Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that rarely pushes hardware to its limits, but the data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. The benchmark results show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom becomes apparent only at 1080p with lower graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 179.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 110.9 FPS, a 38% reduction. Pushing to 2160p High yields 58.9 FPS, which is a 67% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 is the limiting component as pixel count increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread from Low (313.1 FPS) to Ultra (118.6 FPS) is 194.5 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 119.5 FPS (198.4 Low versus 78.9 Ultra). At 4K, the spread compresses further to 58.9 FPS (101.4 Low versus 42.5 Ultra). This compression is classic GPU-bound behavior: when the renderer is saturated, the difference between quality presets shrinks because the GPU is already working at full capacity.

Interestingly, the 4K Ultra figure of 42.5 FPS suggests that even the RTX 4070, a capable 40-series card, struggles with the heaviest settings at maximum resolution. The 4K High result of 58.9 FPS is playable but not silky smooth, while 1440p High at 110.9 FPS represents the sweet spot for high-refresh monitors. The data shows that 1080p is almost a waste of this hardware, with even Ultra settings hitting 118.6 FPS, far beyond typical display refresh rates.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070's specifications directly explain the observed scaling behavior. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has the memory subsystem to handle 4K textures without capacity spills. The boost clock of 2475 MHz and 5888 shading units provide the raw compute needed for Steamworld Build's rendering tasks, but the 4K Ultra result of 42.5 FPS shows that the card's 200 W TDP envelope limits sustained high-end performance.

The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput is substantial, yet the benchmark results indicate that Steamworld Build's Ultra preset at 4K demands more than this card can deliver at 60 FPS. The card's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper tier, but the nearest rivals data shows a tight cluster: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 0.6% higher on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 2.2% higher. This suggests the RTX 4070 is positioned at a performance plateau where small architectural differences matter more than raw specification advantages.

The GPU's 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores are present but largely irrelevant for a city builder like Steamworld Build, which prioritizes draw calls and simulation over ray-traced effects. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures full API compatibility, but the measured FPS data shows that traditional rasterization performance is what drives these numbers. The 16-pin power connector and 550 W suggested PSU indicate a power-hungry card, yet the benchmark results show it delivering strong 1440p performance with headroom to spare at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Steamworld Build at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K High settings, the combo achieves 58.9 FPS, which is close to but not consistently above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 42.5 FPS, indicating that 4K requires lowering settings for a smooth experience.

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

A: The 1440p High result of 110.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. It is more than double the 4K High figure and still well above 60 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The Core i5-14400F with 10 cores and 16 threads shows its strength at 1080p Low, where the system hits 313.1 FPS. This indicates the CPU can feed frames far beyond what the GPU can render at higher resolutions, meaning the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Steamworld Build?

A: The 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate, as there is no evidence of memory-related stuttering in the measured FPS data. The 4K Ultra result of 42.5 FPS is more likely a compute limitation than a VRAM capacity issue.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The gap is 194.5 FPS, with Low hitting 313.1 FPS and Ultra reaching 118.6 FPS. This wide spread at 1080p suggests the CPU is capable of high frame rates, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as graphical complexity increases.

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

A: This combination ranks 401st out of 1730 tested combos for Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 23% of all systems. This is a strong showing, though not a top-tier result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 313.1 FPS, Medium reaches 236.8 FPS, High hits 179.9 FPS, and Ultra maintains 118.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is entirely GPU-limited, with even the heaviest preset providing far more frames than most displays can show.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show a significant but expected drop. Low settings achieve 198.4 FPS, Medium hits 152.8 FPS, High reaches 110.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 78.9 FPS. The 1440p Ultra figure remains above 60 FPS, making this resolution viable for demanding players. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 119.5 FPS difference, showing that the GPU is still the primary constraint.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. Low settings produce 101.4 FPS, Medium reaches 79.1 FPS, High hits 58.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42.5 FPS. The 4K High result barely misses the 60 FPS target, while Ultra is not playable for smooth gameplay. The 4K results confirm that this hardware is best suited for 1440p or lower, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises.

The progression across resolutions shows a consistent pattern: each step from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reduces performance by roughly 40-50% at equivalent settings. This consistent scaling suggests a well-balanced system where the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factors, not any CPU-related stuttering or frame pacing issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 401st out of 1730 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 23.2% of all configurations, a respectable position that reflects the hardware's capability in this specific title. The rank is notable because it places this combo ahead of many systems with more expensive components, likely due to Steamworld Build's moderate graphical demands.

The CPU's performance profile supports this ranking. The Core i5-14400F achieves an 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32513, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 scores 32446, and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 scores 32584. These deltas of 0% to 0.2% indicate that the i5-14400F is performance-competitive with mid-range laptop and desktop chips, providing ample compute headroom for city builder simulation logic.

The GPU's ranking is slightly lower but still strong. The RTX 4070 sits at the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (-0.6% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 (-1.9% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 (-2.2% delta). This clustering suggests that the RTX 4070's performance is well understood and consistent, with no significant outliers in its performance class.

The combo's 401st rank out of 1730 systems indicates that while this hardware is capable, there are 400 other combinations that deliver better Steamworld Build performance. This is expected given the RTX 4070 is positioned in the mid-to-high tier of the GPU market, not the absolute top. The data shows that for players targeting 1440p at high refresh rates, this combo is well-suited; for 4K enthusiasts, higher-tier GPUs would be necessary to achieve consistent 60 FPS at Ultra settings.