Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder, and the benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 show a configuration that is heavily skewed toward raw frame rate headroom. The data indicates that this combo is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the performance curve across resolutions and settings reveals a clear ceiling imposed by the graphics card at the highest visual presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain where this combo excels and where it begins to struggle.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop changes depending on the settings preset. At the "Low" preset, the average frame rate falls from 340 FPS at 1920x1080 to 253 FPS at 2560x1440, a decrease of 87 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 134 FPS, which is a 119 FPS reduction from the 1440p figure. This indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the primary scaling factor, but the CPU has enough headroom to maintain extremely high throughput at the lower resolutions.

The "Medium" preset shows a similar pattern. The average frame rate goes from 304 FPS at 1080p to 194 FPS at 1440p, a drop of 110 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 102 FPS, which is a 92 FPS reduction from 1440p. This scaling suggests that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution rises, with the gap between 1080p and 1440p being the largest single step. The "High" preset tells a similar story: 228 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K. The absolute FPS loss from 1080p to 4K is 151 FPS, which is a significant portion of the starting performance.

The "Ultra" preset, however, shows the most severe scaling behavior. At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 154 FPS. At 1440p, this falls to 98 FPS, a 56 FPS drop. At 4K, the average plummets to 52 FPS. This is a 102 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K, but the percentage drop is the steepest of any preset. The data shows that the RTX 4080, while powerful, is clearly the limiting component at 4K with Ultra settings, as the frame rate is cut by more than half compared to 1080p. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on Ultra is particularly steep, indicating that the GPU's raw throughput is saturated by the combination of high resolution and the most demanding visual effects.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance limits. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This is crucial for a city builder, which often requires loading and rendering large amounts of geometry and texture data as the city grows. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra, 52 FPS, suggests that the game is heavily taxing the GPU's memory subsystem and shading units, which number 9,728.

The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and its architecture, Ada Lovelace, contribute to its overall throughput. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is not the bottleneck at most settings, as frame rates exceed 145 FPS. However, the 4K Ultra result reveals the GPU's absolute limit. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are high, but the 4K resolution requires a massive number of pixels to be processed, and the Ultra preset's effects fill the pipeline. The difference between the "High" and "Ultra" presets at 4K, 77 FPS vs 52 FPS, shows that the Ultra preset adds a significant rendering load that the GPU cannot fully handle at this resolution.

The GPU's closest rival in the benchmark database is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores only 0.1% higher on average. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is performing near the top of its class. The data suggests that the 16 GB VRAM capacity is not the limiting factor here, as the performance drop from High to Ultra at 4K is more likely due to compute and fill-rate demands. The 4K Medium result of 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS shows that the GPU has enough power to deliver a smooth experience if the Ultra preset's extra effects are toned down.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its performance is more than adequate for the frame rates observed. This CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. While city builders can be demanding on CPU for simulation and pathfinding, the data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 340 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution and settings, as it can feed the GPU enough data to maintain a very high frame rate.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this conclusion. In Cinebench R23, it scores 22,799 points in multi-core and 3,218 points in single-core. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many game logic threads rely on it. The data shows that as resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes relative to the GPU. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at the "Low" preset, from 340 to 134 FPS, is primarily due to the GPU's rendering load, not a CPU limitation. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that data can be fed to the GPU without stalling.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-11850H, showing a 0.1% difference in average score. It also performs within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-13620H. This demonstrates that the CPU is competitively positioned. In this game, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 at most settings, as evidenced by the very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs indicates it is a solid performer, but the GPU is clearly the star of this show.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 256th out of 3,706 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 7% of all configurations in the database, which is a strong result. This ranking suggests that while the combo is very capable, there are other pairings that achieve higher frame rates, likely with more powerful CPUs or GPUs. The data shows that this combo is well-balanced, but the high rank is primarily driven by the RTX 4080's performance, as the CPU is a mid-range part.

Given that the combo ranks in the 256th position, it outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. However, the fact that it is not higher suggests that for a game like Steamworld Build, which can be CPU-intensive during simulation, a stronger CPU might yield better average FPS in certain scenarios. The data shows that the GPU is the main driver of performance at higher resolutions, but the CPU's performance is sufficient to keep the combo competitive. The ranking indicates that this is a high-end pairing, but not the absolute top tier.

The delta between this combo and the top-ranked ones is not provided, but the rank itself is a useful indicator. The fact that there are 3,450 combos ranked below this one confirms that the RTX 4080 provides a significant performance advantage. For a 1080p or 1440p gamer, this combo is overkill, but it provides the headroom for high refresh rates. At 4K, the combo is still a strong performer, but the Ultra preset will push it to its limits, as shown by the 52 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the "High" preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 145 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The "Medium" preset at 1440p is also a strong choice, with an average of 194 FPS and a minimum of 165 FPS, ensuring no noticeable drops. However, the "High" preset provides a better visual experience with only a 49 FPS penalty compared to Medium.

For users with a 4K display, the "Medium" preset is the recommended choice. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset delivers an average of 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, which is playable and smooth. The "High" preset at 4K drops to 77 FPS average, which is still playable but more susceptible to dips. The "Ultra" preset at 4K, with an average of 52 FPS, is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience, as it may feel sluggish in a city builder where you need to pan and zoom frequently.

At 1080p, all presets are playable, but the "Medium" preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 304 FPS with a minimum of 259 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and leaves headroom for any simulation overhead. The "Ultra" preset at 1080p yields 154 FPS, which is still excellent, but the visual difference from "High" may not justify the performance cost. The data indicates that the "High" and "Ultra" presets are for those who prioritize visuals, while "Medium" is the best for maximizing frame rate without compromising too much on detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across all tested configurations.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: The average FPS is 340. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, indicating minimal GPU load and excellent CPU performance.
• Medium: The average FPS is 304, with a minimum of 259 and a maximum of 350. This shows a slight dip from Low but still very high performance.
• High: The average FPS is 228. This is a significant drop from Medium, suggesting that the High preset adds substantial rendering work.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 154. This is the lowest at 1080p, but still a very playable frame rate.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: The average FPS is 253. The drop from 1080p is 87 FPS, showing the increased pixel count's impact.
• Medium: The average FPS is 194, with a minimum of 165 and a maximum of 223. This is a solid result for 1440p gaming.
• High: The average FPS is 145. This is a good target for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 98. This is the first preset where the frame rate falls below 100 FPS at 1440p, but it remains smooth.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: The average FPS is 134. This is still a very high frame rate for 4K, showing the GPU's strength.
• Medium: The average FPS is 102, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 118. This is the best playable option for 4K, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.
• High: The average FPS is 77. This is playable, but the minimum FPS is not recorded, suggesting potential for dips.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 52. This is the only configuration that drops below 60 FPS, making it the least desirable for a smooth experience.