Palworld

Palworld with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a dataset that clearly delineates the roles of each component across a range of resolutions and settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes increasingly constrained as pixel count rises, with the CPU demonstrating robust baseline performance while the GPU's memory and bandwidth characteristics become the primary bottleneck at higher loads.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across the three measured resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound degradation at higher settings. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 112 at 1080p to 74 at 1440p, a 34% reduction, and then to 41 at 4K, a further 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering workload is scaling heavily with pixel count, a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario where the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is being saturated.

The pattern is consistent across all settings, but the magnitude of the drop varies. At the Low preset, the system manages 180 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 119 FPS at 1440p (a 34% drop) and then to 66 FPS at 4K (a 45% drop from 1440p). This similar relative decline suggests that even at Low settings, where the CPU has less work to do per frame, the GPU's fill-rate and memory throughput limits are the dominant factor in the 1440p to 4K transition.

The Medium preset provides the only complete set of min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the average is 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS, showing a relatively tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the average falls to 96 FPS with a min of 82 and max of 110, indicating that the frame time variance increases as the GPU works harder. At 4K, the average drops to 53 FPS with a min of 45 and max of 61, demonstrating that the system is approaching the edge of playable smoothness, with the minimum dipping below 50 FPS.

The data indicates that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is likely providing sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the fact that moving from Low to Ultra at 4K only shifts the average from 66 to 31 FPS, a 35 FPS spread that is entirely attributable to the GPU's processing capabilities. At 1080p, the system is more balanced, but the 180 FPS ceiling at Low settings suggests that even here, the GPU is not entirely idle, as the CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 3655 in Cinebench R23, is strong enough to feed frames rapidly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. This positions it as a high-performing mid-range chip that is well-suited for gaming workloads.

In Palworld, the CPU's role appears to be that of a capable facilitator rather than a bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 180 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a processor capable of handling the game's simulation and draw calls. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 suggest strong performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded tasks, which is beneficial for a survival game that likely has significant world-simulation overhead.

The nearest rivals to this CPU, based on average benchmark score, are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a score of 36945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37093 (-0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i9-12900T at 37112 (-0.5% delta). The Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially neck-and-neck with these processors, all within a 0.5% performance spread. This means that in a CPU-bound scenario in Palworld, the experience would be nearly identical to any of these rivals, with none having a significant advantage.

The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (180) is not higher suggests that the game engine itself may have a frame rate ceiling or that other system components are involved, but the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid being the primary limiter. The data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops proportionally, which would not happen if the CPU were the bottleneck, as CPU load is largely independent of resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 85 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is exactly 0% different from the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F's score of 36945, indicating virtually identical overall performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 82 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU's memory bandwidth a potential limiting factor?

A: The RTX 4060 has a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus, and the significant FPS drops from 1440p to 4K suggest that this bandwidth, along with the 8 GB VRAM capacity, is a likely constraint at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos in Palworld?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1552nd out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 includes Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units, though the discrete RTX 4060 is used for the measured gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 180 FPS. The Medium preset averages 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery. The High preset averages 112 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still manages an average of 85 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance decreases as expected. The Low preset averages 119 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS, showing a wider frame time variance than at 1080p. The High preset averages 74 FPS, which is playable but with less headroom. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 56 FPS, which is near the edge of what many would consider smooth, but still playable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is surprising for a 4K resolution and indicates that the game is not overly demanding at low settings. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, showing that frame pacing becomes less stable. The High preset averages 41 FPS, which dips below the standard 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages 31 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a smooth experience in a fast-paced action game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with a boost clock of 2460 MHz and 3072 shading units. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its benchmark performance places it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

In Palworld, the GPU's role is pivotal at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear correlation between resolution and FPS, which is the primary indicator of GPU-bound performance. The RTX 4060's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta), AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5% delta), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7% delta). These are all significantly older or lower-tier parts, indicating that the RTX 4060 sits in a specific performance bracket that is well above entry-level but not at the top end.

The GPU's memory configuration is a notable aspect. The 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the substantial FPS drops at 4K suggest that the memory bus width is a limiting factor. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 31, which is a 64% reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure of 85 FPS. This is a larger percentage drop than what would be expected from a purely compute-bound scenario, pointing to memory bandwidth saturation.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 15.11 TFLOPS, which is a measure of its raw compute capability. However, the data indicates that in Palworld, the limiting factor is not raw compute but rather memory throughput and capacity, as evidenced by the scaling pattern. The 12-pin power connector and 115 W TDP suggest a power-efficient design, but this does not translate to high-end performance at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset with an average of 85 FPS provides the best visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that is above 60 FPS. For players who prefer higher refresh rates, the High preset at 112 FPS offers a good balance, while the Medium preset at 146 FPS is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 180 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum FPS is paramount.

At 2560x1440, the High preset with an average of 74 FPS is the recommended choice for a balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The Medium preset at 96 FPS is a strong alternative for those who prioritize frame rate, and it maintains a minimum of 82 FPS, which ensures no major stutters. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 119 FPS is viable but sacrifices significant visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that the RTX 4060 is not well-suited for high settings. The Low preset at 66 FPS is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS, making it the only recommended option for smooth 4K gameplay. The Medium preset at 53 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional dips below 50 FPS, as shown by the minimum of 45 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 41 FPS and 31 FPS respectively are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the standard 60 FPS threshold and approach the 30 FPS console-like territory.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1552nd out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the 47th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms slightly less than half of the tested systems.

This ranking is reflective of the system's balanced but mid-range performance profile. The CPU is strong, ranking in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU, while capable, ranks in the 61st percentile. The combination results in a system that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K with high settings.

The rank of 1552 suggests that many other combinations, likely those with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4070 or above, will outperform this setup in Palworld, particularly at higher resolutions. However, the data also shows that the system is far from the bottom of the list, indicating that it is a viable option for gamers who prioritize frame rate at 1080p or are willing to compromise on settings at 1440p. The system's performance in Palworld is consistent with its component-level benchmark scores, which show a strong CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in a configuration that is best utilized at 1080p with high settings or 1440p with medium settings.