Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that scales heavily with resolution and settings, and the data for the Intel Core i5-12400 plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination reveals a system that is largely GPU-bound at higher resolutions but increasingly CPU-limited at 1080p. The measured frame rates show a wide spread across the tested configurations, indicating that the game’s performance envelope is wide enough to accommodate both high-refresh-rate monitors and 4K displays, albeit with different quality trade-offs.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, which is typical for a game with heavy draw calls and simulation elements, but the pattern here shows that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 131.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 85.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 46.3 FPS, and then further down to 47.7 FPS at 3840x2160. That 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra score, demonstrating that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily by the pixel count and texture loads. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a similar trend: 124.3 FPS drops to 65 FPS, which is nearly a 48% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU’s role diminishes when the render resolution increases.

At lower settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the system hits 306.1 FPS, but at 4K Low, it manages 114.6 FPS. The gap between 1440p Low (221.1 FPS) and 4K Low (114.6 FPS) is 106.5 FPS, showing that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. The data suggests that for 4K play, users should target Medium settings (85.6 FPS) or High (65 FPS) for a smooth experience, while Ultra at 4K is borderline at 47.7 FPS. For 1440p, the system is capable of high refresh rates at Medium (169.1 FPS) and High (124.3 FPS), but Ultra drops to 85.1 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. At 1080p, the CPU begins to show its influence, as the frame rates at Low (306.1 FPS) and Medium (264.4 FPS) are extremely high, suggesting that the GPU is not the only factor; the i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads are keeping up with the demand, but the scaling from Medium to Low at 1080p (264.4 to 306.1 FPS) is only 41.7 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as the CPU becomes more involved.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are solid for a mid-range part: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249, which places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. In Steamworld Build, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are high enough to expose any processing bottlenecks. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 131.4 FPS, which is a strong result, but the jump to 1080p Medium (264.4 FPS) and Low (306.1 FPS) shows that the CPU can push well beyond 200 FPS in this game when the GPU load is light. The data indicates that the i5-12400 is not a limiting factor at 1080p, as even the Ultra setting, which likely adds simulation and AI overhead, still yields over 130 FPS.

However, the CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is worth noting. The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, deltaPct -0.2). This means that in terms of raw processing power, the i5-12400 is effectively a peer of these older i7 parts, despite having fewer cores in some cases. The Threadripper PRO 5995WX, with a score of 19928, is only 0.4% ahead, which is negligible for gaming. This suggests that for Steamworld Build, the CPU is more than adequate, and the performance ceiling at 1080p is likely set by the game engine’s single-threaded performance rather than the CPU’s multi-core capabilities. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and PassMark single-thread score of 3456 confirm that the i5-12400 has strong per-core performance, which is crucial for city builders that often rely on a primary simulation thread.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why the system scales so well with resolution. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and its boost clock is 2475 MHz. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 29995 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 192684 place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, making it a high-end part. In Steamworld Build, the GPU’s role is clearly to handle the rendering load, and the data shows that it is the limiting factor at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 47.7 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 4K High result of 65 FPS and the 4K Medium result of 85.6 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the GPU’s shading units (7168) and texture units (224), pushing the frame rate below the 60 FPS threshold.

The GPU’s performance relative to its rivals is also telling. The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, which is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653) and 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723). This means that in terms of raw compute, the RTX 4070 SUPER is essentially on par with professional-grade and newer mid-range cards, which is impressive for a consumer GPU. However, the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991, deltaPct 1.4) and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897, deltaPct 1.6) are slightly behind, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER offers a meaningful edge over older or workstation-specific hardware. In Steamworld Build, this translates to strong 1440p performance, where the system hits 124.3 FPS at High and 169.1 FPS at Medium, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, and the frame rates are consistently above 190 FPS at High settings, which is more than enough for any competitive or casual play.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 295th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 17% of all systems. This is a strong showing, especially considering that the CPU is a mid-range part and the GPU is a high-end consumer card. The ranking reflects the balance between the two components: the i5-12400 provides sufficient single-thread performance for the game’s simulation, while the RTX 4070 SUPER handles the graphical load across all resolutions. The data shows that this combo is particularly well-suited for 1440p gaming, where it achieves excellent frame rates at High and Medium settings without any noticeable bottlenecks. At 4K, the combo is still capable, but users will need to dial back settings to maintain smooth gameplay, as the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS (47.7 FPS). The ranking also suggests that the combo is more than adequate for 1080p, where it can push over 300 FPS at Low settings, making it a versatile option for various display setups.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Steamworld Build at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or High settings. The data shows 85.6 FPS at 4K Medium and 65 FPS at 4K High, while 4K Ultra drops to 47.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system to maximize frame rate?

A: At 1440p, the system achieves 124.3 FPS at High and 169.1 FPS at Medium, making it the sweet spot for high refresh rates. At 1080p, frame rates exceed 190 FPS at High, but the gains from lowering settings diminish.

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

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-8700. It is effectively a peer of these older i7 parts in terms of processing power.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p. At Low settings, the system hits 306.1 FPS, and at High, it hits 196.6 FPS, suggesting the CPU is more involved at this resolution.

Q: What settings should I use for a consistent 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Medium settings provide 85.6 FPS, and High settings provide 65 FPS. Both are above 60 FPS, so either is viable, but Medium offers more headroom.

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

A: It ranks 295th out of 1730 combos, which is in the top 17% of all systems tested for Steamworld Build.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 306.1 FPS at Low, 264.4 FPS at Medium, 196.6 FPS at High, and 131.4 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show that the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates, but the GPU becomes less of a factor as settings drop. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 221.1 FPS at Low, 169.1 FPS at Medium, 124.3 FPS at High, and 85.1 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 136 FPS, indicating that the GPU is handling a significant portion of the render load. At 3840x2160, the system achieves 114.6 FPS at Low, 85.6 FPS at Medium, 65 FPS at High, and 47.7 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration below 60 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.9 FPS, showing that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. Across all settings, the system maintains a playable experience at 1440p, and at 1080p, it is more than capable of high refresh rates, making this combo a solid choice for Steamworld Build enthusiasts.