Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build places the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Arc B370 combination near the very bottom of the performance stack, ranking 2683rd out of 2924 tested configurations. This is a pairing where the integrated-class GPU, with its 5th percentile overall score, becomes the decisive bottleneck in a genre that demands consistent frame pacing for city management. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates only when resolution and graphical fidelity are aggressively scaled back.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Steamworld Build at 4K resolution?

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. At 4K with Low settings, the average frame rate is 32 FPS. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS, while High settings yield only 18 FPS, and Ultra falls to an unplayable 12 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is only viable on the lowest preset, and even then, it is borderline.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in this game?

A: The sweet spot is 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 95 FPS. Medium settings still provide a smooth 73 FPS, and High settings remain playable at 55 FPS. This is the only resolution where the frame rates consistently clear the threshold for a comfortable city-building experience.

Q: How does the Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitors show a negligible performance delta: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 is slightly slower at 1168 (1.4% slower).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The evidence is in the resolution scaling: dropping from 1080p to 4K at High settings reduces the average FPS from 55 to 18, a 67% performance loss. This dramatic drop indicates the rendering pipeline is saturated, while the Ryzen 5 5600F, with a strong 85th percentile ranking, has ample headroom to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is smooth. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 23 FPS. This represents a 62% performance loss when moving from Low to Ultra, suggesting that the Ultra preset is not intended for hardware of this class.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600F hold back the system in any way?

A: No, the data suggests it does not. The CPU scores 19236 in the Passmark multithread test and 2872 in the single-thread test, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, are within 0.5% of its average score. The bottleneck is firmly on the graphics side.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this hardware, the goal is to maintain a stable frame rate above 60 FPS to keep the simulation responsive. The data points to a clear hierarchy of presets based on resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is excellent for this genre. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for a balanced experience, offering 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS. This ensures the game remains fluid even when the city grows and on-screen activity increases. High settings are playable at 55 FPS, but the drop below 60 FPS may introduce slight judder in a genre that benefits from smooth scrolling. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as it averages only 37 FPS, which compromises the core gameplay loop.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience, averaging 61 FPS. The Medium preset, at 46 FPS, is acceptable for slower-paced building but will feel less responsive. High and Ultra settings are not recommended due to their low averages of 35 and 23 FPS, respectively.

For 4K, the data suggests that this hardware is out of its depth. The Low preset at 32 FPS is the only playable option, and even that is marginal. Players with 4K displays should seriously consider running the game at a lower resolution or with a lower preset to ensure a playable experience.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved by selecting the Medium preset at 1080p. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a high average frame rate of 73 FPS and a floor of 62 FPS, ensuring a stable and enjoyable city-building session.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 55 to 35, a 36% reduction. Scaling further to 3840x2160 at High yields only 18 FPS, a 67% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the graphics processor is working at its absolute limit.

The same pattern holds across all presets. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 95 FPS drops to 61 FPS at 1440p and 32 FPS at 4K. At Medium, the numbers are 73, 46, and 25 FPS respectively. This consistent behavior indicates that the rendering resolution is the primary variable affecting performance, with the CPU having little influence on the outcome.

The implication is clear: the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities are exhausted as the pixel count increases. The 4K results, with averages between 12 and 32 FPS, show that the GPU cannot handle the workload of 8.3 million pixels. Even the lowest preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K.

This scaling behavior is important for users to understand. It means that upgrading to a higher resolution monitor will require a significant sacrifice in graphical settings. The data suggests that this system is best paired with a 1080p display to achieve a balanced experience. The 1440p results are playable only on Low settings, while 4K is largely a non-starter for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across the three primary resolutions and four quality presets.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 95 FPS. This is the performance peak for this system, providing the headroom needed for complex city simulations.
• Medium: Average 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is the most balanced preset, offering solid visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.
• High: Average 55 FPS. This preset is playable but lacks the fluidity of the lower presets.
• Ultra: Average 37 FPS. This preset is too demanding for smooth gameplay and is not recommended.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 61 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that consistently maintains a smooth frame rate.
• Medium: Average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. The minimum frame rate is below the 60 FPS target, which may cause noticeable hitches.
• High: Average 35 FPS. This is a significant step down and is best avoided for active gameplay.
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS. This preset is not playable at this resolution.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 32 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches playability at 4K, but it still falls short of a smooth experience.
• Medium: Average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. The low minimum frame rate indicates severe stuttering.
• High: Average 18 FPS. This is a slideshow and not suitable for gameplay.
• Ultra: Average 12 FPS. This result is purely a stress test and is not a viable gaming configuration.

The data shows a linear and predictable degradation of performance as both resolution and quality settings increase. The system's limits are clearly defined, and users should use this data to set their expectations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary performance bottleneck in this configuration. Its average benchmark score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is among the weakest graphics processors in the database. The nearest rivals confirm this positioning, with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M all trading blows within a 1% performance delta.

The GPU's specifications explain its struggles. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture limits bandwidth and can introduce latency, which is detrimental to a game that requires consistent asset streaming as the city expands.

The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS. These numbers are low for modern gaming, and the measured FPS reflects this. The GPU is a 25 W part designed for integrated use, and its performance is consistent with that limitation.

The data shows that the GPU's performance drops off rapidly with increased resolution. At 1080p Medium, it can maintain 73 FPS, but at 4K Medium, it falls to 25 FPS. This indicates that the GPU lacks the raw pixel throughput and memory bandwidth to handle high-resolution rendering. The system's shared memory configuration is likely a contributing factor to this steep decline.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a capable processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The CPU draws 65 W TDP and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Its benchmark scores are solid. The Passmark multithread score is 19236, and the single-thread score is 2872. This places the CPU in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong showing. Its average benchmark score is 36945, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112). All of these CPUs are within 0.5% of each other.

The CPU's performance characteristics are more than sufficient for Steamworld Build. City builders are typically not heavily multithreaded, but the 5600F's robust single-thread score of 2872 ensures that game logic, pathfinding, and UI interactions are processed without delay. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, reducing the need to access slower system memory.

The evidence that the CPU is not the bottleneck comes from the resolution scaling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, we see a massive drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU has ample headroom, and the system's performance is entirely constrained by the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities.