high single-thread performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s workload.

The gap between resolutions widens at higher settings, suggesting that memory bandwidth and shading power become more critical. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 136 at 1080p to 89 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 50 at 4K (a 63% decrease from 1080p). At High settings, the progression is 104, 69, and 38 FPS across the same resolutions, with the 4K result representing a 63% loss compared to 1080p. This consistent drop of roughly two-thirds from 1080p to 4K across all settings levels points to a hard limit imposed by the GPU’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, rather than any CPU bottleneck.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution sensitivity further. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 79, which falls to 52 at 1440p (a 34% drop) and then to 29 at 4K (a 63% drop). The fact that each resolution step reduces performance by approximately the same percentage indicates a linear scaling relationship typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s role is evident only at 1080p Low, where the 167 FPS average suggests the i9-14900K can feed the GPU sufficiently, but the RTX 2070 SUPER still caps the output before reaching the CPU’s potential limit.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which directly impacts texture-heavy scenes in Palworld. The measured results show that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 29, a figure that aligns with the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 20282. The card’s boost clock of 1770 MHz and 2560 shading units provide the compute capability, but the data indicates that VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, but at 3840x2160, the combination of High and Ultra settings pushes the card to its limits, with average FPS of 38 and 29 respectively. The gap between Low (61 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) at 4K shows a 52% performance penalty from settings alone, suggesting that texture and shadow quality demands exceed what the memory subsystem can efficiently handle. In contrast, at 1080p, the spread from Low (167 FPS) to Ultra (79 FPS) is a 53% reduction, indicating that the GPU’s compute resources, not just VRAM, are the bottleneck.

Benchmark comparisons place the RTX 2070 SUPER close to the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582 on average, a 1.5% delta from this card’s 20282 average. This proximity in synthetic scores does not translate directly to Palworld performance, as the measured FPS shows the card struggling at 4K Ultra, but the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 provides context for its DirectX 12 capabilities. The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present in the hardware, but Palworld’s measured results do not show a distinct ray tracing benefit, as the game’s rasterization load dominates the frame times.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER perform at 1080p in Palworld?

A: At 1920x1080, the card achieves 167 FPS on Low, 136 FPS on Medium, 104 FPS on High, and 79 FPS on Ultra settings. These results show that even the most demanding preset remains playable at this resolution, with the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth proving adequate for the workload.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this GPU and CPU combination?

A: The measured data shows 4K averages of 61 FPS on Low, 50 FPS on Medium, 38 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset achieves a consistently fluid experience above 60 FPS, while Medium and High may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, but Ultra falls below 30 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, while High averages 69 FPS. This 22% reduction from Medium to High suggests that the higher preset’s additional effects consume significant GPU resources without a proportional visual gain.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark performance relate to Palworld results?

A: The i9-14900K scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. These scores indicate ample headroom, as the measured FPS at 1080p Low (167 FPS) does not approach the CPU’s theoretical limits, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios.

Q: Which rival GPUs are closest to the RTX 2070 SUPER in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 with an average score of 20582 (1.5% higher) and the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (1.3% higher). These close scores suggest similar raw compute potential, but Palworld’s measured FPS may differ due to driver optimizations.

Q: What does the minimum FPS data tell us about frame pacing?

A: Only the Medium preset has min/max data, showing 115-156 FPS at 1080p, 76-103 FPS at 1440p, and 42-57 FPS at 4K. The 4K minimum of 42 FPS indicates occasional dips below the average, which could cause stutter in demanding scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 167 FPS, Medium averages 136 FPS with a range of 115 to 156 FPS, High averages 104 FPS, and Ultra averages 79 FPS. These figures show that 1080p is well within the card’s comfort zone, with even Ultra maintaining a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent across settings. Low averages 110 FPS, Medium averages 89 FPS with a range of 76 to 103 FPS, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 52 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 76 FPS suggests that this is the highest setting that guarantees a smooth experience without dips below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the card begins to struggle. Low averages 61 FPS, Medium averages 50 FPS with a range of 42 to 57 FPS, High averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 42 FPS indicates that even the mid-range preset cannot sustain a solid 60 FPS, and the Ultra average of 29 FPS is below the threshold for fluid action.

The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution is roughly 53% at 1080p (167 to 79 FPS), 53% at 1440p (110 to 52 FPS), and 52% at 4K (61 to 29 FPS). This uniformity suggests that the settings presets scale the GPU load in a linear fashion, regardless of resolution, reinforcing the conclusion that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s architecture handles Palworld’s demands predictably.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience on this hardware, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. The measured average of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS ensures that the game remains smooth during exploration and combat, while the 1440p resolution provides a significant clarity improvement over 1080p. Dropping to High at 1440p reduces the average to 69 FPS, which is still playable but risks dips below 60 FPS in busy areas.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are viable with an average of 79 FPS, making this the best choice for players who prioritize visual quality over resolution. The 1080p Ultra preset offers the highest detail settings while maintaining a comfortable frame rate, and the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this workload. For those seeking maximum frame rates, 1080p Low at 167 FPS provides a competitive edge in fast-paced scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, averaging 61 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 50 FPS, which may be acceptable for solo play but could feel sluggish during intense encounters. It is recommended to avoid Ultra at 4K, as the 29 FPS average falls below the playable threshold for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K provides a substantial performance foundation for Palworld, with 24 cores and 32 threads running at a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and single-core score of 2262.5 place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is not a limiting factor in this configuration. The measured FPS data supports this, as the system’s performance scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dominated variables.

The i9-14900K’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 at 77740 (1.7% higher). These close margins show that the CPU’s processing power is more than adequate for Palworld, which is a title that relies more heavily on GPU throughput. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data, but the benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, the 167 FPS average is likely close to the CPU’s practical limit in this game, but the fact that higher settings reduce FPS further confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary constraint. The combination’s overall rank of 2149 out of 3711 combos reflects this imbalance, where a high-end CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in performance that is dictated by the graphics card’s capabilities rather than the processor’s.