Steamworld Build

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates on a base clock of 3.80 GHz and can boost up to 4.70 GHz, all within a 105 W TDP envelope. Built on TSMC's 7 nm process node, the chip contains 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, and it supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB L3 cache, making it a capable desktop part for a city builder like Steamworld Build.

Benchmark data positions this CPU at the 81st percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 29,123. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, which scores 29,093 (0.1% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, which scores 28,940 (0.6% lower). The 5800X also edges out the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (29,245, -0.4%) and the Intel Core i5-13500HX (29,270, -0.5%). This shows the 5800X is a mid-to-high-tier CPU that trades blows with modern laptop and desktop parts, though it is not a flagship.

In multi-threaded workloads, the 5800X posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,476 and a single-core score of 1,574.5. Its Geekbench multi-core score is 11,036, with a single-core score of 2,032. The 3DMark results are telling: 16-thread score is 7,586, 8-thread is 6,035, 4-thread is 3,543, and 2-thread is 1,846, while the single-thread score is 943. This scaling pattern shows that the CPU benefits from additional threads, but the gains taper off beyond 8 threads, which is typical for an 8-core part.

For Steamworld Build, a city builder that typically relies on simulation logic and AI pathfinding, the 5800X's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 265.5) is more relevant than its raw multi-core throughput. The measured FPS at 1080p Low, which is the least GPU-bound configuration, reaches 106 FPS average, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well at lower resolutions. However, as settings increase, the frame rate drops, suggesting that the game's rendering load shifts toward the graphics card rather than the CPU. The 5800X's 16 threads are more than enough for this title, and the data shows no indication of CPU bottlenecking even at 1080p Ultra, where the average FPS is 41.

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

Looking at the measured FPS across all presets and resolutions, the sweet spot for playability is the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 81, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. This provides a smooth experience for a city builder, where consistent frame pacing matters more than raw speed. The Low preset at 1080p hits 106 FPS average, but it sacrifices visual fidelity unnecessarily, as the Medium preset still delivers well above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 51 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 59. This is borderline playable, but the frame drops below 45 could cause noticeable stutter in a simulation game. The High preset at 1440p averages 38 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced genre but not ideal. At 4K, Medium drops to 27 FPS average (min 23, max 31), which is below the threshold for smooth interaction with the game's UI and building placement.

The High preset at 1080p averages 60 FPS exactly, which matches the refresh rate of many monitors. This is a viable option if the user prefers better visuals over the headroom provided by Medium. However, the data shows that High at 1080p delivers the same average FPS as Medium at 1440p (60 vs. 51, respectively), so resolution scaling matters more than preset selection in this case.

Ultra settings are not recommended for any resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 41, at 1440p it falls to 26, and at 4K it collapses to 14. These numbers are too low for a game where the player needs to manage resources and respond to events in real time. Even at 1080p, the difference between High (60 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) is a 32% reduction in performance, which is not justified by the visual gains in a top-down city builder.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1080p, as it offers an 81 FPS average with a minimum of 69 FPS, ensuring that frame times remain consistent. This preset also scales reasonably well to 1440p (51 FPS), allowing users with higher-resolution displays to play at that setting if they can tolerate occasional dips. The Low preset at 1080p (106 FPS) is only useful for users with high-refresh-rate monitors who prioritize frame rate over everything else.

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

The measured data reveals a predictable performance drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop is telling. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 60 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p, a 37% decrease, and then to 20 at 4K, a 67% decrease from the 1080p baseline. Similarly, at Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 81 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p (37% drop) and then to 27 at 4K (67% drop from 1080p). This consistent percentage drop across presets indicates that the limiting component scales with resolution, which points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck.

The Low preset shows a larger absolute drop: 106 FPS at 1080p, 67 at 1440p (37% drop), and 35 at 4K (67% drop from 1080p). Again, the relative decrease is nearly identical across all presets, reinforcing that the GPU is the constraining factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions at lower settings, but that is not the case here.

