Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 presents an interesting pairing: a last-generation six-core CPU from 2018 driving a flagship Ada Lovelace GPU. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows the CPU's age at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the performance data for this specific combo.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows exactly where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the drop from 198 FPS at 1920x1080 to 134 FPS at 3840x2160 represents a 32% reduction in performance. This is a significant loss, but the absolute numbers remain high. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p on Low is less severe, moving from 198 FPS to 171 FPS, an 14% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K on Low brings another 22% drop.

The pattern shifts at Medium settings. The 1920x1080 result is 180 FPS, which dips to 155 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 14% drop) and then to 102 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 34% drop from 1440p). The min FPS at 4K Medium is 87, while the max is 118, showing a 31 FPS variance that suggests some scenes are more demanding than others.

High settings show the most pronounced scaling penalty. At 1080p, the combo achieves 162 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 139 FPS, a 14% reduction. The jump to 4K is harsh: 77 FPS, which is a 45% drop from the 1440p result. This indicates that at High settings, the RTX 4080 is being pushed much harder, and the Ryzen 5 2600's older Zen architecture is less able to feed it at lower resolutions.

Ultra settings present the largest resolution gap. The 1080p result is 139 FPS, which is surprisingly identical to the 1440p High result. At 1440p Ultra, the score is 98 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 52 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is a 63% reduction in frame rate. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is the primary limiter across all resolutions, and the CPU is less of a factor.

The data indicates that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component at 4K across all settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 82 FPS (from 134 to 52), which is a massive range. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is only 59 FPS (from 198 to 139), which is smaller. This smaller gap at 1080p suggests that the CPU is capping performance, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs even on Low settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2505 MHz, built on the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture. The data shows that this GPU has substantial headroom in Steamworld Build, but only at lower resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system hits 198 FPS. This is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. The fact that the 1080p High setting (162 FPS) is lower than the 1080p Medium setting (180 FPS) confirms that the GPU is still doing meaningful work, but the CPU is starting to hold things back. The 1080p Ultra result of 139 FPS is identical to the 1440p High result, which is an interesting data point showing that the GPU can deliver the same performance at two different resolution/settings combinations.

The 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game at these settings. The card's memory bandwidth is more than sufficient for the 4K Ultra workload, which produces 52 FPS. The GPU's raw compute power is the primary driver of performance at 4K, where the CPU has less influence on the final frame rate.

The RTX 4080's position in the GPU hierarchy is confirmed by its average benchmark score of 54247, which places it at the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of only 0.1%. This means the 4080 is effectively tied with its SUPER variant in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% behind. In Steamworld Build, this GPU is clearly capable of high frame rates, but the CPU pairing limits its potential at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured data shows 77 FPS at 4K High and 52 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a city builder, 52 FPS is playable, and 77 FPS is smooth. The 4K Medium setting delivers 102 FPS, which is excellent for a 4K experience.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 bottlenecking the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The data suggests yes, but only at 1080p. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 198 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 59 FPS, which is smaller than the 82 FPS gap at 4K. This compression of performance at 1080p indicates the CPU is limiting the GPU's output.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maximize frame rate?

A: For the highest frame rates, 1920x1080 on Low settings gives 198 FPS. If you want a balance of visuals and speed, 2560x1440 on High gives 139 FPS. For the most visually demanding experience, 3840x2160 on Medium gives 102 FPS, which is a strong result.

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

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, which is 0.1% lower. This makes them statistically identical in performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% behind.

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

A: The measured frame rates do not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering or crashes. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than adequate for this game at all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Should I use the Medium or High preset at 1440p?

A: The data shows 155 FPS on Medium and 139 FPS on High at 2560x1440. The 16 FPS difference is noticeable. If you prefer smoother motion, Medium is better. If you want better visual quality, High is still above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured data, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers a strong balance. The 155 FPS average is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, and the min FPS of 132 ensures consistent performance. The jump to High at 1440p reduces the average to 139 FPS, which is still excellent, but the 16 FPS loss is tangible.

At 4K, Medium is the optimal choice. The 102 FPS average is a great result for a city builder, and the min of 87 FPS keeps things smooth. High at 4K drops to 77 FPS, which is still playable but less fluid. Ultra at 4K is the most demanding, yielding 52 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced genre but not ideal.

At 1080p, the Medium preset (180 FPS) is the sweet spot. The Low preset (198 FPS) offers a marginal 18 FPS gain but with a significant visual quality loss. The High preset (162 FPS) is also good, but the Medium preset provides the best frame-time consistency with a min of 153 FPS. Ultra at 1080p (139 FPS) is not worth the performance cost, as the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically small compared to the 23 FPS drop.

The data shows a clear pattern: Medium settings offer the best performance-per-visual-quality ratio across all resolutions. The min FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, which further supports that this preset is the most stable. For a game like Steamworld Build, where you are often zoomed out and watching many entities, the higher frame rate from Medium will provide a more responsive and enjoyable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Steamworld Build is 994 out of 3706 tested combinations. This places it in the top 27% of all tested combos. This is a strong result, but it is not at the very top of the leaderboard.

The ranking suggests that while the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, the Ryzen 5 2600 holds this combo back from achieving a higher rank. The CPU's age and architecture limit the maximum frame rates achievable at lower resolutions. The combo's rank is likely better at 4K, where the GPU is the dominant factor, than at 1080p, where the CPU is more of a bottleneck.

The GPU itself is at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 75th percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch in relative performance is reflected in the combo's rank. The data indicates that pairing this GPU with a newer, faster CPU would likely yield a much higher rank, as the GPU has more headroom to work with. However, as it stands, this combo is still a very capable system for playing Steamworld Build, offering excellent performance at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset. Minimum and maximum FPS are provided for Medium settings, which were the only ones with recorded variance.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 198 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 180 | 153 | 207 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 162 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 139 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 171 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 155 | 132 | 178 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 139 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 98 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 134 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 102 | 87 | 118 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 77 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 52 | - | - |

The data shows a clear performance hierarchy. At 1080p, the system delivers 139 to 198 FPS depending on settings. At 1440p, the range is 98 to 171 FPS. At 4K, the range is 52 to 134 FPS. The performance drop from Low to Ultra is consistent at each resolution, but the absolute numbers are high enough to ensure a playable experience everywhere.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data, which shows the frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the range is 153 to 207 FPS, a 54 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 132 to 178 FPS, a 46 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 87 to 118 FPS, a 31 FPS spread. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more consistent, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU has less impact on frame pacing at higher resolutions.