Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation's pace and visual feedback depend heavily on the hardware driving it. The measured performance data for this combination of an Intel Core i7-12700K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D reveals a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for the title, but the scaling patterns between resolutions and presets expose where the bottlenecks lie. The frame rates achieved are exceptionally high across the board, yet the drop from 1080p to 4K is steep enough to show that even a top-tier GPU is doing significant work, while the CPU remains a constant, capable foundation.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions tells a clear story about the balance between the CPU and GPU in this specific configuration. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the GPU having ample headroom to render frames as fast as the processor can feed it. The data shows an average of 355 FPS on Low settings at 1080p, which is a massive number that only makes sense if the CPU is the primary limiting factor. Moving to 2560x1440, the same Low preset drops to 305 FPS, a reduction of about 14%. This indicates that the GPU is beginning to take on more work, but the CPU is still able to keep up with the demand. However, the most significant transition is to 3840x2160, where the Low preset average falls to 161 FPS. That is a 47% drop from the 1440p result, clearly demonstrating that the RTX 5090 D's rendering load at 4K is now the dominant constraint.

The scaling at higher settings reinforces this interpretation. At High settings, the averages are 275 FPS at 1080p, 175 FPS at 1440p, and 92 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and then another 47% from 1440p to 4K. This pattern suggests that as resolution increases, the pixel throughput demand on the GPU grows super-linearly, quickly overwhelming the CPU's ability to be the sole bottleneck. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows a similar trend but with lower absolute numbers: 186 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that at 1080p, even Ultra settings are not enough to fully saturate the GPU, as the CPU still limits the frame rate. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, delivering a playable but significantly lower 62 FPS average.

The Medium preset provides the only data points with min and max FPS values, offering a glimpse into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 322 FPS with a min of 274 and max of 371. At 1440p Medium, the average is 234 FPS with a min of 199 and max of 269. At 4K Medium, the average is 124 FPS with a min of 105 and max of 142. The spread between min and max is relatively narrow in each case, suggesting that the frame pacing is stable without major hitches, even when the resolution increases. This stability is a sign that the combination is well-matched for the game's engine, which appears to scale predictably with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Steamworld Build, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D sits at rank 27 out of 2924 combos. This places it in the top 1% of all tested systems, indicating that it is one of the most capable configurations for achieving high frame rates in this game. The percentile ranking for the GPU is 92, and for the CPU it is 84, which when combined, put this system in an elite tier. The fact that it is not ranked number one suggests that some other combinations, likely with even more powerful CPUs, are able to push slightly higher average frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck.

The combo rank is a holistic measure, but the resolution-specific data shows where this system's strengths and weaknesses lie. At 1080p, the rank is likely held back by the CPU's performance ceiling. The i7-12700K has a strong multi-core score of 19784 in Cinebench R23, but a more powerful processor could potentially push the 355 FPS Low average even higher. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the primary factor, and the RTX 5090 D's performance is what secures the high overall rank. The data shows that the system is more competitive at higher resolutions, where the GPU's massive 32 GB memory buffer and high bandwidth are fully utilized. The rank of 27 confirms the overall balance, but it is likely that the system would rank even higher if the CPU could keep pace with the GPU at lower resolutions.

