Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder from late 2023, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling. The data for the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphical settings and resolution. The benchmark results show a wide performance envelope, from highly playable triple-digit frame rates at 1080p to a challenging experience at 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand where this combo excels and where it hits its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals a clear shift in the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 255.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 163.4 FPS, a reduction of 35.9%. At 4K, the average falls to 85 FPS, which is a 66.7% drop from the 1080p Low result. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the system is likely not fully constrained by the GPU, allowing the CPU to push frame rates very high.

The scaling curve steepens dramatically as settings increase. When looking at the Ultra preset, the 1080p average is 99.1 FPS. This falls to 61 FPS at 1440p, a 38.4% decrease, and then plummets to 30.7 FPS at 4K, a 69% drop from 1440p. This suggests that the game becomes exponentially more demanding on the GPU at higher resolutions and quality settings, particularly with the Ultra preset. The data implies that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM and its compute capabilities are the primary limiting factor in these scenarios.

The transition from High to Ultra settings at 4K is particularly telling. The High preset manages an average of 50 FPS, which is playable, but Ultra drops to 30.7 FPS. This 38.6% performance hit for the visual uplift of Ultra suggests that the step between these presets is substantial. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo is viable, but only if the user is willing to compromise on settings, as the jump from High to Ultra at 4K severely impacts the frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for a balance of visual quality and performance appears to be the High preset at 1440p. This configuration yields an average of 93.9 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium. At 1080p, the High preset is also excellent, delivering 149.6 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

For users with a 4K display, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the most viable option, as it produces an average of 66.1 FPS. This is a more playable frame rate than the 50 FPS seen on High, and it is more than double the 30.7 FPS from Ultra. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 16.1 FPS (a 24.4% reduction), which is a significant trade-off for the visual improvements.

The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware, as even at 4K it produces 85 FPS, which is unnecessary for a city builder and would likely compromise the visual experience too much. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, is only playable at 1080p where it hits 99.1 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, the Ultra preset's frame rates of 61 FPS and 30.7 FPS, respectively, are below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The sweet spot for this combo is clearly the High preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, based on the Ampere architecture, is a central figure in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, appears to be a critical factor in the performance scaling. The data suggests that as resolution and settings increase, the demand on this VRAM and the GPU's processing power grows, leading to the substantial FPS drops observed.

The GPU's boost clock of 1725 MHz and its 5888 shading units are put to the test in Steamworld Build. The benchmark results show a clear correlation between the graphical load and the frame rate, indicating that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 3070's compute capabilities, rated at 20.31 TFLOPS for FP32, are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but are overwhelmed at 4K with Ultra settings, where the average FPS falls to 30.7.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3070's average score of 28238 is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). This indicates that its raw computational power is competitive, but the game's specific demands, likely related to memory capacity and bandwidth, dictate its real-world performance. The data shows that while the GPU is capable, its 8 GB VRAM is a limiting factor for maximum settings at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Steamworld Build at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 66.1, which is playable. The High preset yields 50 FPS, while Ultra drops to 30.7 FPS, which is generally not considered smooth.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 149.6 FPS, and even Ultra hits 99.1 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the Ultra preset is viable for high refresh rates.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra settings?

A: The performance hit varies by resolution. At 1080p, the drop is 50.5 FPS (from 149.6 to 99.1). At 1440p, it is 32.9 FPS (from 93.9 to 61). At 4K, the loss is 19.3 FPS (from 50 to 30.7).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as settings increase. At Low settings, the 1440p average is 163.4 FPS, but this drops to 124.6 on Medium and 93.9 on High, indicating the GPU is being tasked more heavily.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this configuration is 199.1, which is very high and suggests the system is not fully stressed at this setting.

Q: How does this combo's performance in this game compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 771 out of 1730 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of all configurations for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations for Steamworld Build, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a rank of 771 out of 1730 combos. This places it in the 55.4th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is a solidly mid-to-upper tier performer for this title. The ranking suggests that while it is not at the very top of the performance charts, it is ahead of a significant majority of other hardware combinations.

The rank is a holistic assessment, but the measured FPS data shows why it sits at this position. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo delivers excellent performance, but its struggles at 4K with higher settings likely prevent it from climbing higher in the rankings. The system's ability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions is a strength, but the GPU's limitations at 4K Ultra hold it back from competing with top-tier configurations that can handle maximum settings at any resolution. The data implies that this is a very capable 1080p and 1440p machine for this game, but not a 4K powerhouse.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides a substantial foundation for this game. Its high multi-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534, ensures that the simulation and AI elements of a city builder are handled effectively. The processor's boost clock of 5.60 GHz and strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287) are also crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing in game logic.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most of the measured scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 255.1 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that likely exceeds the demands of the game's logic. This indicates that the CPU has significant headroom. The performance drops at higher resolutions are more consistent with a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's workload does not typically scale with resolution.

Compared to its nearest rivals in synthetic tests, the i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 70074 is virtually tied with the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70104) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420). This shows that its processing power is at the top tier for consumer CPUs. In the context of Steamworld Build, this means the CPU provides a stable and capable platform, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of frame rate in most situations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average frame rates for this hardware combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 255.1 FPS
• Medium: 199.1 FPS
• High: 149.6 FPS
• Ultra: 99.1 FPS

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 163.4 FPS
• Medium: 124.6 FPS
• High: 93.9 FPS
• Ultra: 61 FPS

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 85 FPS
• Medium: 66.1 FPS
• High: 50 FPS
• Ultra: 30.7 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: for every 1080p to 1440p transition, there is a significant drop in FPS, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more severe. The scaling is not linear, and the performance cost of the Ultra preset is substantial at every resolution. The highest measured frame rate is 255.1 FPS at 1080p Low, while the lowest is 30.7 FPS at 4K Ultra, highlighting the extreme range of performance this combo is capable of depending on the graphical load.