Palworld

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a telling performance curve in Palworld, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a heavily GPU-limited one at 4K. This pairing, ranking 2149th out of 3711 tested combinations, demonstrates that the processor’s substantial headroom is largely wasted at higher resolutions where the graphics card becomes the determining factor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 167 FPS, but this drops to 110 FPS at 1440p and further to 61 FPS at 4K. This represents a 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with pixel count, a pattern typical of a graphics card operating at its limits.

The scaling behavior becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With High settings, the average FPS falls from 104 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p (a 34% drop) and then to 38 at 4K (a 63% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic decline, going from 79 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 1440p and finally to 29 FPS at 4K. These figures suggest that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB memory buffer and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated well before the CPU’s capabilities come into play.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is likely providing enough throughput to keep the GPU fed, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, the performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is steep. For instance, at Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 89 FPS at 1440p to 50 FPS at 4K, a 44% reduction. This is not a gradual degradation; it is a sharp falloff that points to the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth becoming the sole limiting factor at 3840x2160.

FAQ

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p with the highest settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system averages 79 FPS. This is the most demanding preset at that resolution, and the frame rate remains comfortably playable, though it is significantly lower than the 167 FPS achieved at Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at 3840x2160. The average frame rates across all settings are below 61 FPS, with Ultra dipping to 29 FPS. Given the CPU’s high benchmark scores, the graphics card’s rendering capabilities are clearly the constraining factor.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the gap is substantial. Low settings produce an average of 110 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 52 FPS. This 58 FPS difference highlights the heavy cost of the Ultra preset’s visual features on the RTX 2070 SUPER.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium result compare to the 4K High result?

A: The 1080p Medium preset averages 136 FPS, which is over three times higher than the 38 FPS average seen at 4K High. This demonstrates that resolution has a far greater impact on performance than the quality preset in this configuration.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at any 4K setting?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 61 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which may be borderline. High and Ultra presets at 4K fall to 38 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are below typical playability thresholds.

Q: What do the minimum FPS figures tell us about frame time consistency?

A: The only settings with recorded minimum FPS are Medium presets. At 1080p, the minimum is 115 FPS against an average of 136 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 76 FPS against an 89 FPS average. At 4K, the minimum drops to 42 FPS against a 50 FPS average, indicating some frame pacing variance under load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the defining component in this pairing for Palworld, and its specifications explain the measured results. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data shows it struggles at 4K, where the larger framebuffer demands exceed what the card can efficiently deliver.

The GPU’s clock speeds—1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost—are modest by modern standards, and its 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a limiting factor in a game like Palworld that relies heavily on shader work. The card’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present, but the game’s performance scaling suggests that traditional rasterization is the primary workload. The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range standing: it sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 20282.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the Intel Arc B570 and Intel Arc A750, which are within 1.5% of its average score. This indicates that the card is operating at a performance tier where small architectural differences can have noticeable impacts. In Palworld, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM appears to be the critical constraint at 4K, as the frame rates at High and Ultra settings (38 and 29 FPS respectively) suggest the card is spilling beyond its memory limits or hitting compute walls.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a rank of 2149 out of 3711 tested combinations in Palworld. This places the pairing in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a surprising result given the CPU’s high performance profile. The CPU itself is in the 96th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

However, the GPU is in the 65th percentile, with an average score of 20282. This disparity between the two components explains the overall combo ranking. The data shows that the processor’s capabilities are largely irrelevant to the final frame rates in this game, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The combo’s rank of 2149 suggests that many other pairings with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would outperform this configuration in Palworld.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4584PX and the AMD EPYC 9135, which are 1.1% and 1.2% behind, respectively. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, are all within 1.5% of its score. This indicates that the combo’s ranking is primarily influenced by the GPU’s mid-tier standing rather than any CPU deficiency, as the processor is clearly capable of handling far more demanding workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 167 FPS on Low, 136 FPS on Medium, 104 FPS on High, and 79 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset includes recorded minimum and maximum values of 115 and 156 FPS, respectively, showing a frame time spread of 41 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 110 FPS on Low, 89 FPS on Medium, 69 FPS on High, and 52 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS, indicating a tighter but still variable range. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 57 FPS, while at Ultra it is 27 FPS, showing that higher presets suffer proportionally less from the resolution increase due to the already heavy GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. The Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is the only playable result at this resolution. Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. High drops to 38 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at lower resolutions because the GPU is so heavily constrained that even the Low preset cannot achieve high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 104 FPS offers a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is still playable, but the 25 FPS cost over High is significant, and the visual uplift may not justify the performance loss. For competitive play, the Low preset at 167 FPS provides the maximum frame rate, though it sacrifices most visual features.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 69 FPS is the recommended choice for a blend of quality and performance. The Medium preset at 89 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing higher frame rates, while Ultra at 52 FPS begins to feel less fluid. The Low preset at 110 FPS is available but looks noticeably worse, and the data suggests that the step from Low to Medium only costs 21 FPS while providing substantial visual improvements.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents a challenge. The Low preset at 61 FPS is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, and it is the recommended choice for 4K play. The Medium preset at 50 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 42 FPS that may cause noticeable stutters in busy scenes. High and Ultra at 38 and 29 FPS respectively are not recommended for a playable experience. The data clearly shows that this GPU is not suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Palworld, and users should either lower resolution or accept the Low preset at 4K.