Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder from late 2023, presents an interesting challenge for hardware. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and the Intel Arc B390 yields a dataset that reveals a system heavily constrained by its graphics solution. The data shows a clear narrative: this pairing is capable of providing playable frame rates at 1080p, but its performance collapses as resolution increases, highlighting the Arc B390's limitations as the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution scales upward, which strongly indicates that the graphics processor is the limiting component in this configuration. At the "High" settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 60 FPS at 1920x1080 to 38 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 22 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 20 FPS, which is a 40 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is not an anomaly; it is consistent across all settings presets.

The scaling behavior from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At "Medium" settings, the average FPS falls from 51 at 2560x1440 to 27 at 3840x2160, nearly halving. Similarly, at "Low" settings, the average drops from 67 FPS at 1440p to 35 FPS at 4K. This near-linear relationship between resolution and frame rate is a classic sign of a pixel-throughput bottleneck. The GPU is being asked to render four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p, and its raw fillrate capabilities, indicated by a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, are simply insufficient to maintain performance.

The data implies that the Ryzen 5 8400F is not the primary constraint in this scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see relatively flat frame rates across resolutions, as the workload per frame would not change the CPU's calculation load. Instead, we see a dramatic decline, which means the system's performance is dictated by the Intel Arc B390's ability to process fragments and pixels. The 80 W TDP of the GPU further contextualizes its performance tier; it is a low-power solution designed for efficiency, not high-end rasterization, and the resolution scaling data aligns perfectly with that expectation.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390's specifications paint a clear picture of its intended role and its subsequent performance in Steamworld Build. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," with a memory type and bus width also listed as "System Shared." This indicates an integrated-class solution that relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. Consequently, the memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning the GPU's performance is tied to the speed and configuration of the host system's DDR5 memory, which in this case is dual-channel with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s for the CPU.

This architecture has direct implications for the measured results. In a city builder like Steamworld Build, where the screen can become populated with numerous sprites, buildings, and UI elements, texture bandwidth and memory latency are critical. A shared memory setup can lead to contention between the CPU and GPU for memory access, potentially causing stutters or frame drops. The "Medium" settings rows provide some evidence of this, with a minimum FPS of 23 at 4K and 44 at 1440p, showing that frame pacing is not always consistent, although the data is limited.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz. The boost clock is relatively high, but the architecture is built on a 3 nm process and features 1536 shading units. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures suggest a GPU capable of handling light to moderate loads. In Steamworld Build, the "Ultra" preset proves to be too demanding, yielding an average of only 14 FPS at 4K and 41 FPS at 1080p. The performance gap between "Low" and "Ultra" at 1080p (106 FPS vs 41 FPS) shows that while the GPU has enough raw compute to handle the game at lower fidelity, its throughput is quickly saturated by the increased visual complexity of higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The benchmark database places this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Intel Arc B390 at rank 2573 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the lower percentile of all configurations, specifically within the bottom 12% (since 2573/2924 is roughly 0.88). This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations, as the system is clearly held back by the graphics component.

To understand this ranking, it helps to look at the individual components. The CPU, the Ryzen 5 8400F, is a much stronger performer in general benchmarks. It holds the 77th percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25005 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24964, a 0.2% difference) and the Intel Core i7-13620H (24911, a 0.4% difference). This indicates that the processor is a mid-range performer that should not be the primary cause for such a low overall system ranking.

Conversely, the GPU's independent ranking is poor. The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs based on its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are legacy parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, a 1.3% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, a 2.7% difference). The data suggests that in the context of this game, the system's overall rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU. The combination's rank of 2573 reflects how a powerful CPU cannot compensate for a severely underpowered graphics adapter in a 3D-rendered workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across different configurations. At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. With "Low" settings, it achieves an average of 106 FPS, which is very smooth. "Medium" settings yield an average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, indicating a stable experience. "High" settings drop the average to 60 FPS, which is still playable, but "Ultra" settings prove too demanding, falling to an average of 41 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drop is significant. The "Low" preset averages 67 FPS, which is still decent. "Medium" averages 51 FPS (min 44, max 59), and "High" averages 38 FPS. At 1440p, the "Ultra" preset becomes nearly unplayable with an average of 26 FPS. The step up to 3840x2160 is brutal. Only the "Low" preset manages an average above 30 FPS, hitting 35 FPS. "Medium" averages 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), "High" averages 20 FPS, and "Ultra" averages just 14 FPS.

The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% of the frame rate, and the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 40-50%. This consistent degradation confirms the GPU is the bottleneck. The "Medium" settings offer the most detailed data with min/max frames at all three resolutions, which suggests it is a stable preset. The difference between "Low" and "Medium" at 1080p (106 FPS vs 81 FPS) shows that the GPU has headroom at lower resolutions to handle increased graphical fidelity, but that headroom is exhausted by the time the resolution reaches 4K.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to be more than adequate for Steamworld Build based on the data. City builders are often heavily reliant on single-thread performance for game logic, AI, and pathfinding. The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and its Zen 4 architecture provide strong single-core capabilities, as evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 951. This is a crucial asset for this genre.

Its multi-threaded performance is also robust. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 shows that it can handle the background simulation tasks that a city builder generates as the city grows. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 and its average benchmark score of 25005, which is on par with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, confirm that it is a well-rounded processor that shouldn't struggle with this game's simulation layer.

The evidence for the CPU not being the bottleneck comes from the resolution scaling data. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect frame rates to be similar across resolutions. Instead, they plummet as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU is the sole constraint. The CPU's high performance in synthetic benchmarks, coupled with the game's genre-specific needs for strong single-core speed, suggests that the Ryzen 5 8400F is providing a stable and sufficient foundation. The 65 W TDP and 16 MB of L3 cache are adequate for gaming, and the data shows that it is the Intel Arc B390 that holds this combo back from achieving higher ranks and frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Steamworld Build smoothly at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data indicates it can. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 60 on "High" settings, 81 on "Medium", and 106 on "Low". Even the "Ultra" preset, with an average of 41 FPS, is playable, though not ideal.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware combination?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently achieves high frame rates. At 2560x1440, the "High" preset drops to 38 FPS, and at 3840x2160, even "Low" settings only manage 35 FPS, making these resolutions less suitable for a smooth experience.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F or the Intel Arc B390 the limiting factor?

A: The benchmark data clearly identifies the Intel Arc B390 as the limiting component. This is evidenced by the dramatic frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's strong benchmark scores and high percentile rank (77th) support this conclusion.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This specific combination ranks 2573 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested, primarily due to the GPU's low performance percentile of 9.

Q: What settings preset provides the most stable performance at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset is the most stable option based on the available data. It has an average FPS of 51, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 59, providing a consistent frame rate. The "Low" preset is faster at 67 FPS, but "Medium" offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Is the "Ultra" preset playable at any resolution?

A: The data shows that the "Ultra" preset is only marginally playable at 1920x1080, where it achieves an average of 41 FPS. At 2560x1440, it drops to 26 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 14 FPS, making it unplayable at those higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware is clearly at 1920x1080. For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the "Medium" preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 81 FPS with a stable minimum of 69 FPS. If a higher frame rate is preferred for a more responsive feel, the "Low" preset at 106 FPS is the fastest option, while "High" at 60 FPS is a solid alternative for those who want more visual detail without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the "Low" preset is the most practical for maintaining a high frame rate, averaging 67 FPS. The "Medium" preset is still an option, but its 51 FPS average and 44 FPS minimum are less ideal. The "High" and "Ultra" presets should be avoided at this resolution, as their averages of 38 and 26 FPS respectively, will likely result in a less fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is out of its depth. The "Low" preset, with an average of 35 FPS, is the only remotely playable option. The "Medium" preset drops to 27 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The "High" and "Ultra" presets are not recommended at this resolution, as the average frame rates of 20 and 14 FPS are too low. The data suggests that for a consistently good experience, users should stick to 1080p with "Medium" or "High" settings, and only consider 1440p if they are willing to use the "Low" preset.