Steamworld Build

# Steamworld Build with AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a solid city-building experience in Steamworld Build, with the combo ranking 749th out of 1730 tested configurations. The data shows this pairing is well-balanced for the game's demands, though the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates reveal a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra pushes the GPU to its limits.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (Phoenix codename) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This CPU sits at the 82nd percentile among all tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 25064 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, 0.3% delta). The Ryzen 5 8400F also edges out the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099, -0.1%) and the AMD EPYC 9474F (25103, -0.2%) by a narrow margin.

In Steamworld Build, a city builder, the CPU's multi-threaded performance matters for simulation logic and AI pathfinding. The CPU's 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (1874) to 16 threads (6091), with the max-threads score reaching 6165. Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and single-core score of 2943 indicate that both heavily threaded simulation work and lighter single-threaded tasks are handled competently. The PassMark multithread score of 24530 reinforces this picture, while the single-thread score of 3684 confirms responsive gameplay for UI interactions and building placement.

At 1080p Low settings, the system hits 258.3 FPS, which is far beyond display refresh rates and shows the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower graphical loads. Even at 4K Low, the system achieves 88.8 FPS, indicating the processor maintains adequate frame pacing regardless of resolution. The 16 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput for the game's simulation loops.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an Ampere-architecture GPU built on Samsung's 8 nm process, featuring 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across an 8 GB GDDR6 buffer on a 256-bit bus. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is substantial, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher settings in Steamworld Build. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 22214 places it at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, scores 27985 (0.9% delta), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 27956 (1% delta).

The RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 46 ray tracing cores provide ample raw performance for this city builder. However, the 8 GB VRAM is the critical constraint. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 30.5, which is barely playable. The GPU's pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s indicate the hardware can push pixels quickly, but memory capacity limits how many high-resolution textures can be held simultaneously. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures modern rendering features are available, but the data shows that Ultra settings at 4K exceed what this GPU can comfortably handle.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At High settings, the system delivers 149.2 FPS at 1080p, 93.9 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 48.6 FPS at 4K (a 67% drop from 1080p). This steep decline indicates the RTX 3070 is the limiting component as resolution increases, with the CPU maintaining sufficient headroom throughout.

Low settings show even more dramatic scaling: 258.3 FPS at 1080p, 163 FPS at 1440p, and 88.8 FPS at 4K. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 88.8 FPS suggests that even at reduced graphical loads, the GPU is doing most of the work. Medium settings follow the same trajectory: 197.8 FPS at 1080p, 126.4 FPS at 1440p, and 65.6 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings present the harshest drop: 101 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 30.5 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern strongly indicates that the Ryzen 5 8400F is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system exceeds 250 FPS, which is far beyond what most city builders require. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at 1440p and especially at 4K, where the 8 GB VRAM and the RTX 3070's compute throughput struggle to maintain high frame rates at higher presets.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p users, the High preset at 149.2 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 101 FPS is also viable, offering the best visual fidelity while still maintaining smooth gameplay. Medium at 197.8 FPS and Low at 258.3 FPS are unnecessary unless targeting extremely high refresh rates.

At 1440p, the High preset at 93.9 FPS is the sweet spot, delivering near-100 FPS with good visual quality. Medium at 126.4 FPS is also excellent if players prefer higher frame rates over visual fidelity. Ultra at 65 FPS is playable but approaches the threshold where city-building games with lots of on-screen elements might feel less fluid. Low at 163 FPS is overkill for most displays.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset at 65.6 FPS offers the best playable experience, providing reasonable visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS. High at 48.6 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 30.5 FPS is not recommended for comfortable gameplay. Low at 88.8 FPS is the only preset that delivers high frame rates at 4K, but the visual compromise is significant for a game where readability matters.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 749th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the 57th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects a mid-tier position, which aligns with the measured performance: the system handles 1080p and 1440p excellently but struggles at 4K Ultra.

The ranking suggests that many other CPU-GPU combinations outperform this pairing in this specific game, likely due to the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM limitation. Combos with higher-ranked GPUs or more VRAM would achieve better 4K performance, while combos with faster CPUs might see marginal gains at low settings where the system reaches 258.3 FPS. The relatively low combo ranking (749 out of 1730) indicates this is not a top-tier configuration for Steamworld Build, but it remains a capable mid-range option for most play styles.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Steamworld Build at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The system achieves 88.8 FPS at 4K Low and 65.6 FPS at 4K Medium, while 4K High drops to 48.6 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 30.5 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 258.3 FPS, showing the CPU can handle the simulation load, but 4K Ultra drops to 30.5 FPS due to GPU and VRAM constraints.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: The High preset at 93.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p. Medium at 126.4 FPS is also excellent for higher frame rates, while Ultra at 65 FPS is playable but less fluid.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 28238, which is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409) by 0.6%.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect gameplay at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p, the system delivers 149.2 FPS on High and 101 FPS on Ultra, indicating VRAM is not a constraint at this resolution. The 8 GB limit only becomes apparent at 4K with higher presets.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25064 on average, matching the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, 0% delta) and slightly beating the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, 0.3%). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25099, -0.1%) and AMD EPYC 9474F (25103, -0.2%) by negligible margins.

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

The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination in Steamworld Build are as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 258.3 FPS
• Medium: 197.8 FPS
• High: 149.2 FPS
• Ultra: 101 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 163 FPS
• Medium: 126.4 FPS
• High: 93.9 FPS
• Ultra: 65 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 88.8 FPS
• Medium: 65.6 FPS
• High: 48.6 FPS
• Ultra: 30.5 FPS

These numbers show a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs roughly 25-35% of frame rate, and each resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs about 35-40%, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 45-50%. The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest result at 30.5 FPS, while Low at 1080p produces the highest at 258.3 FPS. This data confirms the GPU is the primary performance limiter, with the CPU maintaining sufficient headroom across all tested configurations.