Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build — Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

This combination of a 20-core Intel Core i7-14700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a dataset that reveals a clear hierarchy in Steamworld Build's performance scaling. The measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality settings shows a system that is rarely strained at 1080p, progressively more balanced at 1440p, and finally GPU-limited at 4K. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth appear more than sufficient for this city builder, while the CPU's 28 threads and 33 MB of shared L3 cache handle the simulation overhead without becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic but follows a predictable pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 396 at 1920x1080 to 253 at 2560x1440, then to 134 at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 66%, which strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions — the RTX 4080's raw compute (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) is being taxed by the pixel workload.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The average FPS at 1080p is 304, dropping to 194 at 1440p and 102 at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% and 47% respectively — nearly identical to Low settings. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset increases GPU load proportionally across resolutions, and the system remains GPU-bound throughout. The measured minimum and maximum FPS at Medium settings (259-350 at 1080p, 165-223 at 1440p, 87-118 at 4K) show that frame pacing remains stable, with the gap between min and max narrowing at higher resolutions as the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck.

High settings reveal a different story. The average FPS drops from 228 at 1080p to 145 at 1440p, then to 77 at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 36%, but the 1440p-to-4K drop is 47% — the same percentages as before. However, the absolute values are lower, meaning the RTX 4080 is working harder. At 4K High, the 77 FPS average is still playable, but the system is clearly approaching its limits.

Ultra settings expose the most severe scaling. At 1080p, the average FPS is 154. At 1440p, it falls to 98. At 4K, it bottoms out at 52 FPS. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 36%, and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 47%. This consistent scaling pattern across all four settings — exactly 36% and 47% — points to a GPU that is uniformly limited by its pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4080's 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are the constraining factors, not the CPU.

The data suggests that at 1080p, even Ultra settings (154 FPS) leave headroom. At 1440p, Ultra (98 FPS) is still smooth, but the gap to High (145 FPS) is significant. At 4K, only Low (134 FPS) and Medium (102 FPS) remain comfortably above 60 FPS, with High (77 FPS) borderline and Ultra (52 FPS) dipping below.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the measured data shows that Ultra settings at 154 FPS are the best experience. The RTX 4080 has ample compute headroom — 48.74 TFLOPS — and the 16 GB VRAM is untouched by this game's demands. The jump from High (228 FPS) to Ultra (154 FPS) costs 74 FPS but likely adds visual fidelity that justifies the trade on a 60-144 Hz monitor. The 396 FPS at Low is excessive for any display and wastes GPU potential.

At 1440p, the choice narrows. Ultra at 98 FPS is playable and likely the best visual experience, but High at 145 FPS provides a 47 FPS buffer that could be valuable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium at 194 FPS offers the highest smoothness but sacrifices visual quality. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot: 145 FPS is far above the 60 FPS threshold, and the 32% reduction from Medium (194 FPS) to High (145 FPS) is acceptable for improved graphics. Ultra's 98 FPS is only 33% lower than High, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically smaller than the frame rate difference suggests.

At 4K, the measured results are more constrained. Medium at 102 FPS is the best balance of quality and performance, with High at 77 FPS still playable but showing strain. Ultra at 52 FPS falls below the standard 60 FPS target and should be avoided. Low at 134 FPS is smooth but visually compromised. The recommendation is Medium for 4K, as it maintains a 102 FPS average with a minimum of 87 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery. High's 77 FPS average has no measured minimum, but the trend from Medium's min-max range (87-118) suggests it would dip into the 60s.

The data across all resolutions shows that Steamworld Build scales predictably with settings. The RTX 4080 is never VRAM-limited — 16 GB is far beyond what this game requires — so the choice is purely about balancing GPU load against visual quality. The measured FPS values indicate that Medium is the most efficient preset, offering the best ratio of visual quality to performance cost.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest measured FPS across all tested configurations?

A: The highest average FPS is 396, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the next highest measurement of 304 FPS at Medium settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Steamworld Build?

A: Based on the measured data, yes. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth never appears to be a limiting factor, as FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings without any signs of stuttering or memory-related degradation.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). It also outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698) by 2.6% and the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) by 2.7%.

Q: What is the largest single FPS drop between adjacent settings at any resolution?

A: The largest drop occurs at 1080p between Low (396 FPS) and Medium (304 FPS), a difference of 92 FPS. This is followed by the drop from Medium to High at 1080p, which loses 76 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-14700K show any signs of bottlenecking in this game?

