Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a surprisingly strong performance profile in Steamworld Build, a city builder that clearly scales well with both CPU and GPU resources. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this combo produces playable frame rates, though the experience varies dramatically depending on how aggressively you push graphics quality. The data shows a system that excels at high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gameplay, while 4K remains viable only with careful settings management.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 High as the sweet spot, delivering 119.7 FPS average. This provides a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings presets exceed 128 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 41687 puts it within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41441) and 0.2% of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610). It sits slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991) by 0.7% and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897) by 0.5%.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its closest competition?

A: The Core i3-12100F scores 13516 average, placing it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534). It outperforms the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462) by 0.4%, the Intel Core i3-10105 (13430) by 0.6%, and the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280) by 1.8%.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 110.6 FPS, Medium yields 84.4 FPS, and High drops to 65.3 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 44.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players prefer for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU handle single-threaded workloads?

A: The Core i3-12100F achieves a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3444. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and Geekbench single-core score of 2224 indicate strong per-core performance that benefits city builder simulation logic.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect this game?

A: The RTX 5070 features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This configuration provides ample bandwidth for Steamworld Build's asset streaming at high resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data reveals a clear pattern: Steamworld Build responds predictably to settings changes across all resolutions, with Low to Medium providing the most headroom. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver 128.1 FPS, making this the only resolution where you can max everything out without compromise. The gap between Medium (257 FPS) and Ultra (128.1 FPS) at 1080p shows that the Ultra preset nearly halves performance, suggesting diminishing returns for the visual upgrade.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 119.7 FPS represent the best balance of visual quality and performance. Dropping to Medium only gains 41.6 FPS (161.3 total), while Low pushes to 210.5 FPS. Ultra at 84.7 FPS remains playable but sacrifices the high-refresh advantage. For 4K users, the data strongly recommends Medium settings (84.4 FPS) as the optimal choice—High drops to 65.3 FPS, and Ultra falls below acceptable playability at 44.9 FPS.

The performance scaling from Low to Ultra follows a consistent pattern: Ultra costs roughly 55-60% of the frame rate compared to Low at every resolution. This indicates that Steamworld Build's Ultra preset introduces GPU-intensive effects that scale linearly with pixel count. For the best experience, prioritize High settings at 1080p or 1440p, and settle for Medium at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, provides the graphical muscle for Steamworld Build. Its 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units process the city-building visuals efficiently. The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz allow it to maintain high throughput across all tested scenarios.

The 12 GB GDDR7 memory pool with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth proves sufficient for Steamworld Build's demands. The 192-bit memory bus and 1750 MHz memory clock deliver the data throughput needed for texture streaming and asset loading as your city grows. The GPU's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 482.3 GTexel/s texture rate handle the game's rendering workload without bottlenecking the CPU.

The RTX 5070's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41687, places it in the upper tier of graphics hardware. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, sits just 0.6% behind in average score, indicating the 5070 delivers comparable performance to a previous-generation flagship. The GPU's 5 nm process node and 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die provide excellent efficiency.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 358th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver strong frame rates across most resolution and settings combinations, despite the CPU being a budget-oriented quad-core part.

The ranking position indicates that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting in this pairing. The RTX 5070's performance ceiling is far higher than the CPU can feed in CPU-bound scenarios, yet Steamworld Build's optimization allows the combo to punch above its weight. The 358th position out of 1730 combos suggests that many higher-end CPU pairings with lesser GPUs perform worse, highlighting how well this game scales with GPU resources.

For context, the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking combine to create a system that performs better than the sum of its parts in this specific title. The data indicates that Steamworld Build rewards GPU investment more than CPU investment, making this an efficient pairing for the game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides the processing foundation with 4 cores and 8 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz deliver responsive single-threaded performance, crucial for city builder simulation logic. The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core keep frequently accessed data close to the execution units.

The CPU's benchmark results show a processor that excels in single-threaded tasks relative to its multi-threaded capability. Its 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 demonstrate strong per-core efficiency. The passmark_single_thread score of 3444 and Geekbench single-core score of 2224 confirm this pattern, which benefits Steamworld Build's simulation tick rate.

Multi-threaded performance, while less impressive in absolute terms, remains adequate for the game's needs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912 and Geekbench multicore score of 7413 show the 4-core/8-thread configuration can handle background tasks while maintaining gameplay performance. The 3dmark_8_threads score of 4026 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023 indicate minimal scaling beyond 8 threads, which is expected for a quad-core part.

The CPU's 58W TDP and 10 nm process make it an efficient choice for this pairing. Its 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516, places it in the upper half of processors. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores nearly identically at 13534, just 0.1% higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 302.4 FPS average, Medium reaches 257 FPS, High achieves 193.4 FPS, and Ultra maintains 128.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p gaming is never a concern for this system, with all presets exceeding 120 FPS.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. Low settings hit 210.5 FPS, Medium delivers 161.3 FPS, High provides 119.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84.7 FPS. The 1440p High experience at 119.7 FPS offers a compelling combination of visual fidelity and smoothness, while Ultra stays above 60 FPS for players who prioritize image quality.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens significantly. Low settings manage 110.6 FPS, Medium produces 84.4 FPS, High falls to 65.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 44.9 FPS. The 4K results show that this combo can handle the resolution, but settings management becomes critical—Ultra is not viable for smooth gameplay, while Medium and High remain playable.

The scaling pattern across resolutions reveals that 1440p Ultra (84.7 FPS) performs nearly identically to 4K Medium (84.4 FPS), suggesting that resolution and settings have interchangeable impacts on GPU load. Similarly, 4K Low (110.6 FPS) closely matches 1440p High (119.7 FPS), with only a 9.1 FPS difference. These relationships help users predict performance when adjusting between resolution and quality settings.