Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder from late 2023, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The measured data shows a combination that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet the CPU still has a measurable impact on peak frame rates. This analysis walks through the measured FPS rows to determine where the bottleneck lies and which settings offer the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 252 FPS at 1920x1080 to 160 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 92 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 85 FPS, which is a 167 FPS decrease from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4090 is being pushed progressively harder as pixel count increases, with the CPU having less influence on the final frame rate.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 347 at 1080p to 280 at 1440p, and finally to 148 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 132 FPS, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 67 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is reaching its limits with this workload, while at 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are high enough that other factors, such as CPU draw-call overhead, start to matter more.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS at 1080p is 170, which falls to 108 at 1440p and then to 57 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured in the entire set, confirming that the combination of maximum graphical fidelity and high resolution is the most demanding scenario. The data shows a clear trend: the RTX 4090 is the primary limiter at 4K, while at 1080p, the i5-12600KF is more likely to be the bottleneck, given the extremely high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the star of this benchmark, and its specifications explain the high frame rates. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This massive memory subsystem is crucial for a city builder, which often needs to load and render large numbers of buildings, units, and textures. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 57, which is playable, but the card is clearly working hard.

The RTX 4090's clock speeds are also notable, with a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 16384 shading units, allow the GPU to process the geometry and effects in Steamworld Build quickly. The benchmark results from the FACT PACK show a Passmark G3D score of 38194, and the GPU sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 60347 places it in a tight group with rivals like the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, which have deltaPct values of 0 and 0.3, respectively, indicating near-identical average scores.

The GPU's role becomes clear when looking at the frame times. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 113, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130. This range shows that even with a powerful GPU, there are fluctuations in frame delivery, likely due to complex scenes with many dynamic objects. The RTX 4090 is not just about peak performance; its large memory pool and high bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and asset loading are not major bottlenecks in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 4K, the High preset offers an average of 85 FPS, which is smooth for a city builder. The Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS, which is still playable but might not be worth the visual gain for a 28 FPS reduction. The Medium preset provides a comfortable 113 FPS, but the step down in visual quality from High is likely more noticeable than the frame rate gain. Therefore, High is the recommended preset for 4K, as it balances visual fidelity with a stable frame rate.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The High preset delivers an excellent 160 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 108 FPS. For gamers with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset at 214 FPS might be more appealing, but the data shows that High is a solid choice for most. The Low preset at 280 FPS is unnecessary for a game of this genre, as the visual quality loss will be significant.

At 1080p, all presets are playable, but the data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor. The Ultra preset averages 170 FPS, while High averages 252 FPS. The gap between High and Low (347 FPS) is 95 FPS, which is less than the gap between Medium and Low (32 FPS). This indicates that the i5-12600KF is holding back the RTX 4090 at this resolution, as the GPU is capable of producing more frames than the CPU can feed it. For 1080p, the High preset is recommended, as it offers a high frame rate without pushing the CPU to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 111th out of 3706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 3% of all configurations, which is an excellent result for a mid-range CPU paired with a flagship GPU. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 79, and its average benchmark score is 27799. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both with deltaPct values of -0.3, meaning the i5-12600KF is slightly ahead in average score.

The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 88, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, have a deltaPct of -2.5, which means the RTX 4090 is 2.5% ahead in average score. The high rank in this specific game is due to the combination of the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU's raw power. The data shows that this combo is not just about raw FPS; it also has the headroom to handle the complex simulation and rendering demands of a city builder.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for Steamworld Build?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 57, which is playable but not excessive. At 1080p, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, with the GPU not being fully utilized. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is well-suited for high-resolution play, but it is not necessary for 1080p.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High offers a great balance, with an average of 160 FPS. 4K High is also viable at 85 FPS, but 1440p provides a higher frame rate with less demand on the GPU.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-10900K, based on deltaPct values.

Q: Does the game use the GPU's 24 GB of VRAM?

A: The measured FPS data does not include VRAM usage, but the high bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s and the 24 GB memory pool suggest that memory capacity is not a limiting factor in the tested configurations.

Q: What is the playable FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 57, which is above the 30 FPS threshold for playability, but it is the lowest measured setting in the pack.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as frame rates drop significantly from 1440p to 4K across all settings, while the CPU's influence is more apparent at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 347 FPS, Medium averages 315 FPS with a range of 268 to 363 FPS, High averages 252 FPS, and Ultra averages 170 FPS. These numbers show that the RTX 4090 is capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p, but the CPU's performance is the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 280 FPS, Medium averages 214 FPS with a range of 182 to 246 FPS, High averages 160 FPS, and Ultra averages 108 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 172 FPS difference, which is significant. The Medium preset's minimum of 182 FPS shows that even at 1440p, there are occasional frame dips, but they are not severe.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 148 FPS, Medium averages 113 FPS with a range of 96 to 130 FPS, High averages 85 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The 4K results are the most demanding, with the Ultra preset's 57 FPS being the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire set. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 96 FPS, which is still smooth, but the High preset's 85 FPS average is a more stable choice.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a capable partner for the RTX 4090. The benchmark data shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302, which positions it as a strong mid-range CPU.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are high enough to expose any CPU limitations. The fact that the FPS at High settings (252) is only 95 FPS lower than Low settings (347) suggests that the CPU is struggling to keep up with the GPU's output. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and the Passmark multi-thread score of 27575 indicate that the CPU has solid multi-threading capabilities, which is important for a city builder that simulates many entities.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 27799 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K, have nearly identical scores. This shows that the i5-12600KF is not a bottleneck in most scenarios, but at 1080p with a flagship GPU, it is the limiting factor. The data suggests that for 1440p and 4K gaming, the CPU has enough headroom to allow the RTX 4090 to perform at its best.