Palworld

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks #2619 out of 3711 tested combinations in Palworld, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems. That ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU is dramatically more capable than the GPU, which creates a significant bottleneck in this title. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, making it a top-tier processor by any standard, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER sits in only the 62nd percentile of all GPUs tested. This imbalance means the graphics card is almost certainly the limiting factor in every resolution tested.

The data supports this interpretation clearly. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 152 FPS, which suggests the CPU is feeding frames efficiently even when the GPU workload is light. But as resolution climbs to 4K Ultra, the average drops to 26 FPS, a collapse that points squarely at the GPU's inability to handle the pixel throughput demands of Palworld at high settings. The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—the Intel Xeon 6511P at -0.2% delta and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 at -0.7%—show that the 265K is performing essentially at parity with enterprise-class server chips in raw compute, yet that compute headroom is wasted when the GPU cannot keep pace. The Intel Core i7-14700KF trails by only 1% in average benchmark score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F by 1.3%, so the CPU is not uniquely positioned for this game; it is simply overkill relative to the RTX 2060 SUPER.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and the memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specs are from the Turing architecture era, built on a 12 nm process with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. The card has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores for ray tracing and AI workloads respectively.

In Palworld specifically, the GPU role is decisive. The measured FPS data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, dropping from Ultra to Low yields a massive frame rate increase. At 1080p, the jump from Ultra (72 FPS) to Low (152 FPS) is 80 FPS, or roughly 111% higher. At 1440p, the same settings change goes from 47 FPS to 100 FPS, a 53 FPS gain. At 4K, the improvement from 26 FPS to 55 FPS is 29 FPS. These deltas indicate that Palworld's graphics settings have an outsized impact on GPU load, and the RTX 2060 SUPER is clearly the component that determines playability.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks reinforce this position. Its Passmark G3D score is 16462, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (-0.4% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (-0.5%), AMD Radeon RX 460 (-1.5%), and Intel Arc A770M (-1.6%). This places the card right at the edge of mid-range performance, but Palworld's demands at 4K Ultra simply exceed what this silicon can deliver. The card's DirectX 12 Passmark score of 61 (versus 130 for DirectX 11) hints that newer API paths may not be fully optimized on this hardware, which could explain some of the performance collapse at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Palworld at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 55 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 52 FPS. High settings produce 35 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 26 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay?

A: At 1080p, every settings level exceeds 72 FPS average, with Low hitting 152 FPS and Medium at 123 FPS. At 1440p, Low and Medium are playable at 100 FPS and 81 FPS respectively, but High dips to 62 FPS and Ultra to 47 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck here?

A: The GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 SUPER ranks in only the 62nd percentile of GPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions—from 152 FPS at 1080p Low to 26 FPS at 4K Ultra—shows the GPU struggling as pixel count rises.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks #2619 out of 3711 tested combos in Palworld. This places it in the bottom third of all configurations tested, which is expected given the GPU's age and mid-range positioning.

Q: What are the GPU's memory specifications?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), and the card's boost clock is 1650 MHz.

Q: Does the CPU's performance help in Palworld?

A: The CPU's massive compute headroom (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35850 and single-core score of 2020) ensures frame delivery is never CPU-limited, but this only matters up to the GPU's ceiling. The data shows no scenario where the CPU prevents higher FPS; the GPU always caps performance first.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 152 FPS average, Medium hits 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS and maximum of 142 FPS, High reaches 95 FPS, and Ultra drops to 72 FPS. Every setting at 1080p is above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution fully playable across the board.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains respectable but begins to strain. Low settings yield 100 FPS average, Medium produces 81 FPS with a range of 69 FPS minimum to 93 FPS maximum, High falls to 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded variance data, showing a 24 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. High settings hover near the playability edge, while Ultra falls below comfortable smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overmatched. Low settings average 55 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 52 FPS, High drops to 35 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 26 FPS. Only Low settings approach smooth gameplay at 4K, and even that result includes no recorded minimum or maximum values, suggesting frame pacing may be inconsistent. The Medium preset's 38 FPS minimum indicates significant dips during intense scenes, which would be noticeable in a survival game with frequent combat or building activity.

The scaling pattern across resolutions is telling. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 80 FPS; at 1440p, that gap narrows to 53 FPS; at 4K, it shrinks to 29 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is becoming the sole limiting factor, with the CPU's headroom unable to compensate for the GPU's pixel throughput limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process from TSMC. It runs at a 3.90 GHz base clock and boosts to 5.50 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. This is a desktop-class CPU with PCIe Gen 5 support (20 lanes from the CPU) and integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU is exceptional. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 35850, single-core is 2020; Geekbench multi-core is 23085, single-core is 2713; Passmark multithread is 58594, and single-thread is 4928. Its average benchmark score of 70879 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested. The nearest rivals in average score are the Intel Xeon 6511P (71051, -0.2% delta), Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71370, -0.7%), Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163, +1%), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, +1.3%).

In Palworld, the CPU's role is to feed frames as fast as the GPU can render them. The data shows this CPU is never the bottleneck: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 152 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the CPU can push well beyond that if the GPU allowed. The Passmark physics score of 3731 and floating-point math score of 189629 indicate strong compute capabilities that would handle Palworld's simulation and AI workloads without strain. However, because the RTX 2060 SUPER caps performance at every resolution above 1080p Low, the CPU's advantages are largely theoretical in this pairing. The CPU's boost clock of 5.50 GHz and single-thread performance would matter more in a game with heavy per-frame CPU work, but Palworld's measured results show the GPU is the deciding factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1080p Medium as the best overall experience for this combo. It delivers 123 FPS average with a minimum of 105 FPS and maximum of 142 FPS, keeping everything comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The 105 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable dips during busy moments, and the 142 FPS maximum shows headroom for monitors up to 144Hz. High settings at 1080p still produce 95 FPS average, but the Medium preset's recorded variance data gives more confidence in consistent frame delivery.

For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the recommended preset. It averages 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and maximum of 93 FPS. The 69 FPS minimum is above the 60 FPS playability line, though it is close enough that some users might notice occasional stutter during heavy load. Low settings at 1440p provide 100 FPS average and would be the choice for competitive play or high-refresh displays, while High (62 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS) are only viable if visual fidelity takes priority over smoothness.

At 4K, the only reasonable option is Low, which averages 55 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS with a 38 FPS minimum, which will feel sluggish in a survival game where quick reactions matter. High (35 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are not recommended for active play, as the frame rates fall below the threshold where most players perceive smooth motion. Users with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider this combo inadequate for that resolution in Palworld.

The overall pattern is clear: this pairing is best suited to 1080p play with Medium or High settings, or 1440p with Medium. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth handle these configurations without evident memory pressure, based on the stable minimum FPS values recorded. Pushing beyond these settings yields diminishing returns, as the frame rate drops accelerate faster than visual improvements at higher presets.