Steamworld Build

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers playable frame rates in Steamworld Build only at lower resolutions and settings, with the data showing a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. This combination ranks near the bottom of all tested configurations, at position 2683 out of 2924 combos, placing it in the 8th percentile of all tested system pairings. The measured results indicate that this is a pairing where the integrated-class GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor, while the eight-core CPU provides ample headroom that goes largely unused in this city builder.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 55 FPS at 1920x1080 to 35 FPS at 2560x1440, then plummets to 18 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% decline from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 49% decline from 1440p to 4K, for a total reduction of 67% across the full resolution range. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated well before the CPU becomes a consideration.

The Low settings preset shows a similar but less extreme trajectory. At 1920x1080, the system produces 95 FPS average, which drops to 61 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 32 FPS at 3840x2160. The percentage drops are 36% and 48% respectively, showing that the resolution penalty is remarkably consistent regardless of the graphics preset. This consistency suggests that the bottleneck is the GPU’s raw pixel throughput rather than any specific rendering feature that gets disabled at Low settings.

Medium settings provide the only complete data set with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. The min-to-max spread widens slightly at higher resolutions, from 22 FPS at 1080p to 14 FPS at 1440p and 7 FPS at 4K, indicating that frame time consistency degrades as the GPU works harder.

Ultra settings are the most demanding and expose the hardware’s limits. The system manages 37 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 23 FPS at 1440p and then to 12 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 12 FPS is essentially unplayable for a city builder where responsive camera movement and quick menu interactions matter. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 68% reduction, nearly identical to the High preset’s 67% decline, reinforcing that resolution scaling is the dominant factor.

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B370, with its 20 ROPs and 1280 shading units, simply cannot sustain the pixel workload of 4K in this game. At 1080p, the system can hit playable frame rates across all settings, but the transition to 1440p cuts performance by roughly a third, and 4K cuts it by roughly two-thirds relative to 1080p. The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal, as the Ryzen 7 5700G’s eight cores are far more capable than what this GPU can feed.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process from Intel. Its boost clock reaches 2400 MHz with a base clock of 300 MHz, and it operates within a 25 W TDP envelope. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its peak fill rates are 48.00 GPixel/s for pixels and 96.00 GTexel/s for textures, with FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS.

Memory for this GPU is system shared, meaning it draws from the same DDR4 pool as the CPU. The memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent, which in this configuration with the Ryzen 7 5700G’s dual-channel DDR4 support translates to a theoretical maximum of 51.2 GB/s. This shared memory architecture is a significant constraint in a city builder like Steamworld Build, where large map data and numerous entities can pressure memory bandwidth.

The GPU’s benchmark presence is minimal, with only one recorded test: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. This score places the Arc B370 at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, a 0.2% difference; the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher; the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher; and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. This puts the Arc B370 in the same performance class as discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the measured frame rates in Steamworld Build.

The GPU’s API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so it is feature-complete for modern games. However, the raw throughput is the limiting factor. The 20 ROPs are particularly restrictive for high-resolution rendering, as pixel fill rate directly impacts how quickly the GPU can write final pixels to the framebuffer. The measured 4K performance of 18 FPS at High settings aligns with the pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s when accounting for the game’s shading complexity.

The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate this is designed for power-constrained portable devices, not desktop gaming. The display outputs are listed as portable device dependent, confirming that this GPU is intended for laptops or compact systems. The 3 nm process node allows for this efficiency, but the small die and limited resources cannot compete with even entry-level discrete GPUs.

In Steamworld Build specifically, the GPU’s limitations manifest clearly. The game’s isometric view and detailed building models require consistent fill rates, and the Arc B370’s 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for high-resolution Ultra settings. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Ultra, the system only reaches 37 FPS, indicating that the GPU is already near its limit at the lowest tested resolution with maximum graphics settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2683 out of 2924 tested combinations in Steamworld Build, placing it in the bottom 9% of all configurations. The rank of 2683 means that 241 combos perform worse, while 2682 perform better. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU’s integrated-class performance rather than any CPU deficiency.

The CPU alone sits at the 79th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27051. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-9900K with an average score of 27097 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 445 with 26936 (0.4% lower), the Intel Core i5-14400T with 27166 (0.4% higher), and the Intel Core i7-1370P with 26900 (0.6% lower). This places the Ryzen 7 5700G in strong company, roughly equivalent to a high-end desktop CPU from several generations ago.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (0.2% higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (0.7% higher), and the AMD FirePro M2000 at 1168 (1.4% lower). The delta percentages are all within 1.5%, indicating that the Arc B370 is statistically indistinguishable from these decade-old parts in raw GPU compute.

