Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder released in late 2023, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The measured FPS data reveals a system that is massively overqualified for the task at standard resolutions, but which still shows clear performance boundaries at the extreme high end. The data suggests that this pairing is rarely limited by the GPU, shifting the bottleneck to the CPU in many scenarios, yet the sheer horsepower on offer ensures a fluid experience across the board.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the pattern is not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 347 FPS at 1920x1080 to 253 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 134 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 27% decline from 1080p to 1440p and a further 47% drop when moving to 4K. The scaling is severe because at Low settings, the GPU is not the primary constraint; the CPU is doing the heavy lifting, and the resolution change impacts the GPU load more than the CPU load, yet the CPU remains the limiting factor.

At High settings, the trend is similar but with different magnitudes. The average FPS sits at 228 at 1080p, drops to 145 at 1440p, and then to 77 at 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This suggests that as settings increase, the GPU becomes more involved, but the CPU is still holding back the full potential of the RTX 4080 at 1080p and 1440p. The fact that 4K High (77 FPS) is not far off from 1440p Ultra (98 FPS) indicates a shift towards a GPU-bound scenario at the higher resolution.

The most telling data point is the comparison between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low yields 347 FPS while Ultra yields 154 FPS, a ratio of about 2.25x. At 1440p, the ratio is 253 to 98, or about 2.58x. At 4K, the ratio is 134 to 52, or 2.58x. This widening gap between Low and Ultra as resolution increases confirms that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The data implies that for this specific game, the RTX 4080 is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, while the Ryzen 5 7600 is the bottleneck at 1080p Low, with a complex mix in between.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit memory bus to the table. This memory configuration provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is substantial for a city builder that may need to stream many assets. The card’s boost clock is rated at 2505 MHz, with a base clock of 2205 MHz. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates at 1080p Low and Medium.

However, the GPU's role becomes more defined as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 52, which is the lowest measured value. This suggests that the RTX 4080’s raw compute power, rated at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32, is being fully utilized at this extreme setting. The card’s 76 ray tracing cores are likely not heavily used in a game like Steamworld Build, but the 112 ROPs and 304 TMUs handle the pixel and texture throughput required for 4K rendering. The data indicates that the GPU is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable of 4K at High settings, but 4K Ultra is a stretch for this title with this CPU.

The 16 GB VRAM is a significant asset, as it prevents any memory capacity bottlenecks at 4K with High or Ultra textures. The measured FPS at 4K High (77 FPS) is playable, and the jump to 4K Medium (102 FPS) shows that the GPU has headroom when settings are slightly reduced. The fact that the RTX 4080’s average benchmark score is 54247, with a percentile of 86, confirms its high-end position, but the game data shows that this card is often waiting on the CPU to feed it frames, particularly at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 249 out of 3706 combos. This places it in the top 7% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing. The percentile for the CPU is 78, meaning it outperforms 78% of all CPUs tested, while the GPU’s percentile is 86, indicating it is in the top 14% of all GPUs. The combination of a high-percentile GPU with a slightly lower-percentile CPU creates an interesting dynamic.

The rank of 249 suggests that while the GPU is extremely powerful, the CPU is holding the combo back from reaching the very top echelons of the database. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and Intel Core i9-11900KF, have average benchmark scores within 0.5% of the Ryzen 5 7600, indicating that this CPU is competitive with many higher-tier parts from previous generations. For the GPU, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% faster on average, making the RTX 4080 a near-top-tier choice.

This rank implies that for Steamworld Build, the combo is more than sufficient, but the data shows that a stronger CPU would likely yield higher frame rates, especially at 1080p where the system is clearly CPU-bound. The 249th rank out of 3706 reflects the overall strength of the pairing, but it also highlights the potential for a bottleneck that prevents the RTX 4080 from stretching its legs in lighter CPU-load scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 347 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 77, which is suitable for a 60 Hz display but not for high refresh rate monitors. The 4K Ultra average FPS drops to 52.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26324, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900KF, but 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS.

Q: What is the performance difference between the GPU and its closest competitor?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER, but 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests yes, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 347, which is likely beyond what the CPU can consistently feed, while at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 52, indicating the GPU is the primary limit.

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a balance of quality and performance?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 145, which offers a good balance between visual quality and high frame rates, though Medium settings at 1440p yield 194 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It has 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. In Steamworld Build, this CPU is a significant factor in the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The data strongly indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, where the average FPS at Low settings (347) is far higher than what most displays can show, but it also shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

The CPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12735 and a single-core score of 1852, suggests it has strong single-threaded performance. City builders often rely on single-thread performance for game logic and simulation, and the Ryzen 5 7600’s boost clock of 5.10 GHz likely helps in this regard. The 6 cores may be sufficient for the main simulation thread, but the data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is maxed out, preventing the GPU from rendering more frames.

The fact that the average FPS at 1080p Low (347) is significantly higher than at 1440p Low (253) points to the CPU being the constraint; otherwise, the FPS would scale more linearly with resolution. The measured FPS at 1440p Ultra (98) is closer to the 4K High (77) than the 1080p Ultra (154), which again highlights the CPU's inability to keep up with the GPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions. This CPU is a capable part, but for a game like Steamworld Build, its 6 cores might not be enough to fully utilize the RTX 4080’s potential in all scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to choose for different priorities. For the absolute smoothest experience on a high-refresh-rate monitor, 1080p with Medium settings delivers an average of 304 FPS, which is incredibly high. However, at 1440p, High settings provide an average of 145 FPS, which is still excellent for most gamers and offers better visual fidelity. The data shows that 1440p Medium (194 FPS) is a sweet spot for high refresh rates, while 1440p High (145 FPS) is ideal for a balance of quality and speed.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High settings (77 FPS) are the best choice for a playable experience, as Ultra (52 FPS) may be too demanding for consistent smoothness on many displays. The jump from Medium to High at 4K is from 102 FPS to 77 FPS, which is a significant drop, indicating that High is the most efficient preset for 4K. At 1080p, even Ultra (154 FPS) is extremely playable, but the marginal benefit of Ultra over High (228 FPS) is not worth the performance cost for most users.

The most balanced recommendation is 1440p High, which achieves 145 FPS and provides a good mix of resolution and visual settings. For those with 1080p monitors, High settings (228 FPS) are more than sufficient, and even Ultra (154 FPS) will not cause any issues. The data does not support using Low settings on this hardware, as the performance gain is unnecessary and the visual quality loss is significant. The Medium preset at 1440p (194 FPS) is the best option for those seeking the highest possible frame rates without sacrificing too much detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 347 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 304 FPS, with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 350 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 228 FPS. The Ultra preset, while demanding, still manages an average of 154 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. Low settings average 253 FPS. Medium settings average 194 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 223 FPS. High settings average 145 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 98 FPS, which is still smooth for most users.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more moderate. Low settings average 134 FPS. Medium settings average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 118 FPS. High settings average 77 FPS, which is suitable for 60 Hz displays. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS, which is the lowest measured value and may be challenging for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. The data shows a clear progression where the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, but requires careful settings selection at 4K to maintain high frame rates.