Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build places the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and Intel Arc B370 combination in a challenging position, ranking 2683rd out of 2924 tested combos for this title. The data shows a platform that is severely constrained by its integrated graphics solution, with the CPU's strong multi-threaded capabilities largely irrelevant to the final frame rates. The Arc B370's performance percentile of 5th overall, alongside an average 3DMark Steel Nomad score of just 1184, indicates that this setup is only viable at lower resolutions and settings for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best achievable average frame rate with this CPU and GPU combo in Steamworld Build?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 95 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, while all other settings at this resolution stay below 73 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its closest GPU rivals in raw synthetic performance?

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 is effectively tied with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 (a 0.2% difference). It is 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190) and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), but 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). These are all very closely matched, legacy-level parts.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7500X3D a bottleneck for the Arc B370 in this game?

A: No, the data suggests the opposite. The CPU has a Passmark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU's performance is so low (5th percentile) that it is the definitive limiting factor in every measured scenario.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 95 FPS on Low to 37 FPS on Ultra. This represents a 58 FPS (or roughly 61%) reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Does increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K have a linear impact on performance at High settings?

A: No, the impact is severe and non-linear. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, and then plummets to 18 at 4K. The 4K result is less than one-third of the 1080p result.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the CPU in this test?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D has a launch MSRP of $269. It is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary determinant of performance in Steamworld Build for this configuration, and the benchmark results indicate it is a severe weak point. The GPU's synthetic score of 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being legacy parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M. This positions the Arc B370 as an integrated graphics solution with performance that is not competitive with modern discrete graphics cards.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR5 memory for both capacity and bandwidth. This is a critical limitation, as the memory bandwidth is "System Dependent." The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 with a theoretical bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, but this bandwidth is shared between the CPU cores and the GPU's graphics workloads. In a city builder like Steamworld Build, which must manage a growing number of entities and draw calls, this shared memory architecture can cause significant performance bottlenecks.

The impact of the GPU is clear in the measured FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 12 FPS average, which is effectively unplayable. Even at a modest 1080p, the highest average FPS of 95 is only achieved at the Low preset. The GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM is likely a contributing factor to the significant performance drops at higher resolutions and settings, as the system struggles to allocate enough memory for the frame buffer and game data. The Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 20 ROPs are simply insufficient for the demands of the game at higher graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The data from Steamworld Build reveals a dramatic and consistent scaling of performance across resolutions, highlighting the GPU as the sole bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 55 FPS at 1920x1080 to 35 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of 20 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 causes another 17 FPS drop, resulting in just 18 FPS. This pattern shows that the rendering load increases almost exponentially with pixel count, quickly overwhelming the Arc B370.

This scaling behavior is a textbook example of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's performance, which remains constant across all resolutions, is not the constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at both 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU would be unable to feed the GPU any faster. Instead, the continuous decline in FPS as resolution increases demonstrates that the GPU's fill rate, texture rate (96.00 GTexel/s), and pixel rate (48.00 GPixel/s) are being saturated. The difference between Low and Medium settings also scales, with the 4K Low average of 32 FPS being higher than the 1440p Medium average of 46 FPS, but still indicating that 4K gaming is out of reach for this combo.

The most telling data point is the 4K Ultra result of 12 FPS. This is a 87% reduction from the 1080p Low result of 95 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is not just a linear increase in pixel count; it also includes higher texture memory requirements and more complex shading calculations, all of which further strain the integrated GPU and its shared memory bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 95 FPS average. This is the only playable high-refresh-rate option.
• Medium: 73 FPS average, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS.
• High: 55 FPS average. This is a significant step down but remains playable for a city builder.
• Ultra: 37 FPS average. This is on the edge of playability and shows a major performance cost.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 61 FPS average. This is a solid result, but it is a 34 FPS drop from the 1080p Low setting.
• Medium: 46 FPS average, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS.
• High: 35 FPS average. This is a noticeable compromise.
• Ultra: 23 FPS average. This is generally considered too low for a smooth experience.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 32 FPS average. This is just barely playable but not a comfortable experience.
• Medium: 25 FPS average, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS.
• High: 18 FPS average. This is not playable.
• Ultra: 12 FPS average. This is a slideshow and the worst result in the test.

The data consistently shows that the Arc B370 can handle 1080p Low and Medium settings for a playable experience. For 1440p, only the Low preset offers a frame rate above 60 FPS. 4K is not a viable option for this game with this GPU, as even the Low preset struggles to maintain 30 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D's role in this configuration is to provide ample processing power that is never fully utilized by the game due to the GPU's limitations. The CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It boasts a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is typically beneficial for gaming. Its Passmark scores are respectable, with a single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. It is a close rival to the Intel Core i9-13950HX, which scores 44342, a mere 0.5% difference.

However, the benchmark results show that this CPU performance is largely irrelevant to the final frame rates. The average FPS drops are directly correlated with GPU load (resolution and settings), not CPU load. For example, the 1080p Low score of 95 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra score of 12 FPS, even though the CPU's workload is similar in both cases. The CPU is not the limiting factor; it is waiting for the Arc B370 to produce frames.

The data implies that the CPU's single-thread performance of 3494 is more than sufficient for the game's simulation logic. The game's engine is not challenging the CPU's capabilities, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, the GPU is still the bottleneck and prevents the frame rate from climbing higher. The 12 threads and high boost clock of 4.50 GHz are more than adequate for a city builder, which may have some multi-threaded aspects for pathfinding or resource management. In this specific pairing, the CPU is a high-performance component that is being held back by a low-performance GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium settings preset. This provides an average of 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS. This frame rate is comfortably above the threshold for smooth gameplay and offers a significant visual improvement over the Low preset. The 73 FPS average is 18 FPS higher than the High preset's 55 FPS, making Medium the best balance of fluidity and visual quality.

For users who prioritize maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only option that achieves near-100 FPS (95 FPS average). This is the recommended choice for those who need a very high frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 61 FPS. While this is playable, it is a significant step down from the 1080p experience. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 46 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced city builder, but it is not ideal.

The High and Ultra presets should be avoided at all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra yields 37 FPS, which is not a smooth experience. At 1440p, High yields 35 FPS, and at 4K, all presets are below 32 FPS, making the game unplayable. The data clearly shows that the Arc B370 is not capable of handling high-fidelity graphics in Steamworld Build. Therefore, the best experience is achieved by prioritizing frame rate over visual detail, with 1080p Medium being the sweet spot. The 4K resolution is entirely out of the question for this configuration.