Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that stresses the CPU and GPU differently depending on resolution and settings. The data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but which reveals the CPU's limitations only at the extreme high refresh rate end of 1080p. This pairing delivers a versatile experience, but its strengths are best expressed at 1440p and 4K.

FAQ

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

A: It ranks 119th out of 1730 tested combinations in Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations tested.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between settings at a given resolution?

A: At 4K, the gap is substantial. Low settings achieve 132.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 53.2 FPS. This represents a 79.7 FPS difference, highlighting how much headroom exists in the lower presets.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16GB VRAM a limiting factor?

A: The data shows no signs of VRAM constraints. The card has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 53.2, suggesting the bottleneck is processing power, not memory capacity.

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

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236. This is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13620H, which scores 25201 (0.1% higher). It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D and 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 9474F.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 1440p with High settings, the system achieves 143.9 FPS. This is the sweet spot for smooth, high-fidelity gameplay. For ultra-high refresh rates, 1080p Medium delivers 290.8 FPS, but this is likely beyond the needs of most displays.

Q: Does the system scale well from 1080p to 4K?

A: The scaling is consistent but demanding. At High settings, performance drops from 227.4 FPS at 1080p to 143.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 74.3 FPS at 4K. This indicates a strong GPU that can handle resolution scaling, but with predictable performance costs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Steamworld Build. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus, it has ample capacity for the game's assets. The memory bandwidth is 736.3 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry in a city builder.

The card's clock speeds are high, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2550 MHz. This allows for significant computational throughput, and the benchmark results confirm this. The GPU's average benchmark score is 53610, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT in average score, which is a statistical tie. The data suggests the GPU is rarely the limiting factor until the resolution and settings are pushed to their maximum.

The most telling evidence of the GPU's role is the performance drop from High to Ultra settings. At 4K, the average FPS falls from 74.3 to 53.2, a 21.1 FPS decrease. This demonstrates that the Ultra preset introduces rendering loads that stress the GPU's shader and texture units. The card's FP32 performance is 52.22 TFLOPS, which is being heavily utilized at these higher settings. The game is clearly leveraging the card's raw compute power, and the 16 GB VRAM ensures that there are no memory-related stutters or texture pop-in.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is primarily GPU-bound. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 322.4 at 1080p to 248.6 at 1440p and 132.9 at 4K. This is a 58.8% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant but expected decrease for a GPU-heavy workload.

The scaling pattern changes with settings. At Ultra, the drop is more pronounced: 152.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 97.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 53.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a 44.1 FPS decrease, which is larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (55.5 FPS). This suggests that 4K Ultra is pushing the GPU to its absolute limit.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average FPS is consistently lower than at 1080p across all settings, which is the opposite of a CPU-bound scenario. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has enough headroom to feed the GPU at these resolutions. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, which is working harder to render more pixels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings yield 322.4 FPS, Medium hits 290.8 FPS, and High achieves 227.4 FPS. Even Ultra is highly playable at 152.8 FPS. This resolution is not demanding for this hardware, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor at the lowest settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still excellent. Low settings produce 248.6 FPS, Medium drops to 191 FPS, and High maintains a solid 143.9 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that falls below 100 FPS, with an average of 97.3 FPS. This is the resolution where the GPU starts to become the primary bottleneck, but the system still delivers high refresh rate performance.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its strengths and limitations. Low settings achieve 132.9 FPS, and Medium hits 101.6 FPS, both very playable. High settings deliver 74.3 FPS, which is smooth for a city builder. Ultra is the most demanding preset, with an average of 53.2 FPS, which is on the edge of what is considered ideal for a simulation game. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, showing a robust GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 119th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the upper echelon of tested systems, outperforming 93% of all configurations.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark performance is average for its class. Its average score of 25236 puts it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating that the i5-13400F is a solid, mid-range performer that does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios.

The GPU is a high-end part. Its average benchmark score of 53610 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. It is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, and it is 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. This high-level GPU performance is what drives the strong in-game results.

The combination's high rank is primarily due to the GPU. The CPU is adequate, but the RTX 4080 SUPER is the star of the show. In a game like Steamworld Build, where rendering complex city scenes is the main task, the GPU's power is the deciding factor.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend on your display and performance targets. For 4K displays, the High preset is the best option. It delivers an average of 74.3 FPS, which is smooth and visually rich. The Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost, as it drops to 53.2 FPS, a 21.1 FPS decrease for a marginal visual improvement that is hard to notice in a top-down city builder.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is also recommended. It achieves 143.9 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold. The Medium preset offers 191 FPS, but the visual fidelity at High is a better trade-off for most players. If you have a 240Hz display, the Medium preset at 248.6 FPS is the best choice for maximum smoothness.

For 1080p displays, the High preset is the most balanced. It provides 227.4 FPS, which is more than enough for any high refresh rate monitor. The Medium preset at 290.8 FPS is only for those with extreme 300Hz+ displays. The Low preset at 322.4 FPS offers no meaningful advantage over Medium and should be avoided.

The data shows that the Ultra preset is the least efficient. Across all resolutions, it causes a significant FPS drop without a proportional increase in visual quality. The High preset offers the best balance of performance and visual fidelity for this hardware. It is a capable air cooler for the CPU, but the GPU is the primary driver of the experience.