Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that stresses different parts of a PC depending on how you configure it, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with the Intel Arc B570 shows a system that is clearly capable at mainstream resolutions but runs out of headroom at the top end. The combination ranks in the 2320th position out of 2924 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database. This is not a top-tier pairing for this title, but the measured results show it can deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with sensible settings, provided you respect the graphics card's limitations at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot for this combo. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 79 FPS on average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. That minimum is important—it keeps the frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider playable, and the variance is tight enough to avoid noticeable stutter. At 1920x1080, Medium pushes the average to 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a city builder where camera pans and zooming across a populated map can cause sudden load spikes.

The High preset is a viable alternative at 1080p, where it averages 93 FPS, but at 1440p it drops to 59 FPS. That 59 FPS average is borderline; it will feel smooth most of the time, but the lack of a reported minimum suggests it could dip into the 50s during heavy simulation moments. For those who prioritize visual fidelity over a rock-solid frame rate, High at 1440p is acceptable, but Medium is the safer choice for consistent performance.

Ultra is not recommended for this combo. At 1080p it averages 63 FPS, which is playable, but at 1440p it falls to 40 FPS, and at 4K it bottoms out at 21 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is not worth the performance cost here, as the data shows a dramatic drop-off that suggests the Arc B570 does not have the resources to handle the extra effects and draw distance. Low settings are also unnecessary for this hardware at 1080p and 1440p, since Medium provides a much better experience without pushing the system hard.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck in this pairing, and the data makes that clear. The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. It runs at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These specifications put it in the mid-range tier, and the benchmark results reflect that positioning. Its average benchmark score is 20556, which places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (average score 20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (average score 20582, deltaPct -0.1). The B570 is essentially on par with those cards in raw compute, which means it is not a high-end part.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The 10 GB frame buffer is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the game's texture and effect demands push the card past its comfort zone. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 shows a steep decline, with Medium averaging 42 FPS and High dropping to 31 FPS. This indicates the GPU is running out of both memory bandwidth and raw shading power. The card's 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units are simply not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K in this title, regardless of the CPU's strength.

The GPU's memory configuration also matters for consistency. The 160-bit bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the measured minimum FPS at 1440p Medium (67 FPS) versus the average (79 FPS) shows the card can stutter when the simulation loads new assets. This is a typical pattern for a GPU with limited bandwidth in a city builder, where scrolling across a densely built map can cause sudden memory read spikes.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is GPU-limited at higher resolutions but has enough CPU headroom to keep up at lower ones. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 124 at 1080p, to 79 at 1440p, to 42 at 4K. That is a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. This is a classic GPU-bound curve—the frame rate falls faster than the pixel count increase, which indicates the graphics card is the limiting factor.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 93 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is again steep, confirming that the Arc B570 cannot handle the 4K pixel count with high-quality effects. At Low settings, the 1080p result is 162 FPS, which shows the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed. At 1440p Low, it drops to 103 FPS, and at 4K Low it hits 55 FPS. Even at Low, the 4K result is below 60 FPS, which proves that the GPU is the bottleneck at that resolution, not the CPU.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 9 5950X is more than capable of feeding the Arc B570 at 1080p and 1440p. The 162 FPS at 1080p Low is a strong indicator that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU's workload increases disproportionately, and the CPU's role diminishes. This is a balanced pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not suited for 4K in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in game is 2320 out of 2924 tested combinations, which places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's mid-range performance rather than the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 9 5950X is a high-end processor, sitting in the 91st percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 51947. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (average score 52073, deltaPct -0.2) and the Intel Core i9-13900F (average score 51730, deltaPct 0.4). The CPU is not the weak link here.

The Arc B570, by contrast, is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 20556 is significantly lower than the CPU's. This mismatch explains the low combo rank. In Steamworld Build, which is a simulation-heavy title that can scale across many CPU threads, the 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 5950X has ample headroom, but the GPU cannot translate that into high frame rates at higher resolutions. The rank suggests that many other combinations, likely with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, achieve better performance in this specific game.

This is a case where the CPU is overqualified for the GPU. The combo rank would likely improve with a more balanced GPU pairing, but as configured, the system is held back by the graphics card. For a player who already owns this CPU, the Arc B570 is a reasonable mid-range choice, but it does not unlock the full potential of the processor in this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It has 64 MB of L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614. In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation logic, including pathfinding, resource management, and AI for the city's inhabitants.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 162 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU can process the game's simulation quickly enough to feed the GPU. Even at 1440p Low, the 103 FPS result suggests the CPU is still keeping up. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance is beneficial for a city builder, as these games often use multiple threads for different simulation systems. The 16 cores and 32 threads provide plenty of parallel processing power, and the 64 MB of L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores.

However, the CPU's performance is not fully utilized in this game because the GPU limits the overall frame rate at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo only averages 21 FPS, which is clearly GPU-bound. The CPU could likely push higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU, but with the Arc B570, it is left waiting for the graphics card to finish its work. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Geekbench single-core score of 2083, also contributes to smooth frame pacing in a genre that has frequent UI updates and camera movements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 162, which is exceptionally smooth and indicates the CPU can handle the simulation without the GPU being stressed. Medium settings yield 124 FPS on average, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, providing a consistent experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 93 FPS on average, which is still very playable, and Ultra settings fall to 63 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for a city builder where absolute frame rate is less critical than consistency.

At 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable step down. Low settings average 103 FPS, which is still excellent, and Medium settings average 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The minimum of 67 FPS is the key figure here—it means the game rarely drops below 60 FPS, which is the target for smooth gameplay. High settings average 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark, so players will notice occasional dips. Ultra settings average 40 FPS, which is not ideal for a city builder where you need to see the whole map clearly.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, and Medium settings average 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The minimum of 35 FPS is a significant drop and would be noticeable during heavy simulation moments. High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 21 FPS, both of which are too low for a comfortable experience. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Steamworld Build, and players should stick to 1440p or below for the best experience.