Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder focused on resource management and construction, presents a unique workload that differs significantly from fast-paced shooters or simulations. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination provides a clear picture of how this hardware handles the game’s engine. This analysis breaks down the performance across various settings and resolutions, focusing on the balance between the CPU and GPU and the overall ranking of this specific pairing.

The data indicates that this system is highly capable of running Steamworld Build smoothly, though the optimal experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution. The Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, and the RTX 4060, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, demonstrate a performance profile that shifts from being GPU-limited at higher resolutions to potentially CPU-limited at 1080p. The following sections will interpret the measured FPS results to provide a comprehensive understanding of this combo’s capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Steamworld Build with this hardware for a high refresh rate experience?

A: For the highest frame rates, 1920x1080 is the clear choice, as the data shows the combo achieving an average of 172 FPS on Medium settings and 129 FPS on High settings. At 2560x1440, the average FPS on High settings drops to 82, which is still very playable, but for maximizing refresh rates, 1080p is superior.

Q: How demanding is the Ultra preset on this system?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly demanding. The average frame rate drops to 87 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and only 29 FPS at 4K. This represents a substantial performance cost compared to High settings, which delivers 129 FPS at 1080p and 82 FPS at 1440p.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM a bottleneck in this game?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, there is no evidence of a VRAM capacity bottleneck. The decisive factor appears to be the GPU's raw compute power, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution. The game's performance is more influenced by the rendering load than by memory constraints at these settings.

Q: Is the game more demanding on the CPU or the GPU for this combo?

A: The performance scaling suggests the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 29, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 225 suggests the CPU is likely the primary bottleneck, as the GPU could potentially render even more frames if the CPU could feed it faster.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 3600 compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. It is essentially tied with its nearest rivals, showing a performance delta of only 0.2% compared to the Intel Core i7-1260P and AMD EPYC 7742, and a -0.2% delta compared to the Intel Core i5-11400 and AMD EPYC 7573X.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4060 and its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. This is within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 780M, 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, and 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 460. It is also just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7790, indicating a very tight cluster of performance among these cards.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance between visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the most optimal choice across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, it delivers a robust 129 FPS average, which drops to a still-excellent 82 FPS at 2560x1440. The jump to 4K sees a significant reduction to 43 FPS, which, while playable, falls below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. The High preset provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium without the severe performance penalty seen with Ultra.

The Medium preset is a strong alternative for players using 4K displays or those who prioritize higher frame rates at 1440p. At 4K, it achieves a playable 58 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS, making it the only preset tested that approaches a smooth 4K experience. At 1440p, Medium yields 110 FPS, providing a significant margin over the 60 FPS threshold for smoother gameplay. The measured minimum FPS of 93 at this setting confirms stable performance.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo. The performance cost is steep, with the average frame rate dropping by nearly a third from High at 1080p (from 129 to 87 FPS) and by a similar proportion at 1440p (from 82 to 55 FPS). At 4K, the 29 FPS average makes the game feel sluggish. The visual improvements at Ultra do not justify the substantial hit to fluidity. The Low preset, while capable of very high frame rates (225 FPS at 1080p), sacrifices too much visual quality for a nominal benefit in a city builder genre where detail and readability are important.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the relationship between resolution and the system's bottleneck. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 129. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 82 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36%. This is a significant drop, but the frame rate remains high. However, when moving from 1440p to 4K High, the average FPS falls to 43, a further reduction of roughly 48%. This drastic drop indicates that the game is becoming heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the system is not purely GPU-bound. The very high frame rates, such as 225 FPS on Low, suggest that the CPU (Ryzen 5 3600) is reaching its limit in feeding the GPU with data. This is a common scenario in city builders, where complex simulation and game logic can create a CPU bottleneck. The fact that the frame rate doesn't scale perfectly linearly with the pixel count from 1080p to 1440p supports this, as the CPU's workload remains constant while the GPU's workload increases.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the overwhelming limiting factor. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p, but the frame rate on High drops from 129 to 43 FPS, which is a reduction of over 66%. This non-linear drop is a strong indicator that the RTX 4060's compute capabilities are being saturated, and the CPU is no longer the primary constraint. The data shows a clear shift in the bottleneck from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher resolutions, a typical pattern for this class of hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across a matrix of settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system shows its strength. The Low preset achieves an average of 225 FPS, indicating a massive performance headroom. The Medium preset is a sweet spot, with an average of 172 FPS and a minimum of 147 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. The High preset delivers 129 FPS, which is excellent for most displays. Ultra is the most demanding at this resolution, with an average of 87 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still strong but begins to show the GPU's load. The Low preset averages 143 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1080p but still very high. Medium settings yield an average of 110 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS, making it an ideal choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The High preset averages 82 FPS, which is perfectly playable. The Ultra preset, however, sees a significant drop to an average of 55 FPS, which may feel less fluid in busy scenes.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 is clearly stressed. The Low preset is the only one that provides a high frame rate, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings achieve a playable 58 FPS average, with a minimum of 49 FPS, making it the recommended setting for 4K. The High preset drops to 43 FPS, which is a noticeable compromise. Ultra settings are not viable at this resolution, with an average of only 29 FPS, which is too low for a smooth experience. This breakdown confirms that the game’s performance is highly scalable, but with clear limits at the high end.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 plays a central role in determining the visual experience in Steamworld Build, particularly at higher resolutions. With its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, the GPU has the resources to handle the game’s textures and effects. The core clocks, with a base of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz, are the primary drivers of its compute performance. The data shows that the GPU's raw processing power is the main factor in frame rate scaling from 1440p to 4K.

