Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation’s pace, population scaling, and construction responsiveness depend heavily on the processor, while the GPU handles the visual presentation of the growing settlement. The Intel Core i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which positions it as a high-end desktop part from the Raptor Lake architecture. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, provides 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. For a game like Steamworld Build, which typically involves managing thousands of entities and continuous resource calculations, the CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are often the primary driver of frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K’s configuration — 16 cores, 24 threads, 30 MB of shared L3 cache, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz — directly influences Steamworld Build’s performance. The game’s simulation logic, which tracks individual citizens, transport routes, and production chains, scales with the CPU’s ability to process multiple tasks simultaneously. The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 384 FPS, while at 2560x1440 Low, it reaches 305 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it drops to 161 FPS. This scaling suggests that even at Low settings, the CPU is not the sole bottleneck; otherwise, frame rates would remain more constant across resolutions. Instead, the GPU begins to limit performance as pixel count increases.

The processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and a passmark single-thread score of 4333, matters for the game’s main thread, which handles input, UI updates, and core simulation steps. The multi-threaded scores — 3dmark max threads at 12412 and cinebench r23 multicore at 30745 — indicate strong parallel processing, which is useful for spreading the simulation across available cores. In Steamworld Build, the relationship between CPU and GPU is dynamic: at 1080p, the CPU’s ability to feed frames quickly is more apparent, as shown by the 384 FPS Low result. At 4K, however, the GPU’s rendering workload becomes dominant, and the average FPS at Ultra settings falls to 62, a figure that aligns more with the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s.

The i7-13700K’s percentile ranking of 89 among all CPUs means it outperforms the majority of processors in general benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which has an average score of 46971 and a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7-13700K is nearly identical in performance to that chip. Similarly, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, with a delta of -0.3%, placing the Intel part slightly behind but within a negligible margin. These comparisons highlight that the i7-13700K is a competitive high-end CPU, but in Steamworld Build, its actual impact on FPS depends on the resolution and settings preset chosen.

FAQ

Q: Why does the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings (384 FPS) exceed the frame rates at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows a monotonic decrease in FPS as resolution increases for the same settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU has fewer pixels to render, so the CPU can process the simulation and submit frames faster. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 305 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 161 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s simulation throughput remains consistent.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, while the Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, resulting in a delta of -0.2%. This means the Intel processor is essentially on par with the AMD chip, with less than a 1% difference in aggregate performance. In Steamworld Build, such a small margin would translate to imperceptible differences in frame rates, as the game’s performance is more influenced by resolution and settings than by minor CPU score variations.

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

A: The highest average FPS is 384, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is followed by 348 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium, which has a minimum of 296 FPS and a maximum of 401 FPS. These high values suggest that at 1080p, the combo is capable of outputting frames far beyond typical display refresh rates, making the CPU’s simulation speed the primary constraint.

Q: Does the combo show signs of CPU or GPU limitation at 3840x2160 Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 62, which is the lowest measured value across all configurations. Given that the GPU has a 32 GB memory buffer and a 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, the rendering load at 4K Ultra is substantial. The CPU’s performance, while strong, does not prevent the frame rate from dropping to 62 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution and preset.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS values available in the measured data?

A: The only configuration with both minimum and maximum values is 1920x1080 Medium, which shows a minimum of 296 FPS and a maximum of 401 FPS. Similarly, 2560x1440 Medium has a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 269 FPS, and 3840x2160 Medium has a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 142 FPS. Other presets do not have reported min/max values in the data.

Q: How does the i7-13700K’s multi-threaded performance relate to Steamworld Build’s simulation?

A: The CPU’s 3dmark max threads score of 12412 and cinebench r23 multicore score of 30745 indicate strong multi-threading, which benefits the game’s background simulation tasks. However, the measured FPS at 1080p Low (384 FPS) versus 4K Low (161 FPS) suggests that even with high multi-threaded capability, the GPU’s pixel processing becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, not the CPU’s ability to simulate.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Steamworld Build reveals a consistent trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates decrease across all settings. At Low settings, the progression is 384 FPS at 1920x1080, 305 FPS at 2560x1440, and 161 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 21% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is still able to handle the rendering load at 1440p, but the jump to 4K nearly halves performance, indicating a significant increase in pixel count that the RTX 5090 D must process.

For Medium settings, the averages are 348 FPS at 1080p, 234 FPS at 1440p, and 124 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 33% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K, showing a similar pattern to Low. High settings yield 275 FPS at 1080p, 175 FPS at 1440p, and 92 FPS at 4K, with drops of 36% and 47%, respectively. Ultra settings produce 186 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K, with drops of 37% and 47%.

The consistent ~47% reduction from 1440p to 4K across all settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop by a factor of four, which shows that the RTX 5090 D’s memory bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) and compute capacity (104.8 TFLOPS FP32) mitigate the load. Conversely, the smaller percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (21-37%) suggest that the CPU begins to play a more significant role at lower resolutions, where the GPU can render frames faster than the simulation can produce them. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the GPU is the primary constraint, while at 1080p, the CPU’s simulation speed limits the maximum achievable FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds a rank of 19 out of 2924 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations in the database, indicating exceptional performance. The rank is derived from the measured FPS across all resolution and settings combinations, with higher average FPS contributing to a better rank.

