Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that places unusual demands on a system, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D reveals a fascinating dynamic. The benchmark data shows a configuration that is overwhelmingly powerful, yet the game's architecture ensures that the CPU still plays a significant role in determining final frame rates. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, placing the combo's rank in context within a massive database of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions paints a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies in this configuration for Steamworld Build. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 329 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops performance to 283 FPS, a reduction of 14%. At 4K (3840x2160) with Low settings, the frame rate falls to 161 FPS, which is a 43% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is unusual; typically, a GPU-bound scenario would show a steeper decline as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The relatively modest decline here suggests that at lower resolutions, the Intel Core i5-14400F is limiting the frame rate, preventing the RTX 5090 D from fully stretching its legs.

The story changes dramatically when we look at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 186 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that number falls to 118 FPS (a 37% drop), and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 62 FPS (a 47% drop from 1440p). The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more aggressive here, indicating that the heavier graphics load is finally shifting the bottleneck towards the GPU. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p Ultra (68 FPS difference) is still substantial, which suggests that even at high settings, the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU enough data to maintain a linear scaling path. The data indicates that this game is heavily CPU-dependent at lower resolutions, but at 4K Ultra, the RTX 5090 D's workload becomes the primary constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Steamworld Build with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 on High settings offers an excellent balance, yielding 175 FPS. This is significantly above the 4K High result of 92 FPS and provides a smoother experience than the 4K Ultra preset's 62 FPS, which may be less ideal for a game requiring precise cursor placement.

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

A: The combo ranks 71st out of 3706 tested combos. This places it in the top 2% of all systems tested, indicating that this is a very high-performing configuration for Steamworld Build, even if it doesn't top the charts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is often the limiting factor, especially at lower resolutions and settings. For example, at 1080p Low, the combo hits 329 FPS, but at 4K Low, it only drops to 161 FPS. This relatively small drop for a massive resolution increase indicates the CPU is holding back the GPU. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 62 FPS.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate increases from 62 FPS on Ultra to 161 FPS on Low. This represents a 159% performance uplift. The difference is less pronounced at 1080p, where Low yields 329 FPS versus 186 FPS on Ultra, a 77% increase.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates like at Medium settings?

A: The data provides minimum FPS only for the Medium preset. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 105 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, it is 199 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 254 FPS. These figures show that the combo maintains playable frame rates even during demanding scenes at these settings.

Q: How does the i5-14400F compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it at the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores 32233, a negligible 0.1% difference. It is also within 0.5% of the Intel Core i7-12800H, showing that its multi-threaded performance is very competitive with mobile and older desktop parts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 71 out of 3706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This is a top-tier result, placing the configuration in the 98th percentile of all systems tested. The data shows this is a formidable pairing for this specific title, despite the CPU's mid-range positioning in the broader market.

This high rank is likely due to the game's nature as a city builder, which often relies more heavily on single-threaded performance and cache hierarchy than on raw GPU throughput. The i5-14400F, with its strong single-core performance (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055), is well-suited to the simulation logic. The RTX 5090 D, ranking in the 92nd percentile of GPUs, ensures that graphical rendering is never a significant obstacle. The synergy between a strong CPU and an exceptionally strong GPU is what pushes this combo to the 71st position, outperforming the vast majority of systems that may have more balanced but weaker components.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 329 FPS, while Medium yields 298 FPS (min 254, max 343). High settings produce 268 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a high 186 FPS average. This resolution is entirely CPU-bound, as the GPU has ample headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. Low settings hit 283 FPS, Medium averages 234 FPS (min 199, max 269), and High produces 175 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 118 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for a city builder. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more pronounced, showing that the increased pixel count is starting to engage the GPU more seriously.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes more apparent. The Low preset averages 161 FPS, and Medium drops to 124 FPS (min 105, max 142). High settings yield 92 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K gaming. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 62 FPS. This is the only configuration where the system dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K Ultra is a heavy load even for the RTX 5090 D in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It features a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For a game like Steamworld Build, the high boost clock is critical. The data suggests that this game is not heavily multi-threaded; instead, it likely relies on a few primary threads for simulation and logic. The i5-14400F's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055, allows it to handle these tasks efficiently.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are also important. City builders often have complex data structures that benefit from large caches to reduce memory latency. The benchmark results support this, as the combo's rank of 71st in-game is significantly higher than the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking overall. This indicates that the i5-14400F's specific characteristics are particularly well-suited to this game's engine. The data from the resolution scaling analysis, where frame rates at 1080p are far higher than at 4K, confirms that the CPU is the primary driver of performance at lower resolutions, allowing the RTX 5090 D to render frames as fast as the processor can supply them.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the smoothest experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the standout recommendation. It delivers an average of 175 FPS, which is far beyond what is needed for a city builder and ensures fluid camera panning and zooming. The jump to 4K High costs a significant 83 FPS (down to 92), making 1440p the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

If you are gaming at 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. It provides an average of 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS, ensuring that the game remains responsive even during large, complex builds with many active entities. The 4K High preset, at 92 FPS, is also viable, but the Medium preset offers a substantial performance buffer for a small visual fidelity cost.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity above all else and have a 1080p or 1440p display, the Ultra preset is entirely playable. At 1440p Ultra, the combo achieves 118 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 186 FPS. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset's 62 FPS average is borderline. Given the genre's need for precise placement and overview, the Medium preset at 4K provides a better experience than Ultra, as the visual difference is often less noticeable in a top-down city builder than the frame rate difference (124 FPS vs 62 FPS). The Low presets, while yielding the highest frame rates, are not recommended as they would likely degrade the visual clarity needed to manage a city effectively.