Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation and rendering load can be balanced in several ways, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-10400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a clear hierarchy of playable experiences. The benchmark results indicate that the High preset at 2560x1440 delivers the most balanced experience, offering a 160.2 average FPS which is 84% higher than the 4K Ultra setting while retaining substantial visual fidelity. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness over absolute visual quality, the Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves a 222.5 average FPS, but the 1440p Medium setting is the sweet spot, providing a 177.9 average FPS that remains far above the 60 FPS threshold while using the RTX 4090’s capabilities effectively. The 4K Ultra preset is demanding, producing a 54.8 average FPS, which is borderline for competitive play but acceptable for a slow-paced builder, though the 4K High setting at 84.7 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K displays to maintain a comfortable margin above refresh-rate minimums.

Settings Recommendations

The data shows that the Ultra preset is the most punishing configuration, and its performance cost is not justified by the gains in a city builder. At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers a 156.6 average FPS, which is 30% lower than the Low preset’s 222.5 FPS, while the visual difference in a management game is often subtle. The Medium preset at 1080p provides a 202.2 average FPS, which is 22% higher than High at 185.2 FPS, indicating that the transition from Medium to High consumes significant resources for marginal improvements. The optimal experience is found at 2560x1440 with the High preset, where the 160.2 average FPS comfortably exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate, and the 106.7 FPS on Ultra at this resolution is still playable but less fluid. For 3840x2160 users, the High preset is the pragmatic extreme, as it yields an 84.7 average FPS that is 55% faster than Ultra’s 54.8 FPS, and the Low preset at 4K (148.6 FPS) is only recommended for those with 120 Hz+ displays who demand max frame pacing. The evidence suggests that High settings at 1440p is the best experience per the measured rows, balancing the simulation load on the CPU with the visual output of the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that VRAM capacity is never a bottleneck in Steamworld Build. The GPU’s base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, provide raw compute headroom that is evident in the frame rates. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is capable of pushing 222.5 FPS at 1080p Low, but the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is non-linear due to the CPU’s influence. At 4K Ultra, the 54.8 FPS result shows that the GPU is fully engaged, as the pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are stressed by the higher resolution. The RTX 4090’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are not directly relevant to this city builder’s traditional rendering, but the 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensures that draw calls and object culling are handled with ease. In scenarios where the average FPS exceeds 200, the GPU is often idle waiting for the CPU, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 54.8 FPS which is 65% lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 156.6 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with High settings offers the best balance, producing a 160.2 average FPS that is both smooth and visually detailed. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized at lower settings, while 4K Ultra drops to 54.8 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields a 54.8 average FPS, which is 35% lower than the High preset’s 84.7 FPS. The performance hit is substantial, making High the preferred choice for 4K gameplay.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the data shows the GPU is rarely the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the 222.5 FPS result indicates the CPU is the ceiling, while at 4K Ultra, the 54.8 FPS is still a high frame rate for the resolution, confirming the GPU’s dominance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 produces a 191.8 average FPS, while Medium produces a 177.9 average FPS. The difference is 7%, showing that Medium is a minor cost for better visuals.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, the High preset at 3840x2160 achieves an 84.7 average FPS, which is 41% above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset falls below at 54.8 FPS, but High is sufficient for 4K.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance affect the 1080p results?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 156.6 (Ultra) to 222.5 (Low), indicating that the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are being taxed. The 3DMark max threads score of 4735 suggests the CPU is a limiting factor at high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 309th out of 1730 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations. This ranking is notable because the CPU is a mid-range 10th generation part, yet the GPU’s raw power compensates for the processor’s limitations. The CPU’s percentile of 73 against all CPUs indicates it is above average, but its nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the AMD EPYC 7552 is 0.4% faster, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C is 0.8% slower, and the Intel Core i5-8500 is 1.1% slower. The GPU, with a percentile of 91 against all GPUs, is far more dominant, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, is 0.4% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is 0.9% slower. The high combo rank is driven by the GPU’s 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, which prevents any memory-related stutters in the city-building simulation. The 309th rank out of 1730 is a strong result, showing that this pairing is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1440p, even if the CPU holds back the absolute maximum frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a significant shift in the limiting component. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 185.2, which drops to 160.2 at 1440p High (a 13% decrease) and then to 84.7 at 4K High (a 47% decrease from 1440p). This pattern shows that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. For the Low preset, the scaling is similar: 222.5 FPS at 1080p, 191.8 at 1440p (a 14% drop), and 148.6 at 4K (a 23% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest decline, from 156.6 FPS at 1080p to 106.7 at 1440p (a 32% drop) and then to 54.8 at 4K (a 49% drop from 1440p). The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU’s 6 cores are the limiting factor, as the FPS is capped around 222 even with a massively powerful GPU. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel and texture rates are fully utilized, and the 54.8 FPS at Ultra is a result of the RTX 4090’s raw compute being maxed out by the 4K resolution. The resolution scaling suggests that 1440p is the ideal resolution for this combo, as it provides a 160.2 FPS average at High, which is 89% higher than the 4K Ultra result, while maintaining a high level of detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 222.5 FPS, Medium reaches 202.2 FPS, High hits 185.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 156.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 66 FPS, or 30%, indicating that the settings have a moderate impact on performance at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 191.8 FPS, Medium yields 177.9 FPS, High delivers 160.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 106.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p widens to 85 FPS, or 44%, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the settings’ impact. At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages 148.6 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for most monitors, while Medium drops to 112.7 FPS, High settles at 84.7 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 54.8 FPS. The 4K results show a clear hierarchy: Low is 39% faster than Medium, which is 33% faster than High, which is 55% faster than Ultra. The 1080p Ultra result of 156.6 FPS is nearly identical to the 1440p High result of 160.2 FPS, suggesting that the visual quality difference between these two configurations is similar in GPU cost. The data also shows that the 4K Medium setting (112.7 FPS) is faster than the 1440p Ultra setting (106.7 FPS), which is a counterintuitive but useful data point for users who prioritize resolution over settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and its 12 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for a city builder’s simulation logic. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a single-thread performance of 688 in 3DMark, which is critical for the game’s main thread, and a max threads score of 4735, indicating that the 12 threads are utilized to some degree. In Steamworld Build, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 222.5 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s limit, as the GPU is far more capable. The PassMark single-thread score of 2541 and multi-thread score of 12115 suggest that the CPU handles the simulation tick rate without causing major frame drops, but the 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 is 0.3% higher than the max threads score, showing that the 12 threads are not fully saturated. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C with a 0.8% lower score, confirm that the i5-10400F is a competent but not exceptional processor. At 4K Ultra, the CPU is less of a bottleneck, as the GPU’s rendering load dominates, but at 1080p, the CPU’s 6 cores are the primary limiter, preventing the RTX 4090 from reaching its full potential. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and single-core score of 1453 indicate that the CPU is not the weak link in most scenarios, but its 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP show its age. The data suggests that for this game, the CPU’s performance is adequate for 1440p and 4K, but at 1080p, users seeking maximum FPS would benefit from a newer processor with higher single-thread performance.