This ranking is notable because the RTX 5090 D’s individual GPU percentile is 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of GPUs in the database, while the CPU’s percentile is 89. The combo’s rank of 19 out of 2924 suggests that the synergy between these two components is effective for this game, likely because the CPU’s strong multi-threading supports the simulation while the GPU handles the rendering. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with a delta of 1.1% and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a delta of -1.6%, are relatively close in aggregate benchmark scores, but in Steamworld Build, the RTX 5090 D’s specific capabilities — 32 GB VRAM and high memory bandwidth — may contribute to its strong showing.

The combo’s rank of 19 indicates that there are 18 other configurations that perform better in this game, but given the vast number of tested combos (2924), the i7-13700K + RTX 5090 D is an elite pairing. The data does not specify which combos outrank it, but the high rank suggests that even with the fastest consumer GPU, the CPU’s role in simulation-heavy games like Steamworld Build is critical. The percentile rankings for both components (89 for CPU, 92 for GPU) are close, but the combo’s overall rank of 19 demonstrates that when paired together, they achieve performance that exceeds what either component’s individual percentile might suggest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured average FPS varies significantly by settings preset. Low settings produce the highest average at 384 FPS, followed by Medium at 348 FPS with a minimum of 296 and a maximum of 401. High settings yield 275 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 186 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 198 FPS, representing a 52% reduction, which indicates that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical effects (likely shadows, textures, and post-processing) impose a substantial load on the GPU even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 305 FPS for Low, 234 FPS for Medium (with min/max of 199/269), 175 FPS for High, and 118 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 187 FPS, a 61% reduction. Compared to 1080p, each settings tier sees a decrease: Low drops by 79 FPS, Medium by 114 FPS, High by 100 FPS, and Ultra by 68 FPS. The proportional reductions are 21%, 33%, 36%, and 37%, respectively, showing that higher settings suffer slightly larger percentage drops when moving to 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 161 FPS for Low, 124 FPS for Medium (min/max of 105/142), 92 FPS for High, and 62 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 99 FPS, a 61% reduction, consistent with the 1440p pattern. Compared to 1440p, Low drops by 144 FPS (47%), Medium by 110 FPS (47%), High by 83 FPS (47%), and Ultra by 56 FPS (47%). This uniformity in the 47% reduction across all settings when moving from 1440p to 4K is a strong indicator that the GPU’s rendering capacity is the limiting factor at 4K, as the same percentage drop occurs regardless of the graphical preset.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 296 FPS and the maximum is 401 FPS, giving a spread of 105 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 70 FPS (199 to 269), and at 4K, the spread is 37 FPS (105 to 142). This narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that frame pacing becomes more consistent when the GPU is more heavily loaded, reducing the variability that can occur when the CPU delivers frames in bursts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 186 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset, with an average of 348 FPS and a minimum of 296 FPS, provides a smooth experience with no risk of dropping below 144 FPS, making it a balanced choice for high refresh rate displays. The Ultra preset at 186 FPS still offers excellent performance, but the 52% reduction from Low suggests diminishing returns for the visual quality gain.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 175 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz monitors, while the Ultra preset at 118 FPS remains playable but may not sustain 144 Hz in all scenes. The Medium preset at 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 FPS offers a comfortable margin for high refresh rates, making it the recommended choice for competitive or smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 305 FPS provides the highest performance but sacrifices visual fidelity, which may not be necessary given that the GPU can handle Medium with ease.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for some displays, but the High preset at 92 FPS provides a better balance. The Medium preset at 124 FPS (with a minimum of 105 FPS) is the best option for 4K gaming, as it maintains an average above 120 FPS while still offering improved visual quality over Low. The Low preset at 161 FPS is the highest performing at 4K, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable in a city builder where detail matters for aesthetics.

For most users, the Medium preset at 1440p or 4K offers the best combination of frame rate and visual quality, as it consistently delivers high averages with acceptable minimums. At 1080p, the Medium preset is also recommended due to its high average and low variability, although the High preset provides a good middle ground for those who prefer better visuals without a significant FPS penalty.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D’s specifications are directly relevant to Steamworld Build’s rendering demands. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the GPU has a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is sufficient for high-resolution textures and large city views. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz, combined with 21760 shading units, deliver the compute power needed for the game’s graphical effects. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate indicate that the GPU can handle the pixel fill requirements of 4K rendering, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (62 FPS) shows that even this powerful GPU is challenged by the highest settings.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 92 places it above 92% of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (delta 1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (delta -1.6%), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (delta -2.1% and -2.4%). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 5090 D is closely matched with these other GPUs in aggregate benchmarks, but in Steamworld Build, the specific combination of memory size and bandwidth may provide an advantage at 4K where textures and draw distances are demanding.

The GPU’s role in the measured results is evident in the resolution scaling: the consistent 47% FPS drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings points to the GPU being the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU’s capabilities are underutilized, as evidenced by the 384 FPS Low result, which is likely limited by the CPU’s simulation thread. The GPU’s 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Steamworld Build, as the game’s asset sizes are unlikely to exhaust this capacity, but the rendering workload at 4K Ultra still reduces FPS to 62, showing that memory capacity is not the limiting factor — rather, it is the pixel processing and shading requirements. The RTX 5090 D’s 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs contribute to its texture and pixel throughput, but the data suggests that for 4K Ultra, the GPU is operating near its limits, while at 1080p, the CPU’s simulation speed prevents the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates.