Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build with Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 7700

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Steamworld Build, though the measured frame rates reveal a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data shows a combo ranked 1309 out of 2924 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. This pairing combines a 4-core, 8-thread Alder Lake processor with a 16 GB RDNA 3 graphics card, and the benchmark results indicate that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions while the CPU holds its own at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 137 FPS at 1080p to 87 FPS at 1440p, representing a 36% reduction, and then further down to 46 FPS at 4K, a 47% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting component as resolution climbs, since the frame rate penalty between each step is substantial and grows larger at higher resolutions.

The Low settings row reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system produces 239 FPS, which drops to 152 FPS at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to 80 FPS at 4K (a 47% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to High settings, indicating that resolution scaling affects the system uniformly regardless of graphical load. This uniformity points to a GPU-bound scenario where the RX 7700's rendering throughput, not the CPU's processing capability, determines the frame rate ceiling.

Ultra settings tell a steeper story. The system manages 92 FPS at 1080p Ultra, but this falls to 59 FPS at 1440p (a 36% drop) and plummets to 31 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage-based scaling across all settings levels suggests that Steamworld Build's rendering pipeline scales linearly with pixel count, and the RX 7700's 2560 shading units and 96 ROPs are working at their limit when pushing 4K resolutions. The data implies that 4K gaming with this combo requires Low settings to approach playability, and even then the 80 FPS average at 4K Low is the only 4K row that exceeds 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, built on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, brings substantial memory and bandwidth resources to this pairing. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Steamworld Build's city-building demands. The GPU's clock profile shows a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, with memory running at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective).

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (a 0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014 (1% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 (1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 (1.7% faster). These tight margins indicate that the RX 7700 sits in a competitive performance band, and the measured FPS data shows it delivers strong 1080p and 1440p results in this game.

The 40 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present in the spec sheet, but Steamworld Build's measured results suggest the game relies more on traditional rasterization. The PassMark G3D score of 20974 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 provide context for the GPU's overall capability, but the game-specific measurements show the RX 7700 can handle High settings at 87 FPS at 1440p and 137 FPS at 1080p. The 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s help explain why the GPU maintains playable frame rates across most settings, though the 4K Ultra row at 31 FPS reveals its limits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides 4 cores and 8 threads from its Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L1 cache of 80 KB and L2 of 1.25 MB per core give the processor enough headroom for city-building simulation logic. Its 10 nm process and 163 mm² die size place it as a budget-oriented desktop chip, though the 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it outperforms its entry-level positioning.

CPU benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a PassMark single-thread score of 3444, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674, and a Geekbench single-core score of 1932. Multi-threaded results are more modest, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 14015. The 3DMark scores of 4026 for 8 threads and 4023 for max threads indicate that the CPU's performance plateaus after 8 threads, which aligns with its 4-core, 8-thread configuration. This suggests the i3-12100F is well-suited for games that primarily rely on single-threaded performance, like many city builders.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492 (0% difference), the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% slower), the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (0.7% faster), and the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13351 (1.1% slower). The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13494 places it in a tight cluster, indicating that its performance is comparable to several other mid-range and mobile processors. In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p Low result of 239 FPS, which shows the processor can feed frames far beyond the 60 FPS threshold, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1309 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, where neither component dramatically outperforms the other to push the combo higher. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 68th percentile ranking suggest that the combo's overall position is dragged down by the GPU's more modest standing, even though the CPU is relatively stronger.

The rank position implies that this system sits comfortably above the median tested combo, but it does not reach the upper echelon of performance. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: the system achieves 137 FPS at 1080p High and 87 FPS at 1440p High, which are solid but not exceptional numbers. The 4K results, with 46 FPS at High and 31 FPS at Ultra, highlight the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and contribute to the combo's mid-pack ranking. The data suggests that this pairing is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers smooth frame rates, rather than 4K where it struggles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 239 FPS, Medium settings yield 183 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS and maximum of 210 FPS, High settings achieve 137 FPS, and Ultra settings manage 92 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression of performance degradation as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra representing a 61% reduction in frame rate. The 1080p Medium row's minimum FPS of 155 indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains well above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably but remains playable. Low settings average 152 FPS, Medium settings average 116 FPS with a minimum of 99 FPS and maximum of 134 FPS, High settings average 87 FPS, and Ultra settings average 59 FPS. The Medium settings' minimum of 99 FPS shows that the system can hold above 60 FPS even in heavier moments, but the Ultra setting's 59 FPS average places it just below the 60 FPS threshold. The 1440p results indicate that this resolution is the sweet spot for the combo, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 80 FPS, Medium settings average 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS, High settings average 46 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 52 FPS suggests that even at this setting, the system can drop below the 60 FPS threshold in demanding scenes. The 4K High and Ultra results fall below 60 FPS, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay, while Low settings remain viable at 80 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Steamworld Build at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K, only Low settings achieve an average above 60 FPS, with 80 FPS. Medium settings average 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS, while High and Ultra settings average 46 FPS and 31 FPS respectively, indicating that higher settings at 4K will not provide consistently smooth performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system in Steamworld Build?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 provides an optimal balance, with High settings averaging 87 FPS and Medium settings averaging 116 FPS with a minimum of 99 FPS. At 1080p, the system offers higher frame rates, but 1440p delivers a better visual experience while maintaining playable performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it 0% behind the Intel Core 3 N355, 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500, 0.7% behind the Intel Core 5 120UL, and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U.

Q: Is the GPU the limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The resolution scaling data shows consistent percentage drops in frame rate from 1080p to 4K across all settings, indicating the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RX 7700's 4K performance, particularly at Ultra settings with 31 FPS, supports this conclusion.

Q: What settings should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: At 1440p, Ultra settings average 59 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS, while High settings average 87 FPS and Medium settings average 116 FPS with a minimum of 99 FPS. High settings offer a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1309 out of 2924 tested combinations in Steamworld Build, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The CPU ranks at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combo in Steamworld Build, the measured data suggests prioritizing 1080p or 1440p resolutions with High settings. At 1080p, High settings deliver 137 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. At 1440p, High settings average 87 FPS, offering a better visual presentation while maintaining comfortable frame rates. The Medium settings at 1440p, with 116 FPS average and 99 FPS minimum, provide a larger safety margin for demanding scenes, making them a solid choice for players who prefer extra headroom.

Ultra settings are viable at 1080p with 92 FPS, but at 1440p they drop to 59 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that players should avoid 4K Ultra settings, as the 31 FPS average is well below playability standards. For 4K gaming, Low settings at 80 FPS are the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, and even then the visual quality trade-off may not be worthwhile. The optimal configuration appears to be 1440p with High settings, which balances visual fidelity with performance, or 1080p with Ultra settings for players who prioritize image quality over resolution.