Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust Steamworld Build experience across all tested resolutions, with the data showing a clear progression from GPU-bound at 4K to increasingly CPU-influenced at lower resolutions. The combo ranks 407th out of 1730 tested combinations, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of the database. The measured FPS rows reveal a system that handles the city-builder genre's demands with headroom at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K Ultra requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but consistent with expectations for a modern GPU. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 175.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 112.6 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 58.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070's 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly significant factors as pixel count rises.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling is even more dramatic in absolute terms. The 310.5 FPS at 1080p drops to 196.1 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction), and then to 102.6 FPS at 4K (a 48% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that resolution scaling is primarily limited by the GPU's rasterization throughput rather than memory bandwidth, given the 192-bit bus width.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 239 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 82.2 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Medium narrows as resolution increases, from 71.5 FPS at 1080p to 20.4 FPS at 4K. This convergence indicates that at 4K, the GPU's compute resources are nearly saturated regardless of the modest settings increase.

Ultra settings reveal the steepest scaling curve. The 119.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 75 FPS at 1440p, then to 41.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only tested configuration that drops below 60 FPS, and it sits 29% below the 4K High result. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce rendering features that disproportionately tax the GPU at higher pixel counts, likely related to the 2.5 GHz boost clock and 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 throughput being pushed to their limits.

The scaling data shows that the RTX 4070 is the limiting component at 4K across all settings, as the percentage drops from 1440p to 4K remain consistent (48-49%) regardless of quality level. At 1080p, the extreme frame rates (310.5 FPS at Low) suggest the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU, with the 5.40 GHz boost clock providing strong single-thread performance for game logic.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to Steamworld Build, a city builder that typically benefits from multiple threads for simulation updates, pathfinding, and resource management. The CPU's Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, combines 8 performance cores with 8 efficiency cores, allowing the game to distribute background simulation tasks while maintaining responsive input handling on the high-frequency cores.

Benchmark data shows the CPU's multithreaded strength: a 3DMark max-threads score of 12412 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000. The single-thread performance is equally important for city builders, where the main game loop often runs on one or two threads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Geekbench single-core score of 2850 indicate strong per-core performance that prevents the CPU from bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300 FPS at Low settings.

The CPU's 30 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain consistent frame pacing when large city populations generate complex simulation workloads. The data shows that at 1080p High, the system achieves 175.8 FPS, which is 50% higher than the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating that the CPU has ample headroom even when the GPU is not fully stressed.

Comparing to nearby processors in the database, the 13700K's average benchmark score of 47282 is virtually identical to the 13700KF at 47334 (a 0.1% delta), and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P at 47131 (0.3% delta). The Intel Core i9-12900F trails by 0.4% with a score of 47081. These rivals all sit within a 0.9% band, indicating that the 13700K's performance in this game is consistent with its overall benchmark positioning.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, though the benchmark results suggest that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in Steamworld Build at the tested settings. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 versus the max-threads score of 12412 shows good scaling beyond 16 threads, which benefits the game's background simulation threads.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 112.6 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold, with sufficient headroom for demanding city-building scenarios that might cause occasional dips.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 sufficient for 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: At 4K, the RTX 4070 delivers 58.7 FPS on High settings and 82.2 FPS on Medium. Ultra settings drop to 41.5 FPS, which is below the smooth threshold. For 4K, High or Medium settings are recommended for consistent performance.

Q: How does the 13700K compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The 13700K scores 47282 on the average benchmark, placing it 0.1% behind the 13700KF (47334), 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P (47131), and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F (47081). All four processors perform within 0.9% of each other.

Q: Does the game benefit more from CPU or GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 310.5 FPS, indicating the GPU is not the bottleneck. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by the 1136 3DMark single-thread score, becomes more relevant at this resolution. The 175.8 FPS at High settings still shows no CPU limitation.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 196.1 FPS while Ultra yields 75 FPS. This 121.1 FPS gap (a 62% reduction) shows that Ultra settings impose a significant rendering load, though the 75 FPS result remains playable.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Steamworld Build?

A: The combination ranks 407th out of 1730 tested combos, placing it in the top 23.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects a strong balance between the 13700K's CPU capability and the RTX 4070's GPU performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The 407th place ranking out of 1730 combos places this system in the upper quartile of all tested configurations for Steamworld Build. This position is notable given the RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs and the 13700K's 93rd percentile among all CPUs. The combination of a top-decile CPU with a strong upper-tier GPU yields a system that handles the game's mixed CPU-GPU workload effectively.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.6% higher average score), NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (1.9% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (2.2% higher). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 4070's 37283 average benchmark score is tightly clustered with these alternatives. The AMD Radeon RX 5300M trails by 2.5%, showing the 4070's relative strength.

The CPU's ranking at 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282, places it well above the median. The nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, suggesting that the 13700K delivers consistent performance across synthetic workloads. This positions the CPU as a strong foundation for the combo's overall ranking.

In the context of Steamworld Build specifically, the 407th rank out of 1730 combos indicates that roughly 76% of tested systems perform better in this game. This is expected for a mid-to-high-end configuration, as the game appears to scale well with both CPU and GPU resources. The measured FPS data shows that this combo achieves excellent frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring settings adjustments to maintain smooth performance.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data supports using High settings at 1440p as the optimal configuration. The 112.6 FPS average at 2560x1440 High provides a 88% higher frame rate than the 4K Ultra result, while delivering significantly better visual fidelity than Medium settings. The 75 FPS at 1440p Ultra is also viable for players who prioritize visual quality, remaining above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1080p, High settings at 175.8 FPS offer excellent performance for high-refresh-rate displays, while Ultra at 119.8 FPS still provides a smooth experience. Players with 144 Hz monitors can comfortably use Ultra at 1080p, as the 119.8 FPS average leaves minimal headroom for dips during heavy simulation moments.

For 4K displays, High settings at 58.7 FPS are borderline, and Medium at 82.2 FPS is the safer choice for consistent smoothness. The 41.5 FPS at 4K Ultra is not recommended for regular play, as the frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold by 31%. The Low settings at 4K (102.6 FPS) provide a responsive experience but sacrifice visual quality significantly.

The scaling data suggests that the RTX 4070's 12 GB memory capacity is sufficient for this game at all tested settings, as the FPS drops are consistent with compute-bound behavior rather than memory capacity limitations. Players should prioritize High settings at 1440p for the best combination of visual fidelity and performance headroom, with the option to push Ultra at 1080p or drop to Medium at 4K depending on their display's native resolution.