Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder from late 2023, presents an interesting stress case for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 pairing. The measured data reveals a system that is exceptionally capable at mainstream resolutions but hits a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, exploring how the 14-core CPU and 8GB GDDR7 GPU interact across various settings and resolutions to define the playable envelope for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for the highest frame rates?

A: The data shows the highest average frame rate is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing 237.5 FPS. This is significantly faster than the next tier, which is 183.5 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: How does the RTX 5060's performance compare to its closest rivals according to the data?

A: The benchmark scores indicate the RTX 5060 is virtually tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, showing a 0% deltaPct. It is also 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile in average benchmark score.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with High settings?

A: The 137.5 FPS average at 1080p High, combined with the 151.8 FPS at 1440p Low, suggests that at lower resolutions and higher settings, the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU's high single-thread performance, indicated by its 4273 Passmark score, helps maintain high frame rates but is not the sole factor.

Q: What is the most demanding configuration tested?

A: The most demanding configuration is 3840x2160 (4K) with Ultra settings, which yields the lowest average frame rate of 30.5 FPS. This is a significant drop from the 45.3 FPS achieved at 4K High.

Q: How large is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the jump from Low to Ultra settings results in a substantial performance cost. The average FPS drops from 151.8 on Low to 59.8 on Ultra, a reduction of 92 FPS.

Q: Where does this specific CPU+GPU combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 853rd out of 1730 tested combinations for Steamworld Build. This places it in the middle of the pack, suggesting that while it's capable, there are many other systems that achieve higher performance in this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's role in Steamworld Build is defined by its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 128-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark results show that this memory configuration is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate plummets to 30.5 FPS, a stark contrast to the 81 FPS achieved at 4K Low. This massive 50.5 FPS swing suggests that the game's Ultra preset likely demands more memory bandwidth and capacity than the GPU can efficiently provide at that resolution, causing a significant bottleneck.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 19.18 TFLOPS for FP32, are clearly sufficient for high frame rates at lower resolutions. The data shows the card scaling well from 1080p to 1440p, with the 1440p High average of 88.9 FPS being 51.4 FPS lower than the 1080p High average of 137.5 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at these settings. However, the 4K results point to a different story, where the combination of resolution and the most demanding settings overwhelms the memory subsystem, making the 8GB frame buffer a limiting factor for ultra-high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, 1080p Low at 237.5 FPS is the clear choice, though it sacrifices visual fidelity. A more balanced approach at 1080p is the High preset, which still delivers a very smooth 137.5 FPS, a 100 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset at 89.5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 116.5 FPS appears to be the sweet spot, offering a substantial improvement over High (88.9 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 59.8 FPS, which is playable but indicates the system is nearing its limits. For 4K, the data suggests that the High preset (45.3 FPS) is the highest playable option, as the Ultra preset's 30.5 FPS average is likely too choppy for a city builder where camera panning is frequent. The 4K Low preset at 81 FPS shows the GPU can handle the resolution when graphical load is reduced.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination holds a rank of 853 out of 1730 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the 49th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly half of the tested configurations perform better in this game. This seems to contradict the strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, but it highlights that the 4K Ultra results significantly drag down the overall standing. The combo's rank is likely influenced by other systems with more powerful GPUs that can handle 4K Ultra smoothly.

When looking at the individual components, the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 49367) suggests it is a top-tier processor. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, is only 0.4% behind in average score. The GPU, however, is in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30109. This indicates that the GPU is a mid-to-high-range part, and its performance, while excellent at lower resolutions, is what limits the combo's overall rank in a game that is demanding at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average FPS drops from 137.5 to 88.9, a 35.4% reduction. This is a significant but expected cost for the 78% increase in pixel count. The scaling from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) is even more punishing. On High settings, the frame rate plummets from 88.9 FPS to 45.3 FPS, a 49.1% decrease, despite the pixel count only increasing by 125%. This non-linear drop indicates a resource limit is being hit.

This behavior is a classic sign of a memory bandwidth or capacity limitation. The RTX 5060's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the jump to 4K, especially with higher detail settings, likely exceeds the effective bandwidth available, causing the frame rate to collapse. This is particularly evident on the Ultra preset, where the 4K frame rate of 30.5 FPS is less than half of the 1440p Ultra performance of 59.8 FPS. The data suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiting factor, its memory subsystem is the specific bottleneck at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high, ranging from a minimum of 89.5 FPS on Ultra to a maximum of 237.5 FPS on Low. The progression is logical: Low (237.5 FPS) > Medium (183.5 FPS) > High (137.5 FPS) > Ultra (89.5 FPS). Each step up in settings costs a significant number of frames, showing the GPU is the main constraint.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the cost of higher settings becomes more apparent. The results are: Low at 151.8 FPS, Medium at 116.5 FPS, High at 88.9 FPS, and Ultra at 59.8 FPS. The 92 FPS difference between Low and Ultra shows the heavy load of the Ultra preset. Moving to 3840x2160, the frame rates drop off dramatically. The results are: Low at 81 FPS, Medium at 58.8 FPS, High at 45.3 FPS, and Ultra at 30.5 FPS. Here, even the Medium preset struggles to maintain 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset's 30.5 FPS average is indicative of a severely constrained system.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficient) and 20 threads, provides a robust foundation for Steamworld Build. Its high boost clock of 5.30 GHz and strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4273, are crucial for a city builder, which often has a primary simulation thread. The CPU's substantial L3 cache of 24 MB (shared) helps keep frequently accessed game data close at hand.

The benchmark data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the 237.5 FPS average confirms the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and simulation data. However, the gap between 1080p Low (237.5 FPS) and 1440p Low (151.8 FPS) is 85.7 FPS, which is a GPU limitation. The fact that the CPU can push over 230 FPS at 1080p shows it has significant headroom. Its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its close rivalry with the Intel Core i5-14600K (only 0.4% difference in average score), confirms that the processor is a high-end part that is well-suited to handle the demands of this game, leaving the GPU as the determining factor for final performance.