Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and can boost up to 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. In Steamworld Build, a city builder where simulation logic and AI pathfinding are typically more demanding than raw graphics, this CPU's multi-threaded capacity is a significant asset. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24,491 points and Geekbench multi-core score of 16,673 points reflect robust parallel processing capability, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing when large populations and complex production chains are active. The CPU's single-thread performance is equally important for this genre, as game logic often runs on a primary thread; its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,064 points and PassMark single-thread score of 4,270 points indicate strong per-core throughput. In the broader context of all tested CPUs, this processor sits at the 90th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 48,618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (average score 48,698, 0.2% higher), the AMD EPYC 4345P (average score 48,470, 0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (average score 48,287, 0.7% lower). This places the i5-14600K in a tightly contested performance tier where the differences among the top contenders are minimal, suggesting that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14600K will perform nearly identically to these alternatives.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the flagship graphics card in this configuration, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). With 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs, the RTX 5090 provides immense raw pixel-pushing power, evident in its PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355. In Steamworld Build, where visual fidelity comes from detailed textures and lighting effects, the GPU's 32 GB VRAM ensures that even at Ultra settings with high-resolution assets, there is ample memory headroom. The card's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s allow it to render complex scenes with smoothness, though the game's engine may not fully utilize the RTX 5090's extreme compute capabilities. The GPU holds the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (average score 79,605, 0.3% lower), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (average score 79,396, 0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78,940, 1.1% lower). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 5090 is at the very top of the performance hierarchy, though its advantage over these workstation-oriented competitors is modest in synthetic benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 4345P?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48,618, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4345P's score of 48,470. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the two processors are essentially performance equivalents in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the RTX 5090's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 79,842 is slightly lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X, which scores 80,959, representing a 1.4% deficit for the RTX 5090.

Q: At 1080p with Medium settings, what is the average FPS and the FPS range?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 344 FPS, with a minimum of 292 FPS and a maximum of 395 FPS. This wide range indicates some frame-time variability, but the overall performance is exceptionally high.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low setting compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low setting delivers 379 FPS, while 4K Ultra delivers 58 FPS. This represents a 6.5x increase in frame rate when dropping resolution and settings to the lowest tested configuration.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 58. Given that the RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile and the i5-14600K is in the 90th percentile, the data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this extreme resolution, as the CPU's high single-thread performance is less stressed by the increased pixel count.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations in Steamworld Build?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 60th out of 3,706 tested combos. This places it in the top 2% of all configurations tested for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 60 out of 3,706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places the system in the top 1.6% of all configurations evaluated, which is a strong result given the game's CPU-intensive nature. The ranking reflects a balance between the CPU's 90th percentile performance and the GPU's 92nd percentile performance. The i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are well-suited for the simulation aspects of Steamworld Build, while the RTX 5090's massive 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth handle the graphical load without memory pressure. The rank suggests that while there are 59 combos that perform better, they likely feature even more powerful CPUs, such as high-core-count workstation processors, given that the RTX 5090 is already near the top of the GPU hierarchy. The 0.3% difference in average benchmark score between the i5-14600K and its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4345P, indicates that the CPU choice is not the differentiating factor here; instead, the game's engine may favor certain architectures or memory configurations. The data shows that this combo is exceptionally well-matched for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and playable 4K performance, with the measured FPS numbers confirming that the system is not bottlenecked at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear scaling patterns across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 379 FPS, which drops to 286 FPS at 1440p and further to 151 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 1440p, and a 60% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent, indicating that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed as pixel count rises. However, the interesting observation is at High settings: 1080p yields 258 FPS, 1440p yields 164 FPS, and 4K yields 87 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%, showing that the GPU's load grows super-linearly with resolution at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the performance drops more dramatically: 174 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth, indicating that this is the first setting where the GPU becomes a definitive bottleneck. This pattern suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is capable of feeding frames fast enough, but at 4K, especially with Ultra settings, the RTX 5090's render workload dominates. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 205 FPS (379 vs 174), while at 4K the gap is 93 FPS (151 vs 58), further confirming that the GPU's capabilities are the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data implies that for optimal 4K gaming, users should use High settings (87 FPS) rather than Ultra (58 FPS) to maintain smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo delivers exceptional performance: Low settings achieve an average of 379 FPS, Medium settings achieve 344 FPS (with a minimum of 292 FPS and maximum of 395 FPS), High settings achieve 258 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 174 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 86 FPS, indicating a significant performance hit when enabling higher-quality textures and effects. At 2560x1440 resolution, performance remains very high: Low settings average 286 FPS, Medium settings average 219 FPS (minimum 186 FPS, maximum 252 FPS), High settings average 164 FPS, and Ultra settings average 111 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 111 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 3840x2160 (4K) resolution, performance drops considerably: Low settings average 151 FPS, Medium settings average 116 FPS (minimum 98 FPS, maximum 133 FPS), High settings average 87 FPS, and Ultra settings average 58 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that for 4K gaming, High settings (87 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. The Medium settings at 4K show a minimum FPS of 98, which is still smooth, but the 30 FPS delta between Medium and High at 4K (116 vs 87) is proportionally larger than at 1080p (86 FPS delta between Medium and High), highlighting the GPU's increasing workload with resolution. The data shows no min or max FPS values for Low, High, or Ultra settings, indicating that only Medium settings had recorded frame time variance, which was consistent across all resolutions (roughly 30 FPS spread between min and max at each resolution).