Palworld

Palworld’s measured performance with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combo reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, yet delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings. The data indicates a pairing where the CPU’s substantial multi-threaded capabilities are largely held in reserve, as the GPU’s workload dictates the final output. This analysis explores the benchmark results across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers imply about the balance of this specific hardware configuration.

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

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. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can boost up to 5.80 GHz, and it carries a 36 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates immense compute power, scoring 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core tests. Its average benchmark score of 84,003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer for general processing tasks.

However, the measured FPS in Palworld tells a different story regarding the CPU's role. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 147 FPS, which is the highest recorded average. This is a scenario where the CPU’s high boost clock and strong single-core performance (evidenced by a 4,823 Passmark single-thread score) can help drive high frame rates. The jump from 1080p Low to 1080p High (147 to 91 FPS) shows a 56 FPS drop, a significant change that suggests the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as settings increase. The CPU’s 24 threads and 5.80 GHz boost clock are likely more than sufficient to handle Palworld’s game logic and physics, but the data suggests that the Arc B580 cannot keep up with the CPU’s potential output at higher graphical loads.

The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83,807, which is a 0.2% difference from the 290K Plus. This marginal delta indicates that the 290K Plus offers no meaningful advantage in raw compute over its direct predecessor, implying that any performance differences in Palworld would be negligible from a CPU standpoint. The data points to the CPU being a non-factor in this game's frame rate limits, as even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 25, the CPU is likely idling while the GPU is fully saturated. The processor’s role here is to ensure a stable baseline, but the measured results show that its headroom is not being utilized.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2211 out of 2944 tested combos in Palworld. This percentile placement, roughly the 75th percentile (since 2211/2944 is about 75%), indicates that this specific pairing performs worse than the majority of other CPU-GPU combinations tested in this game. The low rank is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking, but it underscores the impact of the GPU’s performance ceiling. The Arc B580, with an average benchmark score of 23,021, sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, which is a moderate score, but its relative weakness compared to the CPU creates an imbalance.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals, the Intel Arc B580’s average score of 23,021 is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23,061) and 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22,895). This data suggests the B580’s raw compute is roughly on par with older generation cards, and its deltaPct values are all within 1% of these rivals. This narrow margin indicates that the GPU does not have a significant performance advantage over these older parts, which likely explains the low combo rank. The high rank of the CPU (96th percentile) is offset by the GPU’s modest rank (68th percentile), resulting in a combo that is not optimized for Palworld’s demands.

The combo rank of 2211 suggests that many other pairings, likely those with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3080 (which is a rival with a slightly higher score of 23,172), achieve better frame rates. The data implies that the 290K Plus is overkill for the B580, and the system’s overall performance is dragged down by the GPU’s inability to translate the CPU’s processing power into higher FPS. This rank is a critical indicator for buyers: the CPU is not the limiting factor, and upgrading the GPU would yield far more substantial gains than upgrading the CPU.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides clear evidence of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 147 FPS, but this drops to 97 FPS at 1440p Low and 54 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 63% drop from 1080p to 4K (147 to 54 FPS), which is a classic sign of GPU limitation, as the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant while the GPU must render exponentially more pixels. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 91, falling to 60 at 1440p High and 33 at 4K High. The scaling here is similar, with a 64% drop from 1080p to 4K (91 to 33 FPS).

The linearity of these drops—roughly a 33% reduction for each resolution step—indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain more stable as resolution increases, since the CPU’s frame generation rate would cap the output. The data shows no such capping; instead, the FPS scales down proportionally with pixel count, which is a hallmark of a GPU that is saturated. For instance, at 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 78, while at 4K Medium it is 43, a 45% drop. This pattern confirms that the CPU is not the constraint, as its 24 threads and 5.80 GHz boost clock are more than capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates.

The only exception to this scaling is the Ultra preset, which shows 69 FPS at 1080p, 46 at 1440p, and 25 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is notably low, suggesting that the GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM and 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are insufficient for the highest settings at this resolution. The data implies that the system is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where the GPU can maintain playable frame rates, and that 4K should only be considered with Low or Medium settings.

