Palworld

Palworld, a survival title released on 2024-01-18, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both CPU and GPU capabilities. The benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 shows a configuration that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K. This analysis interprets the measured FPS rows, comparing the combo's standing against other tested configurations and dissecting the role each component plays in the game's performance profile.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 2211th out of 2944 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of all configurations benchmarked for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785. Its closest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, scores 93786, showing a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 9175F and AMD EPYC 4565P are 1.9% and 2.1% ahead, respectively.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest competitors?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021. It performs nearly identically to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is 0.2% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and NVIDIA P106-100 are 0.7% and 1% higher, respectively.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 147 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The Medium preset delivers 119 FPS, and the High preset delivers 91 FPS, with Ultra trailing at 69 FPS.

Q: Is the performance at 4K playable for this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 25 FPS on Ultra to 54 FPS on Low. The High preset yields 33 FPS, and Medium yields 43 FPS, indicating that only the Low preset approaches a playable threshold.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the components in this combo?

A: The CPU has a launch MSRP of $299, and the GPU has a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. With a TDP of 125 W, it is a high-power desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance, scoring 44253 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 24461 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-core scores are also robust, with 2439 and 3453 in the respective R23 and R20 tests. The Passmark multi-thread score of 68574 and a 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicate that this processor is among the top tier for general compute tasks.

In the context of Palworld, the CPU's high core count and clock speeds are likely responsible for handling the game's simulation, AI, and world-building logic. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the processor can feed the GPU efficiently when the graphical load is light. The CPU's performance relative to rivals is tight; its average benchmark score of 93785 is essentially identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P, and it is only slightly behind several AMD EPYC server processors. This suggests that while the CPU is powerful, its performance class is comparable to those specific workstation chips, not significantly ahead of them.

The data suggests that the CPU's capabilities are sufficient to support high frame rates in Palworld, as the frame rate scaling from Low to High settings at 1080p (147 to 91 FPS) is more indicative of a GPU limitation than a CPU one. The processor's 36 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s provide a solid foundation for game data streaming. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of installed processors, which confirms its strength. However, the combo's overall rank in Palworld (2211 out of 2944) shows that the CPU's power is not fully realized in this title when paired with the Arc B580, suggesting the GPU constrains the final output.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, 2560 shading units, and 20 RT cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 13.67 TFLOPS. The card's benchmark scores show a mixed picture, with a Passmark G3D score of 15748 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068. Its percentile rank versus all GPUs is 68, placing it above the median but not in the high-end tier. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 is remarkably close to its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and the RTX 3080, with deltas of less than 1%.

In Palworld, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p, the GPU can produce high frame rates, peaking at 147 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the card has enough raw throughput for less demanding scenarios. However, as the settings are increased to High and Ultra, the frame rate drops significantly to 91 and 69 FPS, respectively, which shows the GPU's performance scaling under load. At 1440p, the same pattern holds, with the Low preset hitting 97 FPS but the Ultra preset falling to 46 FPS. The most telling data is at 4K, where the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates, with the High preset averaging only 33 FPS. This clear degradation across resolution and settings points to the Arc B580 being the limiting component in this combination for Palworld.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is interesting. Its average benchmark score is nearly identical to the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, suggesting it should perform similarly. Yet, in Palworld, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (25 FPS) is low, which may reflect the game's specific optimization or the card's driver maturity. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and 12 GB VRAM are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results indicate that the card's compute power is insufficient to handle the increased pixel count and texture detail. The data clearly shows a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the CPU's high performance cannot compensate for the GPU's limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2211 out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld. This places the configuration in the 25th-75th percentile range of all benchmarked systems, specifically around the 75th percentile mark. A rank of 2211 means that roughly 733 combos perform worse, and over 2200 perform better, indicating that this is a mid-to-low tier setup for this specific game. The ranking is influenced by both the CPU and GPU, but given the CPU's high percentile rank (96th) and the GPU's lower rank (68th), it's evident that the GPU's performance is dragging the overall combo down.

The data shows a significant disconnect between the CPU's synthetic benchmark standing and the combo's in-game rank. The CPU is a top-tier performer in general compute, but the combo's rank in Palworld is not reflective of that strength. This suggests that the game is heavily GPU-limited, and the Arc B580's performance is the primary factor determining the final rank. The GPU's benchmark scores place it in a competitive position with cards like the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, but the measured FPS in Palworld at 4K (33 FPS on High) is lower than what might be expected from those rivals, which might point to game-specific issues or driver overhead.

The combo's rank is a holistic metric that incorporates all measured FPS results. Since the FPS data ranges from 147 FPS at 1080p Low to 25 FPS at 4K Ultra, the average performance across all settings is moderate. The fact that the combo ranks 2211 out of 2944 indicates that while it can handle the game at lower resolutions, it falls behind in the high-resolution, high-settings scenarios that many other combos can handle more effectively. This ranking is a clear signal that users with this setup should target 1080p or 1440p for a good experience, rather than pushing for 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 147 (Low) to 69 (Ultra). Moving to 1440p, the average FPS drops to a range of 97 (Low) to 46 (Ultra). At 4K, the average FPS falls further to a range of 54 (Low) to 25 (Ultra). This scaling indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound, as the CPU's performance is consistent across all resolutions, but the GPU's workload increases exponentially with pixel count.

For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 91 at 1080p to 60 at 1440p, a 34% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 60 to 33, a 45% decrease. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering load becomes the dominant factor. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 147 at 1080p to 97 at 1440p (34% decrease) and then to 54 at 4K (44% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p.

The data also shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would require a capable CPU to maintain. The fact that the FPS scales down so predictably with resolution indicates that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. However, the GPU's limitations are exposed at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 54 FPS, which is not smooth for a fast-paced survival game. This analysis confirms that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary constraint, and users should avoid 4K for a playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a range of performance across four presets. The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 147. The Medium preset averages 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 and a maximum of 137. The High preset averages 91 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 69 FPS. This data shows that the system can easily handle 1080p at any setting, with even Ultra providing a smooth experience above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance begins to drop more noticeably. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 78 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 90. The High preset averages 60 FPS, hitting the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 46 FPS, which may be less desirable for competitive play but is still usable for a slower-paced game. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU can handle mid-to-high settings without issues, but Ultra requires a compromise.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches playability. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 50. The High preset averages 33 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages only 25 FPS. These frame rates are below the standard for smooth gameplay, and the data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Palworld. The measured FPS breakdown clearly shows that the GPU's performance is insufficient for 4K, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1440p with High settings, which averages 60 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. For users with a 1080p monitor, the High preset at 91 FPS is an excellent choice, but the Ultra preset at 69 FPS also offers a great experience with higher visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p (119 FPS) is ideal for those who prioritize high refresh rates.

For 1440p, the High preset at 60 FPS is the recommended sweet spot. The Medium preset at 78 FPS offers a faster experience with a slight reduction in quality, while the Low preset at 97 FPS is for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, the data suggests avoiding this resolution entirely, as even the Low preset at 54 FPS is not consistently smooth. The Medium preset at 43 FPS and below is not suitable for a good gaming experience.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is at 1440p High, which achieves a playable 60 FPS while maintaining high visual settings. For those with 1080p displays, the High preset (91 FPS) is the best balance, as it delivers high frame rates without sacrificing too much quality. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 1440p High being the optimal configuration for a smooth and visually pleasing experience in Palworld.