Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B570 presents a clear performance hierarchy across its three tested resolutions and four quality presets. The dataset shows that the most balanced experience, prioritizing frame rate stability without sacrificing visual fidelity, is found at 1080p with High settings, yielding an average of 93 FPS. While the Low preset at this resolution reaches 162 FPS, the High preset offers a substantial visual upgrade for a 43% reduction in average frame rate, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the High preset delivers a playable 59 FPS average, placing it right at the edge of the standard smoothness target, whereas the Medium preset provides a safer margin with 79 FPS. The Ultra preset, while technically available at all resolutions, produces averages of 63 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, making it a demanding option that is only viable at the lowest resolution tested. For users prioritizing a consistent 60 FPS experience across all scenarios, the data suggests that 1080p High is the most effective configuration, as it combines a high frame rate with the quality benefits of the High preset, avoiding the performance overhead of Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear gradient of performance across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 162 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates significant headroom. The Medium preset reduces this to 124 FPS, while the High preset settles at 93 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, represents a dramatic step down to 63 FPS, a 32% reduction from High. This pattern suggests that the High preset is the optimal choice for 1080p, as it maintains a frame rate well above 60 FPS while offering a meaningful improvement in graphical quality over Low and Medium. The Ultra preset’s performance penalty is substantial, and the visual gains are not justified by the frame rate cost at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling is consistent with the increased pixel count. The Low preset produces 103 FPS, Medium 79 FPS, and High 59 FPS. The High preset’s 59 FPS average is just below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that it may be borderline for users with high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset, at 79 FPS, provides a comfortable cushion and is likely the better recommendation for 1440p gaming, as it offers a higher frame rate while still delivering a respectable level of visual detail. The Ultra preset falls to 40 FPS, which is not ideal for a city builder where panning and zooming are frequent, as lower frame rates can make the interface feel less responsive.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a more constrained performance envelope. The Low preset yields 55 FPS, Medium 42 FPS, High 31 FPS, and Ultra 21 FPS. None of these configurations reach the 60 FPS target, making 4K gaming a challenging scenario for this hardware combo. The Low preset offers the most playable experience at 55 FPS, but it requires significant graphical compromises. The Medium preset, with a 42 FPS average and a recorded minimum of 35 FPS, may experience noticeable stutters during complex scenes. Given these figures, the best experience per the measured rows is definitively at 1080p with the High preset, which balances visual quality and performance effectively without the severe drop-off seen with Ultra.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s specifications directly influence the observed frame rates. Its memory configuration consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both listed at 2500 MHz, with a memory clock of 2375 MHz or 19 Gbps effective. These characteristics, combined with 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units, define its processing capacity. The GPU’s performance percentile is 65, with an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it in the mid-range tier.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU’s role is evident in the scaling of frame rates with resolution. At 1080p, the GPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, reaching 162 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, with the 4K High preset falling to 31 FPS. This decline is characteristic of a GPU that is increasingly stressed by the higher pixel throughput. The 10 GB VRAM allocation is sufficient for the game’s textures at these settings, as no memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in is indicated in the data. The GPU’s 80 ROPs and pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s contribute to its fill-rate capabilities, which are crucial for a city builder that renders many on-screen elements.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, including its FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS, support the game’s rendering demands. The measured performance shows that the Arc B570 is a capable mid-range card for this title, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, particularly on Higher presets. The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 55 FPS, while at 1080p, the CPU may have more influence on overall performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data across resolutions reveals a consistent pattern of decline, which helps identify the limiting component. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the High preset drops from 93 FPS to 59 FPS, a 37% decrease. From 1440p to 3840x2160, the High preset falls further to 31 FPS, a 47% decrease. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The Low preset shows a similar trend: 162 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The consistent reduction in performance with each resolution step-up is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K for the Low preset is (162-55)/162 = 66%, while for the High preset it is (93-31)/93 = 67%. This similar relative decrease across different presets reinforces that the GPU’s rendering capabilities, rather than the CPU or memory bandwidth, are the determining factor. The Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is likely not the limiting factor at these resolutions, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels. At 1080p, the higher frame rates suggest that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, but as the resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows, and the CPU has more headroom.

