Palworld

Palworld on the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy that shifts from a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound one at 4K. The data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at 3840x2160, while the i9-14900K’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at 1080p. This combo ranks in the 83rd percentile of all tested configurations, placing it solidly among high-end systems for this survival title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a textbook GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces 172.6 FPS, which falls to 114.4 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 62.4 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 64% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a steep decline that indicates the graphics card is working at its limits. The scaling is consistent with a GPU that has a 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth—sufficient for 1440p gaming but strained by 4K’s pixel count.

The pattern becomes more pronounced when comparing Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 278.5 FPS, but this drops to 180.2 FPS at 1440p and 103.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is still above 100 FPS, showing the RTX 4070 SUPER’s raw compute power, but the percentage decline is nearly identical to High settings. This suggests that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU remains the dominant constraint at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings tell a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 132.4 FPS, which drops to 83.4 FPS at 1440p and 46.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combo is not ideal for maxed-out 4K gaming. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 16.3 FPS, a substantial cost for the extra visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data clearly favors High settings as the sweet spot for this hardware. At 1440p High, the system delivers 114.4 FPS, which is comfortably above 100 FPS and provides a smooth experience for a survival game that often involves fast camera movement and dynamic environments. Moving to Ultra at the same resolution drops performance to 83.4 FPS, a 27% reduction that may not justify the visual gains in a game where visibility of distant Pals and resources is crucial.

For 4K users, High settings are the only viable option for a playable experience, yielding 62.4 FPS. Medium settings at 4K produce 80.9 FPS, which is a better choice if the user prefers higher frame rates over visual quality, but the jump from Medium to High is only 18.5 FPS, making High the more balanced pick. Low settings at any resolution are unnecessary; even at 4K Low, the system produces 103.7 FPS, but the visual downgrade is likely too severe for a game that relies on environmental storytelling.

At 1080p, the data suggests users should stick with High or Ultra. High delivers 172.6 FPS, while Ultra drops to 132.4 FPS—both well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The 40.2 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is the largest percentage gap among all settings at that resolution, indicating that Ultra imposes a significant load on the GPU even when the CPU has headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its benchmark results show exceptional single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3064. This strength is directly reflected in Palworld’s 1080p Low result of 278.5 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. The game clearly responds to the CPU’s ability to process game logic and physics at high frequencies.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a Passmark multithread score of 58674. However, these do not translate into proportional gains in Palworld at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system produces only 46.1 FPS, which is 83% lower than the 1080p Low result. This indicates that the game’s rendering pipeline becomes GPU-limited long before the CPU’s 32 threads are fully utilized.

The 125W TDP and 10 nm process node suggest the processor can sustain high clocks under load, which is important for maintaining frame rates in games that are not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU’s percentile rank of 97 against all CPUs confirms its top-tier status, but the data shows that this power is only relevant at lower resolutions where the GPU can keep up.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the i9-14900K and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 294th out of 1718 tested combos in Palworld. That places it in the top 17% of all configurations, which is a strong result given the GPU’s mid-to-high-end positioning. The GPU itself ranks in the 84th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576, while the CPU ranks in the 97th percentile with an average score of 79824.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which scores 42653 (a 0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, which scores 42723 (a 0.3% delta). These are statistically equivalent performance levels, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER is well-matched with its peers. On the CPU side, the i9-14900K is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, showing that the K-series part is marginally faster than its closest alternatives.

The combo’s rank of 294 indicates that many systems outperform it, likely those with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090. However, the data suggests that this combo is a balanced pairing for 1440p gaming, where it can consistently exceed 100 FPS on High settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 278.5 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The highest at Ultra settings is 132.4 FPS at 1080p.

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

A: Yes, but only at High settings, which produces 62.4 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 46.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at different resolutions?

A: The CPU’s single-thread strength is evident at 1080p, where Low settings yield 278.5 FPS. At 4K, performance is GPU-limited, with High settings producing 62.4 FPS regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 produce 114.4 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra drops to 83.4 FPS, which is a 27% reduction.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 294th out of 1718 combos, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations tested for Palworld.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU has sufficient headroom at 1080p. The GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for most settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces 278.5 FPS on Low, 226.6 FPS on Medium, 172.6 FPS on High, and 132.4 FPS on Ultra. These results show a consistent decline of roughly 25% between each preset, with the largest single drop being 54.2 FPS from Medium to High. The 1080p results are all above 130 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 180.2 FPS on Low, 151 FPS on Medium, 114.4 FPS on High, and 83.4 FPS on Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra is 31 FPS, which is the largest absolute difference at this resolution. The 1440p results show that High is the most balanced preset, while Ultra requires a significant performance sacrifice.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 103.7 FPS on Low, 80.9 FPS on Medium, 62.4 FPS on High, and 46.1 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results are the most telling: only Low and Medium exceed 80 FPS, while High barely reaches 60 FPS and Ultra falls below it. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 57.6 FPS, which is the largest percentage drop across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 7168 shading units, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provide a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications are reflected in the measured results, where the GPU maintains over 100 FPS at 1080p High but struggles to reach 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is substantial, but Palworld’s rendering demands at 4K exceed what this card can deliver at maximum settings. The 80 ROPS and 224 TMUs handle texture and pixel processing, but the 192-bit memory bus is a limiting factor at high resolutions, as evidenced by the steep scaling from 1440p to 4K. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX A6000, scores nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks, confirming that the 4070 SUPER’s performance is well-established.

The 220W TDP and 550W suggested PSU indicate this is a power-efficient card that fits into most systems. Its 84th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it above average, but the data shows that for Palworld specifically, the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, as no out-of-memory issues are indicated in the measured results.