Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a top-tier combination for Steamworld Build, ranking in the 98th percentile of all tested configurations. The data shows this combo delivers exceptional performance, with the CPU providing strong single-threaded capabilities and the GPU offering massive VRAM and bandwidth headroom. While the RTX 4090 is massive overkill for this city builder, the i7-12700K proves to be a capable partner, ensuring that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game remains playable, though the FPS drops significantly as settings scale up.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested hardware combinations for Steamworld Build?

A: This configuration ranks 28th out of 1,730 tested combos, placing it in the top 2% of all systems evaluated for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35,684 on average, which is 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802) and 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35,940), but 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,468) and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416).

Q: What are the measured FPS results at 1080p High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 252.2 FPS, which is sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM utilized heavily in this game?

A: The fact pack does not provide VRAM usage metrics, but the GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 384-bit bus and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, which is far beyond what a city builder typically requires.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra?

A: The system delivers 358.7 FPS at 1080p Low and drops to 59.7 FPS at 4K Ultra, representing a 299 FPS difference (an 83.4% decrease).

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 66,473 on average, which is 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733) and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097), but 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66,127) and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications suggest it should never be the limiting factor in Steamworld Build. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. For a city builder like Steamworld Build, which typically involves rendering many small objects and UI elements, this bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and draw calls never cause hitches. The GPU also features 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be heavily utilized in this genre. The benchmark results confirm the GPU's strength: it scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D and 31,7684 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides the processing foundation for this combo, with 12 cores and 20 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 5.00 GHz, which is critical for Steamworld Build's simulation logic. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core help maintain smooth gameplay as the city grows and more entities need updating per frame.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700K scores 4,128 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 29,241 in multi-core, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4,013 and multithread score of 34,404. These results indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for the game's simulation thread. The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 9,276 and max-thread score of 9,979 show it can handle heavily threaded workloads, but the single-thread score of 1,043 is what matters most for turn-based or tick-based city builders. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,684, places it just 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 28th out of 1,730 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This puts the system in the top 1.6% of all configurations tested, which is impressive given the game's relatively modest requirements. The high rank is driven primarily by the GPU's raw power, as the RTX 4090's 91st percentile standing among all GPUs is complemented by the CPU's 89th percentile ranking.

The data suggests that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, but it is not the absolute best. The 27 combos ranked higher likely feature even more specialized hardware or overclocked configurations. For context, the CPU's nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i5-14500HX — have average scores within 0.7% of the i7-12700K, meaning the processor choice is unlikely to be the differentiator in ranking. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and Quadro P6000, are typically workstation cards that may not translate directly to gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 358.7 FPS on Low, 321.3 FPS on Medium, 252.2 FPS on High, and 169.4 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 282 FPS on Low, 216.3 FPS on Medium, 161.1 FPS on High, and 106.5 FPS on Ultra. Finally, at 3840x2160, the system achieves 149.3 FPS on Low, 111.7 FPS on Medium, 82.7 FPS on High, and 59.7 FPS on Ultra.

These numbers show that the RTX 4090 scales well with resolution, but the setting presets have a more pronounced effect. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 189.3 (52.8%), while at 4K, the same change reduces FPS by 89.6 (60.0%). The 4K Ultra result of 59.7 FPS is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that this is the threshold where the combo's performance becomes marginal. At 1440p Ultra, the 106.5 FPS result provides a smooth experience for most players.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 1080p or 1440p displays. At 1080p Ultra, the 169.4 FPS result is excellent and leaves no reason to lower settings. At 1440p Ultra, the 106.5 FPS average is still above 100 FPS, making it a viable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, at 4K Ultra, the 59.7 FPS average is borderline, and players targeting 60 FPS should consider the High preset instead.

The High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 4K High, the 82.7 FPS result is well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a comfortable margin. At 1440p High, the 161.1 FPS result is ideal for 144Hz displays, and at 1080p High, the 252.2 FPS result exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The Medium preset is a solid fallback for 4K users who want higher frame rates, as the 111.7 FPS at 4K Medium is significantly smoother than Ultra. The Low preset is unnecessary for this hardware, as even 4K Low produces 149.3 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals interesting insights about the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the FPS drops from 252.2 at 1080p to 161.1 at 1440p (36.1% reduction) and then to 82.7 at 4K (67.2% reduction from 1080p). At Low settings, the corresponding values are 358.7 to 282 (21.4% reduction) and then to 149.3 (58.4% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 169.4 to 106.5 (37.1% reduction) and then to 59.7 (64.8% reduction from 1080p).

The fact that the FPS drops by roughly 60-67% from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the settings preset, indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The RTX 4090's 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth and 24 GB of VRAM are sufficient, but the sheer pixel count at 4K demands more from the GPU's compute units. Conversely, the relatively small FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (358.7 to 282) suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's single-thread performance is becoming a secondary constraint. The i7-12700K's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 4,128 Cinebench R23 single-core score are strong, but they cannot keep pace with the GPU's output at 1080p Low settings.