This data implies that for users who want to play at 4K, the GPU is the component that needs upgrading, as the Arc B570 cannot deliver playable frame rates on higher presets. Conversely, at 1080p, the combo is well-balanced, with the GPU providing high frame rates that are suitable for most displays. The scaling behavior is typical for a modern title, where pixel fill rate and shader complexity are the primary drivers of performance at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B570 combination is ranked 2320 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the lower-middle percentile of all possible hardware configurations, specifically at the 79.3% mark (2320/2924). This ranking reflects the overall performance of the combo, which is significantly hampered by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions. The CPU, however, is a strong performer, with a percentile rank of 79 among all CPUs, indicating that it is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

The combo’s rank is determined by the combined performance of its components. Given that the GPU has a percentile rank of 65, it is the weaker link in this setup. The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p, where it can achieve frame rates comparable to higher-tier systems. However, its ranking suffers at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU’s mid-range capabilities become apparent. When compared to other combos, this setup is likely competitive at 1080p but falls behind in higher-resolution scenarios. The rank of 2320 suggests that while it is not at the bottom of the list, it is far from the top, and users should expect a solid 1080p experience but a compromised one at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a 5000-series processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache. This configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184 and Geekbench multi-core score of 10779. The CPU’s single-thread performance, with a Geekbench score of 2016, is also solid.

In Steamworld Build, a city builder genre that often involves complex simulations and AI calculations, the CPU’s multi-core capabilities are relevant. The game’s frame rates at 1080p, particularly on Low settings where the GPU is less stressed, show the CPU’s ability to drive high frame rates. The 162 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU can process the game’s logic efficiently. However, as the resolution increases, the frame rates drop, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 65W TDP and 7nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but these factors do not directly impact the game’s performance.

The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 6858 and the Passmark multi-thread score of 26612, demonstrate its capability in multi-threaded workloads. In Steamworld Build, this is likely beneficial for maintaining stable frame rates during large-scale city construction, where many entities are simulated. The data does not show any CPU-related bottlenecks at the tested settings, as the frame rates scale proportionally with resolution, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. The Ryzen 7 5700X provides ample processing power for this game, and its performance is not a limiting factor in this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 63, with no minimum or maximum recorded.
• High: The average FPS is 93, providing a smooth experience.
• Medium: The average FPS is 124, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 143.
• Low: The average FPS is 162, which is the highest recorded for this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 40, which is below the 60 FPS target.
• High: The average FPS is 59, just shy of the 60 FPS mark.
• Medium: The average FPS is 79, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91.
• Low: The average FPS is 103, offering a smooth experience.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 21, which is not playable for most users.
• High: The average FPS is 31, still well below the 60 FPS target.
• Medium: The average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48.
• Low: The average FPS is 55, which is the only 4K setting close to playable.

These figures show a clear and consistent pattern: performance decreases as resolution and settings increase. The Medium preset is the only one that provides minimum FPS data, which are 106 at 1080p, 67 at 1440p, and 35 at 4K. This suggests that the Medium preset has more stable frame times, as the minimum FPS is closer to the average. The Ultra and High presets lack minimum/maximum data, indicating that they may have more variance. The data confirms that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with all presets except Ultra achieving over 90 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, the High preset achieves 93 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the safest choice with 79 FPS, as the High preset falls to 59 FPS. For 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the Low preset being the closest at 55 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops by 66-67% from 1080p to 4K across presets, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is capable of driving high frame rates at 1080p, as shown by the 162 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High?

A: The Ultra preset exacts a significant performance cost. At 1080p, it drops from 93 FPS (High) to 63 FPS (Ultra), a 32% reduction. At 1440p, it falls from 59 FPS to 40 FPS, and at 4K, it drops from 31 FPS to 21 FPS. The visual quality gains from Ultra do not justify the frame rate loss in most scenarios.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: The data shows that 4K gaming is not ideal. The highest average FPS at 4K is 55 on the Low preset, which is below 60 FPS. Medium preset averages 42 FPS, and High/Ultra are 31 and 21 FPS respectively. Users should expect to make significant graphical sacrifices to play at 4K.

Q: Is the frame rate stable across different settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, it ranges from 106 to 143 FPS, at 1440p from 67 to 91 FPS, and at 4K from 35 to 48 FPS. This suggests that Medium has more consistent frame times compared to other presets, which lack this data.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700X’s core count affect performance?

A: The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are well-suited for the city builder genre, which involves complex simulations. The benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184, indicate strong multi-threaded capability. This allows the CPU to keep up with the GPU at 1080p, where frame rates are high, but it is not the limiting factor in this combo.