Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that scales heavily with both CPU and GPU, and the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a broad range of performance across resolutions and presets. The measured data shows this combo ranks 518th out of 1,730 tested combinations, placing it in the top third of all systems. This pairing is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K Ultra remains demanding, as the numbers below demonstrate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 108 FPS, and at 1920x1080 it reaches 171.9 FPS. Even at 3840x2160 High, it holds 57.7 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target but still playable.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its closest CPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400F scores 19,221 on the average benchmark, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-8700K (19,210) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19,167). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% (19,364) and the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3% (18,979).

Q: Is the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM sufficient for Steamworld Build?

A: The card features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth. Given the measured FPS drops from Medium to Ultra at every resolution, the VRAM is adequate for Medium and High, but Ultra clearly stresses the memory subsystem.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 186.4 FPS, Medium 144.4 FPS, High 108 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74.7 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 111.7 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost for maxed-out visuals.

Q: Can this combo hit 240 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 296.4 FPS, and with Medium settings it still hits 227.5 FPS. High settings yield 171.9 FPS, so only the lowest presets reach the 240 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 rank against its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score is 35,787, which is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35,860) and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36,101). It is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (35,646) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35,435).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of frame rates in Steamworld Build, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus delivers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for a city builder where texture streaming and draw calls scale with population and building density. The GPU's 8,704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units allow it to process the game's visual effects efficiently, but the data shows a steep performance cliff as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent: High settings average 57.7 FPS, Medium 74.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 39.1 FPS. This suggests that Ultra settings at 4K require more than the 10 GB VRAM or the 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute can comfortably provide. At 2560x1440, the picture improves dramatically—High hits 108 FPS and Ultra still manages 74.7 FPS—indicating the GPU is well-balanced for this resolution.

The RTX 3080's boost clock of 1710 MHz and base clock of 1440 MHz are moderate for the Ampere architecture, but the 320W TDP and 700W suggested PSU show this is a high-power part. The GPU's 80th percentile ranking against all GPUs confirms it sits above average, though its nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (0.2% behind) and AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (0.9% behind)—show the competition is tight. For Steamworld Build, the RTX 3080's performance is best utilized at 1440p, where it can push well past 100 FPS on High settings without breaking a sweat.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides the computational backbone for Steamworld Build's simulation logic, which includes pathfinding, resource management, and citizen AI. With 6 cores and 12 threads, this Alder Lake-S processor has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core help reduce latency when the game queries building states and worker schedules.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal its multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multicore hits 16,518, while the 3DMark 16-thread test scores 5,895. These numbers are relevant because Steamworld Build can leverage multiple threads for background simulation while the main thread handles rendering commands. The i5-12400F's 77th percentile ranking against all CPUs places it above most gaming processors, and its average benchmark score of 19,221 is statistically tied with the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% delta), showing it holds its own against older flagship parts.

At lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the CPU becomes more relevant as the GPU has spare capacity. The measured 296.4 FPS at Low settings shows the i5-12400F can feed the RTX 3080 efficiently, but the 77th percentile ranking suggests it is not a top-tier chip for extreme frame rates. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice, but the data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo—the GPU's VRAM and compute limits show up first at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data makes it clear that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, Medium produces 227.5 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. At 2560x1440, Medium hits 144.4 FPS, perfectly matching a 144Hz display without wasted headroom. Even at 3840x2160, Medium averages 74.7 FPS, which is smooth for a city builder where panning and zooming dominate.

High settings are also viable, particularly at 1440p where 108 FPS provides a comfortable margin. However, the jump from Medium to High costs roughly 36 FPS at 1080p (227.5 to 171.9) and 36.4 FPS at 1440p (144.4 to 108), which is a significant drop for marginal visual gains. Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p, where 115 FPS remains playable, but at 1440p Ultra drops to 74.7 FPS and at 4K it falls to 39.1 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for this genre.

Low settings are unnecessary for this hardware except for absolute maximum frame rates—296.4 FPS at 1080p and 186.4 FPS at 1440p. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot: it preserves the game's visual fidelity while keeping frame rates high enough to avoid stutter during large-scale construction projects. For players prioritizing visual polish over raw speed, High at 1440p is the best compromise, delivering 108 FPS with better shadows and effects.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 518th out of 1,730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the 70th percentile of all systems. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the CPU is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at 1440p, but the GPU's 10 GB VRAM limits its performance at 4K Ultra. The combo's position in the top third of all tested systems indicates it will handle the game competently at most settings, but it is not a top-tier enthusiast configuration.

The GPU's 80th percentile ranking against all GPUs is higher than the CPU's 77th percentile, suggesting the RTX 3080 is the stronger component in this pairing. This is reflected in the FPS data, where the GPU's limitations at 4K Ultra (39.1 FPS) are more pronounced than any CPU-related slowdown at 1080p. The combo's rank of 518 out of 1,730 is respectable, but it falls short of the top 500, likely due to the 10 GB VRAM constraint at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates: Low settings average 296.4 FPS, Medium 227.5 FPS, High 171.9 FPS, and Ultra 115 FPS. These numbers show a consistent 50-80 FPS drop with each preset tier, with the largest gap between Medium and High (55.6 FPS).

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally: Low hits 186.4 FPS, Medium 144.4 FPS, High 108 FPS, and Ultra 74.7 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result matches the 4K Medium result exactly (74.7 FPS), indicating that the GPU is hitting a similar compute or memory bandwidth limit in both scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3080 struggles with the highest settings: Low averages 97 FPS, Medium 74.7 FPS, High 57.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is below the 60 FPS threshold and would feel choppy during heavy map scrolling. The 4K High result of 57.7 FPS is borderline playable, but it requires a VRR display to avoid tearing. The data shows a clear pattern: this combo is excellent for 1080p and 1440p up to High settings, but 4K gaming should stick to Medium or Low presets.