Palworld

Palworld presents an interesting stress test for the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, a combination that pits a mobile processor against a desktop-class flagship GPU. The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings reveals a system where the GPU is clearly the dominant force, but the CPU consistently sets the ceiling at lower resolutions, creating a unique set of performance characteristics. This analysis breaks down the measured results, the role of each component, and how this specific pairing ranks against the broader database of tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance scaling across resolutions tells a clear story about which component is driving the frame rate. The data shows a substantial drop in average FPS as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the system delivers 156 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 102 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 57 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 44% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the rendering workload is scaling heavily with pixel count, a task squarely on the shoulders of the RTX 4090.

However, the scaling pattern is not entirely uniform across all settings, which hints at a more complex dynamic. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 250 at 1080p to 164 at 1440p (a 34% decrease) and then to 91 at 4K (a 45% decrease). The fact that even at the lowest settings, the 4K frame rate is still above 60 FPS suggests the GPU has ample headroom, but the steep percentage drops still point to the GPU being the primary limiter. The more telling data point is the comparison between Low and Ultra at each resolution, which we will explore in the next section, but the raw scaling here suggests that the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting, with the gap between resolutions widening as the settings become more demanding.

The data also reveals that the CPU is not entirely out of the equation. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 250 FPS, a very high number that likely approaches the practical limit of the game engine or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. The fact that the FPS does not double when moving from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings (164 to 250, a 52% increase) suggests that the CPU is starting to become a bottleneck at these extremely high frame rates. The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, with its 14 cores and 18 threads, is a capable mobile processor, but it is not in the same class as the desktop GPU it is paired with, making it a logical constraint at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do per frame.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets, and the optimal choice depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 156 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive experience for almost any display, while Ultra still maintains a respectable 118 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is a 32% reduction in FPS, likely for a marginal visual gain, making High the more efficient choice at this resolution. The Medium preset, with an average of 202 FPS, provides even more headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the difference between Medium and High is a 29% FPS increase, which suggests that High offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more nuanced. High settings yield 102 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor, while Medium provides 133 FPS for those seeking maximum smoothness. Ultra drops to 78 FPS, which is still playable but begins to sacrifice the fluidity that the other presets offer. For a 1440p experience, the data suggests that High is the sweet spot, as it maintains a triple-digit frame rate while likely offering a significantly better visual experience than Medium. The 4K resolution, 3840x2160, is where the trade-offs become most apparent. Here, High settings produce an average of 57 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience, while Medium achieves 74 FPS, comfortably crossing that threshold.

The data strongly suggests that for a 4K experience, Medium is the recommended preset. It offers a 30% FPS increase over High (74 vs 57) and a 72% increase over Ultra (74 vs 43), providing the best balance of visual quality and playability. Ultra at 4K, with an average of 43 FPS, is likely too demanding for a consistent experience, and Low, while hitting 91 FPS, would require significant visual sacrifices. The presence of min and max FPS data for Medium settings (63 to 85 at 4K, 113 to 153 at 1440p, and 172 to 233 at 1080p) also indicates that this preset offers the most stable frame pacing, with a tighter range compared to other presets where such data is absent. Therefore, the data points to Medium as the most reliable preset for maintaining high and consistent frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear performance driver in this configuration, and its specifications align perfectly with the observed results. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This is a significant asset for Palworld, a survival game that often features large, open environments and numerous objects. The high frame rates at 4K, even at High settings, suggest that the game is not bottlenecked by VRAM capacity or bandwidth, as the RTX 4090 has ample resources to handle the texture and geometry data at any resolution tested.

The clock speeds and compute capabilities of the RTX 4090 further explain its performance. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the GPU can push its 16,384 shading units to deliver substantial raw compute power. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical measure that translates directly to the high pixel rates observed. The fact that the system can hit 250 FPS at 1080p Low and 91 FPS at 4K Low confirms the GPU's ability to process frames quickly when the graphical load is reduced, even when paired with a less powerful CPU. The GPU's 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 60347, confirms its position as a top-tier part, and its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has a nearly identical average score, showing how close the top end is.

