Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that leans heavily on simulation logic, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 reflects that dynamic. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show a component pairing that is remarkably capable, but the scaling patterns reveal where the workload actually sits. The i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides the sort of parallel headroom that simulation-heavy titles demand, while the RTX 3080 handles the visual output with enough bandwidth to keep pace. The combination ranks 497 out of 1730 tested combos in this specific game, placing it in the upper echelon of systems, though the data shows that the balance shifts depending on how much pressure you put on the rendering pipeline.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is built on the Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R refresh, and it brings a substantial amount of compute power to the table. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the processor can push single-threaded performance when needed, but its real strength lies in its core configuration. The 20 cores and 28 threads are arranged in a hybrid layout that allows the operating system to distribute tasks across performance and efficiency cores, which is crucial for a city builder where hundreds of agents, production chains, and resource flows are being simulated simultaneously. The L3 cache is 33 MB shared, and each core has access to 2 MB of L2, which helps keep frequently accessed simulation data close to the execution units.

In Steamworld Build specifically, the CPU's role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining a stable simulation tick. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 296.9 FPS, which is a massive number for this genre and suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower graphical loads. However, the real story emerges when you look at the percentile ranking: the i7-14700KF sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 96% of processors in general benchmark suites like Cinebench R23, where it scores 44557 in multi-core and 6290 in single-core. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K, which scores virtually identically with a 0% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which is 0.4% ahead. This indicates that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU in this game, even at higher resolutions where the rendering load increases.

The data suggests that the CPU's contribution to Steamworld Build is primarily in ensuring that the simulation logic doesn't cause frame-time hitches. The passmark_multithread score of 52425 and the passmark_single_thread score of 4480 both point to a processor that can handle both the background simulation and the foreground rendering commands. In a game like this, where population growth and building placement can cause sudden spikes in computational load, having that kind of multi-threaded horsepower is more valuable than a marginal clock speed advantage. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz also helps in scenarios where the game's logic is not perfectly parallelized, ensuring that single-threaded bottlenecks are rare.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which places it just behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, 0.4% faster) and essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K (70074, 0% delta). It is also 1.3% slower than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71056) but 0.3% faster than the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887). This puts it in a tight cluster of high-end desktop and enterprise parts.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and what does it mean for this game?

A: The i7-14700KF ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it is faster than 96% of processors tested. For Steamworld Build, this translates to strong simulation performance, as the game's city-building mechanics benefit from the 20 cores and 28 threads available for parallel task processing.

Q: Does the RTX 3080's VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 320-bit bus and 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra settings, the system averages 38.2 FPS, which is the lowest in the measured data. The memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game, but the sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 puts significant pressure on the GPU, making it the limiting factor over the CPU.

Q: How does the CPU's cache configuration influence gaming performance?

A: The i7-14700KF features 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache hierarchy helps keep simulation data and frequently accessed game logic closer to the cores, reducing latency. The passmark_data_compression score of 694963 and data encryption score of 40046 reflect strong memory subsystem performance, which is beneficial for the continuous resource tracking in Steamworld Build.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 296.9 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The CPU's single-thread score of 4480 in Passmark and its 96th percentile ranking indicate it can handle the frame generation at lower resolutions. The GPU is likely the primary limiter at 1080p, but only because the CPU is so far ahead that it rarely holds back the frame rate.

Q: What does the combo rank of 497 out of 1730 indicate?

A: This combination of the i7-14700KF and RTX 3080 ranks in the top 28.7% of all tested hardware combos for Steamworld Build. This suggests that while the pairing is strong, there are other configurations that achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs being paired with similarly strong CPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Steamworld Build shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop reveals where the workload is concentrated. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 174 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 110.4 FPS, a reduction of about 36.6%. At 4K High, the average falls to 58.6 FPS, which is another 46.9% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical of a game where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises, but the CPU remains relatively stable in its output.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also telling. At 1080p, Low produces 296.9 FPS while Ultra produces 114.2 FPS, a difference of 182.7 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 118.2 FPS (190.1 vs 71.9). At 4K, the gap is 62.8 FPS (101 vs 38.2). This narrowing gap suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded by the pixel throughput that the difference between quality presets becomes less impactful on the absolute frame rate, but the percentage difference remains similar. For instance, at 4K, Ultra is 62.2% slower than Low, while at 1080p, Ultra is 61.5% slower than Low.

The limiting component shifts as you move up the resolution ladder. At 1080p, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and simulation updates is more likely to be the constraint, but the i7-14700KF's high single-thread performance (6290 in Cinebench R23) ensures that even at 1080p Low, the system can push nearly 300 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the RTX 3080's 10 GB of VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being stressed by the higher resolution textures and effects, and the average of 38.2 FPS indicates that the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The data shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, you would need to dial down to High settings (58.6 FPS), which is right at the threshold. At 1440p, however, the system has plenty of headroom, with even Ultra settings hitting 71.9 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Looking at the exact measured frame rates, the system's performance in Steamworld Build is consistently strong, but with clear performance tiers based on settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system delivers 296.9 FPS on Low settings, 227.6 FPS on Medium, 174 FPS on High, and 114.2 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that even at Ultra settings, the system is far above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p gaming a non-issue for this hardware combination. The jump from Low to Medium costs 69.3 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 59.8 FPS, showing a relatively even scaling across quality presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings yield 190.1 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings produce 148.1 FPS, High settings drop to 110.4 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 71.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p represents a 62.2% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with the 1080p pattern. Notably, the 1440p Ultra result of 71.9 FPS is still above 60 FPS, meaning that users can enjoy maximum quality at this resolution without dropping below a playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. Low settings at 4K produce 101 FPS, which is respectable but a far cry from the 296.9 FPS seen at 1080p Low. Medium settings drop to 75.2 FPS, High settings fall to 58.6 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 38.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS, indicating that this pairing is not ideal for maxed-out 4K gaming in Steamworld Build. However, the 4K High result of 58.6 FPS is close to 60 FPS, and the 4K Medium result of 75.2 FPS offers a comfortable margin. The data shows that for the best visual fidelity, the RTX 3080 needs a resolution cap of 1440p if you want to run Ultra settings without compromise.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, with 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores for ray tracing and AI workloads. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz and boosts to 1710 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) across a 320-bit bus. This configuration yields 760.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is a critical factor for Steamworld Build's asset streaming and texture fetch operations.

The RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory is adequate for this game, but the measured FPS data suggests that it becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The GPU's percentile ranking is 80th among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 35787 places it in a tight race with the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, 0.2% faster) and the AMD Radeon 880M (35646, 0.4% slower). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is 1% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is 0.9% faster. This positioning indicates that the RTX 3080 is a high-end card that sits just below the current flagship tier.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role is primarily to render the isometric city view and handle the visual feedback for building placement and resource management. The card's FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s provide ample raw power for the game's relatively simple geometry, but the 4K Ultra result of 38.2 FPS shows that the memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are stretched thin at higher resolutions. The 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p Ultra (71.9 FPS), but the 4K resolution demands more than the 10 GB VRAM can efficiently manage, leading to the significant drop from 101 FPS on Low to 38.2 FPS on Ultra. The data suggests that the RTX 3080 is best suited for 1440p gaming in this title, where it can maintain high frame rates across all settings without hitting memory or bandwidth ceilings.