Don't Starve Together

# Don't Starve Together with Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a benchmark combination that ranks in the top 1% of tested configurations for Don't Starve Together, sitting at position 12 out of 1,667 combos. This pairing marries a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake Refresh processor with Blackwell 2.0 architecture's flagship GPU, producing frame rates that span from 90.4 FPS at 4K Ultra to 348.2 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data reveals a system where the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's massive memory bandwidth interact in ways that shift the bottleneck depending on resolution and settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the test bench, built on the Raptor Lake-R architecture using a 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz boosts up to 5.40 GHz, providing the kind of high-frequency headroom that benefits games with demanding simulation or logic threads. The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which supports rapid access to frequently used game data. With a TDP of 65 W, this is a power-efficient part that still delivers strong throughput, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35,443 and single-core score of 5,003.

In the context of Don't Starve Together, the CPU's performance percentile of 94 against all processors indicates it sits well above the median. The Geekbench multicore score of 16,571 and single-core score of 2,711 further confirm its capability for both threaded and latency-sensitive workloads. When compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X by only 0.6% in average benchmark score, while leading the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits 1.1% ahead, but the differences are marginal in synthetic tests. For a game like this, the boost clock of 5.40 GHz is likely more relevant than raw core counts, as frame pacing at high refresh rates often depends on single-thread responsiveness. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,261 reinforces that the i7-14700F can drive high FPS figures without becoming the primary constraint at lower resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the flagship of the GeForce 50-series, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its GB202 chip contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, while the 32 GB of GDDR7 memory runs at 1750 MHz with a 28 Gbps effective rate across a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is exceptionally generous for a game like Don't Starve Together, which does not typically demand large VRAM allocations, but the bandwidth ensures texture streaming and draw calls are never hampered.

The RTX 5090 achieves a percentile of 94 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its nearest rivals show tight competition: the RTX 5090 D scores 0.1% higher, the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% ahead, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3%. The NVIDIA CMP 40HX sits 1.6% behind. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the card scores 14,411, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan results of 380,114 and 379,571 respectively indicate strong compute performance. The PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and GPU compute score of 26,756 round out the picture. With a TDP of 575 W and a suggested PSU of 950 W, this is a power-hungry part, but its FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS provides ample headroom for any graphical workload the game presents.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 12 out of 1,667 tested combos in Don't Starve Together. This places the pairing in the top 0.7% of all configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of systems tested for this title. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU's high boost clock and the GPU's raw compute power, which together produce frame rates that are consistently high across all settings and resolutions. While the rank does not specify a percentile outright, being 12th out of 1,667 implies a percentile of approximately 99.3, meaning only 11 other combinations deliver better measured performance in this game. The data suggests that this pairing is near the ceiling of what is achievable, with the limiting factors being the game's engine rather than hardware capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 348.2 FPS, while Medium reaches 305.7 FPS and High hits 269.5 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 213 FPS, still far above typical display refresh rates. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease but remain substantial: Low yields 308.2 FPS, Medium 219.4 FPS, High 188.9 FPS, and Ultra 149.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the impact of resolution becomes clearer. Low settings average 192.3 FPS, Medium 132.6 FPS, High 109.3 FPS, and Ultra 90.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: enabling higher settings reduces frame rates by roughly 30-40% across the board, with the absolute drop being largest at 1080p due to the higher starting point. At 4K Ultra, the system still clears 90 FPS, which is playable for most users, but the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, suggesting the GPU becomes more dominant in the performance equation.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the system produces 348.2 FPS, which drops to 308.2 FPS at 1440p (an 11.5% decrease) and then to 192.3 FPS at 4K (a 44.8% decrease from 1080p). This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the frame rate does not drop proportionally with pixel count. At Ultra settings, the trend is different: 213 FPS at 1080p drops to 149.9 FPS at 1440p (a 29.6% decrease) and then to 90.4 FPS at 4K (a 57.6% decrease from 1080p). The larger percentage drops at Ultra settings suggest that the GPU's workload becomes more significant as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase. Specifically, the transition from 1080p to 4K at Ultra reduces frame rates by more than half, which is consistent with the GPU being the primary constraint in that scenario. Conversely, at Low settings, the 4K figure of 192.3 FPS remains high relative to the pixel count increase, indicating that the CPU's single-thread performance is still sufficient to feed the GPU at lower graphical loads. The data shows that this combo is balanced at 1440p, where the CPU and GPU contribute more equally, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU's limits become apparent.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Don't Starve Together?

A: The highest average FPS is 348.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combination ranks 12th out of 1,667 tested combos, placing it in the top 1% of all systems tested.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 90.4, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Which CPU rival is closest to the Intel Core i7-14700F in average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is the closest rival, with an average score of 54,450, which is 0.6% higher than the i7-14700F's score.

Q: How much does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 269.5 at 1080p to 188.9 at 1440p and then to 109.3 at 4K, representing a total drop of approximately 59.4% from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the RTX 5090, and how does it relate to performance?

A: The RTX 5090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s from 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. This high bandwidth helps maintain consistent frame rates even at 4K Ultra where the GPU is most stressed.