Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 position it as a high-end desktop part, reflected in its 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs. In synthetic workloads, the chip posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19287. These figures place it in a tight cluster with rivals: it is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K (0% delta), 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115, and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. For a city builder like Steamworld Build, which must simulate many agents and economic interactions, this processor’s multi-threaded throughput is the primary driver of simulation tick rates. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 255 FPS average, which is a scenario where the CPU is likely not the bottleneck; however, the jump from 163.6 FPS at 1440p Low to 255 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU at high rates when resolution is not constraining. The processor’s high single-core performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4480, also matters for this genre, as many simulation logic threads are not perfectly parallelized. The benchmark results indicate that the i7-14700KF provides a robust foundation for the game's compute demands, preventing the simulation from becoming a frame-time limiter in most tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The i7-14700KF’s 20 cores and 28 threads are substantial for Steamworld Build, which is a genre that typically scales with thread count for AI pathfinding and resource management. The processor’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and Passmark multithread score of 52425 show it can handle heavy parallel workloads. In this game, the CPU’s influence is most visible when comparing low-resolution frames. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 255, while at 1440p Low it drops to 163.6 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 84.8 FPS. This scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is capable of producing far more frames than the GPU can render, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The processor’s 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals are all within a 1.3% delta in average benchmark score, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this game against similar high-end parts. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is critical for the game’s single-threaded tasks, such as UI updates or turn-based logic, and the Passmark single-thread score of 4480 confirms strong per-core performance. The data shows that at Ultra settings across all resolutions, the FPS figures are the lowest (98.4 FPS at 1080p, 64.9 FPS at 1440p, and 30.8 FPS at 4K), which indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint in those scenarios; instead, the GPU’s rendering load dominates. For a game where players may have large cities with hundreds of buildings and workers, the CPU’s 28 threads allow for smooth simulation updates, and the benchmark results support that this processor is more than adequate for the game’s logical demands.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus and a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, is the rendering workhorse in this combo. Its boost clock of 1725 MHz and 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provide the raw compute for the game’s graphics. The GPU’s role is clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling: at 4K High, the average FPS is 48.7, while at 1080p High it is 146.8 FPS. This 3x difference in pixel count (3840x2160 vs 1920x1080) leads to a 3x drop in frame rate, confirming that the RTX 3070 is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 30.8, which suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity are stretched. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 22214 places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1% slower), indicating that the RTX 3070 is a mid-to-high-range part. In Steamworld Build, the GPU’s pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s handle the game’s isometric rendering and building detail. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings: at 1440p, moving from Low (163.6 FPS) to Medium (124.8 FPS) to High (93.7 FPS) to Ultra (64.9 FPS) illustrates a consistent step-down as shading and texture quality increase. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM is a notable constraint at 4K Ultra, where the 30.8 FPS result is likely influenced by memory pressure, as the game engine must manage larger textures and more draw calls. The data indicates that this GPU provides playable frame rates up to 1440p High, but at 4K, even Low settings only yield 84.8 FPS, which is below the 100+ FPS threshold seen at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how settings affect performance. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 255 FPS, Medium delivers 195.9 FPS, High delivers 146.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 98.4 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is a 49.1 FPS drop, while the jump from High to Ultra is a 48.4 FPS drop, suggesting that the visual fidelity gains from Medium to High are more modest than the performance cost. For a smooth experience at 1080p, the High preset at 146.8 FPS is the sweet spot, as it provides substantial visual improvements over Medium while maintaining a frame rate high enough for any display. The Ultra preset at 98.4 FPS is still playable, but the data shows it costs roughly 33% of the High preset’s performance for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a city builder where the camera is often zoomed out. At 1440p, the recommended preset is High, which yields 93.7 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it offers a balanced experience. The Medium preset at 124.8 FPS is also viable for players with high refresh rate monitors, but the High preset provides richer shadows and textures that are visible in this genre. The Ultra preset at 1440p (64.9 FPS) is borderline, as it dips close to 60 FPS and could cause stutter during large city expansions. At 4K, the data strongly suggests using the Low preset, which averages 84.8 FPS, or the Medium preset at 65.1 FPS. The High preset at 4K (48.7 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish, while the Ultra preset at 30.8 FPS is not recommended for anything other than screenshots. The best experience per the measured rows is to target 1080p High (146.8 FPS) or 1440p High (93.7 FPS), as these provide a good balance of visual quality and performance. For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Medium at 195.9 FPS is the highest FPS-to-settings ratio, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often significant in city builders where text legibility matters.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 784th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the 45th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it is slightly below the median performance tier. The rank of 784 out of 1730 indicates that while this is a capable pairing, there are many other combos that deliver higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or CPUs. Given that the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile, the combo’s mid-pack ranking is primarily constrained by the GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game, as evidenced by the large FPS differences between resolution settings; the GPU’s mid-range standing pulls the overall rank down. The combo’s position suggests that for this game, a stronger GPU would yield a significantly better rank, while upgrading the CPU would have minimal impact. The rank also implies that there are 946 combos that perform worse, which means this setup is still above average in the broader context of all tested hardware. However, for a game like Steamworld Build, where smooth frame rates are important for managing complex city layouts, the 784th rank out of 1730 is a solid but not outstanding result. The benchmark data shows that this combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it falls behind in 4K scenarios compared to combos with higher-tier GPUs. The combo’s rank is a function of the GPU’s 72nd percentile performance, and the measured FPS at 1080p High (146.8 FPS) and 1440p High (93.7 FPS) are respectable, but they are not in the top tier of results.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a textbook example of GPU-bound behavior in this game. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 146.8 at 1080p to 93.7 at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to 48.7 at 4K (a 48% decrease from 1440p). This nearly linear scaling with pixel count (1080p has 2.07 million pixels, 1440p has 3.69 million, and 4K has 8.29 million) indicates that the RTX 3070 is the limiting component. The CPU’s role is only visible at low resolutions and low settings: at 1080p Low, the FPS is 255, which is far above any display refresh rate, suggesting that the CPU can push frames much faster, but the GPU cannot keep up. At 4K Low, the FPS drops to 84.8, which is a 67% reduction from the 1080p Low figure, confirming that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the bottleneck. The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings is 195.9 to 124.8 FPS (a 36% drop), and from 1440p to 4K at Medium is 124.8 to 65.1 FPS (a 48% drop). This consistent pattern across all settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—demonstrates that the frame rate reduction is primarily driven by the GPU’s pixel throughput. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 98.4 FPS at 1080p, 64.9 FPS at 1440p, and 30.8 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result being 31% of the 1080p performance. This is a clear sign that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game’s Ultra settings at 4K. In contrast, if the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions, but the data shows a strong negative correlation with resolution. Therefore, the benchmark results indicate that the Intel Core i7-14700KF is more than capable of feeding the RTX 3070, and any performance improvements in this game would require a GPU upgrade, not a CPU upgrade. The 4K Low result of 84.8 FPS is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, and it does so by sacrificing most visual quality, which is a practical trade-off for this GPU.