Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a performance profile in Steamworld Build that is heavily skewed by resolution, with the CPU demonstrating significant headroom at lower settings. Benchmark data indicates that the combination ranks 406th out of 1730 tested combos in this title, placing it in the top quarter of all systems. The measured frame rates reveal a system that can easily drive high refresh rate displays at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra settings remain the only scenario that pushes the GPU to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, but with unusual characteristics at the lower end of the settings spectrum. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 313.4 FPS at 1080p to 198.5 FPS at 1440p, a 36.7% reduction, and then to 105.8 FPS at 4K, a further 46.7% decline. This steep drop-off between 1440p and 4K indicates that even at Low settings, the RTX 4070 becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts, though the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when moving to Medium settings. At 1080p, the average is 239 FPS, which falls to 151 FPS at 1440p (a 36.8% reduction) and then to 77.6 FPS at 4K (a 48.6% reduction). The percentage drops are remarkably consistent between Low and Medium presets, suggesting that the rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count. However, the gap between 1440p and 4K widens slightly, reinforcing that pixel throughput becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises.

High settings present a different story. The 1080p average of 177.6 FPS drops to 110.5 FPS at 1440p (37.8% reduction) and then to 60.2 FPS at 4K (45.5% reduction). The 4K result here is interesting because it lands almost exactly on the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the RTX 4070 is barely maintaining playable frame rates when the visual fidelity is raised. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is slightly less severe than at lower presets, which may indicate that additional GPU work at higher settings partially masks the pure pixel-count penalty.

Ultra settings expose the most pronounced scaling. At 1080p, the average is 119.1 FPS, which drops to 74.4 FPS at 1440p (37.5% reduction) and then to 40.9 FPS at 4K (45.0% reduction). The 4K Ultra result is the only measured scenario that falls below 60 FPS, and the 1440p result sits below the 75 Hz refresh rate that many monitors target. This pattern confirms that while the Core i5-14600K provides ample processing power for the simulation and logic aspects of Steamworld Build, the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth become the primary constraint at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that the combination achieves 60.2 FPS at 4K High, which is the minimum acceptable average for smooth gameplay. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 77.6 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 40.9 FPS, so users targeting 4K should stick to Medium or High presets.

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

A: The Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698). It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4% (49367) and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9% (49595).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the average frame rate reaches 313.4 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's single-thread performance, indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4070 even at this extreme frame rate.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 198.5 FPS while Ultra averages 74.4 FPS, a difference of 124.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 151 FPS and High at 110.5 FPS fill the gap, showing that each settings tier costs roughly 25-40 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 rank against other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 4070 holds an average benchmark score of 37283 and ranks in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. It sits 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507) and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371).

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at maximum settings?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset averages only 40.9 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Users seeking 4K Ultra would require a more powerful GPU, as the RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance is insufficient for this workload at maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 406 out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the 76.5th percentile of all systems tested. This position reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all processors (average benchmark score of 49166) provides robust simulation performance, while the GPU's 81st percentile ranking (average benchmark score of 37283) handles the rendering workload.

The rank of 406 indicates that 1324 other system configurations outperform this combo in Steamworld Build, which is expected given the presence of higher-tier GPUs in the database. However, the measured frame rates suggest that the ranking may not fully capture the real-world experience at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset except Ultra exceeds 175 FPS, and even 4K Medium maintains 77.6 FPS, so the rank likely reflects the GPU's ceiling at higher settings rather than any CPU limitation.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show that the i5-14600K is competitively positioned. Its 0.2% lead over the Ryzen 9 5950X and 1% lead over the Xeon Gold 5318H translate to negligible real-world differences in Steamworld Build, where the GPU dominates at higher resolutions. Conversely, the 0.4% deficit to the i5-14600KF (which is the same chip with integrated graphics disabled) confirms that the KF variant offers marginally better value for users who do not need the UHD Graphics 770.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset averages 313.4 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 239 FPS, High to 177.6 FPS, and Ultra to 119.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 194.3 FPS, indicating that the settings menu has a massive impact on rendering load at this resolution. Even the Ultra preset exceeds 115 FPS, making 1080p gaming a non-issue for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain high but the spread narrows slightly. Low produces 198.5 FPS, Medium 151 FPS, High 110.5 FPS, and Ultra 74.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 124.1 FPS, showing that the GPU begins to feel the pressure of additional pixels. The Ultra result at 74.4 FPS is acceptable for most monitors, though users with 144 Hz panels will need to dial back to High or Medium to fully utilize their display's refresh rate.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens out and the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low averages 105.8 FPS, which is still very playable, but Medium drops to 77.6 FPS, High to 60.2 FPS, and Ultra to 40.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured scenario that falls below 60 FPS, and the 19.3 FPS difference between High and Ultra suggests that the Ultra preset includes expensive effects that disproportionately impact performance at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 1920x1080 display, the Ultra preset at 119.1 FPS is the clear choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still delivering frame rates well above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 177.6 FPS High preset is unnecessary unless the user has a 240 Hz monitor and prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, but even then, the 58.5 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual downgrade.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 110.5 FPS offers the best balance between image quality and performance. The Medium preset at 151 FPS is worth considering for users with 144 Hz displays who want to guarantee frame rates above their refresh rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a city builder like Steamworld Build may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 74.4 FPS is acceptable for users with 60 Hz monitors who prioritize maximum visual detail.

For 3840x2160 displays, the Medium preset at 77.6 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 60.2 FPS is viable for users who want better visuals and are comfortable with frame rates that hover near the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 40.9 FPS should be avoided, as the sub-60 FPS average will result in noticeable stuttering and reduced responsiveness in a game that requires frequent camera movements and building placements.

The Low preset at any resolution offers no practical benefit for this configuration, as even 4K Low at 105.8 FPS is far above what the visual quality justifies. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 has sufficient headroom at Medium and High presets to provide an excellent experience at all three resolutions, with the only compromise being 4K Ultra, which requires a more powerful GPU to run smoothly.