Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that scales heavily with resolution and settings, making it a useful title for isolating GPU and CPU limits. This analysis covers the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, based on measured FPS data across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions.

The data shows a clear pattern: this combo is capable of high refresh rates at lower resolutions, but becomes GPU-bound quickly as resolution increases. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 311.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 41.3 FPS. This is a 7.5x reduction in performance from the easiest to the most demanding configuration, which tells us a lot about where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, moving from 1080p (311.6 FPS) to 1440p (197.1 FPS) represents a 36.7% performance loss. Pushing further to 4K (107.2 FPS) costs another 45.6% of the 1440p figure. The game becomes increasingly pixel-bound as resolution rises.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly less dramatic but still severe: 1080p delivers 179.9 FPS, 1440p drops to 110.5 FPS (a 38.6% reduction), and 4K falls to 58.1 FPS (a 47.4% reduction from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drop between 1440p and 4K is larger than between 1080p and 1440p suggests the GPU is running out of headroom at higher pixel counts.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story with lower absolute numbers. From 1080p (121.7 FPS) to 1440p (77.5 FPS), performance drops by 36.3%. From 1440p to 4K (41.3 FPS), the loss is 46.7%. These consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that resolution scaling is uniform, and the limiting component is the GPU's rasterization throughput rather than any specific setting.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, as shown by the playable frame rates. The 41.3 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is hitting its limits, likely due to both memory bandwidth and compute capacity, not just capacity alone.

The card's clocks are notable: a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz. These are relatively high frequencies, and the FP32 throughput of 29.15 TFLOPS helps explain why the card performs well at lower resolutions. However, the pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s becomes a constraint at 4K, especially with Ultra settings that likely increase shading complexity.

The RTX 4070's benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, which is only 0.6% higher. This margin is negligible in real-world gaming, but the measured FPS data shows the RTX 4070 handles Steamworld Build well at 1440p, where it maintains over 77.5 FPS even at Ultra.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture. Its boost clock of 4.80 GHz is high, and the 32 MB of L3 cache helps with game data locality. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 23794 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 3359 in single-core, suggesting strong per-thread performance.

In this game, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 311.6 FPS. At this point, the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the CPU's single-thread performance of 959 in 3DMark single-thread allows it to feed the GPU efficiently. The 16 threads also help with the simulation and logic aspects of a city builder, preventing CPU-bound slowdowns during complex scenes.

The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, has an average score of 29740, which is 0.1% higher. This performance parity means the 5800XT is well-positioned among its peers. The 86th percentile ranking across all CPUs further reinforces that this is a capable processor for gaming, though its impact on Steamworld Build appears secondary to the GPU once resolution exceeds 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 395th out of 1730 tested combinations for Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 22.8% of all systems. This is a strong showing, but not exceptional. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, and the data indicates the RTX 4070 is the performance ceiling at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the combo is more competitive, with frame rates exceeding 121.7 FPS at Ultra and 311.6 FPS at Low. These numbers suggest the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p. Moving to 1440p, it still delivers 77.5 FPS at Ultra, which is playable for most users. At 4K, the combo falls below 60 FPS at High and Ultra, making it less ideal for that resolution.

The rank of 395 out of 1730 indicates that there are many faster combos, but also a large number of slower ones. The data shows this pairing is a balanced mid-to-high-end option, with the CPU having ample headroom to support the GPU at all tested settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve in Steamworld Build?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 311.6 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: At 4K, the combo delivers 58.1 FPS on High and 41.3 FPS on Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Low settings yield 107.2 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 29774 on average, while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE scores 29740, making the 5800XT 0.1% faster.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the combo achieves 110.5 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds while maintaining good visual quality. At Ultra, it still hits 77.5 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 311.6 FPS, suggesting the CPU can push high frame rates. The GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, evidenced by the sharp FPS drop to 107.2 FPS at 4K Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents all measured average FPS values from the data:

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 311.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 237.1 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 179.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 121.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 197.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 151.4 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 110.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 77.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 107.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 80.0 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 58.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 41.3 |

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy: lower resolutions and settings yield exponentially higher frame rates. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even Ultra exceeding 120 FPS. At 1440p, the combo maintains above 77.5 FPS across all settings, making it a solid choice for that resolution. At 4K, only Low and Medium settings provide playable results above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall short. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is substantial (80.0 vs 58.1 FPS), suggesting that High settings introduce a significant rendering cost. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 189.9 FPS, which highlights the heavy impact of settings on this GPU.