The data implies that the RTX 4090 is not the limiting factor in this system at any resolution or setting. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 43, the GPU is still being pushed to its limits, but the bottleneck is the sheer rendering workload, not a lack of GPU resources. The GPU's end-of-life production status and its position as a predecessor to the GeForce 50 series are irrelevant to its performance here, but its 450W TDP and triple-slot design highlight its power-hungry nature, which is a practical consideration for any system build. The measured results show a GPU that is consistently capable of delivering high frame rates, but its full potential is sometimes held back by the CPU, as we will explore in a later section.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Palworld, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 625 out of 2944 combos. This places it in the top 21% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing, but it is not at the very top. The rank of 625 suggests that while the RTX 4090 is a powerhouse, the overall performance of this combo is tempered by the CPU, as there are likely many other combinations featuring desktop-class processors that achieve higher frame rates.

The fact that this combo is not in the top 100 or even the top 500 is a significant data point. It implies that the mobile Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is holding back the RTX 4090 from achieving its full potential, especially in a game like Palworld that may have CPU-intensive simulation and AI elements. The rank is a holistic measure across all resolutions and settings, and while the GPU can push high frame rates at lower resolutions, the CPU's limitations likely prevent the system from reaching the absolute peak performance that a more balanced pairing could achieve. The data shows that this is a high-performing system, but it is not the absolute best, and the gap to the top is likely due to the CPU's role.

The combo's rank of 625 out of 2944 means that 2319 other combinations performed better. This is a crucial context for understanding the pairing. It is not a poor performer, but it is also not a top-tier contender. The data suggests that users looking for the absolute maximum FPS in Palworld would be better served by a different CPU, but for a mobile platform, this combo is still exceptionally capable. The rank serves as a reminder that a system is only as strong as its weakest link, and in this case, the CPU is that link, preventing the combo from climbing higher in the rankings.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads, a configuration that is well-suited for multitasking and modern workloads. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz, along with an 18 MB shared L3 cache, provide decent single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. In the context of Palworld, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, AI, and draw calls, and the data suggests that it is a capable, but not exceptional, partner for the RTX 4090.

The CPU's benchmark scores offer insight into its capabilities. Its average benchmark score of 27507 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, which is a solid result. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and the Intel Core i5-12600K, with which it trades blows, showing a delta of -0.1% and -0.3%, respectively. This indicates that the Ultra 5 125H is roughly on par with these older desktop processors in synthetic benchmarks, but its mobile design and lower TDP of 28W mean it may not sustain peak performance for extended periods.

The CPU's impact on the gaming results is most evident at 1080p. The fact that the system achieves 250 FPS at Low settings but only 156 FPS at High settings suggests that the CPU is capable of high frame rates, but the GPU's workload is still the primary factor. However, the scaling from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings (a 52% increase in FPS) is less than the scaling from 4K to 1440p (a 80% increase in FPS), which points to the CPU becoming a limiting factor at the highest frame rates. The CPU's 14 cores and 18 threads are likely sufficient for Palworld's multi-threaded tasks, but its lower clock speeds compared to desktop parts mean it cannot feed the GPU fast enough at 1080p to push beyond 250 FPS. The data shows a CPU that is strong enough to avoid major bottlenecks at most settings, but it is a clear ceiling for the system's absolute maximum frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 57 FPS.

Q: Which setting preset provides the best performance at 1440p?

A: Based on the data, High settings at 2560x1440 provide 102 FPS, which is a good balance, but Medium settings give 133 FPS for higher smoothness.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes a limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rate scaling from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings is not as large as the scaling from 4K to 1440p.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve an average of 250 FPS, while Ultra settings achieve 118 FPS, making Low roughly 112% faster.

Q: What is the combo's rank in the database for Palworld?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combo ranks 625th out of 2944 tested combinations.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM sufficient for Palworld?

A: The data shows high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, indicating that the 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are not a bottleneck for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|:--------- |:------- |:---------- |

| 3840x2160 | High | 57 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 91 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 74 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 43 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 102 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 164 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 133 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 78 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 156 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 250 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 202 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 118 |

Additional frame time data is available for the Medium preset, showing the measured minimum and maximum FPS. At 3840x2160, the min FPS is 63 and the max is 85. At 2560x1440, the min is 113 and the max is 153. At 1920x1080, the min is 172 and the max is 233. This data indicates that the Medium preset offers a relatively stable frame rate, with the range between min and max being consistent across resolutions. The data for other presets does not include min or max FPS values.