Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the interaction between processor and graphics card determines how smoothly a growing settlement can be managed and rendered. This analysis examines the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the Intel Arc B570 across multiple resolutions and quality presets, using measured frame rate data to interpret the performance characteristics of this specific combination. The Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from AMD’s 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed Vermeer) using a 7 nm process from TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. The Intel Arc B570, meanwhile, is a Battlemage-generation GPU (Arc 5 series) based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It boasts 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with base and boost clocks both at 2500 MHz. The measured FPS data in this FACT PACK covers 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 resolutions at Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings, providing a comprehensive view of how this combo performs in Steamworld Build.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for the highest average frame rate with this AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Arc B570 combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 162, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the top performance point in the dataset, followed by 124 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium and 103 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570’s memory configuration influence performance at higher resolutions?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 160-bit bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 21, while at 2560x1440 Ultra it reaches 40, and at 1920x1080 Ultra it hits 63. This suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for lower resolutions but become a limiting factor as pixel count and texture detail increase.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 103 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 40 FPS. This represents a 63 FPS difference, indicating that Ultra settings impose a significant load on the GPU, reducing performance by roughly 61% compared to Low.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800X a strong performer relative to other CPUs in benchmark tests?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X has a percentile rank of 81 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29123. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, scores 29093, which is just 0.1% lower. This places it in the upper tier of processors for multi-threaded workloads, though not at the absolute top.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in average benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556 and a percentile rank of 65 against all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a score of 20534, a difference of 0.1%. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, which is 0.1% higher, indicating these GPUs are closely matched in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combos in Steamworld Build?

A: The combo of AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, meaning many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates in Steamworld Build.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s role in Steamworld Build is defined by its rendering capabilities, memory subsystem, and clock speeds. The GPU operates at a fixed base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, which is a relatively high frequency for a graphics card, allowing for consistent throughput in compute and shading tasks. Its 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines provide the raw processing power needed for pixel and texture operations. The card’s FP32 performance is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), which are directly applicable to the shader workloads common in city builders like Steamworld Build, where buildings, terrain, and dynamic elements require constant geometry and texture updates.

Memory is a critical factor for this game, as city builders often feature large, detailed environments with many objects on screen. The Arc B570 has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory, a 160-bit bus, and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. In the measured FPS data, the impact of memory pressure is evident when moving from lower to higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU can maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings (63 FPS average), but at 2560x1440 Ultra, the average drops to 40 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 21 FPS. This pattern suggests that the 10 GB frame buffer and bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p with reasonable settings, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes saturated, likely due to increased memory traffic from higher-resolution textures and larger draw distances.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s indicate how quickly it can fill the screen with rendered frames and apply texture detail. At 3840x2160, the pixel count is over four times that of 1080p, which explains why the average FPS at 4K Low (55 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p Low (162 FPS). The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for CPU-GPU communication, though the data shows that the GPU’s own performance limits are reached at higher resolutions. The Intel Arc B570’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750, have average scores within 0.1% of each other, meaning the Arc B570 is competitively positioned for similar workloads, but it does not have a decisive performance edge over these alternatives.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X serves as the central processor, handling game logic, simulation, and draw call submission, which are particularly demanding in a city builder like Steamworld Build. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the CPU can manage multiple concurrent tasks, such as simulating citizen behavior, resource flows, and building construction, while also feeding the GPU with rendering commands. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for games that rely on a primary simulation thread. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core help reduce memory latency, allowing faster access to frequently used game data.

