Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that scales heavily with resolution, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo shows a clear GPU-bound pattern as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the system delivers exceptional headroom, but at 4K, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold on higher presets. This analysis interprets the measured data to explain where the bottleneck shifts and which settings offer the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 4060 is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 223.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 75.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 66%. This massive decline shows that even at the lowest graphical load, the GPU’s rendering throughput is saturated as pixel count quadruples.

The scaling pattern is similar at Medium and High presets. At Medium, the drop is from 170.7 FPS at 1080p to 56.9 FPS at 4K, a 67% loss. At High, performance goes from 128.1 FPS at 1080p to 44.2 FPS at 4K, a 65% reduction. The consistency of these percentages across presets is telling: the relative cost of each resolution step is uniform, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card.

Ultra settings show the most extreme scaling, with 86.9 FPS at 1080p collapsing to 31.7 FPS at 4K. This 63% drop means that Ultra at 4K is unplayable by any standard, while Ultra at 1080p remains smooth. The data suggests that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are overwhelmed by the combination of high detail and high resolution, leading to a hard performance ceiling.

At 1440p, the picture is more balanced. Low settings hit 144.3 FPS, Medium reaches 109.3 FPS, and High stays at 79.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, where the GPU can still maintain high frame rates without the extreme degradation seen at 4K. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% performance, which is less severe than the 50%+ drop from 1440p to 4K.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 4060 bottleneck the Ryzen 5 8400F in Steamworld Build?

A: Yes, at 1080p and 1440p the data shows a GPU bottleneck, but the CPU is not idle. The FPS scales almost linearly with resolution and settings, which is the classic signature of a graphics-limited workload. However, at 1080p Low with 223.4 FPS, the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are likely near their limit, as the frame rate is high enough to expose any single-thread limitations.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a balance of quality and speed?

A: 2560x1440 with Medium settings offers the best balance, delivering 109.3 FPS. This is 37% faster than High at the same resolution (79.6 FPS) and only 24% slower than Low (144.3 FPS). The visual uplift from Medium to High is not worth the 27% performance penalty in this measured data.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 75.8 FPS. Medium drops to 56.9 FPS, High falls to 44.2 FPS, and Ultra is a slideshow at 31.7 FPS. If 4K is required, Low is the only playable preset, and even then, the frame rate is not exceptionally high.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 984th out of 1730 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile. This is a mid-pack result, reflecting the RTX 4060’s 66th percentile ranking among GPUs and the Ryzen 5 8400F’s 82nd percentile among CPUs. The system is more capable than average but not a top-tier performer.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 4060 sufficient for this game?

A: The data suggests it is adequate at 1080p and 1440p, but the steep 4K drop indicates VRAM pressure. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 31.7 FPS, which is 63% lower than 1080p Ultra (86.9 FPS). This disproportionate loss points to the 8 GB frame buffer being a limiting factor at high resolution.

Q: What is the CPU’s contribution to the overall score?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. These numbers show a strong processor, but in Steamworld Build, the frame rate deltas between presets are much larger than the CPU’s performance variance, confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of the measured FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the dominant component in this combo for Steamworld Build, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU has a boost clock of 2460 MHz and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specs are modest for 4K gaming, which is exactly where the system struggles.

The data shows that the RTX 4060’s performance scales predictably with settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (223.4 FPS) and Ultra (86.9 FPS) is 61%, while at 4K, the same settings span from 75.8 FPS to 31.7 FPS, a 58% spread. This consistency indicates that the GPU’s compute units (3072 shading units) and texture units (96 TMUs) are being fully utilized, and the frame rate is limited by raw shading power rather than memory bandwidth.

The 8 GB VRAM is a notable constraint. At 4K Ultra, the game likely exceeds this capacity, causing the frame rate to drop below 32 FPS. Even at 4K High (44.2 FPS), the performance is poor, suggesting that texture memory is spilling over. The GPU’s 48 ROPs also limit pixel fill rate at high resolutions, contributing to the 4K degradation. In contrast, at 1080p, the 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate is more than sufficient, allowing the system to reach 128.1 FPS on High.

