Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build places the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B580 combination at rank 1349 out of 1730 tested combos. This places the pairing in the lower third of the database, indicating that while it is functional, it is not positioned to deliver a top-tier experience in this city builder. The 22% percentile standing (1349/1730) suggests that a majority of other tested hardware combinations outperform it, which is an important context for managing expectations. The data shows a configuration that is capable of playable frame rates, but it does not have the headroom to dominate at higher settings or resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this specific pairing at 1349 out of 1730, which is a clear signal of its mid-to-low tier standing. This is not a result that suggests the hardware is mismatched, but rather that it sits in a crowded field where many alternatives offer more performance. The ranking implies that for every three combos tested, roughly two will deliver higher average frame rates in Steamworld Build. This does not make the combo unusable, but it does mean that users should expect to make compromises on visual fidelity to maintain smooth gameplay. The position is a direct reflection of the individual component scores, where the CPU holds a 73rd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU sits at the 66th percentile among all graphics cards. Neither component is a standout, and their combined output lands in the lower half of the tested pool.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the primary driver of frame generation in this pairing. It brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is generous for a card at this performance level, allowing it to handle texture-heavy scenes without running into capacity limits in most situations. The GPU’s base and boost clock are both set to 2670 MHz, with a memory clock of 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These clocks are consistent, meaning the card operates at a steady pace rather than relying on aggressive boost behavior. The 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs provide the raw throughput necessary for the game’s rendering tasks, while the 20 RT cores are present but largely unused in a title like this. The card’s FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS gives a theoretical ceiling that the measured results do not fully utilize, suggesting that other bottlenecks are at play. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 760M (deltaPct 0.1) and the NVIDIA P106-100 (deltaPct 0.3), while it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 by a mere 0.7%. This clustering indicates that the B580 is competitive with those specific parts, but not decisively ahead of any of them.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing backbone with 6 cores and 12 threads, operating at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake architecture chip has a 12 MB shared L3 cache, which is adequate for feeding the GPU in a simulation-heavy genre like city builders. The CPU’s single-thread performance is a key metric for this game, as the simulation logic often relies on a few cores. Its 3dmark single-thread score of 688 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453 indicate modest capability in this regard. The multi-threaded scores are stronger, with Cinebench R23 multicore reaching 10297 and Passmark multithread hitting 12115, which helps when the game spreads its workload across cores. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 14168 puts it in close competition with the AMD EPYC 7552 (deltaPct 0.4) and ahead of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (deltaPct -0.8). The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiter in most scenarios, but its single-thread ceiling could become a factor at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear progression across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 179.7 FPS on Low, 143 FPS on Medium, 102 FPS on High, and 69.5 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of high refresh rates even on demanding presets, with Low settings nearly reaching 180 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the results drop to 117.8 FPS on Low, 87.2 FPS on Medium, 67.5 FPS on High, and 42.7 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p High setting remains playable, but Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit: 61.9 FPS on Low, 44.4 FPS on Medium, 32.4 FPS on High, and 25.9 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show that only the Low preset achieves a smooth frame rate, while everything else dips into less desirable territory. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is substantial, with the 1080p Low-to-Ultra spread being 110.2 FPS, which demonstrates the GPU’s sensitivity to settings changes.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 drops the average from 179.7 FPS to 61.9 FPS, a reduction to 34.4% of the original performance. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU can maintain the frame rate at lower resolutions but cannot compensate for the increased pixel count. The same pattern holds at Medium settings, where 1080p yields 143 FPS and 4K drops to 44.4 FPS. At High settings, the 1080p score of 102 FPS falls to 32.4 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar trajectory, going from 69.5 FPS at 1080p to 25.9 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the resolution scaling is not linear, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. For instance, at High settings, the move from 1440p (67.5 FPS) to 4K (32.4 FPS) is a 52% reduction, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is only 33.8%. This suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become strained as the resolution increases, and the CPU’s role diminishes relative to the GPU’s workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the ideal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset offers a balanced experience at 102 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target and provides a good visual upgrade over Medium. The Ultra preset at 69.5 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize image quality, as it remains above the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 67.5 FPS and maintaining smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 87.2 FPS is also acceptable, but High offers a better balance of quality and performance for this resolution. The Ultra preset at 42.7 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS mark. For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that achieves a playable frame rate at 61.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 44.4 FPS is borderline and may be acceptable for slower-paced city building, but it will likely feel less responsive. The High and Ultra presets at 32.4 FPS and 25.9 FPS, respectively, are not suitable for a smooth experience. The data indicates that users targeting 4K should stick to Low settings or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher presets. For the best overall experience, pairing 1080p with High settings offers the most headroom, while 1440p High is the sweet spot for those with a 1440p display.