Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that stresses a system differently than typical shooters, and the pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a wide spread of performance across resolutions and presets. The benchmark data shows this combination ranks 248th out of 3706 tested combos, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations. The measured frames per second range from a demanding 52 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 353 FPS at 1080p Low, revealing a system that is heavily influenced by both resolution scaling and preset selection, with the CPU often becoming the defining factor at lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Steamworld Build?

A: The combo ranks 248th out of 3706 tested configurations, placing it comfortably in the top 7% of all systems tested for this game. This indicates a high-performing setup, though not the absolute fastest available.

Q: How does this CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 (a -0.1% difference). It also edges out the Intel Core i5-13600T by 0.2% (35305).

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 4080 and its direct successor?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, meaning the SUPER is actually 0.1% slower in the aggregate benchmark data, making them effectively equal in overall compute capability.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 353 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant jump from the 228 FPS recorded at the same resolution with High settings.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset delivers an average of 353 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset delivers 52 FPS. This represents a 6.8x increase in frame rate when moving to the lower resolution and preset combination.

Q: Does this CPU have a high single-threaded score to support gaming?

A: Yes, the CPU's single-thread performance is robust, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2255 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3984. These values indicate strong per-core performance that is beneficial for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a 5 nm Ada Lovelace part with 9728 shading units. Its role in Steamworld Build becomes clear when examining the performance scaling. The GPU's memory configuration is a key asset: it has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This substantial memory allocation is likely critical for a city builder where large, detailed maps with numerous entities can quickly consume video memory, especially at higher resolutions like 3840x2160.

The clock speeds are also a factor. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The boost clock behavior is important for sustained performance; as the GPU stays within its thermal envelope, it can maintain higher frequencies, which directly impacts frame rates. The data suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is so powerful that it is often not the primary bottleneck, as frame rates can exceed 300 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays.

However, at 4K, the GPU's raw compute power (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed. The frame rate drops from 353 FPS at 1080p Low to 134 FPS at 4K Low, showing that even on low settings, the resolution increase places a significant load on the graphics card. The 16 GB VRAM buffer becomes more important at this resolution, as textures and geometry data for a sprawling city can fill it up, preventing stutters and maintaining the average frame rate. The RTX 4080's performance percentile of 86 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs, making it a top-tier solution for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of the benchmark database, the combination of the Core i7-12700KF and RTX 4080 is a formidable pairing. With a rank of 248 out of 3706 combos, it sits in the 93.3rd percentile of all tested systems for Steamworld Build. This puts it in the upper echelon, but not at the very top, suggesting that there are a few faster combinations, likely those pairing the RTX 4080 with newer, higher-clocked CPUs or those using the RTX 4090.

The CPU's individual standing helps explain this. Its percentile rank is 85, and its average benchmark score of 35365 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403) and Intel Core i5-13600T (35305). This means the i7-12700KF is essentially tied with these other modern chips. The fact that it is not significantly ahead of them indicates that the CPU is not a uniquely strong point of this build, but it is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 4080 in most scenarios.

The GPU's percentile is 86, which is very close to the CPU's percentile. This suggests a well-balanced system where neither component is drastically outperforming the other in the aggregate benchmarks. In Steamworld Build specifically, the combination's rank suggests that the system is well-matched, but the specific game's engine may favor one component or the other, as seen in the varying frame rates across settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast:

• Low: 353 FPS average, a massive frame rate that shows the game is not heavily GPU-bound at this resolution.
• Medium: 304 FPS average, with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 350 FPS, showing consistency.
• High: 228 FPS average, still an excellent result for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Ultra: 154 FPS average, dropping significantly from High but remaining highly playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the load on the GPU increases noticeably:

• Low: 253 FPS average, a 100 FPS drop from 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to become busier.
• Medium: 194 FPS average, with a 165 FPS minimum and 223 FPS maximum.
• High: 145 FPS average, which is still a very solid result.
• Ultra: 98 FPS average, dipping below the 100 FPS mark for the first time, showing the impact of the Ultra preset.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4080 is pushed hard:

• Low: 134 FPS average, showing that even on low settings, 4K is demanding.
• Medium: 102 FPS average, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 118 FPS, making it the only preset/resolution combo with recorded min/max data.
• High: 77 FPS average, a playable frame rate for a city builder, though not as fluid as lower resolutions.
• Ultra: 52 FPS average, which is the most demanding configuration tested and may require compromises for a smoother experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. The most extreme example is on the Low preset, where the average frame rate drops from 353 FPS at 1080p to 134 FPS at 4K, a 62% reduction in performance. This substantial drop indicates that while the CPU is capable of feeding frames quickly at low resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting component as the pixel count quadruples.

On the High preset, the drop is from 228 FPS at 1080p to 77 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction. This suggests that the higher settings add more GPU work per pixel, making the resolution scaling even more punishing. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, dropping from 154 FPS to 52 FPS, a 66% reduction as well.

This scaling pattern reveals a system that is balanced at 1080p, where the CPU can often outpace the GPU, leading to very high frame rates. As the resolution increases, the load shifts entirely to the GPU. The 4K results, particularly the 52 FPS at Ultra and 77 FPS at High, suggest that the RTX 4080 is struggling to maintain high refresh rates at this resolution due to the sheer number of pixels and the game's visual complexity. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and users may need to adjust settings to achieve higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 77 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above 60. Pushing to Ultra drops the average to 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutter. Therefore, for 4K, High settings are the best choice for a balanced experience, as they provide a significant visual upgrade over Medium (102 FPS) while maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset yields 98 FPS, which is excellent for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The High preset at 145 FPS is even better for competitive play or very smooth motion, but Ultra provides a more visually rich experience. Given that the RTX 4080 is a high-end card, the Ultra preset at 1440p is a recommended sweet spot, as it stays well above 60 FPS and offers the best image quality.

For 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with even Ultra achieving 154 FPS. The High preset at 228 FPS is a great choice for high-refresh-rate (240Hz) monitors, while Ultra at 154 FPS is still very smooth. The data suggests that users with 1080p displays can comfortably use Ultra settings to maximize visual fidelity without sacrificing performance, as the system has ample headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In Steamworld Build, a city builder, the CPU's role is crucial for managing game logic, AI, and entity updates. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is likely a key factor in the strong single-threaded performance, which is essential for the main game loop and simulation thread.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant. With 20 threads, it can handle background tasks like pathfinding and resource management efficiently. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and Passmark multithread score of 34092 demonstrate its strong parallel processing power. This is reflected in the game's performance, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 353 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. In contrast, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 52 FPS, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor at that resolution. This indicates that the i7-12700KF is powerful enough to feed the RTX 4080 in most scenarios, but at very low resolutions and settings, the CPU's performance ceiling becomes apparent. Its benchmark scores are nearly identical to the newer Intel Core i7-13700T, suggesting that this older chip is still highly competitive and does not hold back the RTX 4080 in this title.