Steamworld Build

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 lands at rank 1387 out of 1730 tested combinations in Steamworld Build. That places this combo in the lower-middle tier of the database, meaning it sits behind roughly 80% of all tested configurations. While the ranking may look discouraging at first glance, the absolute frame rates tell a more nuanced story—this system is perfectly capable of delivering smooth gameplay in this city builder, provided the user selects appropriate settings and resolution. The combination is not a chart-topper, but it is not a basement dweller either; it simply occupies a practical mid-range position where playability hinges on configuration choices rather than raw hardware potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1387 out of 1730 tested combinations places this pairing in the 20th percentile of all tested hardware configurations for Steamworld Build. This is a significant drop from the individual component standings—the CPU ranks in the 91st percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 58th percentile among all graphics cards. The discrepancy suggests that the graphics card is the primary anchor on overall performance in this title. The data indicates that while the processor has ample headroom, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving higher placement. For context, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 40468 places it within 1.2% of its closest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, confirming that the processor is not the bottleneck. Conversely, the GPU’s average score of 16074 places it within 1.8% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, a workstation card, and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600S. This combo ranking reflects a system where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor in this simulation-heavy genre.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 brings 6 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the data shows that VRAM capacity is the most critical constraint in Steamworld Build. At 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 23.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable playability. The GPU’s 6 GB frame buffer becomes a serious limitation as resolution and texture detail increase, particularly in a city builder where the entire map is rendered simultaneously. The card’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs provide adequate compute for lower settings, but the memory subsystem struggles to feed the engine at higher presets. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 58 among all graphics cards confirms that it is an aging mid-range part, and its performance in this game reflects that positioning.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 175 FPS, which drops to 110.2 FPS at 1440p and 58.1 FPS at 4K—a 66.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU is more than capable of feeding the graphics card at lower resolutions. At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 101.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 65.8 FPS at 1440p (a 35.4% drop) and then to 32.1 FPS at 4K (a 68.5% drop from 1080p). The pattern holds across all settings, with Ultra being the most punishing: 68.6 FPS at 1080p, 39.4 FPS at 1440p, and 23.2 FPS at 4K. The data clearly shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the 58.1 FPS average is just barely playable. The scaling behavior confirms that the RTX 2060’s memory bandwidth and capacity are the primary bottlenecks as pixel count increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 175 FPS, which provides a massive headroom for smooth gameplay and fast camera movement. Medium settings drop to 132.7 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. High settings yield 101.8 FPS, maintaining a fluid experience even with increased visual fidelity. Ultra settings bring the average down to 68.6 FPS, which remains playable but shows the GPU beginning to strain under the highest preset. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance gap narrows. Low settings achieve 110.2 FPS, Medium hits 82.7 FPS, and High reaches 65.8 FPS—all respectable numbers for a city builder. Ultra at 1440p drops to 39.4 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold and indicates that this setting is too demanding for the RTX 2060 at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings manage 58.1 FPS, making it the only playable option at 4K. Medium falls to 42.5 FPS, High to 32.1 FPS, and Ultra to 23.2 FPS. These numbers illustrate a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot, 1440p is viable at reduced settings, and 4K is only for those willing to sacrifice visual quality for playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 architecture processor built on a 5 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29302 and a single-core score of 4136. In Steamworld Build, a genre that relies heavily on simulation logic and AI pathfinding, the CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are crucial. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 8484 and max-thread score of 8479 indicate that the processor scales well across all cores, which is essential for handling the complex calculations required by a city builder with many simultaneous agents and systems. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample bandwidth for game logic. However, the measured FPS data shows that even with this capable processor, the GPU limits performance at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 175 FPS result suggests the CPU can push well beyond 144 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the 23.2 FPS figure is purely GPU-bound. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 91 among all processors, combined with its nearest rival deltas of only 0.1% to 1.2%, confirms that it is not the bottleneck in this combination. The processor’s 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node also indicate efficient operation, allowing sustained performance without thermal throttling in sustained simulation loads.