The combination of a 79th percentile CPU with a 5th percentile GPU creates an extreme bottleneck scenario. The combo rank of 2683 is much closer to the GPU’s percentile than the CPU’s, confirming that the GPU dictates the gaming experience in Steamworld Build. The CPU’s headroom is irrelevant when the GPU cannot deliver sufficient frame rates.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance tiers is stark. The Ryzen 7 5700G’s average benchmark score of 27051 is over 22 times higher than the Arc B370’s 1184, yet in gaming, the system performs as the GPU allows. This pairing would benefit enormously from a discrete GPU upgrade, as the CPU could support far more capable graphics hardware without becoming the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 95 FPS, which is smooth for a city builder. Medium settings average 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, providing consistent performance. High settings average 55 FPS, which is acceptable for this genre. Ultra settings drop to 37 FPS, which is borderline but still functional for slower-paced gameplay.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 61 FPS, which remains playable. Medium settings average 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, and the minimum of 39 FPS indicates occasional stutters. High settings average 35 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for smooth camera controls. Ultra settings average 23 FPS, which is marginal for a city builder.

At 3840x2160, the system is largely unplayable. Low settings average 32 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. Medium settings average 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS, showing that even the minimum frame rate is too low for comfortable play. High settings average 18 FPS, and Ultra settings average 12 FPS. At 4K, even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistent 30 FPS, making this resolution unsuitable for this hardware combination.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, with min and max values recorded for all three resolutions. At 1080p, the 62 to 84 FPS range shows good consistency. At 1440p, the 39 to 53 FPS range indicates more variation. At 4K, the 21 to 28 FPS range shows that the system is consistently below playable thresholds. The narrowing frame range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is hitting hard limits rather than experiencing sporadic slowdowns.

Comparing the Low and Ultra settings at each resolution shows the full performance envelope. At 1080p, the spread from 95 FPS (Low) to 37 FPS (Ultra) spans 58 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 38 FPS (61 to 23). At 4K, the spread narrows further to 20 FPS (32 to 12). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that resolution is a more significant performance factor than settings, as the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the primary constraint.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is a Zen 3 architecture processor with the Cezanne codename, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 interface with PCIe Gen 3, providing 16 lanes from the CPU.

The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 16 MB L3 cache. The CPU’s transistor count is 10,700 million on a die size of 180 mm². It integrates Radeon Vega 8 graphics, though the system uses the Intel Arc B370 for display output. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and is unlocked for overclocking, with a release date of April 2021.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 5700G demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Cinebench R23 scores 12830.5 in multicore and 1494 in singlecore. Geekbench scores 9950 in multicore and 1894 in singlecore. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 899 in single-thread to 6629 in 16-thread and 6627 in max-thread tests. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 24419 and a single-thread score of 3283.

For Steamworld Build, the CPU’s eight cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient. City builders typically rely on single-thread performance for simulation logic and moderate multi-threading for rendering tasks. The Ryzen 7 5700G’s single-thread score of 1494 in Cinebench R23 and 899 in 3DMark single-thread indicate solid performance for this genre. The multi-thread scores of 12830.5 in Cinebench R23 and 6627 in 3DMark max-thread show that the CPU can handle complex simulation workloads without bottlenecking.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is shared with the Intel Arc B370’s system shared memory. This creates a potential contention point, as the GPU and CPU compete for the same DDR4 bandwidth. In Steamworld Build, where large city maps and many entities require frequent memory access, this contention could contribute to the lower frame rates observed at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 79th among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27051, places it in the upper tier of desktop CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-9900K, performs within 0.2%, indicating that the Ryzen 7 5700G offers comparable CPU performance to a high-end Intel part from the same era. The CPU is clearly not the limiting factor in this system’s Steamworld Build performance.

The data shows that the CPU’s role in this game is supportive rather than primary. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, which is well within the CPU’s capability to feed the GPU. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU bottlenecks. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect frame rates to plateau or drop less severely at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload does not scale with resolution in the same way as GPU workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Steamworld Build?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings produces 95 FPS average, while Medium settings at 1080p produce 73 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium is the highest setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate, with a minimum of 62 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS with an average of 61 FPS. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being 32 FPS at Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% lower). All rivals are within 1.5% of the Arc B370’s score.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B370 in this game?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The Ryzen 7 5700G sits at the 79th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 27051, while the Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile with a score of 1184. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-9900K, performs within 0.2% of the Ryzen 7 5700G, confirming strong CPU performance. The frame rates in Steamworld Build are limited by GPU capabilities, not CPU processing power.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system produces an average frame rate of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting with complete min/max data. The minimum of 39 FPS falls below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider acceptable for smooth gameplay in a city builder.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested combos in Steamworld Build?

A: This pairing ranks 2683 out of 2924 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 9% of all configurations. The rank of 2683 means 2682 combos perform better while only 241 perform worse. This low ranking is driven by the GPU’s 5th percentile performance, as the CPU’s 79th percentile ranking would normally support a much higher combo position.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 95 FPS while Ultra settings average 37 FPS, a difference of 58 FPS. This represents a 61% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest graphics preset. At 4K, the difference narrows to 20 FPS (32 FPS at Low versus 12 FPS at Ultra), showing that resolution constraints dominate at higher pixel counts.