The RTX 4060’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% slower) and the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% faster). This tight grouping confirms that the RTX 4060 is a mid-range part, and Steamworld Build’s results reflect that positioning. For a city builder with heavy UI and simulation elements, the GPU’s 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K at high detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo ranks 984th out of 1730 tested combinations in Steamworld Build. This places it in the bottom half of all systems, yet the individual components tell a different story. The CPU ranks in the 82nd percentile of all processors, while the GPU sits in the 66th percentile. The combination of a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU yields a result that is slightly below the average of tested systems.

The rank suggests that Steamworld Build is more demanding on the GPU than many other titles. A combo with a weaker CPU but stronger GPU might rank higher, as the game’s frame rates are heavily dependent on graphics hardware. The Ryzen 5 8400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are ample for this genre, but the RTX 4060’s performance ceiling limits the overall score.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system is 57% through the ranking. This means 983 combos perform better and 746 perform worse. The delta between the CPU’s 82nd percentile and the combo’s 57th percentile indicates a GPU bottleneck that prevents the processor from showing its full potential. If paired with a faster GPU, the same CPU would likely rank much higher.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 223.4 FPS, which is close to the CPU’s limit, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 31.7 FPS, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo rank is a direct consequence of this imbalance, with the GPU holding back a capable CPU.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests using Medium settings at 2560x1440, which delivers 109.3 FPS. This is the highest frame rate that maintains a smooth gameplay feel while still providing decent visual quality. At 1080p, Medium reaches 170.7 FPS, which is excellent but may be overkill for the game’s slower pace.

At 4K, the only viable option is Low settings, yielding 75.8 FPS. Medium at 4K (56.9 FPS) is borderline playable, but the 24% drop from Low makes it less attractive. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as they fall below 45 FPS, which can cause stuttering in a city builder with frequent camera movements.

The data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 24% performance (from 144.3 to 109.3 FPS), while the jump from Medium to High costs 27% (from 109.3 to 79.6 FPS). The visual difference between Medium and High is often subtle in this genre, so Medium is the sweet spot. At 1080p, Ultra (86.9 FPS) is playable, but the 32% drop from High (128.1 FPS) is significant.

For players prioritizing frame rate, Low at 1440p (144.3 FPS) is the best choice, as it exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. For those wanting visual fidelity, High at 1080p (128.1 FPS) is a strong option, offering 45% more performance than Ultra at the same resolution. The measured data clearly shows that Ultra presets are inefficient, with diminishing returns that hurt frame rates disproportionately.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings average 223.4 FPS, Medium reaches 170.7 FPS, High hits 128.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 136.5 FPS, indicating that each preset tier costs roughly 20-25% performance. This resolution is ideal for high refresh rate monitors, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU’s load. Low averages 144.3 FPS, Medium hits 109.3 FPS, High manages 79.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54.8 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is 31%, which is steeper than at 1080p (32%), suggesting that Ultra’s extra effects are more costly at higher resolution. This is the first resolution where Ultra falls below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low averages 75.8 FPS, Medium drops to 56.9 FPS, High falls to 44.2 FPS, and Ultra crashes to 31.7 FPS. The performance loss from 1440p to 4K is 47% at Low, 48% at Medium, 44% at High, and 42% at Ultra. This consistent ~45% reduction shows that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the bottleneck, with the 4K resolution doubling the pixel count and overwhelming the RTX 4060.

The data also shows that Low settings at 4K (75.8 FPS) perform better than Ultra at 1440p (54.8 FPS), which is unusual. This indicates that the game’s Ultra preset includes effects that are disproportionately expensive at high resolutions, such as advanced shadows or post-processing, which the RTX 4060 cannot handle efficiently.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running at a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In Steamworld Build, its role is secondary to the GPU, but the data shows it is not a bottleneck at most settings. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and single-core score of 2943 indicate strong performance for a mid-range part.

At 1080p Low, the system reaches 223.4 FPS, which is high enough to stress the CPU’s single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 suggests that the CPU can handle this load, but the frame rate is likely near the processor’s ceiling. In contrast, at 4K Ultra (31.7 FPS), the CPU is barely utilized, as the GPU is fully saturated.

The Ryzen 5 8400F’s 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for a city builder, which typically has moderate data throughput. The CPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all processors means it outperforms most systems, yet the combo ranks only 57th, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (0.3% faster). These comparisons show that the 8400F is competitive with older and newer parts, but none of these CPUs would change the game’s performance profile significantly. Steamworld Build is not a CPU-intensive title, and the 8400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than enough to feed the RTX 4060 at all measured settings.