Steamworld Build

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570 lands at rank 2320 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build. That places this configuration in the bottom 21% of all tested pairings, a surprisingly low position given the hardware involved. The ranking suggests that this title, a city builder with significant simulation overhead, does not reward the combination as strongly as synthetic benchmarks might imply.

The CPU itself is a powerhouse in general workloads, sitting at the 91st percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 54762. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF at 55093 (just 0.6% ahead), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K at 54053 (1.3% behind), and the Intel Xeon 6505P at 53701 (2% behind). The Arc B570, meanwhile, holds the 65th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 20556, placing it within a hair's breadth of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% ahead) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% behind).

Yet the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story. At 1080p with Low settings, this combo produces 162 FPS, which is respectable for a city builder. But the curve falls steeply as settings climb: Medium delivers 124 FPS, High drops to 93 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 63 FPS. The 1440p results scale similarly, with Low hitting 103 FPS, Medium at 79 FPS, and High at 59 FPS. At 4K, the numbers become more concerning—Low manages 55 FPS, but High falls to 31 FPS and Ultra limps to just 21 FPS.

The low overall rank relative to the component strengths indicates that Steamworld Build's engine may not be fully exploiting either the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 3D V-Cache advantages or the Arc B570's Battlemage architecture. In a genre where CPU simulation threads often bottleneck GPU work, the 12-core, 24-thread processor should theoretically excel, but the data suggests otherwise for this specific title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 brings 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clock speeds are fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU houses 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with 18 ray tracing cores. Compute throughput sits at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS for FP16, while pixel and texture rates reach 200.0 GPixel/s and 360.0 GTexel/s respectively.

These specifications position the Arc B570 as a mid-range GPU, and the benchmark data confirms its standing. Its PassMark G3D score of 14195 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 2649 both contribute to an average benchmark score of 20556. The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate scoring are the RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (0.1% behind), the Arc A750 at 20582 (0.1% ahead), and the Quadro M4000M at 20480 (0.4% behind).

In Steamworld Build specifically, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor given the 162 FPS ceiling, but by 4K the GPU's bandwidth and compute constraints become apparent. The 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K Ultra demands more than the 10 GB frame buffer and 160-bit bus can efficiently supply.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution illustrates the GPU's scaling behavior. At 1080p, the gap from 162 FPS to 63 FPS represents a 61% performance loss when maxing out settings. At 1440p, the drop from 103 FPS to 40 FPS is a 61% reduction as well. At 4K, Low yields 55 FPS but Ultra craters to 21 FPS, a 62% loss. This consistent pattern across resolutions suggests the Arc B570's architecture scales predictably with graphics load, but the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra are simply too low for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, drawing up to 120 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. Memory support covers DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, plus ECC memory support.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results are formidable. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 47737, while single-core reaches 6739. Geekbench multicore hits 22884 with single-core at 3041. PassMark multithread scores 56154, with integer math at 179727 and floating-point math at 119622. The 3DMark 16-thread test yields 12490, and max-thread scores reach 13795. These numbers place the processor at the 91st percentile among all CPUs.

Despite this compute headroom, Steamworld Build's frame rates suggest the CPU is not the primary constraint in most configurations. At 1080p Low, the 162 FPS result indicates the engine is extracting solid performance from the processor, but the relatively modest scaling from Low to Ultra (162 to 63 FPS) hints that the game's simulation logic may not fully utilize all 12 cores. City builders often rely on single-threaded game logic for simulation steps, which would explain why the 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 679 don't translate into proportionally higher frame rates.

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's nearest CPU rivals in aggregate benchmarking are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093, 0.6% ahead), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053, 1.3% behind), and the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, 2% behind). The Core i7-14700F also appears close at 53620, just 2.1% behind. This clustering suggests the 9900X3D is competitive with but not decisively ahead of its peers in general compute, and in Steamworld Build specifically, the CPU's advantage may be muted by the game's engine characteristics.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Steamworld Build?

