Palworld

Palworld, a Survival title released on 2024-01-18, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER produces a wide spectrum of performance, ranging from exceptionally high refresh rates at 1080p to more moderate, but still playable, frame rates at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured data for this specific pairing, examining how each component contributes to the final frame rates and where the system's primary bottleneck lies.

The benchmark data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. The transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and finally to 3840x2160 results in substantial frame rate drops across all settings presets. At the highest preset (Ultra), the average frame rate falls from 131 FPS at 1080p to 86 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 45 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K on the same Ultra preset yields a further drop to 48 FPS, a decrease of 38 FPS. This scaling behavior is typical of a system where the GPU becomes progressively more stressed at higher resolutions, though the CPU's performance headroom is a critical factor in the lower-resolution results.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a significant shift in system dynamics as you scale resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is likely operating in a CPU-limited or balanced state, given the very high frame rates achieved. For example, the Low preset achieves an average of 276 FPS at 1080p. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is working near its limit to feed frames to the GPU, but the GPU still has ample headroom to render them. The drop from Low to Medium (276 to 224 FPS) and then to High (172 FPS) shows a clear performance penalty for each increase in visual fidelity, indicating the GPU is starting to become more involved, but the sheer FPS numbers still suggest a CPU-influenced ceiling.

When moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by a significant margin across all presets. The Low preset falls from 276 to 182 FPS, a 34% reduction. The High preset drops from 172 to 113 FPS, a 34% reduction as well. This consistent percentage drop across presets indicates the GPU is now becoming the primary limiting factor, as its workload increases with the higher pixel count. The 4K results further confirm this GPU-bound scenario. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 101 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS. The scaling is now heavily dependent on the GPU's ability to process the increased pixel load and the more complex shaders, with the CPU's role diminishing.

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story. The system is highly capable at 1080p, where it can push well beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The bottleneck at this resolution is likely a combination of CPU and GPU, with the CPU's single-threaded performance and the GPU's rendering speed both being taxed. However, as resolution increases, the burden shifts decisively to the GPU. The significant performance drops at 1440p and 4K, particularly on the Ultra preset, indicate that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting component in this configuration for high-fidelity, high-resolution gaming, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom to avoid being a major constraint.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the central component for rendering Palworld's world. Its specifications, including 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provide a total bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. In a game like Palworld, which features large, open environments, this memory capacity is crucial for storing textures and geometry. The 12 GB capacity is likely sufficient for the 1080p and 1440p High and Ultra settings tested here, but it could be a limiting factor at 4K if texture detail is maxed out, potentially causing the game to stream assets from system memory, which would impact frame times.

The GPU's core clocks are also a key factor in its performance. With a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the card is designed for high sustained performance. The 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide the raw compute power to handle the game's complex shading and post-processing effects. The benchmark results show the GPU's capability in a clear light. At 1440p with the High preset, it achieves an average of 113 FPS, which indicates a strong ability to handle the game's standard visual load. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 86 FPS, showing the performance cost of the highest-quality shadows, textures, and effects.

The GPU's role becomes even more pronounced at 4K. The measured data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle 4K at an average of 63 FPS on the High preset. This is a solid result, but it suggests that for a consistently smooth experience on a 60Hz display, the High preset is a better choice than Ultra, which drops to 48 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. The modest difference in FPS between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p (113 vs. 86) and 4K (63 vs. 48) highlights that the Ultra preset's demands on the GPU's rendering pipeline are substantial, and the card's performance scales accordingly.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are high figures that contribute to strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and physics. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. In the context of Palworld, which has many simulated entities and a living world, the CPU's role is to handle game state, AI, and physics calculations.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows it is a capable processor. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 indicate that it has a healthy balance of multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4516 further emphasizes its strength in tasks that rely on a few fast cores. This is important because the extremely high frame rates observed at 1080p (e.g., 276 FPS on Low) would not be possible if the CPU were a significant bottleneck. The CPU is clearly able to feed the GPU with enough data to achieve these frame rates.

However, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are very high. The drop from 276 FPS at Low to 224 FPS at Medium and then to 172 FPS at High shows that as the GPU's workload increases, the frame rate still stays high. The CPU is not the limiting factor at these settings. At 4K, the CPU's role is less critical, as the frame rates are lower and the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The data suggests that this CPU provides enough performance to avoid holding back the RTX 4070 SUPER in Palworld, even at high frame rates, making it a well-matched partner for this GPU in this title.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 467 out of 2944 tested combos for Palworld. This places it in the top 16% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performance configuration. This ranking reflects the system's ability to achieve high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The ranking is a composite measure of the system's capability relative to all other CPU and GPU pairings in the database.

