Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build with Intel Core i7-12700KF + Intel Arc B570

This combo ranks in the 79th percentile of tested configurations for Steamworld Build, placing 2320th out of 2924 total combos. The pairing delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, with the Intel Arc B570 proving to be the primary constraint at 4K where the game becomes demanding on GPU resources. The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the scaling behavior across resolutions where CPU-bound scenarios never materialize within the tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2320 out of 2924 tested configurations places it in the lower-middle segment of the database, but this position is misleading for a city builder title. Steamworld Build is not a graphically intensive game, and the ranking reflects the sheer number of high-end combos tested rather than any deficiency in this pairing. The data shows that at 1080p, this combo achieves 162 FPS on Low settings, which puts it well within the top tier of playable experiences for this genre.

The GPU positions at the 65th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582, a delta of -0.1% meaning the B570 trails by a negligible margin. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, just 0.1% behind the B570, while the AMD Radeon R9 M390X leads by 0.5% with a score of 20662. These tight margins indicate the B570 sits in a competitive performance band where driver optimization and game-specific factors determine actual outcomes.

The CPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its closest rival is the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428, a -0.2% delta, while the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, just 0.2% behind. The Intel Core i7-13700T matches at 35403 (-0.1%), and the Intel Core i5-13600T comes in at 35305 (0.2% ahead of this combo). This clustering around the 35300-35400 score range confirms the i7-12700KF performs exactly as expected for its class, with no anomalies in synthetic benchmarks.

The combination of an 85th-percentile CPU with a 65th-percentile GPU creates an imbalance that manifests most clearly at 4K resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU handles the load adequately, but at 3840x2160 Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 21, indicating the B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus width become limiting factors. The measured FPS data shows this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers 63 FPS and 40 FPS respectively on Ultra settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p delivers the most consistent experience, with 93 FPS on High settings and 162 FPS on Low settings. At 1440p, High settings still achieve 59 FPS, making it viable, but 4K drops to 31 FPS on High, which falls below smooth gameplay thresholds.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The B570's average benchmark score of 20556 sits within 0.5% of all four nearest rivals. It trails the Intel Arc A750 by 0.1% (20582), matches the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 0.1% (20534), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X leads by 0.5% (20662). The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M trails by 0.4% with 20480.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for the Arc B570?

A: No. The CPU's 85th-percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 28838, Geekbench multi-core at 14367) indicate it has substantial headroom. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows GPU limitation, not CPU limitation, as the primary constraint.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: At 1080p, High settings at 93 FPS offers the best balance. At 1440p, Medium settings at 79 FPS is the sweet spot. For 4K, Low settings at 55 FPS is the only playable option, but the visual compromise may not be worth the resolution increase.

Q: How does the combo's 4K performance compare to its 1080p performance?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings is 110.5, while at 4K it drops to 37.25, representing a 66% reduction. This steep drop indicates the GPU's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and 10 GB capacity become insufficient at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads benefit this game?

A: Steamworld Build, as a city builder, can utilize multiple threads for simulation logic. The i7-12700KF's 12 cores (8 performance and 4 efficiency cores based on Alder Lake architecture) and 20 threads provide robust processing power, though the game's FPS data suggests GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces average FPS from 93 to 59, a 37% drop. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the drop is more severe: 59 to 31 FPS, a 47% reduction. This accelerating decline indicates the Arc B570's rendering capabilities are increasingly stressed as pixel count grows.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 124 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K. This consistent pattern across settings suggests the GPU's fixed hardware resources—2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units—are the limiting factor, not driver overhead or API limitations.

The Low settings preset shows the least severe scaling: 162 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p matches Medium settings, but the 47% drop from 1440p to 4K is slightly less than High settings. This indicates that at Low settings, the game becomes less dependent on texture memory and more reliant on raw shader throughput, where the B570's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance still has headroom.

