Palworld

Palworld combines survival crafting with creature collection, and the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics card at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates across settings and resolutions show a clear pattern: the GPU is the primary bottleneck, while the 24-core CPU provides ample headroom for the game's logic. The data indicates that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver smooth performance, but it struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Palworld?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 152, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant jump from the 123 FPS average at Medium settings and the 95 FPS at High, showing that the game becomes less demanding on the GPU as visual quality is reduced.

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

A: The combo ranks 2036 out of 2944 total tested combos, placing it in the 31st percentile. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is not at the bottom either, and its position is largely due to the mid-range RX 7600’s performance ceiling.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is only 0.2% higher than its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807. This makes the 290K Plus statistically a very slight winner over its direct predecessor.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in the test data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 38, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This is a critical data point, as it shows that even at Medium settings, 4K gaming can result in noticeable stutters and dips below the 40 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is the GPU compared to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, its closest rival with a score of 15082. The data shows it is also 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti.

Q: Does the game's performance scale well from 1080p to 4K?

A: No, the performance scaling is poor. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 95 at 1920x1080 to 63 at 2560x1440, and then to 35 at 3840x2160. This dramatic drop of 60 FPS from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU’s rendering capabilities are quickly overwhelmed by the increase in pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate for this specific combo. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 72 FPS, which is playable, but the High preset offers a 32% improvement in average FPS, hitting 95. The Medium preset at 123 FPS provides the best balance of visual quality and performance for high-refresh-rate monitors. For a smoother experience, the Low preset at 152 FPS is an option, but it sacrifices significant visual details.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The High preset yields an average of 63 FPS, which is acceptable for most gamers. However, the Medium preset, with an average of 81 FPS and a minimum of 69 FPS, provides a much more consistent and fluid experience. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is on the edge of playability and may cause noticeable frame pacing issues. The Low preset at 100 FPS is excellent for competitive play but reduces the game's visual richness.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that high-refresh-rate gaming is not achievable. The High preset averages only 35 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset, with an average of 45 FPS and a minimum of 38 FPS, is the only option that approaches a playable state, but it is still not ideal. The Low preset at 56 FPS is the most playable at this resolution, but the visual compromise is significant. The Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not recommended due to its low frame rate.

The best experience per the measured rows is to use the Medium preset at 2560x1440, as it provides a robust average FPS of 81 with a minimum of 69, ensuring a stable gameplay experience. For 1080p users, the Medium preset at 123 FPS is the clear winner, offering high frame rates that take advantage of the CPU's power. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is the least optimized choice for this hardware, as the performance cost is substantial across all resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops by 32, from 95 to 63. This is a 34% reduction in performance for a 78% increase in pixel count. When moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings, the average FPS drops by another 28, from 63 to 35, which is a 44% reduction for a 125% increase in pixels. This non-linear scaling strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7600's rendering throughput is the limiting factor.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 152 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, and then to 56 FPS at 4K. At Medium settings, the drop is from 123 to 81 to 45 FPS. At Ultra settings, it goes from 72 to 47 to 26 FPS. The consistent halving of performance from 1080p to 4K across all presets points to the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth as the primary bottlenecks.

The CPU, with its 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock, is not the limiting factor in these scenarios. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would be more consistent across resolutions, as the game's logic and physics calculations would remain the same. The fact that performance scales directly with resolution confirms that the RX 7600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can keep up with the CPU's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2036 out of 2944 tested combinations places it in the lower third of all systems tested for Palworld. This ranking is a direct reflection of the RX 7600's performance, which sits in the 57th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, on the other hand, is a high-end part, ranking in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch creates a system where the GPU is the clear performance limiter.

The data shows that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU. In fact, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is significantly more powerful than what is needed for a mid-range graphics card. Its average benchmark score of 84003 is 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135 and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX, showing it's a top-tier processor. The GPU, however, is only 0.6% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, which is an older, less capable card. This highlights the performance disparity between the two components.

The ranking suggests that for Palworld, the system's performance is almost entirely dictated by the GPU. The CPU's high multi-threaded scores, such as 51731 in Cinebench R23, do not translate to higher frame rates in this game because the graphics card is unable to render frames fast enough. The combo's rank would likely be much higher if it were paired with a more powerful GPU. The 2036th rank is a consequence of the GPU's mid-range status, not a reflection of poor CPU performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the defining component in this system's Palworld performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, running on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, is a significant factor in the frame rate drops seen at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the bottleneck, as its performance scales poorly with increasing resolution. The card's boost clock is listed at 2655 MHz, with a game clock of 2250 MHz, which are respectable figures for its class, but they are not enough to overcome the memory bandwidth limitation at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its capabilities. Its Passmark G3D score is 16634, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2310. These scores place it in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, have nearly identical average scores, showing that the RX 7600 is competitive within its segment. However, for a demanding game like Palworld, its performance is just adequate for 1080p and 1440p.

The data shows that the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity is likely a limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate drops from 56 FPS at Low settings to 35 FPS at High settings at 3840x2160, indicating that the game is not only rendering more pixels but also potentially exceeding the memory capacity, causing texture swapping and stuttering. The minimum FPS of 38 at 4K Medium settings supports this theory. The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS is sufficient for the game's shaders, but the memory subsystem is not robust enough for high-resolution textures.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 152. Increasing to Medium settings reduces the average to 123 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 142 FPS. High settings yield an average of 95 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually demanding, still produces a playable average of 72 FPS. This resolution is clearly where this combo thrives, offering high frame rates across all presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable. The Low preset averages 100 FPS, which is still very good. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, providing a smooth experience. High settings average 63 FPS, which is acceptable. The Ultra preset, however, only achieves an average of 47 FPS, which may be too low for some players. This resolution is a good middle ground, offering a balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations are fully exposed. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average of 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, but its minimum of 38 FPS indicates potential stuttering. High settings average only 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average a mere 26 FPS, making them unsuitable for gameplay. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combination in Palworld, as all presets fail to maintain a solid 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end processor that provides immense computational power, but its role in this game is largely to ensure the GPU is not starved of data. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it has an exceptional multi-threaded capability, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731. This is likely more than enough for Palworld, which is not known for being heavily CPU-bound. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.80 GHz also ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is important for game logic.

The CPU's benchmark data shows it is a top-tier part. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4823, and its multi-thread score is 60860. It outperforms its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, by 0.2% and 1.1%, respectively. However, these CPU strengths do not directly translate to higher frame rates in Palworld, as the measured FPS is clearly limited by the GPU. The CPU is effectively idling while waiting for the GPU to render frames.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in any of the tested scenarios. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions. Instead, the frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth provide a robust platform for the GPU to operate, but the GPU's own 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is the limiting resource. This combo is a prime example of a high-end CPU being held back by a mid-range GPU.