Palworld

Palworld pairs an Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with an AMD Radeon RX 570, a combination that yields a very clear bottleneck picture. The CPU is a 24-core, 24-thread Arrow Lake Refresh part with a 5.80 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is a 14 nm Polaris 20 chip with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets show that this pairing is heavily GPU-limited in nearly every scenario, with the RX 570 struggling to keep up with even modest settings demands. The following analysis breaks down the measured data to explain what each score means, where the combo ranks, and what settings provide the best playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 73 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p, then to 27 FPS at 4K. That is a 34% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 44% reduction from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 46 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 43%. Medium settings show 59 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K, with percentage drops of 34% and 44% respectively. Ultra settings go from 35 FPS at 1080p to 23 FPS at 1440p to 13 FPS at 4K, representing a 34% and 43% decline.

These percentages are remarkably consistent across all four presets. The near-uniform scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. If the processor were the bottleneck, the frame rate would stay relatively flat from 1080p to 4K, because the same CPU work would be required regardless of resolution. Instead, each step up in resolution adds a predictable load on the Radeon RX 570’s pixel and texture throughput, and the measured FPS drops accordingly. The RX 570 has a 256-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, but at 4K the sheer number of pixels overwhelms its 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs. The fact that even Low settings at 4K only reach 27 FPS confirms that the GPU is saturated long before quality settings become a factor.

The 1080p to 1440p transition is the most telling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 73 FPS, which is close to playable for many users. At 1440p Low, it drops to 48 FPS — a large loss that suggests the GPU is already near its limits at the lower resolution. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset reaching 30 FPS. This data indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has ample headroom; its 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock are not the constraint. The RX 570, with its 4 GB frame buffer and 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, is the component that dictates performance. For anyone using this combo, sticking to 1080p is the only viable path to smooth gameplay, and even then, higher presets will require compromises.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo reaches playable frame rates. At Low settings, it averages 73 FPS, and at Medium settings, 59 FPS. At 1440p, the highest average is 48 FPS (Low), and at 4K, the highest is 27 FPS (Low). So 1080p is clearly the intended target.

Q: How does the RX 570 perform relative to its closest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RX 570’s average benchmark score is 28,766, which places it 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874), 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28,580), and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996). These are tiny margins, meaning the RX 570 is in the same performance tier as those GPUs. In Palworld specifically, the measured FPS reflects this mid-range position, with 1080p Medium hitting 59 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus holding back the RX 570?

A: No. The CPU has 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, and its benchmark scores are strong (e.g., 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 7,303 in single-core). The FPS data shows consistent scaling with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would not drop so steeply from 1080p to 4K. The RX 570 is the limiting component.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 73 FPS, while Ultra settings average 35 FPS. That is a 38 FPS difference, or roughly a 52% reduction. The jump from Medium (59 FPS) to High (46 FPS) is 13 FPS, and from High to Ultra is another 11 FPS. The cost of Ultra is steep for this GPU.

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 27 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 22 FPS, High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS. None of these are playable for a smooth experience. The 4 GB VRAM and limited compute power of the RX 570 prevent any viable 4K performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Palworld?

A: The combo ranks 2,821 out of 2,944 tested combinations. That puts it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems. This low rank is driven almost entirely by the RX 570, as the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo in Palworld is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The average FPS is 59, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68. That provides a smooth, consistent frame rate for most gameplay scenarios, and the minimum of 50 FPS ensures that drops are unlikely to become jarring. Low settings at 1080p offer a higher average of 73 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant, and the extra 14 FPS over Medium is not worth the loss of detail in a game that relies on environmental readability. High settings at 1080p drop the average to 46 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 1080p average only 35 FPS, which is too low for consistent smoothness and should be avoided.

At 2560x1440, the best option is Low settings, which averages 48 FPS. That is borderline playable, but the minimum FPS is not recorded for that row, so there is risk of stutters. Medium at 1440p averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33, which is technically playable but will feel sluggish in combat or when many Pals are on screen. High at 1440p drops to 30 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS — both are too low for a good experience. For 4K, no settings are recommended, as even Low averages only 27 FPS, and the minimum is not recorded. The data clearly shows that this combo should be run at 1080p Medium for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

The Medium preset at 1080p also has the advantage of recorded min and max FPS (50 and 68), which indicates stability. In contrast, the Low, High, and Ultra rows at 1080p have no min or max data, so there is no evidence of frame pacing. The Medium preset’s 50 FPS minimum is a strong indicator that the frame time is relatively consistent. For a survival game like Palworld, where player actions can cause sudden spikes in entity counts, a higher minimum FPS is more valuable than a higher average. Therefore, 1080p Medium is the clear recommendation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low settings deliver 73 FPS, Medium delivers 59 FPS (min 50, max 68), High delivers 46 FPS, and Ultra delivers 35 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra is a linear decline, with each preset step costing roughly 13-14 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 50 to 68 FPS. This suggests that Medium is the most stable preset at 1080p, with a 18 FPS spread between min and max. Low, High, and Ultra lack those bounds, so their consistency cannot be assessed from the data, but the averages are clear.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop significantly. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium averages 39 FPS (min 33, max 45), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The Medium preset again has recorded min and max, with a 12 FPS spread (33-45). This is a tighter range than at 1080p, but the lower average makes it less useful. The step from Low to Medium is 9 FPS, from Medium to High is 9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 7 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher settings are evident, as the GPU struggles more with each additional effect.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings average 27 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS (min 18, max 25), High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 18 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The gap between Low and Medium is 5 FPS, between Medium and High is 5 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 4 FPS. The narrower gaps at 4K indicate that the GPU is so saturated that changing settings has a smaller relative impact. No 4K preset reaches the 30 FPS mark, making 4K unusable for this combo.

The data also reveals that the FPS delta between Low and Ultra is largest at 1080p (38 FPS difference) and smallest at 4K (14 FPS difference). This is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario: at lower resolutions, the CPU can feed frames faster, allowing the GPU to differentiate between presets more clearly. At 4K, the GPU is the absolute bottleneck, so even Low settings cannot escape the pixel throughput limit.

How This Combo Ranks

In Palworld, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 2,821 out of 2,944 tested combos. That places it in the bottom 4.2% of all tested systems. The low rank is not surprising given the RX 570’s age and specifications. The GPU has a 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer, a 256-bit bus, and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 880, which is very low by modern standards. In contrast, the CPU is a top-tier part: the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807, a delta of only 0.2%. The CPU is not the reason for this low rank.

The GPU’s percentile is 74th among all GPUs, which sounds decent, but that percentile is based on synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench OpenCL (32,084) and Vulkan (42,752). In real gaming workloads like Palworld, the 4 GB VRAM and limited shading units (2048) become severe constraints. The combo rank of 2,821 out of 2,944 means that nearly every other tested combination delivers better performance in this specific game. The only combos ranking lower would likely feature even older or weaker GPUs. The data shows that the CPU is overkill for the GPU, and the bottleneck is almost entirely on the graphics side. For anyone considering this combo, the rank is a clear warning that the RX 570 is the limiting factor, and upgrading the GPU would yield a dramatic improvement.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. Its cache structure includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. Its benchmark results are strong: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 51,731 and single-core scores 7,303. Passmark multi-thread scores 60,860 and single-thread scores 4,823. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance.

In Palworld, however, the CPU’s role is minimal. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales predictably with resolution, which is the hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates at 1080p and 4K would be much closer together, because the CPU work per frame would not change much with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly 44% from 1440p to 4K across all settings, which means the GPU is doing all the heavy lifting. The 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for Palworld’s engine, which likely uses only a handful of threads. The CPU’s Passmark physics score of 3,315 and data compression score of 698,346 indicate strong computational power, but that power is idle in this scenario.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and DDR5 support also do not help the RX 570, which has its own 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The bottleneck is the GPU’s 4 GB frame buffer and 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. The CPU’s 36 MB of L3 cache and 24 threads are irrelevant when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. In fact, the CPU is so fast that it likely has headroom to spare, meaning that upgrading the GPU would allow the Ultra 9 290K Plus to shine. The data suggests that the CPU is not just adequate — it is overkill for this pairing. For Palworld specifically, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without stuttering, and the measured FPS patterns confirm that it does so flawlessly. The limiting factor is, and will remain, the Radeon RX 570.