The synthetic benchmarks for the RTX 4060 show it performs at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 17639. This places it in a very tight performance bracket with its nearest rivals, all within a 0.7% delta. This indicates that its performance is well-understood and predictable. In the context of Steamworld Build, the GPU's compute power is sufficient for excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but it becomes the limiting factor at 4K, especially on the High and Ultra presets.

The significant frame rate drops at 4K, such as going from 82 FPS at 1440p High to 43 FPS at 4K High, point to the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities being saturated. The game’s visual elements, which likely include complex geometry and lighting for the construction and mining aspects, place a heavy load on the GPU. The 8 GB of VRAM is not shown to be a bottleneck in this data, as the performance decline is consistent with compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues. The GPU is the primary component for achieving high visual quality, but its limits are clearly defined at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a significant contributor to the overall performance, especially in a genre like city building where CPU logic is paramount. With 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Zen 2 architecture, it provides a solid foundation for the game’s simulation and AI. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are key to its processing speed. While the game is not heavily multi-threaded in the same way as a 3D renderer, the 12 threads help manage the various background tasks and unit pathfinding.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with an average of 17035 and a 71st percentile ranking. Its performance is virtually identical to its nearest rivals, with deltas of only 0.2%. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 is a competitive processor for this task. In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role becomes increasingly evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p, with settings like Low and Medium, the frame rates are so high (225 and 172 FPS, respectively) that it's likely the CPU is reaching its limit.

This CPU bottleneck is a classic sign in simulation games. The game logic, such as tracking resources, managing the economy, and updating the state of the world, runs on the CPU. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can calculate the next game state, thus capping the frame rate. The data suggests that while the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, the Ryzen 5 3600’s processing power is the limiting factor at 1080p, preventing the system from achieving even higher frame rates with the RTX 4060.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is ranked 1992nd out of 3706 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the 46th percentile of all system configurations, meaning it outperforms a slight minority of other tested setups. This ranking is a holistic measure of the system's ability to run the game, likely factoring in all tested resolutions and settings. It suggests that this is a mid-range to upper-mid-range configuration for this specific title.

This ranking is somewhat lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest. The CPU is in the 71st percentile, and the GPU is in the 61st percentile. The discrepancy in the combo rank indicates that while both parts are individually capable, their pairing may not be perfectly optimized for Steamworld Build's specific engine. It could also reflect that many other tested combos use higher-end parts that push the average score up, making this mid-range combo fall behind in the overall standings.

The ranking of 1992 out of 3706 shows that there is a significant number of systems that perform better, but also a large number that perform worse. The data shows this combo is capable of delivering a very good experience, especially at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not at the top tier for 4K gaming performance. The system's performance is solid and well-balanced, but it does not excel to the same degree as its synthetic benchmark scores might suggest, likely due to the specific demands of the game's simulation and rendering.