Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build places the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Arc B390 combo in a precarious position. The data shows a configuration that can handle the game at 1080p with decent fluidity, but the experience degrades rapidly as resolution climbs. This is a pairing where the GPU’s limitations become the defining factor, and the CPU’s solid foundation cannot compensate for the graphics bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases, pointing directly at the Intel Arc B390 as the primary limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 106 FPS average, which is the highest score recorded across all tests. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 67 FPS, a reduction of 39 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 35 FPS. This pattern is not subtle; it is a clear sign that the GPU is struggling to fill the increasing pixel count.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 60 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p, and then to 20 at 4K. This represents a 66.7% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K. Similarly, at Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 81 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p, and down to 27 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic fall: 41 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 14 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior tells a straightforward story. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the FPS drops in near-linear fashion with the increase in pixel count. The Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs, simply does not have the raw throughput to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset yields only 41 FPS, indicating that the GPU is already working hard to process the game’s effects. The conclusion is inescapable: for this game, the Intel Arc B390 is a 1080p-class part, and any attempt to push it to 1440p or 4K will result in a significant loss of smoothness.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. Its base clock is 3.00 GHz and it boosts up to 4.00 GHz. In the broader context of CPU benchmarks, this processor sits at the 85th percentile, indicating it is a capable part for general and gaming workloads. Its average benchmark score of 36945 places it in the same tier as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which scores 36938, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018. The delta between these three is negligible, at 0% and -0.2% respectively.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU’s role is to simulate the city, manage the agents, and handle the game logic. The benchmark results suggest that the Ryzen 5 5600F is more than capable of this task, as the FPS is not limited by the processor at any resolution. The proof lies in the fact that the FPS drops significantly when resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS numbers across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, or the FPS would be capped at a lower value regardless of resolution. Since the FPS scales down with resolution, the CPU is delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them. The 12 threads ensure that background simulation tasks do not starve the rendering pipeline, but the ultimate performance ceiling is set by the graphics card.

FAQ

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

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. The highest average FPS at 4K is 35 on Low settings, dropping to 20 on High and 14 on Ultra. These numbers are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, so 4K is not a practical target for this hardware.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this setup?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings produces the highest average FPS at 106. However, for a balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p with High settings delivers 60 FPS, which is a playable target. 1440p is also viable on Low, with an average of 67 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482. It is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). This places it in a low-performance tier.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops by roughly 50% or more when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which is a classic sign of a graphics bottleneck. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS goes from 106 on Low to 41 on Ultra. This is a difference of 65 FPS, or about a 61% reduction in performance when enabling the highest visual preset.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600F hold back the Intel Arc B390?

A: No, the data does not suggest a CPU bottleneck. The processor’s average benchmark score of 36945 places it well above the GPU’s performance tier. In this game, the CPU delivers frames faster than the GPU can render, so the processor is not a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3293 out of 3706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the bottom 11.1% of all configurations tested for this game. This low ranking is almost entirely due to the GPU’s weak performance. The Ryzen 5 5600F is a solid CPU, ranking in the 85th percentile of all processors, but it is paired with a GPU that only manages a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The combination of a strong CPU and a weak GPU creates a significant imbalance, which the benchmark results reflect.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 1482 is in the same league as legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710. This is not a competitive score for a modern game like Steamworld Build, which was released in 2023. The combo’s rank indicates that most other pairings will outperform it, and users should expect a lower-tier experience. The data suggests that this is a configuration for 1080p gaming at best, and even then, it will struggle with higher preset levels.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this combo’s performance. It is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and is built on a 3 nm process node. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. Its base clock is 300 MHz, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory is system shared, meaning its bandwidth is system dependent, which is a significant limitation for a graphics card.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU’s role is to render the city, handle the visual effects, and manage the draw calls. The 24 ROPs are responsible for pixel output, and this is where the resolution scaling bottleneck becomes apparent. At 4K, the GPU must process over 8 million pixels per frame, and with only 24 ROPs, it cannot keep up. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but these are not enough to sustain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is modest, and it is further hampered by the system shared memory.

The GPU’s performance is consistent with its low percentile ranking of 9. It is not designed for high-end gaming, and the data shows that it is only suitable for 1080p with reduced settings. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high, but the architecture and memory configuration limit its real-world performance. In this game, the GPU is the sole reason for the low frame rates at 1440p and 4K, and it is the component that users should upgrade first if they want better performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. On Low settings, the average FPS is 106, providing a very smooth experience. Medium settings yield an average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. High settings produce a solid 60 FPS average. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 41 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 67 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 59. High settings fall to an average of 38 FPS, which is marginal. Ultra settings drop to an average of 26 FPS, which is a struggle for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 35 FPS, which is borderline. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 31. High settings average 20 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 14 FPS. These numbers are not suitable for a responsive gaming experience.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can achieve consistently playable frame rates across all settings. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, and 4K is not a viable option. The Medium settings at 1080p offer a good balance, with an average of 81 FPS, but users who prioritize visual fidelity may opt for High at 60 FPS. The Ultra setting is only recommended for those who can tolerate lower frame rates.