Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder released in late 2023, presents a unique challenge for hardware. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the Intel Arc B370 produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. The data shows a system that is capable of smooth gameplay at lower resolutions but quickly becomes constrained as graphical demands increase, revealing a significant bottleneck in the graphics subsystem.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 55 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average drops to 35 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36%. This is a substantial hit, but the system remains playable. However, the transition to 3840x2160 is where performance collapses; the average FPS at 4K High falls to just 18, which is nearly half of the 1440p figure and only a third of the 1080p result.

This scaling behavior is a classic indicator of a GPU-limited scenario. The Intel Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, is simply overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions. The data shows that the performance drop is not linear but exponential, with the gap between 1440p and 4K being far more punishing than the gap between 1080p and 1440p. This steep decline points directly to the graphics card as the limiting component, as the CPU's workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. The CPU is rendering the same scene logic, but the GPU must process an exponentially larger number of pixels. The result is that the Arc B370's fillrate and shading capabilities are exhausted, making 4K gaming an untenable prospect for this pairing in Steamworld Build. The low 5th percentile ranking for the GPU across all GPUs further corroborates this, indicating its performance is at the very bottom of the spectrum.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS is 95, which is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 73 FPS at Medium and 55 FPS at High settings at the same resolution.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p for a playable experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 61 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset provides a playable 46 FPS, while High drops to 35 FPS and Ultra falls to 23 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Intel Arc B370?

A: The data indicates that 4K is not viable. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 32 with Low settings. The High preset produces only 18 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to a mere 12 FPS, all of which are below acceptable playability standards.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS, which is a 58 FPS drop (or roughly 61% lower) compared to the 95 FPS average seen on the Low preset. This shows a massive performance cost for the highest visual quality.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2683 out of 2924 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 9th percentile of all systems benchmarked for Steamworld Build.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184. This is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570's score of 1186, a delta of -0.2%, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770's score of 1190, a delta of -0.5%.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is unequivocally the performance bottleneck in this pairing. Its benchmark data is stark: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all legacy parts from over a decade ago, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with which it trades blows within a 1% margin. This context is crucial for interpreting the game's FPS data. The GPU's architecture, Xe3-LPG on a 3nm process, and its specifications—1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs—are simply not designed for high-end gaming workloads.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable, the low shader count and narrow ROP configuration limit its ability to fill pixels. The memory subsystem is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical limitation, as bandwidth is "System Dependent" and is not dedicated to graphics tasks. This shared memory architecture is likely a major contributor to the poor performance at higher resolutions, where memory bandwidth demands are highest. The data shows that even at 1080p, the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates on higher presets, confirming that its compute and memory resources are severely limited. The 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical figure that the game's data suggests is not being effectively utilized due to these bottlenecks.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 73 FPS, with a minimum recorded of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is the only settings/resolution combination that provides a consistently smooth frame rate above the 60 FPS target without sacrificing all visual fidelity. The Low preset at 1080p does offer a higher 95 FPS average, but this comes at the cost of a significantly reduced visual experience. The High preset at 1080p, while averaging 55 FPS, is close to the 60 FPS target but may experience dips that are noticeable in a city builder where camera panning is frequent.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that only the Low preset, with its 61 FPS average, is suitable for fluid gameplay. The Medium preset at 1440p, averaging 46 FPS, is playable but may feel less responsive. For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, the 1080p High preset is a balanced choice, but the 1080p Medium preset offers the best combination of performance and visual quality. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it fails to achieve 40 FPS even at 1080p, with averages of 37 FPS, 23 FPS, and 12 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The data clearly shows that the Ultra preset is beyond the capabilities of the Intel Arc B370 in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data paints a clear picture of the system's capabilities and limitations.

At 1920x1080, the resolution provides the most playable results. The Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a measured range of 62 to 84 FPS, indicating a stable frame time. The High preset averages 55 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 37 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades significantly. The Low preset is the only one to break the 60 FPS barrier, averaging 61 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, with a range of 39 to 53 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 23 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. The Low preset yields an average of 32 FPS. The Medium preset averages 25 FPS, with a range of 21 to 28 FPS. The High preset averages 18 FPS, and the Ultra preset plummets to an average of 12 FPS. The framerate data at 4K illustrates a hard wall for the GPU's rendering capabilities, with no setting providing a playable experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a high-end desktop processor, and its benchmark scores reflect its strength. It boasts 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its most notable feature is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a significant asset for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 14,317 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,452 in single-core. Its 3DMark multi-threaded scores are also robust, ranging from 7,299 for 16 threads to 7,285 for max threads.

The CPU's percentile ranking is 80, and its average benchmark score is 27,896, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (0% delta) and the Intel Core i9-10900K (0.1% delta). This indicates that the CPU is a very capable performer, far more so than the GPU in this system. In the context of Steamworld Build, a city builder that often involves complex simulation and AI calculations, the 5800X3D's strong multi-threading and large cache should provide ample processing power. The data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor; at 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, but this is likely constrained by the GPU's ability to render frames, not the CPU's ability to simulate the game world. The CPU's performance headroom is substantial, but it is wasted in this configuration due to the GPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall performance of this combo is ranked 2683 out of 2924 tested combinations for Steamworld Build. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, a position that is directly attributable to the graphics card's poor performance. The CPU is not contributing to this low ranking; its individual performance is in the 80th percentile, indicating it is a top-tier part. The pairing of an exceptionally strong CPU with a GPU that ranks in the 5th percentile creates a massive imbalance.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The system can achieve high frame rates only at the lowest settings and resolutions, which limits its overall score. The combination's low rank underscores that while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an excellent choice for gaming, it is entirely hamstrung by the Intel Arc B370's limited graphical capabilities. The data suggests that for a game like Steamworld Build, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance, and this particular GPU is insufficient for a high-quality experience. The combo's rank of 2683 is a clear verdict that this is not a balanced configuration for this title.