The Ultra settings preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the combo achieves 63 FPS, which drops to 40 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, consistent with other settings, but the 4K drop of 48% is the steepest. At 4K Ultra, the game is likely exceeding the B570's 10 GB memory capacity, causing texture thrashing and severe performance degradation. The 35 FPS minimum at 4K Medium compared to 67 FPS minimum at 1440p Medium further confirms this memory pressure theory.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 162 FPS, indicating the CPU and GPU have significant headroom when visual effects are minimized. Medium settings achieve 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS and maximum of 143 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery within a 37 FPS range. High settings reduce the average to 93 FPS, while Ultra settings bring it down to 63 FPS. These numbers suggest 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, with all settings above the 60 FPS threshold except Ultra, which still clears it comfortably.

At 2560x1440, performance remains respectable but requires more careful settings selection. Low settings deliver 103 FPS average, maintaining fluid gameplay. Medium settings drop to 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS, providing a 24 FPS variance that remains playable. High settings fall to 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth. Ultra settings drop to 40 FPS average, which becomes noticeable in a city builder where camera panning and zoom operations require consistent frame delivery.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates on higher settings. Low settings produce 55 FPS average, which is acceptable but not ideal. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS average with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS, showing significant frame time variance. High settings fall to 31 FPS average, while Ultra settings bottom out at 21 FPS average. These numbers indicate 4K is only viable on Low settings, and even then, the experience would be marginal for a game requiring frequent camera adjustments.

The Medium settings rows include minimum and maximum FPS data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the range from 106 to 143 FPS shows stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the range from 67 to 91 FPS indicates good consistency. At 4K Medium, the range from 35 to 48 FPS reveals performance that would feel stuttery during busy scenes. This pattern of widening variance at higher resolutions suggests the GPU's memory subsystem struggles to keep up with increased data demands.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, High settings at 93 FPS provides the optimal experience. This preset delivers smooth gameplay while maintaining visual quality through the game's rendering features. Ultra settings at 63 FPS are also viable, but the additional visual fidelity comes at a 32% performance cost. Players who prioritize frame rate above all else can use Low settings for 162 FPS, though this sacrifices most of the game's visual charm.

For 1440p displays, Medium settings at 79 FPS is the recommended preset. This delivers frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold while retaining acceptable visual quality. High settings at 59 FPS is borderline, and players sensitive to frame drops may notice the difference. Ultra settings at 40 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as the visual benefits do not outweigh the performance compromise.

For 4K displays, Low settings at 55 FPS is the only playable option. Medium settings at 42 FPS with 35 FPS minimums will cause visible stuttering during population growth and construction activities. High and Ultra settings at 31 and 21 FPS respectively are unsuitable for gameplay. The data suggests this combo is not intended for 4K gaming, and players with 4K displays should consider dropping to 1440p resolution instead.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1080p it achieves 124 FPS, at 1440p it achieves 79 FPS, and even at 4K it manages 42 FPS. The consistent variance data available for Medium settings—106-143 FPS at 1080p, 67-91 FPS at 1440p, and 35-48 FPS at 4K—shows this preset provides the most predictable frame delivery across the tested spectrum.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings substantial processing power to this combination. Its Alder Lake architecture features 12 cores with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, operating with a 125 W TDP. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and its 25 MB shared L3 cache provides ample data storage for game assets that need rapid access.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU's strengths. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and single-core score of 4071 indicate balanced performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 14367 and single-core score of 2255 corroborate this assessment. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1043 single-thread to 9983 max-threads, demonstrating effective multi-threading capabilities across 20 threads.

In Steamworld Build specifically, the CPU's role is to handle simulation logic, pathfinding, and AI for the city's inhabitants. The game's FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low settings with 162 FPS, the CPU does not become a bottleneck. This indicates the i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads provide sufficient headroom for the game's computational demands, even when the GPU is operating at its maximum output.

The CPU's nearest rival data confirms its position in the market. With an average benchmark score of 35365, it sits between the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2% behind) and the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.2% ahead). The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, just 0.2% behind this combo, while the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, effectively matching at -0.1%. This tight clustering shows the i7-12700KF performs exactly as expected for its generation and class.

The PassMark tests reveal specific workload characteristics. The multi-thread score of 34092 combined with a single-thread score of 3984 shows strong scaling across cores. The integer math score of 113521 and floating-point math score of 87449 indicate robust ALU and FPU performance. The data compression score of 441960 and encryption score of 23181 demonstrate the CPU's capability for data-intensive tasks, which may benefit games with large save files or procedural generation systems.