Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation’s demands scale with population and infrastructure. The Intel Core i5-11400F, a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake processor with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 indicate strong multi-threaded throughput, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing when the game’s simulation logic is active. The processor’s single-thread performance, measured at 868 in 3DMark and 2029 in Cinebench R23, remains adequate for the game’s UI and pathfinding tasks. In this combo, the CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s provide sufficient data flow for a city builder, which rarely becomes CPU-bound at moderate settings but can do so at higher resolutions when the GPU is less stressed. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 133.4, which is only 66% of the 200.2 FPS seen at High, indicating that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck; instead, the GPU settings are. Across all resolutions, the gap between Low and Medium settings is smaller than between Medium and High, suggesting the CPU can handle the extra draw calls without significant frame loss, but the GPU’s workload becomes the limiting factor at Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 264.6 FPS, which is excessive for a city builder and indicates the GPU is heavily underutilized. The Medium preset at 240.2 FPS still offers a massive margin over display refresh rates, but the step to High (200.2 FPS) only costs about 17% performance while likely improving visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 133.4 FPS remains highly playable, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 33% of the frame rate, which may not be worth the marginal visual gains. For 2560x1440, the pattern is similar: Low (221 FPS) and Medium (169.5 FPS) are both far above the 144 Hz threshold, while High (127.6 FPS) is just below it, making High the best balance for smooth gameplay on high-refresh monitors. At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Medium (90.3 FPS) is playable, but High (68.1 FPS) drops below 70 FPS, and Ultra (42.5 FPS) becomes a slideshow. The optimal preset for 4K is Medium, which retains 90.3 FPS and avoids the severe performance penalty of High. Given the data, the best experience per the measured rows is High at 1440p (127.6 FPS), as it provides a near-144 Hz experience without the 40% frame rate loss seen at 4K High. For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Ultra (133.4 FPS) is the highest fidelity option that remains fluid, but the 1440p High setting offers the best compromise between resolution and smoothness.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in Steamworld Build?

A: No, benchmark results indicate the CPU is sufficient. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 264.6 FPS, which is 32% higher than 1080p High (200.2 FPS), showing the GPU is the limiting factor at lower settings. Even at 4K Ultra (42.5 FPS), the CPU’s multi-threaded score of 1448 in Cinebench R15 is not the constraint; the GPU’s raw output is.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 4K with this hardware?

A: The data shows 4K Medium averages 90.3 FPS, which is playable. 4K High drops to 68.1 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 42.5 FPS. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, Medium is the highest setting that comfortably exceeds that target, while High is borderline.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance affect the game’s frame rate?

A: The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2029 are modest, but the game does not appear to be single-thread limited. Evidence: at 1440p, the FPS scales from 221 (Low) to 84.7 (Ultra), a 62% reduction, which is a GPU-driven change, not a CPU-driven one. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would plateau regardless of settings.

Q: Which settings provide the best 144 Hz experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p averages 169.5 FPS, which is above 144 Hz. High averages 127.6 FPS, just below 144 Hz. For a locked 144 Hz experience, Medium is the safest choice, while High is acceptable if a 120 Hz display is used.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER’s VRAM sufficient for Steamworld Build’s high-resolution textures?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The measured data does not indicate VRAM limitations, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution. At 4K Ultra (42.5 FPS), the low FPS is due to compute load, not memory overflow, since the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 29995 is the primary performance driver.

Q: How does the CPU’s 65W TDP influence sustained performance in long play sessions?

A: The CPU’s 65W TDP is low, but the data shows no thermal throttling issues. The 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 is close to the 16-thread score of 5619, indicating consistent multi-core output. In a city builder with long sessions, this stability is more important than peak clocks, and the 4.40 GHz boost is sufficient for the game’s simulation ticks.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER holds a combo rank of 367 out of 1730 tested combinations. This places it in the top 21% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The CPU’s percentile of 75 versus all CPUs, combined with the GPU’s percentile of 84 versus all GPUs, suggests the combo is well-balanced for this game. However, the nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (avg score 17189, delta 0%) and Intel Core i7-1260P (avg score 17212, delta -0.2%), which are both mobile-class processors with similar average scores. This indicates that the i5-11400F’s desktop advantage is minimal in synthetic benchmarks, but in Steamworld Build, the measured FPS shows no CPU limitation. The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (avg score 42653, delta -0.2%) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (avg score 42723, delta -0.3%), meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER performs nearly identically to these in average benchmarks. The combo rank of 367 is therefore driven by the GPU’s high percentile, while the CPU does not drag it down. For context, the rank means there are 366 combos that perform better in this game, but those likely feature higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series, which would only matter if the game were CPU-bound. In this case, the data shows the GPU is the dominant factor, so the combo’s ranking is a reflection of the RTX 4070 SUPER’s capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in Steamworld Build, as evidenced by the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. With a base clock of 1980 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz, the GPU’s 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units provide ample compute for the game’s rendering. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game’s texture streaming at all resolutions. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 29995 places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 42576 is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653) and 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723). This means the RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end performer, but the data shows it is not overkill for this game. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 264.6 FPS, but this drops to 133.4 FPS at Ultra, a 50% reduction that reflects the increased pixel and shader workload. At 4K, the GPU’s limits become apparent: Ultra only achieves 42.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, while Medium (90.3 FPS) is the highest playable setting. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, but the game’s engine does not appear to leverage ray tracing heavily, as the RT core count of 56 is not a limiting factor in the measured results. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS is the key metric, as it directly correlates with the frame rate scaling observed across resolutions. For a city builder, the GPU’s role is to handle the increasing draw calls and object detail as the city grows; the data suggests that at 1440p High, the GPU is fully utilized, while at 1080p Low, it is underutilized, leaving headroom for higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low averages 264.6 FPS, Medium 240.2 FPS, High 200.2 FPS, and Ultra 133.4 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs only 9.2% of frame rate, while Medium to High costs 16.7%, and High to Ultra costs 33.4%. This indicates that the GPU is heavily over-provisioned at 1080p, and even Ultra remains above 120 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh monitors. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but show more differentiation. Low averages 221 FPS, Medium 169.5 FPS, High 127.6 FPS, and Ultra 84.7 FPS. The transition from Medium to High is a 24.7% drop, which is more pronounced than at 1080p, while High to Ultra is a 33.6% drop. For 144 Hz displays, Medium (169.5 FPS) is the only preset that comfortably exceeds the refresh rate, while High (127.6 FPS) is borderline. At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits are clear. Low averages 113.1 FPS, Medium 90.3 FPS, High 68.1 FPS, and Ultra 42.5 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 24.6%, and High to Ultra is 37.6%, with Ultra falling below 45 FPS, making it unplayable for smooth gameplay. The 4K data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU is capable of higher frame rates (evidenced by 1080p results). The measured breakdown reveals a consistent pattern: the RTX 4070 SUPER scales linearly with resolution, but the settings presets have a non-linear impact on performance. The jump from Medium to High has a larger relative cost at higher resolutions, suggesting that High settings introduce additional shader complexity that taxes the GPU more as pixel count increases. Overall, the data supports the conclusion that 1440p High (127.6 FPS) is the sweet spot, balancing resolution and frame rate, while 4K Medium (90.3 FPS) is the maximum playable setting at that resolution.