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

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive breakdown of FPS averages across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 147 FPS on Low, 119 FPS on Medium (with a min of 101 and max of 137), 91 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a variance of 36 FPS between min and max, indicating some frame pacing instability, but the average remains solidly above 60 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the 69 FPS average is still playable, but the drop from High to Ultra (91 to 69 FPS) suggests the GPU is working much harder.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 97 FPS on Low, 78 FPS on Medium (min 67, max 90), 60 FPS on High, and 46 FPS on Ultra. The 60 FPS average on High is right at the threshold for smooth gameplay, but the 46 FPS on Ultra may feel stuttery. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 67 is encouraging, showing that the GPU can maintain a decent frame rate even under load. At 4K (3840x2160), the results are more demanding: 54 FPS on Low, 43 FPS on Medium (min 37, max 50), 33 FPS on High, and 25 FPS on Ultra. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and the 4K Ultra result is virtually unplayable.

The data reveals a clear trend: the Intel Arc B580 can handle 1080p with ease, achieving over 90 FPS on all settings except Ultra, and 1440p is playable up to High settings. However, 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 54 FPS average is below the ideal threshold. The min FPS values, available only for Medium settings, show that the 4K Medium preset dips to 37 FPS, which would cause noticeable hitches in gameplay. These numbers suggest that users should prioritize resolution over settings, or vice versa, depending on their preference for visual fidelity versus smoothness.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage) and features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 13.67 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s. These specs suggest a mid-range GPU, which is confirmed by its 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 23,021.

In Palworld, the GPU’s role is clearly dominant, as the FPS scales directly with the GPU’s workload. The 12 GB VRAM is a crucial factor at 4K, where the High and Ultra presets likely exceed the memory capacity, leading to the low 33 and 25 FPS averages. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a potential bottleneck at high resolutions, as the GPU must fetch textures and geometry data at a rapid pace. The data shows that the B580 is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which has a nearly identical average score (22,895 vs. 23,021), but it falls short of the RTX 3080 (23,172) by 0.7%, indicating that the B580 is not a high-end card.

The GPU’s power draw is 190 W, and its suggested PSU is 450 W, which is modest, but its performance in Palworld is limited by its compute capabilities. The 80 ROPs are likely insufficient for high-resolution rendering, as pixel fill rate is a key factor in 4K performance. The data implies that the B580 is a capable 1080p card, but its limitations become apparent at 1440p and 4K, especially with higher settings. The GPU’s nearest rivals being older cards (RX 580, RTX 2080) further reinforces its position as a budget-conscious option, not a performance leader.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 147, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 90 FPS. At 4K, the highest average is 54 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS target, indicating 4K is not recommended for this combo.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23,021, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 2080’s 22,895. This indicates a negligible performance difference between the two in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 91 at 1080p to 33 at 4K, a 64% reduction. This significant drop indicates that the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance influence the frame rates in Palworld?

A: The data suggests the CPU has minimal impact on FPS, as the frame rates scale with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound tasks. The CPU’s high benchmark scores do not translate to higher FPS in this game.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairings?

A: The combo ranks 2211 out of 2944 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 75th percentile, which is below average for Palworld performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium or High settings. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 119 with a minimum of 101, ensuring smooth gameplay with no significant dips. High settings at 1080p yield 91 FPS, which is still excellent and offers better visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 69 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. For users prioritizing frame rate, Low settings at 1080p provide 147 FPS, but this sacrifices visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Medium settings (78 FPS) are the best balance, as they maintain a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings at 1440p (60 FPS) are borderline, and the minimum FPS could dip below playable levels in demanding scenes. Ultra at 1440p (46 FPS) is not recommended. For 4K, the only viable option is Low settings (54 FPS), but even this is below the ideal threshold. Medium at 4K (43 FPS) is stuttery, and High/Ultra are unplayable. The recommendation is to stick to 1080p with High settings for the best balance of visuals and performance, or 1440p Medium if higher resolution is preferred.