Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where simulation logic and rendering compete for resources, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination shows a system that is decisively GPU-limited at higher settings but capable of very high frame rates when tuned correctly. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best treated as a 1080p and 1440p machine, with 4K reserved for lower presets. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Ultra settings are punishing, while Low settings provide a massive performance headroom. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to find the best settings, examines the role of each component, and contextualizes the combo’s standing among 2,924 tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this hardware combo hinges on balancing visual fidelity with frame rate stability. The data shows a stark drop-off when moving from High to Ultra. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate falls from 99 FPS on High to 67 FPS on Ultra, a substantial 32 FPS loss for what is typically a marginal visual gain in a top-down city builder. At 2560x1440, the drop is even more severe: 63 FPS on High versus 43 FPS on Ultra. Given that the game is a city builder where camera pans and zooming can be frequent, the higher minimum frame rates observed on Medium settings (113 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p) suggest that Medium is the sweet spot for a smooth, consistent experience. The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers a 133 FPS average, which is 34 FPS higher than High and 66 FPS higher than Ultra. For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p yields a staggering 173 FPS average, but this likely sacrifices too much detail for most.

The recommendation is to use the Medium preset at 2560x1440 as the primary target. This configuration achieves an 84 FPS average with a minimum of 72 FPS, which is well within the range of smooth gameplay for this genre. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is 21 FPS higher than High at the same resolution. For those with 1080p monitors, the High preset is acceptable at 99 FPS, but the Medium preset's 133 FPS average and 113 FPS minimum make it the safer choice for maintaining a locked frame rate during complex late-game scenes. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it is the only setting that drops below 60 FPS at 1440p (43 FPS) and falls to 23 FPS at 4K, making it unplayable for most users. The data strongly suggests that High is the maximum viable setting for a good experience, and Medium is the best balance of quality and performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 part with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. In the context of Steamworld Build, a city builder that typically relies on a few heavily threaded simulation threads, this processor is overqualified for the GPU pairing. The CPU's benchmark scores support this: its Passmark single-thread score is 4691, and its multithread score is 36470. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration, as the frame rates scale dramatically with resolution changes, a classic sign of GPU limitation. For instance, at 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 173 FPS, but at 3840x2160 Low, it drops to 58 FPS. This 115 FPS difference is far too large to be explained by CPU performance, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor even at lower resolutions.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is beneficial for the game's simulation tick rate, ensuring that city logic calculations are processed quickly. The processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster). This places the 9700F in a performance tier that is effectively tied with top-tier previous-generation parts. In terms of cache, the CPU has 1 MB of L2 per core and a 32 MB shared L3 cache, which helps with the repetitive data access patterns common in pathfinding and resource management in city builders. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth on DDR5 is more than sufficient for this game. The practical takeaway is that the 9700F provides a massive performance headroom; users could pair it with a stronger GPU later without needing a CPU upgrade for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing architecture card with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1680 MHz. The benchmark results clearly show that this GPU is the primary constraint on frame rates in Steamworld Build, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The card's Passmark G3D score is 14111, and it sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The measured FPS data aligns with this: the card struggles at 4K, where High settings yield only 33 FPS and Ultra drops to 23 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM is a significant limitation; while the benchmark data does not explicitly measure VRAM overflow, the massive performance drop from 1440p High (63 FPS) to 4K High (33 FPS) suggests that texture memory demands at 4K are exceeding what the card can efficiently handle, forcing the system to rely on slower memory paging.

The RTX 2060's nearest rival scores are telling: it is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta) and AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% faster), and it is only 0.6% faster than the RTX 3050 OEM. This indicates that while the card is not at the bottom of the barrel, it is in a performance class that is roughly half a decade old in terms of raw compute for this game. The card's 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are the workhorses for this type of game, but they are insufficient for the high pixel counts of 4K. The data shows that the RTX 2060 is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p. At 2560x1440 Medium, the card produces an 84 FPS average, which is a playable result. However, the card's age is evident in the Ultra settings: 67 FPS at 1080p and 43 FPS at 1440p. For a smoother experience, users must accept Medium or High presets. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is decent, but the 192-bit bus width limits overall throughput compared to newer cards with 256-bit buses.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2263 out of 2924 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the lower 23rd percentile of all combinations, which is a poor result for a system with a top-tier CPU. The ranking is dragged down entirely by the GPU; the CPU is in the 94th percentile, but the GPU is in the 58th percentile. The data shows that this pairing is heavily imbalanced. The high rank (worse) suggests that most other tested configurations have either a more balanced GPU or a stronger GPU. For context, the combo's performance is limited by the GPU's inability to push high frame rates at demanding settings. The 2263 rank indicates that out of nearly three thousand configurations, this one is beaten by the vast majority.

