Steamworld Build

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 849th out of 1,730 tested combos in Steamworld Build. That places this configuration in the 51st percentile of all tested hardware pairings — a solidly mid-pack result for a city builder that leans heavily on CPU simulation logic.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the hardware involved. The CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU lands in the 73rd percentile against all GPUs. The gap between component-level standing and combo-level ranking suggests Steamworld Build's engine doesn't scale perfectly with this particular pairing, or that the game's workload pattern favors different resource balances than what this combo provides.

The data shows a system that is far more capable than its raw combo rank implies. The i7-14700K delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,534 and a single-core score of 6,287, while the RTX 5060 posts a Passmark G3D score of 20,891. Both are strong individual performers, yet the combined result in this specific title lands them in the middle of the pack.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060 brings 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For Steamworld Build, a game that renders dense cityscapes with many individual structures, the memory capacity proves sufficient at every tested resolution. The GPU's Blackwell 2.0 architecture and 5 nm process node from TSMC keep power efficiency respectable, though the game itself doesn't appear to push the card to its limits.

Clock speeds tell an interesting story. The base clock of 2280 MHz boosts to 2497 MHz, and the memory runs at an effective 28 Gbps. These figures are competitive, but the measured frame rates suggest the GPU isn't always the bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the combo hits 238.6 FPS — a number that likely exceeds what the game's simulation thread can consistently feed to the renderer. The GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 299.6 GTexel/s texture rate are more than adequate for this genre.

The card's 73rd percentile standing against all GPUs places it near the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (0.5% delta). These rival comparisons use average benchmark scores, not Steamworld Build specific data, but they help contextualize the GPU's general capability tier.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals where the bottleneck shifts. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings drops the average from 140 FPS to 89.8 FPS — a 35.9% reduction. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High is even steeper: 89.8 FPS falls to 44.3 FPS, a 50.7% drop. These are large percentage losses, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count rises.

Look at the Low settings row to isolate the CPU's ceiling. At 1080p Low, the system produces 238.6 FPS; at 1440p Low, it produces 150.2 FPS; at 4K Low, it produces 80.2 FPS. The 1080p figure likely approaches the game engine's simulation limit, since a GPU with this compute capability should render simple scenes much faster. The fact that 4K Low still delivers 80.2 FPS confirms the GPU has headroom even at high pixel counts when visual effects are minimized.

The pattern across all settings shows a consistent ~2x performance penalty from 1080p to 4K. For a city builder where players frequently zoom out to view entire districts, this scaling behavior matters — the game remains playable at 4K on Medium (59.2 FPS) but struggles at Ultra (29.3 FPS).

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p results: Low delivers 238.6 FPS, Medium hits 186.1 FPS, High reaches 140 FPS, and Ultra drops to 91.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 147.3 FPS, showing a wide performance envelope. Even at Ultra, the frame rate exceeds 60 FPS comfortably, making 1080p the resolution where this combo has the most headroom.

1440p results: Low produces 150.2 FPS, Medium lands at 115.1 FPS, High comes in at 89.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57.6 FPS. The Ultra setting barely dips below 60 FPS, which is a meaningful threshold for smooth gameplay. The step from High to Ultra costs 32.2 FPS — the largest single-setting penalty at this resolution.

4K results: Low yields 80.2 FPS, Medium drops to 59.2 FPS, High falls further to 44.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29.3 FPS. At this resolution, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. The jump from Medium to High costs 14.9 FPS, while High to Ultra costs another 15 FPS. These are substantial penalties that suggest diminishing returns from the Ultra preset at 4K.

Comparing settings across resolutions: the Medium preset at 4K (59.2 FPS) roughly matches the Ultra preset at 1440p (57.6 FPS). This indicates that resolution scaling has a similar cost to moving up two quality tiers.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 59.2 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target but acceptable for a city builder where precise frame timing matters less than in fast-paced genres. High at 4K (44.3 FPS) is playable but noticeably less smooth, while Ultra (29.3 FPS) should be avoided unless the player prioritizes visual fidelity over responsiveness.

For 1440p displays, High settings provide the best balance at 89.8 FPS. This leaves enough headroom for busy scenes where many buildings and citizens are on screen simultaneously. Ultra at 57.6 FPS is viable but cuts close to the 60 FPS threshold, and any simulation-heavy moment could push it lower. Medium (115.1 FPS) is overkill for this genre unless the player has a high-refresh-rate monitor.

For 1080p displays, the data supports using Ultra at 91.3 FPS. This delivers excellent visual quality while maintaining a high frame rate. The gap between High (140 FPS) and Ultra (91.3 FPS) is significant, but both exceed what most 1080p monitors can display. Players with 144Hz panels might prefer High, but Ultra remains well above 60 FPS.

The measured rows show that the Low preset is never necessary at any resolution — even 4K Low (80.2 FPS) exceeds playability thresholds. The game's art style and camera perspective mean Medium or High typically provide the best visual-to-performance ratio.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K in Steamworld Build?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which averages 59.2 FPS. Low settings achieve 80.2 FPS at 4K, while High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS at 44.3 FPS and 29.3 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 30,109 puts it effectively tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (0.5% delta). It trails the GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile by 0.6%.

Q: What CPU score does the i7-14700K achieve in multi-core workloads?

A: The CPU scores 44,534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 18,704 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, and 18,896 in Geekbench multi-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 52,392.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes at Low settings. The system produces 238.6 FPS at 1080p Low, which likely approaches the engine's simulation limit. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample compute, but Steamworld Build's single-threaded simulation may cap performance.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: High averages 89.8 FPS while Ultra averages 57.6 FPS, a difference of 32.2 FPS. This is the largest setting-to-setting penalty at 1440p, suggesting Ultra applies costly effects with marginal visual benefit.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5060 have and is it sufficient?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus. At 4K Ultra, the system still runs at 29.3 FPS, indicating the memory capacity isn't causing a hard failure — the performance drop is more attributable to compute and bandwidth limits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts to 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 33 MB shared L3. These specifications position it as a high-end desktop CPU, and its 96th percentile standing against all CPUs confirms that.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is primarily simulation: citizens, resource flows, building states, and pathfinding. The game's genre demands strong single-thread performance for the main simulation loop, and the i7-14700K delivers a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,287 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,932. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,472 further confirms strong per-core capability.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0% delta), AMD EPYC 9115 (0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (-0.5% delta). The i7-14700K essentially matches the 9950X in average score despite costing less in raw specs, showing that its 20-core configuration with high boost clocks is well-balanced for mixed workloads.

The measured FPS data suggests the CPU is rarely the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's simulation threads have ample capacity. At 1080p Low, however, the 238.6 FPS figure likely approaches the engine's single-thread limit, making the CPU the bottleneck in that specific configuration. The CPU's 33 MB L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed simulation data close at hand, reducing memory latency penalties that could otherwise impact frame pacing in dense city scenes.