Steamworld Build

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded capability—Cinebench R23 multicore scores 29,241, while single-core reaches 4,128. In Steamworld Build, a city builder where simulation logic and AI population calculations scale across threads, this processor's 20 threads provide substantial headroom. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 241.8 FPS, which is far beyond display refresh rates and indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title.

The processor sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,684. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (avg 35,802, delta -0.3%) and the Intel Core i7-13700T (avg 35,468, delta +0.6%). These deltas are negligible—within a fraction of a percent—meaning the i7-12700K trades blows with newer and lower-power parts. In a city builder, the CPU's L3 cache of 25 MB shared across cores helps keep the simulation's working set resident, reducing memory stalls during large population counts.

The 3DMark thread scaling tests reveal the architecture's character: 2-thread score is 2,065, scaling to 7,202 at 8 threads, and reaching 9,979 at max threads. This near-linear scaling up to 8 threads and continued gains beyond suggest Steamworld Build's simulation engine can utilize multiple cores effectively. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 30.3 FPS—a 87% reduction from 1080p Low—but this is almost entirely a GPU-side limit, not a CPU deficiency. The CPU's single-thread score of 1,043 in 3DMark single-thread and Geekbench single-core of 2,561 indicate it handles the game's primary simulation thread with ample margin.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2,497 MHz, and the GPU delivers 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data shows a clear progression: at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 92.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 30.3 FPS—a 67% drop. This precipitous decline at 4K Ultra signals that the 8 GB VRAM buffer and 128-bit memory interface are strained by the game's high-resolution textures and draw distances.

The RTX 5060 ranks in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30,109. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, scores 30,097 (delta 0%), essentially identical. The PassMark G3D score of 20,891 and DirectX 12 score of 77 (which is a relative index) indicate modern API support, though Steamworld Build's city-builder genre typically doesn't stress ray tracing or tensor cores. The 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores are present but largely idle in this workload.

The memory clock of 1,750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) combined with 8 GB capacity means texture-heavy scenes at 4K Ultra will exceed comfortable VRAM margins. This is visible in the data: 4K Medium hits 63.8 FPS, but 4K Ultra collapses to 30.3 FPS—a 52% drop from Medium to Ultra, far steeper than the settings change alone would suggest. The GPU's pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1440p gaming but become limiting at 4K with maximum settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM enough for Steamworld Build at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K Ultra runs at 30.3 FPS, while 4K High achieves 45.7 FPS. The steep drop from Medium (63.8 FPS) to Ultra (30.3 FPS) indicates VRAM or bandwidth constraints at maximum settings, so 8 GB is marginal for 4K Ultra but workable for 4K High and below.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-12700K averages 35,684 in benchmarks, sitting 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802) and 0.6% above the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,468). These differences are within measurement noise, making them effectively equivalent for gaming.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 87.4 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a comfortable frame rate for city-builder gameplay, where consistent simulation updates matter more than high refresh rates.

Q: Does this combo reach 240 Hz at any settings?

A: Yes—at 1080p Low, the combo averages 241.8 FPS, which exceeds 240 Hz. At 1080p Medium, it drops to 182.3 FPS, so only Low settings at 1080p achieve 240+ FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to the RX 7700 XT?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 30,109, while the RX 7700 XT scores 30,097—a delta of 0%. They are statistically identical in overall GPU performance, though game-specific results can vary.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 30.3 FPS is GPU-limited. The CPU's strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore 29,241) and the fact that 1080p Low reaches 241.8 FPS confirm the processor is not the constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 822nd out of 1,730 tested combinations in Steamworld Build, placing it in the upper half of all configurations. The middle-of-pack ranking reflects the balance between a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU. The i7-12700K's 89th percentile CPU standing is offset by the RTX 5060's 73rd percentile GPU position, resulting in a system that excels at CPU-bound scenarios (city simulation, large populations) but is held back by GPU limits at extreme settings.

The rank of 822 out of 1,730 indicates that roughly half of all tested combos outperform this pairing in this specific game. This is reasonable given that Steamworld Build's simulation-heavy nature rewards CPU strength, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The data shows this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers 92.4 FPS and 56.1 FPS at Ultra, respectively. At 4K, the combo falls below 60 FPS even at High settings (45.7 FPS), suggesting that 4K play requires dropping to Medium (63.8 FPS) or Low (82.5 FPS) settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings levels:

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 241.8 FPS average
• Medium: 182.3 FPS average
• High: 137.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 92.4 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 153.5 FPS average
• Medium: 113.6 FPS average
• High: 87.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 56.1 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 82.5 FPS average
• Medium: 63.8 FPS average
• High: 45.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 30.3 FPS average

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent—roughly a 36-40% FPS reduction across all settings. However, the 1440p to 4K transition shows a more severe drop: at Ultra, from 56.1 to 30.3 FPS (46% reduction), while at Low, from 153.5 to 82.5 FPS (46% reduction). This consistent proportional drop indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth scale predictably with pixel count, rather than hitting a VRAM cliff at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the High preset at 1440p (87.4 FPS) offers the optimal balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. This provides a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining high-quality textures and effects. At 1080p, High settings (137.8 FPS) are recommended for players with 144Hz displays, as Ultra (92.4 FPS) still exceeds 60 FPS but with diminishing visual returns for a 33% performance hit.

At 4K, the data suggests Medium settings (63.8 FPS) as the sweet spot—it maintains playable frame rates while avoiding the severe drop to 30.3 FPS at Ultra. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 18.1 FPS (from 63.8 to 45.7), a 28% reduction that pushes below 60 FPS. For players prioritizing consistent frame rates, 4K Low (82.5 FPS) provides a smooth experience, but Medium is the recommended compromise between quality and performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 241.8 FPS, which is nearly 2.4x the 4K Low result of 82.5 FPS. This 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings indicates the GPU is heavily pixel-bound. At Ultra settings, the reduction is even steeper: from 92.4 FPS at 1080p to 30.3 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop.

The proportional scaling across all settings—roughly 66-67% reduction from 1080p to 4K—points to the GPU as the primary limiter, since CPU performance would not degrade with resolution changes. The i7-12700K's strong multi-threaded scores (3DMark max threads 9,979, PassMark multithread 34,404) mean it can feed the GPU at 1080p, but the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus become the constraint as resolution increases. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of higher pixel count and larger texture fetches strains the memory subsystem. This is why 4K Ultra (30.3 FPS) falls below playable thresholds—the GPU simply cannot sustain the data throughput required by the game's maximum settings at that resolution.