Steamworld Build

FAQ

Q: How does this combo's CPU benchmark score compare to its direct rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500's average benchmark score is 20,875. That sits just 0.1% below the Intel Core i5-12500 (20,897) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20,900). It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20,845) and 0.2% below the Intel Core i5-12600T (20,917). For practical purposes, these are statistical ties.

Q: What is the GPU's relative standing among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 23,181. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6600M by 0.6% (23,321) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti by 0.7% (23,338), while leading the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7% (23,021) and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8% (22,999).

Q: Is this CPU better for multi-threaded or single-threaded workloads?

A: The data shows it is a robust multi-threaded performer. In Cinebench R23, it scores 16,429 multi-core versus 2,319 single-core. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 19,330, while its single-thread score is 3,058. The 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 design clearly favors parallel tasks.

Q: What is the best 1080p preset for this pairing?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 175.6 FPS, which is a strong balance. Low hits 222.4 FPS, High reaches 128.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86.2 FPS. The Medium preset offers a substantial frame rate headroom over High while still being visually superior to Low.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect high-resolution play?

A: The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark results show that this bandwidth is sufficient for playable frame rates at 4K, but the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p, indicating the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

Q: What is this combo's overall ranking in the database?

A: For Steamworld Build, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 970th out of 1,730 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, suggesting it is a functional but not top-tier pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the dominant component in this pairing for Steamworld Build. Its 8 GB of VRAM and 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth directly influence how the game scales with resolution and settings. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz helps push geometry and texture fill rates, but the memory subsystem is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck. The frame rates are exceptionally high, ranging from 86.2 FPS on Ultra to 222.4 FPS on Low. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are keeping up with the game's simulation logic, and the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly.

However, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The 128-bit memory bus, while paired with fast GDDR6, creates a bandwidth ceiling. The data shows that at 4K, the frame rates collapse dramatically compared to 1080p. This is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario where the render target size exceeds what the memory bandwidth can efficiently feed.

The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores on the Ada Lovelace architecture are present, but Steamworld Build's benchmark results do not show any specific ray tracing or DLSS data. The performance is driven primarily by raw rasterization and the memory interface. The 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is ample for this genre, but the 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the practical constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 128.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 84.7 FPS, a 34% reduction. Jumping to 3840x2160 yields 44.9 FPS, which is a 65% reduction from the 1080p figure.

This scaling pattern points directly at the GPU as the primary limiting factor. The CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution; the workload on the CPU remains nearly identical. The fact that the frame rate halves as pixel count quadruples (from 1080p to 4K) is a textbook sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

On Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. At 1080p, the system produces 222.4 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 144.3 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 76.3 FPS. The 4K Low result is still very playable, but the percentage drop from 1080p is substantial. This indicates that even with reduced shading complexity, the memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate of the RTX 4060 are stretched at 4K.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p, it achieves 86.2 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 52.7 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 28.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is essentially unplayable. This shows that the combination of high pixel count and maximum settings overwhelms the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus.

Settings Recommendations

The data provides a clear hierarchy for this combo. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the Medium preset is the safe choice at 1440p, delivering 107.9 FPS. At 4K, Medium drops to 59.5 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS target. For 4K play, the Low preset at 76.3 FPS is the recommended option if visual fidelity is not paramount.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 86.2 FPS is perfectly playable and offers the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. However, the jump from High (128.7 FPS) to Ultra (86.2 FPS) represents a 33% performance penalty for the highest settings. The Medium preset at 175.6 FPS is the best option for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p.

The 1440p resolution is the sweet spot for this hardware. With High settings, it produces 84.7 FPS, which is a solid experience for most displays. The Medium preset at 107.9 FPS provides a comfortable margin for those with 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 52.7 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 144.3 FPS is excessive for most users.

For 4K, the practical ceiling is the Medium preset at 59.5 FPS. The Low preset at 76.3 FPS is the only way to get a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. The High preset at 44.9 FPS and Ultra at 28.1 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 970 out of 1,730 tested combinations places this system in the 56th percentile. This means that a slight majority of tested combos outperform it in Steamworld Build. The ranking is a holistic measure that accounts for both CPU and GPU performance in this specific game.

The CPU's percentile rank of 79 (vs all CPUs) is notably higher than the GPU's percentile rank of 66 (vs all GPUs). This suggests that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in general benchmarks. In Steamworld Build, this translates to a system that is more capable of feeding frames than rendering them, especially at higher resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rivals show that it is within 0.8% of its closest competitors in average score. This tight grouping means that swapping the RTX 4060 for an AMD Radeon RX 6600M or an Intel Arc B580 would yield nearly identical performance in this game. The ranking is therefore more dependent on the CPU and how it interacts with the game's engine.

The CPU's nearest rivals also show a narrow performance band, with deltas of only 0.1% to 0.2%. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a well-balanced processor that does not hold back the RTX 4060. The overall combo rank of 970 is a reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing rather than a CPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 222.4 FPS
• Medium: 175.6 FPS
• High: 128.7 FPS
• Ultra: 86.2 FPS

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 144.3 FPS
• Medium: 107.9 FPS
• High: 84.7 FPS
• Ultra: 52.7 FPS

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 76.3 FPS
• Medium: 59.5 FPS
• High: 44.9 FPS
• Ultra: 28.1 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: the frame rate drops by roughly 40-45% when moving from Low to Medium, and another 25-30% from Medium to High. The jump from High to Ultra is the most punishing, costing approximately 33% of the frame rate at every resolution. This suggests that the Ultra preset enables effects that heavily tax the GPU's pixel shader throughput and memory bandwidth.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining 86.2 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 52.7 FPS is the first sign of strain, but it remains marginally playable. At 4K, only the Low and Medium presets exceed 59 FPS, making High and Ultra impractical for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra result of 28.1 FPS is the most demanding scenario measured, and it clearly exceeds the limits of the RTX 4060's memory interface.