The 5800X has a TDP of 105 W, and its memory support is limited to DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. While this is older technology compared to DDR5, it is sufficient for most gaming workloads. In benchmark tests, the 5800X scores 15476 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1574.5 in single-core, with a Geekbench multicore score of 11036 and single-core of 2032. These scores indicate a balanced processor that excels in multi-threaded applications but also holds up well in single-threaded tasks. The CPU’s percentile rank of 81 against all CPUs places it above the majority of processors, with an average benchmark score of 29123. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, scores 29093 (0.1% lower), while the Intel Core i5-13500HX scores 29270 (0.5% higher), showing that the 5800X is competitive with modern mobile processors in raw compute.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable frame rate by ensuring that the GPU is not starved of data. The measured FPS at 1920x1080 Low shows 162 FPS average, which is likely CPU-bound or at least near the CPU’s limit, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates at lower resolutions. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 103 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it drops to 55 FPS. This scaling indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, while at lower resolutions, the CPU’s ability to process the simulation and issue draw calls becomes more important. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that background tasks, such as pathfinding or resource updates, do not cause stutters, which is critical for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a game where the player’s city evolves over time.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo handles Steamworld Build across different settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the average FPS ranges from 162 at Low settings to 63 at Ultra settings. Medium settings yield 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143, while High settings produce 93 FPS average. This shows that at 1080p, the combo is capable of high refresh rates on lower presets, but Ultra settings reduce performance significantly due to increased GPU load. The jump from High to Ultra (93 to 63 FPS) represents a 32% performance loss, indicating that Ultra settings add substantial visual effects that tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings produce 103 FPS average, which is still very playable for a city builder, while Medium yields 79 FPS (min 67, max 91). High settings drop to 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. The transition from Low to High at 1440p (103 to 59 FPS) shows a 43% reduction, while Ultra further reduces performance by another 32% from High. This suggests that 1440p Ultra is a demanding target, and players may prefer Medium or High for a balanced experience.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings yield 55 FPS average, which is borderline acceptable for a slower-paced game, but Medium drops to 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), High falls to 31 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 21 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34 FPS, representing a 62% reduction in performance. The minimum FPS of 35 at 4K Medium indicates that there are dips below the average, which could cause noticeable stutter during heavy simulation moments. Overall, the data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for Low or Medium settings if frame rate is a priority.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking of tested combos for Steamworld Build, this pairing of Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Arc B570 sits at position 2320 out of 2924 combinations. This places it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems, meaning approximately 79% of other combos perform better in this specific game. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU, and given the Intel Arc B570’s mid-range positioning (percentile rank 65 against all GPUs) and the Ryzen 7 5800X’s above-average CPU performance (percentile rank 81), the low combo rank suggests that Steamworld Build is particularly sensitive to GPU performance or that the game has specific optimization issues with this hardware.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that city builders often have high CPU demands, but the GPU still plays a major role in rendering complex scenes. At 1080p, the combo achieves 63 FPS at Ultra, which is decent, but at 4K Ultra, it only manages 21 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Compared to other combos, this pairing is not optimized for high-resolution gaming, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at 3840x2160. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, have similar average benchmark scores (within 0.1%), so the ranking is likely consistent across these GPUs when paired with similar CPUs. The low rank of 2320 indicates that for Steamworld Build specifically, there are many other hardware combinations that deliver higher frame rates, possibly due to better GPU drivers or more compatible architectures.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution and frame rate priorities. For players using a 1920x1080 monitor, High settings provide a smooth 93 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for fluid gameplay. Medium settings offer an even higher 124 FPS average, with a minimum of 106 FPS, ensuring no significant drops. Ultra settings at 63 FPS are playable but may experience occasional dips, so High is recommended for a balance of visual quality and performance. Low settings at 162 FPS are unnecessary for most, as the visual fidelity loss is not worth the extra frame rate beyond 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, which provides a good balance between detail and smoothness. High settings at 59 FPS are acceptable but may feel less fluid during busy city scenes, while Ultra at 40 FPS is on the lower end for a game that requires frequent scrolling and zooming. Low settings at 103 FPS are ideal for competitive play or if the player prefers maximum responsiveness, but Medium is the recommended preset for most users, as it maintains a high average frame rate while retaining a reasonable level of graphical detail.

For 3840x2160, the options are limited. Low settings at 55 FPS are the only preset that consistently stays above 50 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K play. Medium settings at 42 FPS (with a minimum of 35) may be acceptable for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but the dips below 40 FPS could lead to noticeable stuttering. High and Ultra settings at 31 and 21 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the playable threshold for most users. In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by using High settings at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K, with the understanding that this combo is most comfortable at lower resolutions where the GPU’s 10 GB memory and 380 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to maintain high average FPS.