Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the pace of your simulation depends heavily on your hardware. The data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo shows a system that is decisively GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but capable of delivering very high frame rates at 1080p. The measured results place this pairing at rank 977 out of 1730 tested combinations in this game, which puts it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This analysis breaks down exactly how the two components share the workload and what settings you should choose for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the measured data is how dramatically frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 is barely challenged. The Low preset produces an average of 227.1 FPS, and even the heavier Medium preset holds 174.5 FPS. This is a clear sign that the CPU and GPU have plenty of headroom at this resolution, and the frame rate is likely being capped by the simulation's engine or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. Moving to High at 1080p yields 126.5 FPS, which is still far above what any standard monitor can display.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 shows the first real signs of GPU pressure. The Low preset drops from 227.1 FPS to 143.4 FPS, which is a massive 37% reduction. The High preset falls to 84.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 56.8 FPS. This indicates that while the CPU is still doing its part, the GPU is now the primary factor limiting performance. The scaling between settings is also more pronounced at 1440p, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 86.6 FPS, compared to a 141.2 FPS gap at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 is fully saturated. The Low preset manages 72.9 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset drops to 57.4 FPS, and High falls to 41.8 FPS. The Ultra preset is the outlier, delivering just 26.3 FPS, which is not a smooth experience for a city builder where you are constantly panning and zooming. The data shows that the RTX 4060 is not a 4K card for this game's Ultra settings. The frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K on the Low preset is 154.2 FPS, which highlights the extreme cost of pushing four times the pixels.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2460 MHz, and its 3072 shading units are capable of 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. In Steamworld Build, this hardware is the deciding factor at 4K. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K is 15.5 FPS, and from Medium to High is another 15.6 FPS, but the jump to Ultra is a punishing 31.1 FPS loss. This suggests that the Ultra preset is not just increasing texture quality but likely enabling effects that are both memory and compute intensive, pushing the 8 GB VRAM buffer to its limit.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers places it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores only 0.6% higher on average, while the Intel Arc B580 is 0.7% behind. This makes the RTX 4060 a very consistent performer within its class. The data from the benchmark results shows that the GPU's DirectX 12 score of 76 is significantly lower than its DirectX 11 score of 175, which is a common trait for this architecture. For this specific game, the practical takeaway is that the GPU has enough power for high refresh rate 1080p and solid 1440p gameplay, but its 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become a bottleneck at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows an average of 72.9 FPS at 4K Low and 57.4 FPS at 4K Medium. The High preset drops to 41.8 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 26.3 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. The High preset delivers 84.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the Medium preset hits 111.1 FPS. This resolution balances visual fidelity with smooth performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck for the RTX 4060?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as shown by the extremely high frame rates (227.1 FPS on Low) that exceed what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. However, at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, so the CPU has sufficient headroom.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 27220, placing it 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-9900K and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12700H. It is also 1.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset runs at 143.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset runs at 56.8 FPS. This is a performance drop of 86.6 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

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

A: The benchmark results suggest that at 4K Ultra, the game is likely exceeding the memory capacity or the bandwidth is insufficient, leading to the very low 26.3 FPS. At 1440p and below, the 8 GB capacity appears adequate, as frame rates scale predictably.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for this specific hardware. The primary goal is to maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS, as city builders require smooth camera movement to manage large maps efficiently. Based on the results, the High preset is the recommended starting point for most users. It delivers 126.5 FPS at 1080p and 84.6 FPS at 1440p, which are both excellent numbers. This preset offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance without pushing the GPU to its limits.

For users with a 1440p monitor who want maximum fidelity, the Medium preset is a safer choice than Ultra. Medium achieves 111.1 FPS at 1440p, which is a significant 54.3 FPS advantage over Ultra. The visual difference between Medium and Ultra is often not worth more than halving your frame rate in a game that is not graphically intensive. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K entirely, as the 26.3 FPS result is not a playable experience. The data shows that the Low preset is only necessary for 4K gaming, where it provides a playable 72.9 FPS, but it is not recommended for lower resolutions due to the availability of higher settings with good performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 227.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 174.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 126.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 85.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 143.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 111.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 84.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 56.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 72.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 57.4 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 41.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 26.3 |

The data shows a consistent pattern. The performance difference between Low and Ultra is largest at 1080p, with a 141.2 FPS gap. This gap narrows to 86.6 FPS at 1440p and further to 46.6 FPS at 4K. This is expected, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, and the CPU can no longer compensate for the increased graphical load.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with 16 MB of L3 cache. In this game, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation logic, unit pathfinding, and the game's internal economy. The benchmark results show that the Ryzen 7 5700 is a strong performer, achieving a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916. It ranks at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27220.

The data confirms that the CPU is not a limiting factor for this GPU in Steamworld Build. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that they are likely constrained by the game's engine or the CPU's single-threaded performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 901 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2916 are solid, but they suggest that the game is not heavily multithreaded. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-9900K, which is 0.7% slower, and the Intel Core i7-12700H, which is 0.8% slower. This places the Ryzen 7 5700 in a competitive position, ensuring there is plenty of headroom for the RTX 4060 at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The 65W TDP of this CPU also means it can be paired with a capable air cooler without generating excessive heat in a compact build.