Palworld

Palworld on the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a performance profile that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data shows a setup that is capable of high-refresh 1080p play, solid 1440p performance, and playable 4K only when settings are moderated. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides practical settings guidance based solely on the recorded benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Palworld?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 (1440p) is the sweet spot. At High settings, it achieves 113 FPS average, which is a significant jump from the 63 FPS average at 4K, while still offering a substantial visual improvement over 1080p. It provides a strong balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Ultra preset delivers a 48 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Dropping to High settings raises the average to 63 FPS, and the Medium preset provides a more comfortable 82 FPS average. The Low preset pushes it to 101 FPS, but this sacrifices most visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The average benchmark score for the RTX 4070 SUPER is 43223. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, scores 43262, a negligible delta of -0.1%. It also performs nearly identically to the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile and the Quadro M6000, with deltas of -0.1% and -0.2% respectively. The RTX 4090 Mobile is only 1% faster.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a strong performer for its class?

A: The data indicates it is. Its average benchmark score is 36938, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This means it outperforms 85% of all processors in the database. It is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0%) and only slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves a 182 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to an 86 FPS average. This represents a 96 FPS difference, or a 52.7% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this system in Palworld?

A: The benchmark results suggest that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. From 1080p to 4K, the frame rate drops significantly even at the same settings, indicating that the rendering load is overwhelming the GPU. The CPU's strong multi-core scores (25891 in Cinebench R23) suggest it is less likely to be the constraint, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is doing more work.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of Palworld's visual performance. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This bandwidth is ample for the game's texture streaming and world data at the tested resolutions. With a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the card is capable of high throughput, but the data shows that Palworld is demanding enough to push it to its limits at 4K.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales up. At 1920x1080, the card is barely breaking a sweat, posting a 276 FPS average on Low settings. This indicates that the 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than enough for the lighter workload. However, at 3840x2160, the same Low preset yields a 101 FPS average. This 63.4% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU's shading units, ROPs, and memory system are being taxed much harder. The transition from Medium to Ultra at 4K also highlights this, as the average FPS drops from 82 to 48, a 41.5% reduction, showing how the more complex effects and geometry of the Ultra preset saturate the GPU.

The GPU's overall standing in the database, at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, confirms its high-end positioning. Its average benchmark score of 43223 is almost identical to its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262) and the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268). This suggests that in raw compute and graphics tasks, the RTX 4070 SUPER is a well-established performer, and the in-game results are a direct reflection of this capability. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is a key asset; the data suggests it is sufficient to avoid texture swapping issues at the tested settings and resolutions, allowing the card to maintain consistent performance without stuttering.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling pattern, with the GPU becoming the bottleneck as pixel count increases. The most informative comparison is the Low preset, which minimizes CPU and other system dependency to highlight the GPU's raw rendering capability. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a 276 FPS average. Moving to 1440p, this falls to 182 FPS, a 34.1% decrease. At 4K, it drops further to 101 FPS, a 44.5% decrease from 1440p and a 63.4% decrease from 1080p.

This steep decline is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the primary bottleneck, the frame rate at 1080p would be much closer to the frame rate at 1440p, as the CPU's workload (game logic, draw calls) doesn't scale with resolution. The data shows the opposite, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor. This is further supported by the High preset results, which show a similar trend: 172 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh, with the average FPS nearly halving at High settings (113 to 63). This indicates a significant increase in the number of pixels the GPU must process. The 4K Ultra preset, at 48 FPS, is the only tested configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting that this resolution and settings combination is the most demanding on the card. The data makes it clear that for a smooth experience, users should target 1440p as the primary resolution, as it offers a substantial performance buffer over 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a clear matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 276 FPS average
• Medium: 224 FPS average (min 190, max 258)
• High: 172 FPS average
• Ultra: 131 FPS average

At 1080p, the system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. Even the Ultra preset achieves a 131 FPS average, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset's 276 FPS average shows the system is capable of incredible frame rates when the graphical load is light, making it ideal for competitive scenarios or for users with 240Hz+ displays.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 182 FPS average
• Medium: 147 FPS average (min 125, max 170)
• High: 113 FPS average
• Ultra: 86 FPS average

1440p is where the system shows its best balance. The High preset's 113 FPS average is excellent for a high-refresh experience, and even the Ultra preset's 86 FPS average is comfortably playable. The Medium preset offers a 147 FPS average, providing a significant boost for those who prefer higher frame rates. The range of 125 to 170 FPS on Medium shows the system can maintain a fairly stable frame time.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average (min 70, max 94)
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

At 4K, the RTX 4070 SUPER starts to feel the pressure. The Low preset's 101 FPS average is the only truly high-refresh option. The Medium preset, with an 82 FPS average and a 70 FPS minimum, is a solid choice for a smooth 60+ FPS experience. The High preset's 63 FPS average is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset's 48 FPS average is the only tested configuration that falls below the 60 FPS target, indicating that it should be avoided for a consistent experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the user's priority for frame rate versus visual fidelity.

For users with a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, 2560x1440 with the High preset is the recommended starting point. The 113 FPS average is close enough to the refresh rate to provide a very smooth experience, and it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium or Low. For those who want to push frame rates higher, dropping to Medium at 1440p yields a 147 FPS average, which is a more substantial boost that will be noticeable on a 144Hz display. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with its 86 FPS average, is a good option for users who prioritize image quality over raw speed, as it still remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 4K, the choice is more about achieving a playable frame rate. The Medium preset is the best all-around choice, offering an 82 FPS average and a 70 FPS minimum, which ensures a consistent experience above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset's 63 FPS average is acceptable for slower, more methodical play, but the lower minimum frame rate risk makes it less ideal for action sequences. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K, as its 48 FPS average is below the standard for smooth gameplay. For maximum smoothness at 4K, the Low preset's 101 FPS average is an option, but the visual sacrifices are substantial.

For 1080p users, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The 131 FPS average is high, and it allows users to experience the game's maximum visual quality without any concern for frame rate drops. The High and Medium presets offer even higher frame rates for those with 240Hz displays, but the visual degradation is significant compared to the jump from Medium to High or High to Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. While Palworld is a game that can scale with multiple cores, the data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this system. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, and its performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor in most tested scenarios.

The CPU's benchmark scores suggest it is a capable gaming processor. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 are strong results that place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The high single-core performance is crucial for game logic and physics, which are often single-threaded. The multi-core score ensures that background tasks and the game's own multi-threaded systems, like world simulation and AI for Pals, do not cause stutters or frame drops.

The fact that the FPS scales so dramatically with resolution points to the GPU being the bottleneck. If the CPU were struggling, we would see less of a difference between 1080p and 1440p performance, as the CPU's workload would be similar. The data shows a 94 FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (276 vs 182 FPS), which is a clear sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are also adequate for the game's data requirements, ensuring that it can keep the RTX 4070 SUPER fed with instructions and geometry. In this configuration, the Core Ultra 5 225 provides a solid foundation, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential.