Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that scales heavily with both resolution and graphical preset, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear performance curve that favors lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable to excellent frame rates across all settings, but the transition to 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 reveals a significant drop in performance, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering in a simulation-heavy genre.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows that resolution is the dominant variable in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 175.4 FPS, which drops to 67 FPS at Ultra settings—a reduction of 61.8%. Moving to 2560x1440, the same Low-to-Ultra spread goes from 111.4 FPS down to 41.1 FPS, a 63.1% drop. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more pronounced: Low settings yield 59 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 24.9 FPS, a 57.8% reduction. The average FPS decline from 1080p to 4K is steep: at High settings, the combo loses 64.4 FPS (from 99.7 to 35.4), and at Medium settings, it loses 84.6 FPS (from 131.3 to 46.7).

This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The 1080p results, especially at Low and Medium settings, show headroom that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at lower pixel counts. However, the 4K Ultra result of 24.9 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even 4K Medium at 46.7 FPS is marginal. The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo in Steamworld Build, with 1440p being playable only at Low or Medium settings, and 4K being viable only at Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1359 out of 1730 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the lower 21.5% of all configurations, which is notable given the CPU's strong standalone performance. The i5-14600KF ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367, yet the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU's 58th percentile standing among all GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 49166 (a 0.4% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 49062 (a 0.6% delta). These close scores suggest the CPU is not the bottleneck in this game's ranking. Conversely, the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15996 (a 0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351 (a -1.7% delta), are all in a similar performance band, confirming that the RTX 2060 is the constraining factor in this pairing. The combo's rank of 1359 reflects a mismatch: a high-end 14-core CPU paired with a mid-range 2019-era GPU, which results in a system that is CPU-rich but GPU-poor for this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the most consistent resolution, with High settings delivering 99.7 FPS and Ultra delivering 67 FPS. At 2560x1440, High drops to 65.9 FPS, and at 3840x2160, High falls to 35.4 FPS, so 1080p is the only resolution where all presets remain above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 99.7 at 1920x1080 to 35.4 at 3840x2160, a loss of 64.3 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is from 175.4 to 59 FPS, a reduction of 116.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rates?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-14600KF ranks in the 93rd percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 2060 ranks in the 58th percentile among GPUs. The drastic FPS drops at higher resolutions, where pixel fill rate becomes critical, point to the GPU's 6 GB memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth as the bottleneck.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 Ultra delivers 67 FPS, which is playable. At 2560x1440 Ultra drops to 41.1 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra falls to 24.9 FPS, so Ultra is only recommended at 1080p.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's performance compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 16074, which is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.7% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351). These deltas are small, indicating similar performance levels across these GPUs.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 84.2 FPS, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a full matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 175.4 FPS on Low, 131.3 FPS on Medium, 99.7 FPS on High, and 67 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a linear progression where each step up in settings reduces performance by roughly 20-30 FPS. At 2560x1440, the figures are 111.4 FPS on Low, 84.2 FPS on Medium, 65.9 FPS on High, and 41.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Medium and High narrows at this resolution, suggesting the GPU is starting to strain.

At 3840x2160, the results are 59 FPS on Low, 46.7 FPS on Medium, 35.4 FPS on High, and 24.9 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, while Ultra is effectively unplayable. The data reveals that the performance penalty for Ultra settings is consistent: compared to High, Ultra costs 32.7 FPS at 1080p, 24.8 FPS at 1440p, and 10.5 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the absolute FPS loss from Ultra decreases at higher resolutions, but the percentage loss remains significant, confirming that the GPU is saturated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the TU106 chip using a 12 nm process from TSMC, with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is a key constraint in Steamworld Build, a city builder that likely requires substantial texture and asset storage as the city grows.

In this game, the GPU's performance is directly tied to resolution and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 24.9 FPS indicates that the pixel fill rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are insufficient for the highest loads. The FP32 compute of 6.451 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects this. The GPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and AMD Radeon Pro W5500, are within a 1.8% delta in average benchmark score, confirming that the RTX 2060 is a solid mid-range performer that struggles with 4K Ultra in demanding titles.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data supports using High settings at 1920x1080, where the combo achieves 99.7 FPS. This provides a smooth frame rate with likely good visual fidelity, as High is only 32.7 FPS below Ultra but yields a 48.8% higher frame rate. If the user prioritizes maximum visuals, Ultra at 1080p delivers 67 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable choice for those with 60 Hz displays. At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 84.2 FPS are the recommended balance, as High drops to 65.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 41.1 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for many users.

At 3840x2160, the only playable option is Low settings, which yields 59 FPS. Medium at 46.7 FPS and High at 35.4 FPS are both below 60 FPS, and Ultra at 24.9 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay scenario. The data suggests that users with 4K displays should either lower resolution or accept Low settings. Overall, the optimal experience is 1080p with High or Ultra settings, or 1440p with Medium settings, based on the measured FPS data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture and Raptor Lake-R codename. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it is built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². The CPU's launch MSRP is $294.

In Steamworld Build, a city builder that relies on simulation logic and AI pathfinding, the CPU's strong multi-core performance is an asset. The i5-14600KF scores 32889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 15636 in Geekbench multi-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i5-14600K (0.4% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (0.6% lower), and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (1.4% higher), all within a 1.4% delta. However, the CPU's high performance does not translate into high frame rates at 4K, because the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 175.4 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed. The 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game's simulation threads, likely preventing CPU-bound stutters. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is advantageous for single-threaded tasks, and the CPU's 24 MB of L3 cache helps with data locality. In this pairing, the CPU is not the limiting factor; rather, it provides a strong foundation that the GPU cannot fully utilize at higher resolutions.