Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that leans on CPU simulation for its core loop, and the Intel Core i7-13700K provides substantial headroom for that workload. The processor packs 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz that can boost up to 5.40 GHz. That high boost clock is critical for single-threaded game logic, while the multi-threaded capacity handles the background simulation of a growing colony. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 45887 in Passmark multithread and 39000 in Cinebench R23 multicore, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores nearly identically at 47334, a mere 0.1% delta, confirming that the K-series silicon is the workhorse here. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache also helps keep frequently accessed game data close at hand, which matters in a genre where population counts and resource flows constantly change.

The CPU’s 16-core configuration is not overkill for Steamworld Build, but it ensures that the game’s simulation thread is never starved. The data shows that at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less burdened, the CPU’s single-thread performance (a 3dmark single-thread score of 1136) becomes the primary driver of frame rates. This is evident in the measured FPS, where the gap between the i7-13700K and lesser processors would widen at 1080p. The processor’s 24 threads allow the game to offload background tasks like pathfinding and resource distribution without stuttering the main render thread. While the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, its consistent performance ensures that frame pacing remains stable even when the simulation complexity spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Steamworld Build, the pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 lands at rank 762 out of 1730 combos. That places this setup firmly in the upper half of all tested configurations, though not at the very top tier. The rank reflects a balance: the CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU, while capable, is not the fastest in the database. The combo’s position suggests that many other builds with more powerful graphics cards or newer CPUs outperform it, but it also means this pairing is far from entry-level. The data indicates that the i7-13700K is not holding the RTX 3070 back in most scenarios, as the CPU’s percentile (93) is significantly higher than the GPU’s (72).

The delta between the RTX 3070 and its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list is small. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT scores 27985, just 0.9% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 27956, a 1% gap. This tells us that the RTX 3070’s raw compute is competitive with older high-end cards but not with modern flagships. In Steamworld Build, this translates to solid performance at 1440p and playable frame rates at 4K with adjustments. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 47282 is 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4364P and 0.4% above the Intel Core i9-12900F, showing that the i7-13700K sits in a performance cluster where small differences are immaterial. For this game, the combo rank is more about the GPU’s limits than the CPU’s.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 147.5 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. Moving to 1440p drops that to 95.1 FPS, a 35.5% reduction, and then to 51.7 FPS at 4K, a further 45.6% drop from 1440p. This scaling indicates that the RTX 3070 becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count overwhelms the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU’s role diminishes as resolution climbs, because the rendering load shifts to the graphics card.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 1080p Low result of 254.4 FPS drops to 164.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 85.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.4% and 48.2% respectively, showing that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU is still the bottleneck at 4K. The Ultra settings tell a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 98.8 FPS, which falls to 61.4 FPS at 1440p and a demanding 30.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playability, suggesting that users should avoid max settings at that resolution. The data reveals that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates, while 4K requires reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i7-13700K and RTX 3070 combination delivers strong results across all settings. Low settings produce 254.4 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor. Medium settings drop to 198.2 FPS, while High settings yield 147.5 FPS. Ultra settings bring the frame rate down to 98.8 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to handle even the most demanding settings without dropping below playable levels. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 61.2% reduction, which is substantial but expected given the graphical load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU starting to strain. Low settings produce 164.3 FPS, Medium settings hit 125.7 FPS, and High settings maintain 95.1 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 61.4 FPS, which is still playable but on the edge for those with high refresh rate monitors. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at each setting is consistent, with roughly a 35% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU is scaling as expected with pixel count. At 1440p, the combo is well-suited for competitive play at Medium or High settings, while Ultra is reserved for slower-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the limitations of the RTX 3070 become apparent. Low settings produce 85.1 FPS, which is playable, but Medium settings drop to 67.1 FPS. High settings yield 51.7 FPS, which is still usable for a city builder where precise timing is less critical. Ultra settings, however, fall to 30.6 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K gaming is possible with this combo, but only with graphical sacrifices. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at this resolution, as texture and geometry data exceed the memory capacity, causing performance to degrade. The measured FPS at 4K Low is 2.8 times higher than at 4K Ultra, highlighting the significant impact of settings on performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with 5888 shading units and 46 RT cores. Its base clock of 1500 MHz boosts to 1725 MHz, and the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz with a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests it struggles at 4K with high settings. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 22214 places it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% above the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. In Steamworld Build, the GPU is responsible for rendering the game’s voxel-based environments, which can be demanding at higher resolutions.

The RTX 3070’s FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS is substantial, but the game’s city builder nature means the GPU is more often limited by fill rate and memory bandwidth than raw compute. The pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are sufficient for the game’s art style, but the 8 GB VRAM becomes a bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 30.6 FPS. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, scores 27985, a 0.9% delta, which indicates that the RTX 3070 is only marginally faster in synthetic benchmarks. In practice, the RTX 3070’s advantage in real-time ray tracing and DLSS support, though not utilized in this game, gives it a broader feature set. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, while the CPU holds up well.