A: The data shows 1080p Medium delivers 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS, which is comfortably playable. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 79 FPS with a 67 FPS minimum, still acceptable. For 4K, only Low settings reach 55 FPS, so 4K gaming is not recommended with this hardware.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF?

A: In aggregate benchmarking, the Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55093, which is 0.6% higher than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 54762. This margin is negligible in real-world terms, and in Steamworld Build, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck except at very low graphics settings.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 sufficient for 1440p gaming in this title?

A: At 1440p High, the combo produces 59 FPS average, which is borderline. Medium settings at 1440p yield 79 FPS with a 67 FPS minimum, making Medium the recommended preset for smooth 1440p play. Low settings reach 103 FPS but sacrifice visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from Low to Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, Ultra settings deliver 63 FPS versus 162 FPS on Low, a 61% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 103 FPS to 40 FPS, also a 61% loss. At 4K, Low produces 55 FPS while Ultra manages just 21 FPS, representing a 62% decrease.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B570 holds the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534, just 0.1% behind, and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582, 0.1% ahead.

Q: Does the CPU's 128 MB of L3 cache benefit Steamworld Build?

A: The benchmark data does not show a clear advantage from the large cache in this specific title. The combo ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested pairs, suggesting the game may not be cache-sensitive. The CPU performs well in synthetic tests (91st percentile), but this doesn't translate to top-tier frame rates in Steamworld Build.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear scaling patterns across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 162 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 103 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 55 FPS, another 47% drop from 1440p. This steep decline indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 124 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p (36% lower), and 42 FPS at 4K (47% lower than 1440p). High settings follow suit with 93 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 31 FPS at 4K (47% lower). Ultra settings produce 63 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 21 FPS at 4K (48% lower).

The consistent percentage drops across all settings presets strongly suggest the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The Arc B570's 10 GB frame buffer and 160-bit memory bus are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K pushes the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range. The 55 FPS at 4K Low is the only 4K result that approaches playability, and even that is marginal.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more apparent. The jump from Low (162 FPS) to Medium (124 FPS) to High (93 FPS) shows the simulation overhead scaling with graphics settings. The game's city-building mechanics may impose CPU-side limits that prevent the GPU from fully stretching its legs at lower resolutions, but at 4K the GPU's compute limits dominate the frame rate.

The minimum FPS data available for Medium settings (106 at 1080p, 67 at 1440p, 35 at 4K) indicates that frame pacing remains consistent even at higher resolutions, but the absolute lows at 4K Medium (35 FPS) would likely cause noticeable stutter in a game where camera movement and map scrolling are frequent.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 124 FPS average with a 106 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even during busy city-building moments when many entities are active. High settings at 93 FPS are also viable, but the 25% performance cost over Medium may not justify the visual improvement in a genre where readability matters more than graphical fidelity. Ultra at 63 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for simulation-heavy scenes.

At 1440p, Medium is the clear recommendation. The 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 59 FPS are borderline—acceptable for slower-paced city building but risky during camera pans or large construction projects. Low settings at 103 FPS are smooth but sacrifice too much visual detail for a title that benefits from clear visual feedback on building states and resource flows.

For 4K, the data suggests avoiding anything above Low settings. The 55 FPS average on Low is the only 4K configuration that approaches playability, and even then, the experience may feel less fluid than at lower resolutions. Medium at 4K yields 42 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, and High at 31 FPS or Ultra at 21 FPS are not viable for sustained play.

The Ultra preset, despite its name, delivers the worst frame rates at every resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 63 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, 40 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, 21 FPS. These numbers suggest that Ultra settings in Steamworld Build impose rendering costs that the Arc B570 cannot sustain, making Ultra effectively a showcase mode rather than a playable preset.

Given the measured data, the optimal experience for most users would be Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. This preset provides frame rates well above 60 FPS at both resolutions while maintaining enough visual detail to read the game state clearly. Players with 4K displays should consider running at 1440p with Medium settings if their display supports downscaling, as the 79 FPS result at 1440p Medium is far superior to any native 4K configuration.