When compared to other tested combos, this system is in the 99th percentile, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T and Intel Core i7-12700KF, have average benchmark scores that are within 0.4% of the i7-12700K, indicating that the CPU's raw compute power is not a differentiator at these extreme frame rates. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, have average scores that are 1.1% and 1.6% away, respectively, but these are mobile parts and do not reflect the desktop RTX 5090 D's actual gaming performance in this title. The measured FPS data is the definitive proof of the combo's capability, and it shows a system that is overkill for most displays.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured frame rates, the choice of settings depends entirely on the user's display refresh rate and preference for visual fidelity. For a 4K display, the High preset is the optimal choice, delivering a 92 FPS average. This is a smooth, playable experience that balances visual quality with performance. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 62 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for users with high-refresh-rate displays who prioritize smoothness over maximum detail. The Medium preset at 4K offers 124 FPS, which is excellent for 120Hz displays, but the visual compromise may not be worth the frame rate gain for many players. The Low preset at 4K, while hitting 161 FPS, is likely too visually diminished for a game that relies on visual feedback for city management.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is the clear winner, with an average of 175 FPS. This is more than enough for even the most demanding 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, and the visual quality will be high. The Ultra preset at 1440p achieves 118 FPS, which is also a great option for 120Hz displays, offering the best visual fidelity without sacrificing the playability. The Medium preset at 234 FPS is overkill for any current display, and the Low preset at 305 FPS is unnecessary. For 1080p, the High preset at 275 FPS is the most sensible choice, as it provides a huge frame rate buffer while maintaining good visuals. The Ultra preset at 186 FPS is also a solid option for 240Hz panels, but the High preset is more efficient.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset is the only one that pushes the system hard enough to see a significant performance penalty. The gap between High and Ultra is substantial: at 4K, it is a 30 FPS difference (92 vs 62 FPS), and at 1440p, it is a 57 FPS difference (175 vs 118 FPS). This indicates that Ultra likely introduces effects that are disproportionately taxing on the GPU, such as higher shadow quality or more complex post-processing. For the best experience per the measured rows, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. It keeps frame rates high enough to prevent any perception of lag while still looking polished.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of the system's performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 355 FPS, the Medium preset averages 322 FPS (with a min of 274 and max of 371), the High preset averages 275 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 186 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease in frame rate, but even at Ultra, the system is delivering nearly 200 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The gap between High and Ultra is 89 FPS, which is the largest jump between any two consecutive presets at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 305 FPS, the Medium preset averages 234 FPS (with a min of 199 and max of 269), the High preset averages 175 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 118 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is 57 FPS, which is a significant 33% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a heavy computational load that scales with resolution. The Medium preset's min FPS of 199 is still exceptionally high, ensuring that there are no noticeable frame drops during gameplay. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 161 FPS, the Medium preset averages 124 FPS (with a min of 105 and max of 142), the High preset averages 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: the system is capable of running the game at playable frame rates even at 4K on the highest settings. However, the performance headroom is much larger at lower resolutions. For example, the Low preset at 1080p is more than double the frame rate of the High preset at 4K (355 vs 92 FPS). This indicates that the GPU's workload scales dramatically with resolution, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and it shows that the frame time consistency is good, with the min FPS never dropping more than 19% below the average in any resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions in Steamworld Build. Its specifications are staggering, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's textures and asset streaming at 4K, ensuring that there are no stutters from loading data. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with its 21760 shading units, allows it to process pixel data at an enormous rate, which is why the frame rates are so high. The 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power affirms its raw capability.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as the resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is often waiting for the CPU to send draw calls, which is why the Low preset can hit 355 FPS. However, at 4K, the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The data shows that the High preset at 4K (92 FPS) is less than half the frame rate of the High preset at 1080p (275 FPS), which is a direct result of the GPU having to render four times as many pixels. The Ultra preset at 4K (62 FPS) is the only configuration where the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its gaming performance. It has a percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, which have average scores that are 1.1% and 1.6% different, respectively, but these are mobile GPUs with far lower power envelopes. The RTX 5090 D's 575 W TDP is a clear indication of its high-performance design, and the data shows that it is one of the most powerful GPUs available for this game. The 170 RT cores and 680 Tensor cores are not directly relevant to Steamworld Build's likely rendering path, but they contribute to the GPU's overall compute capability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K acts as the system's central coordinator, and its performance is critical at lower resolutions. With 12 cores and 20 threads, it has ample parallel processing power to manage the game's simulation logic, which includes the AI and pathfinding for thousands of citizens and vehicles. The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and its 25 MB of shared L3 cache are key factors in its ability to maintain high frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, as the GPU is capable of rendering far more frames than the CPU can prepare.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a strong performer, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5. The single-core score is particularly important for games, as many game logic threads are not perfectly parallel. The CPU's percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs indicates that it is in the top 16% of processors, but it is not the absolute fastest. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T and Intel Core i7-13700T, have average scores that are within 0.3% of the i7-12700K, showing that the CPU's performance is competitive but not unique.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. At 4K, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the GPU's rendering load is so high that it takes longer to complete a frame than the CPU takes to prepare the next one. However, at 1080p, the CPU's frame preparation time becomes the bottleneck, capping the frame rate at around 355 FPS on Low settings. The data suggests that a faster CPU could potentially push the 1080p frame rates even higher, but for most users, the i7-12700K is more than sufficient. The CPU's 20 threads are likely underutilized in this game, but its high single-thread performance is what ensures smooth gameplay at all resolutions.