Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder released in late 2023, presents an interesting workload that scales dramatically with both resolution and graphical presets. The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a wide performance envelope, from highly playable triple-digit frame rates at 1080p to a borderline experience at 4K Ultra. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for mainstream resolutions but shows clear limitations when pushed to the extreme, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint as resolution and settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves an average of 226.7 FPS, which drops to 88.9 FPS at 1080p Ultra—a reduction of roughly 61% from the lowest preset to the highest. This substantial drop at the same resolution highlights the increasing load on the graphics card as visual fidelity settings are raised, moving the bottleneck firmly toward the GPU.

Scaling to 1440p, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at High settings is 80.5, which is 36.5% lower than the 1080p High result of 126.8 FPS. This indicates that the transition from 1080p to 1440p imposes a significant additional cost on the RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus becoming a more critical factor.

At 4K (3840x2160), the performance envelope tightens considerably. The average FPS at High settings is 42.3, which is less than half the 1080p High figure. The scaling from 1440p High (80.5 FPS) to 4K High (42.3 FPS) shows a 47% performance drop, demonstrating that the game becomes heavily GPU-limited at this resolution. The Low preset at 4K yields 73.4 FPS, which is still respectable, but the Ultra preset falls to 31.7 FPS, indicating that the combination is not suitable for maximum settings at this resolution.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts decisively to the GPU as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, appears sufficient to feed the graphics card at lower resolutions, but the RTX 4060's compute and memory bandwidth constraints cap performance at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Steamworld Build, this specific configuration—Intel Core i5-14400F with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060—ranks 976th out of 1,730 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer for this title, it is far from the bottom. The percentile ranking of the CPU alone is 88, meaning it outperforms 88% of all tested processors, while the GPU's percentile is 66, suggesting it is a more average component in the broader context.

The combo's rank of 976 out of 1,730 reveals that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average frame rates in this game. This is likely due to the game's scaling behavior; Steamworld Build appears to benefit significantly from more powerful graphics cards, which can push higher frame rates at the resolutions where the CPU is not the bottleneck. The i5-14400F's position relative to its nearest rivals—such as the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, which have nearly identical average scores—suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The GPU's rank at 66th percentile is more telling. The RTX 4060 sits near the middle of the GPU performance spectrum, and in a game like Steamworld Build where graphical load can be intense at high settings, this mid-range positioning directly influences the combo's overall rank. The data shows that the combination's performance is more closely tied to the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with a memory clock of 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). These specifications indicate a card designed for 1080p and entry-level 1440p gaming, which aligns with the measured results.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role is pivotal at higher settings and resolutions. The transition from Low to Ultra settings at any resolution shows a consistent pattern of FPS decline, but the magnitude of this decline grows with resolution. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 137.8 FPS (from 226.7 to 88.9), while at 4K, the same settings change results in a drop of 41.7 FPS (from 73.4 to 31.7). This indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and raster operations pipelines are increasingly saturated as the resolution increases.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor. While the game does not appear to exceed this limit at the tested settings, the 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth could become a bottleneck in complex city-building scenes with many objects on screen. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but unlikely to be heavily utilized in this genre, which focuses more on traditional rasterization. The data shows that the GPU's raw compute power—15.11 TFLOPS FP32—is what drives performance, and this figure is consistent with its mid-range positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the average FPS across all tested resolutions and settings:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 226.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 171.6 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 126.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 88.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 142.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 112.0 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 80.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 58.0 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 73.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 55.4 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 42.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 31.7 |

At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Even at Ultra, the average FPS of 88.9 is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Low setting at 226.7 FPS indicates that the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily taxed, suggesting that the i5-14400F is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

At 1440p, performance remains strong but requires more careful settings management. The High preset at 80.5 FPS is playable, while the Ultra preset at 58.0 FPS dips slightly below the 60 FPS mark. For users seeking a consistent 60+ FPS experience, Medium settings at 112.0 FPS or High settings at 80.5 FPS are viable options.

At 4K, the results are more constrained. The Low preset at 73.4 FPS is playable, but Medium at 55.4 FPS and High at 42.3 FPS fall below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 31.7 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant settings compromises, and even then, the experience may not be optimal.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Steamworld Build?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p offers the best performance across all settings, with the lowest preset achieving 226.7 FPS and Ultra still maintaining 88.9 FPS. At 1440p, High settings at 80.5 FPS are playable, but 4K requires Low settings to reach 73.4 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,508, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,513) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32,446). It is slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32,584) by 0.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a strong performer for this game?

A: The GPU has a percentile rank of 66 among all tested GPUs, indicating it is above average but not a top-tier performer. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23,321 average score) and the Intel Arc B580 (23,021), with the RTX 4060 scoring 23,181.

Q: What is the impact of Ultra settings on performance?

A: At 1080p, Ultra settings reduce average FPS to 88.9, which is 60.8% lower than Low settings. At 1440p, Ultra yields 58.0 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 31.7 FPS, making it the most demanding preset tested.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in this game?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 976th out of 1,730 tested combinations for Steamworld Build, placing it in the lower-middle range of the database.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more?

A: The data shows that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU has a percentile rank of 88, while the GPU sits at 66, and the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions indicate that the RTX 4060's capabilities cap performance.