The fact that the 5800X has a high single-thread score (2,032 in Geekbench) and strong multi-thread performance (11,036 in Geekbench) means it is not holding back the system. The FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to the Intel Arc B390's limited rendering capability. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 14, which is nearly unplayable, and even at 4K Low, the 35 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target. This shows that the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput are insufficient for high-resolution rendering in this game.

The scaling pattern also suggests that the game's render pipeline is heavily pixel-bound, as the FPS halves when going from 1440p to 4K (e.g., High: 38 to 20, Medium: 51 to 27). This is consistent with a GPU that has a low pixel rate (60.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s), as the Arc B390 struggles to keep up with the increased pixel count. The system-shared memory bandwidth, which is "System Dependent," likely also contributes to the performance degradation at higher resolutions, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,573 out of 2,924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, which is a poor showing for a system featuring a relatively strong CPU. The rank indicates that the GPU is severely limiting the overall performance, as the 5800X is a capable processor that would normally rank much higher with a more powerful graphics card.

The Arc B390's benchmark results confirm this imbalance. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the GPU scores 1,482, which places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463, 1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1,460, 1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446, 2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1,443, 2.7% higher). These are all entry-level or legacy parts, indicating that the Arc B390 is a low-end GPU with performance comparable to decade-old integrated graphics.

In the context of Steamworld Build, this combo's rank of 2,573 out of 2,924 means that nearly 88% of tested configurations perform better. The 5800X's high percentile (81st) is wasted when paired with a GPU that sits in the 9th percentile. This is a classic bottleneck scenario where the CPU is overqualified for the GPU, and the measured FPS data confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. Users with this combo would need to significantly lower resolution and settings to achieve playable frame rates, as the data shows that 1080p Medium (81 FPS) is the highest playable configuration.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, codenamed Panther Lake, and fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2,500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU features 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS and FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1).

The most significant limitation is its memory configuration: the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means the GPU borrows from the system's DDR4 memory via the CPU's dual-channel bus. This creates a severe bandwidth constraint, as the GPU must share the same 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth that the CPU uses for all other tasks. In a city builder like Steamworld Build, which likely has large texture and object data, this shared memory arrangement can lead to stuttering and low frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1,482, which places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This is an extremely low score, and its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts (GT 520MX, 800M, GT 625 OEM, GT 710) that are not designed for modern gaming. The measured FPS data reflects this: even at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 106, but this is likely CPU-bound, as the GPU's workload at that setting is minimal. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 41, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 14, showing that the GPU cannot handle the increased pixel count and texture detail.

The boost clock of 2,500 MHz is respectable for an integrated GPU, but the low shading unit count (1,536) and the shared memory bottleneck prevent it from translating into playable performance at higher settings. The RT cores (12) are present, but Steamworld Build likely does not use ray tracing, and the GPU's FP32 performance (7.680 TFLOPS) is insufficient for demanding rasterization tasks at high resolutions. The data shows that the Arc B390 is only suitable for 1080p gaming at Low to Medium settings, and even then, the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium (69 FPS) is near the edge of acceptable performance for a real-time simulation game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pair?

A: The measured data shows that 1080p Medium provides the best experience, with an average FPS of 81 (min 69, max 93). This is the only configuration that maintains an average above 60 FPS while offering balanced visuals.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 5800X has an average benchmark score of 29,123, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (29,093) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28,940). It is 0.4% lower than the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (29,245) and 0.5% lower than the Intel Core i5-13500HX (29,270).

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 suitable for 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: No. At 4K High, the average FPS is 20; at 4K Medium, it is 27 (min 23, max 31); and at 4K Low, it is 35. All of these are below the 60 FPS target, and 4K Ultra averages only 14 FPS.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 2,573 out of 2,924 indicate?

A: It places this configuration in the bottom 12% of all tested combos for Steamworld Build. This is due to the GPU's low performance, as the CPU ranks in the 81st percentile among all processors.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This forces the GPU to share the CPU's DDR4 bandwidth (51.2 GB/s), which is a severe constraint at higher resolutions and settings, contributing to the low FPS at 1440p and 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS is 60 at 1080p and 20 at 4K, representing a 67% decrease. This is consistent across all presets, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.