Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that stresses both the CPU's simulation logic and the GPU's rendering pipeline. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the benchmark data provided. The results show a configuration that scales predictably with resolution and settings, revealing where the system's bottlenecks lie and how to best configure the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the rendering load is the primary scaling factor in this title. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 173.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 107.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a 38% reduction, and then to 61.1 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 43% drop. This pattern demonstrates that even at the lowest visual fidelity, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed as pixel count rises.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend. The transition from 1080p to 1440p brings the average from 134.3 FPS down to 83.5 FPS, a 37.8% decrease. Moving to 4K reduces it to 43.9 FPS, which is a 47.4% drop from the 1440p result. This escalating percentage decline at higher resolutions suggests the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are becoming limiting factors, as more data must be pushed through the memory bus.

High settings follow the same curve, with averages of 99.6 FPS at 1080p, 64.6 FPS at 1440p, and 33.3 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 35.1%, while the drop to 4K is 48.5%. At Ultra, the 4K average of 21.7 FPS is barely playable, representing a 66.5% decline from the 1080p average of 64.8 FPS. The data shows that the CPU, a 6-core/12-thread part with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, is not the primary constraint in these tests; the consistent and dramatic FPS losses as resolution increases point directly to the GPU as the limiting component.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for Steamworld Build, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is positioned at rank 1404 out of 1730 combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations, suggesting that while it can handle the game, it is far from a top-tier performer. The benchmark score for the GPU is 14111 in Passmark G3D, which is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU's average benchmark score is 19850, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs.

The ranking indicates that the GPU is the weaker link in this pair. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-9700 with a deltaPct of 0.1% and the Intel Core i5-11600K with a deltaPct of 0.4%, show that the i5-12400 is competitive in processing power. However, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 7600S with a deltaPct of 0.5%, demonstrate that the RTX 2060 is near the performance floor for modern gaming. This disparity in relative strength explains why the combo ranks so low; the CPU has headroom, but the GPU holds the system back in a graphically intensive genre like city building, where zooming out to view sprawling constructions increases the rendering complexity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The memory configuration is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications are directly relevant to the game's performance, as the measured FPS data shows.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 21.7, which is a clear sign that the GPU is struggling to manage both the geometry and texture data. The 192-bit memory bus and its bandwidth are likely saturated, causing the frame rate to plummet. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 173.6 FPS, showing that the GPU has ample compute power for less demanding scenes. The FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS is sufficient for the game's shaders, but the memory subsystem is the bottleneck when the pixel workload increases.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking versus all GPUs aligns with this analysis. It is a mid-range card, and its performance in Steamworld Build is consistent with its hardware capabilities. The data shows that the RTX 2060 is best utilized at 1080p, where it can deliver high frame rates, or at 1440p with reduced settings. Pushing it to 4K, especially with High or Ultra presets, results in sub-60 FPS averages, indicating that the GPU is out of its comfort zone.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of performance across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 173.6 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. The Medium preset follows at 134.3 FPS, and High drops to 99.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 64.8 FPS, which is still smooth but shows a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease substantially. The Low preset averages 107.5 FPS, which remains highly playable. Medium averages 83.5 FPS, and High averages 64.6 FPS, both of which are good for a city builder where consistent frame pacing is more important than extreme speed. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 41.7 FPS, which is a noticeable step down and may feel less fluid during heavy simulation moments.

At 3840x2160, the performance is limited. The Low preset averages 61.1 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium drops to 43.9 FPS, and High to 33.3 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst performer, with an average of 21.7 FPS, which is likely to be a stuttering experience. These numbers confirm that the 4K resolution is only viable with the Low preset for this hardware combination, and even then, the margin is thin.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this pairing depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, providing an average of 99.6 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and allows for headroom during complex scenes with many buildings and units. While the Ultra preset achieves 64.8 FPS, the jump in visual fidelity may not justify the 35% performance loss compared to High.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, with an average of 83.5 FPS. This delivers a smooth experience that is well-suited for the game's isometric view. The High preset at 64.6 FPS is also viable, but the Medium setting provides a more comfortable margin to avoid dips below 60 FPS during heavy load. The Low preset at 107.5 FPS is an option for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual compromise is likely too great for a game that relies on aesthetic appeal.

For 3840x2160, the only reasonable setting is Low, which yields an average of 61.1 FPS. This is barely playable and may still suffer from occasional stutters. The Medium preset at 43.9 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience, and the High and Ultra presets are unplayable. The data suggests that 4K gaming is not a practical target for the RTX 2060 in this title, and users with 4K displays should consider running the game at a lower resolution instead.

In summary, the Intel Core i5-12400 and RTX 2060 combination is best utilized at 1080p High or 1440p Medium. These settings provide the optimal balance of visual quality and performance, ensuring that the game remains responsive and enjoyable. The hardware's limitations are clearly exposed at 4K, where even the lowest settings struggle to maintain a consistent frame rate.