Palworld

Palworld with the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 presents a fascinating case study in how a powerful mobile CPU can interact with a top-tier desktop GPU. The measured data reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution, but the relationship between the components shifts dramatically as the workload changes. This analysis explores the measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets, interpreting what the numbers imply about the limiting factors in this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU dominance, but with a notable twist at the highest settings. Looking at the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 142 FPS at 1920x1080 to 94 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.8% performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 44.7% drop when jumping to 4K. This steep decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4080's rendering workload scales nearly linearly with the pixel count. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are clearly being taxed as the resolution increases.

However, the scaling pattern under the Ultra preset tells a slightly different story. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 108 FPS, which drops to 71 FPS at 1440p (a 34.3% decrease) and then to 39 FPS at 4K (a 45.1% decrease from 1440p). The relative consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests that the rendering pipeline is handling the extra visual fidelity without introducing a new bottleneck. Yet the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra—just 39 FPS—indicate that this combination is pushed to its limits when every visual feature is enabled at maximum resolution.

The Low preset shows the most dramatic scaling, going from 228 FPS at 1080p to 150 FPS at 1440p (a 34.2% drop) and then to 83 FPS at 4K (a 44.7% drop). This steepness at low settings is intriguing because it implies that even when the GPU has less work to do per pixel, the sheer number of pixels at 4K still overwhelms the rendering capabilities. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is likely CPU-limited, as the Core Ultra 5 135H with its 14 cores and 18 threads may be the constraining factor at such high frame rates. The 228 FPS figure is remarkably high, hinting that the CPU is working near its maximum capacity to feed frames to the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combination at 1080p?

A: The measured data shows 228 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the peak performance recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 4K Low?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 83 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS. This represents a 53% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest settings at 4K.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming at playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The High preset at 4K produces 52 FPS, and Medium achieves 67 FPS. However, the Ultra preset falls to 39 FPS, which is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 185 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it produces 122 FPS. This is a 34.1% decrease in performance when moving up one resolution step.

Q: Does the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM appear sufficient for Palworld at high resolutions?

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering or failures. The 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB capacity appear adequate for the tested settings, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and preset changes.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations in Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 910th out of 2944 tested combinations, placing it in the 69th percentile of all tested systems for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 910 out of 2944 tested combos. This is a noteworthy position, as it sits just below the top 31% of all configurations tested in Palworld. The ranking suggests that while the RTX 4080 is an extremely capable GPU—ranking in the 86th percentile of all GPUs—the Core Ultra 5 135H, which sits in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, may be holding the system back from achieving a higher placement. The deltaPct values from the CPU's nearest rivals are telling: the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X scores 0.1% higher, the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 is 0.5% higher, and the Intel Core i5-13500HX is 0.6% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.5% lower. These extremely tight margins indicate that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, neither exceeding nor falling short of comparable processors.

The GPU's nearest rival data shows the RTX 4080 SUPER scoring 0.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.7%. This places the RTX 4080 very close to its immediate successor in raw benchmark scores, yet the in-game ranking of 910 suggests that Palworld's specific workload may not fully leverage the GPU's capabilities. The rank of 910 out of 2944 implies that there are 909 other combinations that perform better in this game, which could include systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings or those with CPUs that have higher single-thread performance for this particular title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. The Low preset achieves 228 FPS, Medium produces 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 and maximum of 212 FPS, High reaches 142 FPS, and Ultra drops to 108 FPS. The spread from 108 to 228 FPS demonstrates the significant impact of settings at this resolution. The Medium preset's min-max range of 157-212 FPS shows a 35% variance, indicating that the frame rate is not entirely stable and may fluctuate based on in-game scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down but remains robust. Low produces 150 FPS, Medium delivers 122 FPS with a range of 103-140 FPS, High reaches 94 FPS, and Ultra drops to 71 FPS. The Medium preset's min-max range narrows to 37 FPS, suggesting slightly more consistent frame pacing at this resolution. The 1440p High figure of 94 FPS is particularly notable, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while offering enhanced visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low produces 83 FPS, Medium delivers 67 FPS with a range of 57-78 FPS, High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 57 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, suggesting that even this middle-ground setting may experience occasional dips below smooth gameplay thresholds. The 4K Ultra figure of 39 FPS is the lowest recorded measurement, indicating that this configuration is not suitable for maximum settings at 4K resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 plays the dominant role in this configuration, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops with increasing resolution. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory provides ample capacity for Palworld's textures and assets, and the 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the 9728 shading units efficiently. The boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz represent the operating frequencies that drive the 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its capabilities. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and the Passmark G3D score of 34457 place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779 and OpenCL score of 214739 further demonstrate its compute prowess. However, the Passmark DirectX 12 score of 132 is notably lower than the DirectX 11 score of 314, which may indicate that Palworld's engine, which uses DirectX 12, does not fully utilize the GPU's advanced features like the 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores.

The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 0.1% higher on average, yet the measured FPS in Palworld suggests that any performance difference would be minimal. The GPU's role becomes more critical at 4K, where the 39 FPS Ultra result indicates that the rendering workload is purely GPU-limited. At 1080p Low with 228 FPS, the GPU is likely idling, waiting for the CPU to supply draw calls, which explains why the Core Ultra 5 135H becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, while the High preset at 142 FPS and Ultra at 108 FPS also provide excellent experiences. For players seeking maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 108 FPS is still highly playable, though the Medium preset's narrower min-max range suggests more consistent frame pacing.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 94 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a solid balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 122 FPS offers even more headroom for competitive play, while the Ultra preset at 71 FPS remains above the 60 FPS threshold but with less margin for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 150 FPS is unnecessary for most players, as the visual degradation outweighs the performance gain.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 67 FPS is the best option, though its minimum of 57 FPS indicates occasional dips below 60 FPS. The High preset at 52 FPS is still playable but may feel less smooth during intense moments. The Ultra preset at 39 FPS is not recommended, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target and would result in a suboptimal experience. Players prioritizing 4K should accept the Medium preset as the practical ceiling for this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H's role in this configuration becomes apparent when examining the frame rates at lower resolutions. With 14 cores and 18 threads, this Meteor Lake processor offers substantial multi-threading capability, but its mobile-oriented design with a 28 W TDP and boost clock of 4.60 GHz may limit its ability to sustain high single-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and single-core score of 1700 demonstrate respectable performance, but the Passmark single-thread score of 3521 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals show tight competition, with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X scoring 0.1% higher and the Intel Core i5-13500HX scoring 0.6% higher on average. This suggests the 135H is performing as expected for its class, but the 228 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU may be approaching its limit. The L3 cache of 18 MB shared and dual-channel DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput, but the 7 nm process node and 28 W TDP constrain sustained performance.

At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes significantly, as the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The FPS differences between presets at 4K are entirely attributable to GPU workload, with the CPU likely having spare capacity. The data implies that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where the 94 FPS High result suggests neither component is severely limiting the other. The 910th rank out of 2944 combos likely reflects that Palworld benefits from CPUs with higher single-thread performance, which the 135H provides but not at the level of dedicated desktop processors.