A: No. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, appear sufficient. The consistent 36% and 47% scaling drops across all settings indicate the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, not the CPU.

Q: What is the lowest measured FPS in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 52, achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration that drops below 60 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is beyond the RTX 4080's comfortable capabilities for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4080 and i7-14700K produce outstanding results across all settings. Low settings yield 396 FPS average. Medium settings produce 304 FPS average with a minimum of 259 FPS and maximum of 350 FPS. High settings reach 228 FPS average. Ultra settings still manage 154 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 61% reduction in FPS, but even at Ultra, the frame rate is far above any display's refresh rate capability.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings deliver 253 FPS average. Medium settings produce 194 FPS average with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 223 FPS. High settings achieve 145 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 98 FPS average. The 1080p-to-1440p reduction is 36% for every setting, indicating uniform GPU scaling.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. Low settings still produce 134 FPS average, which is respectable. Medium settings deliver 102 FPS average with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 118 FPS. High settings fall to 77 FPS average, which is playable but approaches the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings bottom out at 52 FPS average, the only configuration below 60 FPS in the entire dataset. The 1440p-to-4K reduction is 47% for every setting, again showing consistent GPU-bound scaling.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with measured minimum and maximum values. At 1080p, the range is 259-350 FPS, a 91 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range is 165-223 FPS, a 58 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is 87-118 FPS, a 31 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated as resolution increases, reducing frame time variance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this system for Steamworld Build. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this city builder's texture and geometry demands. The GPU's 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units deliver a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s.

The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 45,900 million transistors, provides 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. This raw power is evident in the measured FPS: even at 4K Ultra, the GPU manages 52 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it exceeds 396 FPS. The boost clock of 2505 MHz, up from a base of 2205 MHz, helps maintain consistent performance under load.

The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247, places it in the upper echelon. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209, a 0.1% difference that is within measurement noise. The RTX 4080's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is a high-power part, but the data shows it delivers accordingly.

In Steamworld Build specifically, the GPU's role becomes clear at higher resolutions. The 47% FPS drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings is a classic sign of pixel-bound rendering. The RTX 4080's 112 ROPs and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the limiting factors at 4K, not the CPU. The 16 GB VRAM is never a constraint, as the game's visual complexity does not approach the memory capacity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K plays a supporting role in Steamworld Build, but an important one. With 20 cores (8 performance and 12 efficiency cores) and 28 threads, it provides ample parallel processing for the game's simulation logic. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance for the game's main loop. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a city builder that tracks many entities.

The CPU's benchmarks reflect its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 33,440.5 in multi-core and 2,160 in single-core. Geekbench scores are 20,767 multi-core and 2,569 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 52,392, with a single-thread score of 4,472. These numbers place the i7-14700K in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69,355.

Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X with an average score of 69,515 (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69,875 (0.7% higher). The Intel chip outperforms the AMD EPYC 9115 (69,288) by 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69,996) by 0.9%. These differences are marginal, indicating the i7-14700K is competitive with the best CPUs available.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is not directly visible in the measured FPS, because the data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. However, the fact that 1080p Low achieves 396 FPS — far beyond any display's refresh rate — suggests the CPU can feed the GPU at extreme frame rates. The 20 cores and 28 threads handle the game's simulation threads without becoming a limiting factor, even at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 196th out of 3,706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 5.3% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result given the game's relatively modest requirements.

The rank of 196 out of 3,706 means there are 195 combos that perform better. Given the RTX 4080's 86th percentile GPU ranking and the i7-14700K's 94th percentile CPU ranking, this position is slightly below what the component rankings alone might suggest. This could indicate that Steamworld Build benefits more from certain GPU configurations or that the game's engine has specific optimization quirks.

The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 places it 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER, but 1.1% below the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and 2.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. These rivals, despite having lower or similar synthetic scores, might rank higher in this specific game if their architectures handle the rendering differently.

The i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 69,355 is 0.1% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515) and 0.7% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875). However, the CPU is unlikely to be the differentiating factor in a game where the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The measured FPS data shows this combo is capable of excellent performance: 154 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 98 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 52 FPS at 4K Ultra. The rank of 196 suggests that while this is a high-performing system, there are 195 other configurations that achieve even better results in Steamworld Build, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or CPUs with higher benchmark scores. For most users, however, the 1080p and 1440p results are more than sufficient for a smooth experience, and the 4K performance at Medium settings (102 FPS) is respectable for a city builder.