Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that stresses the simulation and rendering pipeline in ways that differ from typical action games. The data for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a combo that ranks 249th out of 3706 tested combinations, placing it in the top tier of systems for this title. The combination of a 10-core Alder Lake processor and a 40-series flagship produces average frame rates that range from 52 FPS at 4K Ultra to 347 FPS at 1080p Low, making it a system that can handle the most demanding city-growth scenarios with ease.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Steamworld Build?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 347 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution with Medium settings, the average drops slightly to 304 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 154 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which places it 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U is also 0.3% ahead of the i5-12600KF.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is in the 86th percentile for GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% faster.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in Steamworld Build?

A: The combo ranks 249th out of 3706 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.7% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The i5-12600KF scores 23391 points in Cinebench R23 multicore. Its single-core score is 3302 points, and in 3DMark's 16-thread test it achieves 7956 points.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 716.8 GB/s bandwidth. Its base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz.

Q: How does the CPU perform in single-threaded workloads that games rely on?

A: The CPU achieves a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2157. In Passmark single-thread tests it scores 3925, which is typical for a 12th-gen desktop part.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 is the primary renderer in this combo, and its specs align with the frame rates seen in Steamworld Build. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than enough for a city builder. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz, with 22.4 Gbps effective data rate, and the 256-bit bus gives 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. For a game that draws many on-screen elements, that bandwidth prevents bottlenecks when the city grows.

The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz and boost clock reaches 2505 MHz. These clocks are high, and the data reflects that. At 1080p Low, the frame average is 347 FPS, which indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor here. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs also suggests it is a top-tier part. The RTX 4080 has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, which give it strong pixel-pushing capability. The pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s.

The memory subsystem is the most relevant for Steamworld Build. City builders often have large textures for terrain and buildings, and the 16 GB capacity ensures no VRAM overflow even at Ultra settings. At 4K Ultra, the frame average drops to 52 FPS, which is still playable but shows the rendering load. The GPU's compute performance in Passmark is 20671, and OpenCL in Geekbench is 214739, both of which are strong numbers. The GPU is not the constraint at lower resolutions; the data shows that the game becomes frame-bound by the CPU at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo is ranked 249th out of 3706 tested combos, which places it in the top 6.7% of all systems tested for Steamworld Build. This is a strong position, and it shows that the i5-12600KF and RTX 4080 work well together for this genre. The CPU's average benchmark score is 27799, which is 79th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU is in the 86th percentile.

The rank is not purely GPU or CPU dependent. Many combos with the RTX 4080 and a stronger CPU might rank higher, but the i5-12600KF is not holding the GPU back significantly. The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores are the i9-10900K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF. The GPU's nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is 0.1% faster. The 249th rank out of 3706 means there are 3457 combos that are slower, and only 248 that are faster. The data indicates that this is a high-end system, and the game's measured frames confirm it.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frames are complete, with data for each resolution and quality setting. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution, the game is heavily CPU-bound, and the frame rates are very high:

• Low: 347 FPS average
• Medium: 304 FPS average (with a 259 FPS minimum and 350 FPS maximum)
• High: 228 FPS average
• Ultra: 154 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the GPU starts to work harder, but the frame rates are still high:

• Low: 253 FPS average
• Medium: 194 FPS average (with a 165 FPS minimum and 223 FPS maximum)
• High: 145 FPS average
• Ultra: 98 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the limiting factor:

• Low: 134 FPS average
• Medium: 102 FPS average (with a 87 FPS minimum and 118 FPS maximum)
• High: 77 FPS average
• Ultra: 52 FPS average

The lowest frame rate recorded is 52 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still playable for a city builder. The highest frame rate is 347 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: for each step up in settings, the frame rate drops by a predictable percentage. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium drops the average from 347 to 304 FPS, a 12% decrease. Medium to High drops from 304 to 228, a 25% decrease. High to Ultra drops from 228 to 154, a 32% decrease. This indicates that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, as the GPU is not being fully utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows how the game's load shifts from the CPU to the GPU. At 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, and the average frame rates are very high. Going from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops from 347 to 253 FPS, a 27% decrease. From High, 228 to 145, a 36% decrease. From Ultra, 154 to 98, a 36% decrease. The drop is significant but not linear, and the GPU is still not fully utilized at 1440p.

From 1440p to 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. At Low, 1440p gives 253 FPS, while 4K gives 134 FPS, a 47% decrease. That's a larger drop, and it shows that the GPU is working harder. At Medium, 1440p is 194 FPS, and 4K is 102, a 47% decrease. At High, 1440p is 145 FPS, and 4K is 77, a 53% decrease. At Ultra, 1440p is 98 FPS, and 4K is 52, a 47% decrease.

The data indicates that the CPU is the limiting component at 1080p and 1440p, and the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The RTX 4080 has enough memory and bandwidth to handle 4K, but the frame rates are lower due to the increased demand. The linear scaling pattern suggests that the game is well optimized for this hardware, and the frame rates are consistent across the board.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The Alder Lake architecture uses a 10 nm process, and the CPU has 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's multi-threaded performance is strong, with a 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 9824. The single-threaded performance is also good, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Cinebench R23 single-thread score of 322.

For a city builder, the CPU is critical for game logic, pathfinding, and simulation. The i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than enough for Steamworld Build. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are very high, which indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck. The CPU's percentile ranking is 79, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF's average score.

The CPU's cache structure includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB shared L3. This is a typical layout for Alder Lake, and the game benefits from the fast single-thread performance. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz is high, and it helps in scenarios where a few cores are loaded. The memory support includes DDR4 and DDR5, and the dual-channel memory bus is standard.

Overall, the CPU and GPU are well-matched for this game, and the combo rank of 249 out of 3706 reflects that. The frame rates are high across all resolutions, and the scaling is predictable. The data shows that this is a system that can handle Steamworld Build at maximum settings without any issues.