This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's age. The measured FPS data shows that the system can hit 173 FPS at 1080p Low, which is excellent, but that performance is not representative of typical gameplay settings. The combo's rank would likely improve significantly if it were paired with a modern mid-range GPU. The data suggests that this is a configuration where the CPU is ready for a future GPU upgrade, but as it stands, the combination is held back. The 2263 rank is a warning to potential builders that the RTX 2060 is the weak link. The CPU's performance, as evidenced by its rivals being within 1% of the top-tier Ryzen 9 and Core i7 parts, is not the issue. The bottleneck is clear: the GPU cannot keep pace with the CPU's ability to feed it frames.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F the bottleneck in this system for Steamworld Build?

A: No. The benchmark data shows that frame rates scale heavily with resolution changes, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. For example, at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 173 at 1080p to 58 at 4K, a 115 FPS difference that cannot be attributed to CPU performance. The CPU is in the 94th percentile, indicating it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this hardware?

A: The data supports 2560x1440 as the primary target. At Medium settings, the combo achieves an 84 FPS average with a 72 FPS minimum. While 1920x1080 offers higher frame rates (133 FPS on Medium), 1440p provides a sharper image for a city builder without sacrificing playability. 4K is not recommended, as High settings only yield 33 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals in the GPU benchmark database?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, has a score of 15283, resulting in a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% faster, and the RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% faster. This shows the 2060 is performing at a level consistent with its direct competitors in the database.

Q: Should I use the High or Medium preset for a smoother experience?

A: The data indicates that Medium is the better choice for stability. At 1920x1080, Medium has a 133 FPS average and a 113 FPS minimum, while High has a 99 FPS average with no recorded minimum. The higher minimum on Medium suggests fewer frame hitches during complex scenes. At 1440p, Medium averages 84 FPS, which is 21 FPS higher than High.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 a problem for this game?

A: While the data does not directly measure VRAM usage, the massive performance drop at 4K (33 FPS on High) compared to 1440p (63 FPS on High) suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity are being stressed. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, making the card better suited for 1080p and 1440p.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank compared to other systems?

A: This combination ranks 2263 out of 2924 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This places it in the lower 23% of all tested systems, indicating that the GPU is significantly holding back the high-performing CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this combination across all tested resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns with higher settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: 173 FPS average. This is the maximum performance available and is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Medium: 133 FPS average, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. This is the recommended setting for a balance of quality and speed.
• High: 99 FPS average. Playable and smooth, but the lower minimum frame rate is a risk.
• Ultra: 67 FPS average. The visual uplift is minimal, but the frame rate cost is high.

2560x1440:

• Low: 110 FPS average. Still very fast, showing the GPU can handle this resolution at lower loads.
• Medium: 84 FPS average, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1440p gaming on this hardware.
• High: 63 FPS average. Borderline for a smooth experience; playable but not ideal for fast camera movements.
• Ultra: 43 FPS average. This setting is too demanding for the RTX 2060 at this resolution.

3840x2160:

• Low: 58 FPS average. The only playable setting at 4K, but the visual quality is severely reduced.
• Medium: 45 FPS average, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. Frame drops below 40 FPS make this a poor choice.
• High: 33 FPS average. Unplayable for a smooth experience.
• Ultra: 23 FPS average. Not viable for gameplay.

The data confirms that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor. The jump from 1080p Low (173 FPS) to 4K Low (58 FPS) represents a 66% reduction in frame rate, purely due to pixel count. The CPU is capable of far more, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. Users should stick to 1440p Medium or 1080p High/Medium to get the most out of this specific combination.