Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder from late 2023, shows a clear preference for GPU throughput over CPU muscle when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B570. The data indicates this combo lands in the 2320th position out of 2924 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all systems. This is a pairing that delivers playable framerates at 1080p and 1440p with adjustments, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K, particularly on higher presets. The benchmark results suggest that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration, with the Ryzen 5 5600X providing sufficient headroom to avoid major CPU limitations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Steamworld Build with this hardware?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve an average of 60 FPS or higher. At 2560x1440, only the Low and Medium presets surpass 60 FPS, while at 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the highest average being 55 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X has an average benchmark score of 21771, which places it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs. It is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, which scores 21749 (a 0.1% difference), and is slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700, which score 21874 and 21891 respectively, representing a -0.5% delta for the 5600X.

Q: What GPU performance tier does the Intel Arc B570 occupy?

A: The Intel Arc B570 holds the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest competitor is the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582, a delta of -0.1%, making them effectively equivalent in performance. It also matches the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600X a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B570 in this game?

A: Given that the CPU sits at the 75th percentile and the GPU at the 65th percentile, and considering the significant FPS drops at higher resolutions, the data points to the GPU as the limiting factor. The game's performance scales more with resolution and settings than with CPU-bound tasks, suggesting the 5600X is not the primary constraint.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at this resolution, as High drops to 59 FPS and Ultra falls to 40 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's ranking correlate with its FPS in-game?

A: The combo ranks 2320 out of 2924, which places it in the 79th percentile of all tested combos (meaning worse than 79% of systems). This low ranking is consistent with the observed FPS data, which shows that the system cannot handle 4K Ultra (21 FPS) and struggles with 1440p Ultra (40 FPS), indicating that many other systems perform better.

Settings Recommendations

For this configuration, the optimal experience is found by balancing visual fidelity against the GPU's limitations. At 1920x1080, the data shows that the High preset provides an excellent experience, delivering an average of 93 FPS. While the Low preset achieves 162 FPS, the High preset offers a substantial visual upgrade while still maintaining a framerate well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 63 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom for complex city-building scenes that might cause dips.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear sweet spot. It delivers an average of 79 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset just misses the 60 FPS mark with an average of 59 FPS, making it a risky choice for a city builder where camera pans and zooming can cause framerate fluctuations. The Ultra preset at 40 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience, and the Low preset, while offering 103 FPS, sacrifices too much visual detail for a game where managing a bustling city is the core appeal.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset is the only viable option for playable performance, achieving an average of 55 FPS. The Medium preset dips to 42 FPS, which is noticeable, and the High preset at 31 FPS is too choppy for comfortable play. The Ultra preset at 21 FPS should be avoided entirely. Therefore, for the best overall experience, the High preset at 1080p or the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of visual quality and performance, with 1080p Medium (124 FPS) as a high-refresh-rate alternative.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In general benchmarks, it achieves a single-thread score of 917 in 3dmark and 1541 in Cinebench R23, alongside a multicore score of 11838 in Cinebench R23. These numbers indicate a strong performer for its generation, placing it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The game's performance drops are most pronounced when increasing resolution, which shifts the load to the graphics card. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system hits 162 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 55 FPS, a 66% reduction. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's 12 threads and high boost clock are sufficient to feed the Arc B570 at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the high framerates at 1080p. However, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the system fails to maintain high FPS at 4K regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as 21858 in Passmark multithread and 3364 in Passmark single thread, are robust, but they don't translate into better 4K performance. This indicates that Steamworld Build's engine is not heavily reliant on CPU physics or simulation at the tested settings, or that the GPU is simply too weak to benefit from a faster CPU at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5600X is likely providing adequate support, but the bottleneck is clearly the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B570 is ranked 2320 out of 2924 tested combinations in Steamworld Build. This puts it in the bottom 21% of all systems, which is a poor showing. This low ranking is corroborated by the FPS data, which shows the system struggling to maintain high framerates at higher resolutions and settings.

This ranking is surprising given the individual component percentiles. The CPU is at the 75th percentile, and the GPU is at the 65th percentile, yet the combo performs worse than 79% of other systems. This discrepancy suggests that the specific pairing may not be well-optimized for this game, or that other combos in the database include stronger GPUs that dominate the results. For context, the GPU's nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750, which is nearly identical in performance, so the ranking is not due to a particularly weak GPU sample. Instead, it reflects the overall competitive landscape where many systems are configured with more powerful graphics cards for this game.

The ranking implies that users with this specific combo will have a worse experience than the majority of other players in the database. While the system can achieve playable framerates at 1080p, it falls behind at 1440p and 4K, which is a significant disadvantage for a game that benefits from higher resolutions to see more of the city map. The data suggests that this is a mid-range pairing that is outclassed by more balanced or higher-end configurations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. It has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz and delivers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In general benchmarks, it scores 14195 in Passmark G3D and 96844 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU is the dominant factor in performance. The data shows a clear correlation between resolution/settings and FPS, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload. For example, at 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 162 on Low to 63 on Ultra. At 1440p, it ranges from 103 on Low to 40 on Ultra. At 4K, it ranges from 55 on Low to 21 on Ultra. This scaling indicates that the Arc B570's compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

The 10 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this game, as there are no texture pop-in or loading issues indicated in the data. However, the GPU's raw power is insufficient for high-fidelity 4K gaming. The 21 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the card is overwhelmed. The GPU's closest rival, the Intel Arc A750, performs nearly identically, confirming that this is a consistent level of performance for this class of card. The data suggests that the Arc B570 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver smooth framerates on medium to high settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system performs best. The Low preset achieves an average of 162 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset delivers 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, indicating stable performance. The High preset averages 93 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Ultra preset drops to 63 FPS, which is playable but marks the edge of the GPU's capabilities at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset averages 103 FPS, which is still good. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, providing a consistent experience above 60 FPS. The High preset averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target and may feel slightly less smooth. The Ultra preset averages 40 FPS, which is a significant drop and not ideal for a city builder where you often zoom out to view the whole city.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is the only playable option. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, which is a choppy experience. The High preset averages 31 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS, both of which are too low for comfortable gameplay. The data clearly shows that 4K is beyond the reach of this GPU for this game, even at the lowest settings.