Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a powerful combination for Steamworld Build, ranking in the top 29% of all tested configurations. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1440p and solid 4K performance, though Ultra settings present a significant challenge at higher resolutions.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and can boost up to 5.00 GHz, which is a substantial advantage for a city builder where simulation logic and entity management can become demanding.

The benchmark data for this CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a Geekbench multicore score of 13596. Its single-thread performance is also notable, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2526 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4091. This balance is crucial for Steamworld Build, which likely benefits from both many cores for background simulation and high single-thread speed for the main game loop.

Looking at rival processors, the i7-12700KF is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-14400, scoring 0.1% higher on average. It is also 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900HX but trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.2%. These margins are negligible, meaning the CPU is not a differentiating factor when comparing these specific chips. The processor's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, and its unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, though the measured performance here reflects stock settings.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is evident when examining the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 300 FPS, indicating the CPU is capable of feeding frames far beyond what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. This suggests that the i7-12700KF provides a solid foundation, ensuring that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and its memory runs at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective).

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor for Steamworld Build at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a steep drop in performance when moving from Medium to High settings at 4K, from 73.6 FPS to 57.9 FPS, and an even larger fall to 35.4 FPS at Ultra. This pattern suggests that the game's texture and asset demands at Ultra settings may be pushing against the VRAM limit, causing significant performance degradation. The RTX 3080's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but Steamworld Build does not appear to leverage ray tracing heavily, as the performance scaling follows a more traditional rasterization pattern.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 3080 achieves 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, placing it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show it is competitive: it scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro Duo, 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon 880M, 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile. These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 3080 remains a capable GPU for this title.

The GPU's performance is the dominant factor in this combo's frame rates. At 4K with High settings, the system produces 57.9 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that the RTX 3080 is the limiting component at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU can push the GPU to its maximum output.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ranked 501st out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 28.9% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the breadth of hardware tested.

The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is severely bottlenecking the other at common resolutions. At 1440p, the system achieves 109.4 FPS on High settings, which is an excellent result for a city builder that can become CPU-intensive during late-game scenarios. The 1080p results are even more impressive, with 173.7 FPS on High and 300 FPS on Low, indicating that this combo can easily handle high refresh rate monitors at that resolution.

However, the Ultra settings at 4K reveal a weakness. The 35.4 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth, and even the High setting at 4K only manages 57.9 FPS. This suggests that while the combo ranks well overall, it is not a 4K Ultra-capable system for this specific game. The ranking of 501 out of 1730 shows that many other combos can achieve better 4K performance, likely those with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3090 or newer generation cards.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. At High settings, the system achieves 109.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target, while 4K High drops to 57.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-12900HX. It scores 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-13800H.

Q: Is the 10 GB VRAM on the RTX 3080 sufficient for Steamworld Build?

A: The data suggests it is sufficient for High settings at 4K (57.9 FPS) but not for Ultra settings at 4K, where performance drops to 35.4 FPS. The large frame rate drop from High to Ultra indicates a potential VRAM capacity or bandwidth constraint.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 190.4 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 74 FPS. This is a 61% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 perform better than the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE in this game?

A: Yes, according to the benchmark scores, the RTX 3080 has an average score of 35787, which is 0.9% higher than the Radeon RX 7900 GRE's score of 36101 (the deltaPct is -0.9, meaning the RTX 3080 is faster).

Q: Can this combo achieve 300 FPS in Steamworld Build?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches exactly 300 FPS. This is the highest measured value in the data set.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system achieves 173.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops performance to 109.4 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 3840x2160, the frame rate falls to 57.9 FPS, a further 47% reduction from 1440p.

This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 3080 is being pushed harder as the pixel count increases, while the i7-12700KF has sufficient headroom to keep feeding frames. The evidence for this is the 1080p Low setting result of 300 FPS, which is likely a cap or a point where the CPU becomes the limiting factor, but it is far beyond what the GPU can deliver at 4K.

The most dramatic drop occurs between 1440p High and 4K High, where the frame rate nearly halves. This indicates that the 4K resolution demands significantly more from the GPU, particularly in terms of memory bandwidth and fill rate. The RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s bandwidth and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are being taxed heavily at 4K, and the 10 GB VRAM may also be causing texture thrashing at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience prioritizing smooth gameplay, High settings at 2560x1440 provide the best measured result, with 109.4 FPS. This is over 80% higher than the 4K High result and still maintains high visual fidelity. For players with 4K displays, High settings are the maximum viable option, delivering 57.9 FPS which is borderline playable.

Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution above 1080p. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 115.5 FPS, which is good, but at 1440p Ultra it drops to 74 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 35.4 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra settings is severe, especially at 4K where the frame rate is less than half of the High setting result.

Medium settings offer a strong middle ground for 4K play. The system achieves 73.6 FPS at 4K Medium, which is a 27% improvement over High settings and is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p users, Medium settings push the frame rate to 148.1 FPS, which is overkill for most displays but ensures maximum smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 300 FPS
• Medium: 226.2 FPS
• High: 173.7 FPS
• Ultra: 115.5 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 190.4 FPS
• Medium: 148.1 FPS
• High: 109.4 FPS
• Ultra: 74 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 98.6 FPS
• Medium: 73.6 FPS
• High: 57.9 FPS
• Ultra: 35.4 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: Low settings provide the highest frame rates, with a significant drop when moving to Medium, a smaller drop to High, and the largest penalty at Ultra. At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 200 FPS on Medium settings and above, making it ideal for high refresh rate monitors. At 1440p, the results are still excellent for competitive play, with High settings maintaining over 100 FPS. The 4K results are more modest, with only Low and Medium settings providing a smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS, making it the least playable option in the entire data set.