This rank of 467 out of 2944 is a strong result. It shows that this specific CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for Palworld, allowing the system to perform at a level that is superior to the vast majority of other configurations. The high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and the playable frame rates at 4K, all contribute to this high ranking. It indicates that users with this setup can expect a top-tier experience in this game, with the flexibility to prioritize either high refresh rates or high resolutions.

To provide context, the CPU's performance is comparable to several other processors. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it near the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098. The differences are minimal, with deltaPct values of 0.1% and -0.1%, respectively. This means that, on a system level, these CPUs would likely deliver very similar frame rates in Palworld, assuming the same GPU is used. The high combo rank confirms the fact that this CPU does not bottleneck the GPU, allowing the RTX 4070 SUPER to perform to its full potential.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor (144Hz or 165Hz), the Medium preset offers the best balance. It achieves an average of 224 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz threshold, providing a very smooth experience. The High preset, at 172 FPS, is also excellent and would be suitable for a 165Hz display, offering better visual fidelity with only a modest performance hit compared to Medium. The Ultra preset is less ideal for competitive play at 1080p, but its 131 FPS average is still respectable for a high-refresh experience.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation for a 144Hz monitor. It delivers an average of 113 FPS, which is close to the 144 FPS target. The Medium preset, at 147 FPS, will fully saturate a 144Hz display, but the jump to High provides a significant visual upgrade for a 34 FPS cost. The Ultra preset, at 86 FPS, is better suited for a 60Hz or 120Hz display, as it doesn't fully utilize a 144Hz panel's potential. For a 60Hz monitor, the Ultra preset provides the best visual experience, achieving 86 FPS.

For 4K gaming, the High preset is the only viable option for a smooth 60 FPS experience, as it averages 63 FPS. The Medium preset, at 82 FPS, would be even better for a 60Hz display, but the jump to High is likely worth the minor visual compromise for a more stable frame rate. The Ultra preset, at 48 FPS, is not recommended for 4K as it falls below the 60 FPS target. In summary, the data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for 1440p and 4K, while Medium or High are excellent choices for 1080p, depending on the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality.

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

This section provides a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates for this specific configuration.

1920x1080:

• Low: 276 FPS
• Medium: 224 FPS (minFps 190, maxFps 258)
• High: 172 FPS
• Ultra: 131 FPS

At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset achieves the highest average frame rate in the entire dataset, confirming that this configuration is not GPU-bound at this resolution. The Medium preset also provides a very smooth experience. The High preset's 172 FPS is excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming, and even the Ultra preset remains above 120 FPS, making it a viable option for 144Hz displays.

2560x1440:

• Low: 182 FPS
• Medium: 147 FPS (minFps 125, maxFps 170)
• High: 113 FPS
• Ultra: 86 FPS

At 1440p, the performance is still very strong. The Low preset is capable of driving a 165Hz monitor. The Medium preset is ideal for 144Hz gaming, while the High preset is a good choice for a 120Hz display. The Ultra preset, with an average of 86 FPS, is best suited for a 60Hz or 120Hz monitor, as it provides high visual fidelity without the need for extreme refresh rates.

3840x2160:

• Low: 101 FPS
• Medium: 82 FPS (minFps 70, maxFps 94)
• High: 63 FPS
• Ultra: 48 FPS

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset is the only one that can consistently push beyond 100 FPS. The Medium preset provides a very playable 82 FPS, which is great for a 60Hz display. The High preset achieves a solid 63 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a standard 60Hz 4K monitor. The Ultra preset, at 48 FPS, is the only setting that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a performance compromise for maximum visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combination at 1440p on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate is 113 FPS. This makes the High preset a strong choice for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p, though it will not fully saturate the refresh rate.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only on the High preset, which achieves an average of 63 FPS. The Medium preset is also an option at 82 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS with an average of 48 FPS.

Q: Which preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average frame rate at 276 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 224 FPS and the High preset at 172 FPS are also excellent options for high-refresh-rate displays with better visual quality.

Q: How does this CPU compare to the Intel Core i9-13900HX in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-13900HX's score of 46098, a difference of -0.1%. This indicates they have similar overall processing power.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The High preset averages 63 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. This represents a 15 FPS drop for the increased visual fidelity of the Ultra preset, which is a significant performance cost.

Q: How does this combo rank in the overall benchmark database for Palworld?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 467 out of 2944 tested combos. This places it in the top 16% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performance configuration.