Steamworld Build

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory of the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 in Steamworld Build tells a clear story of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo delivers strong frame rates that suggest headroom, but the drop to 4K reveals the limits of the Arc B570's 10 GB GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus.

Looking at the High preset, which serves as the most balanced reference point across all three resolutions, the average frame rate falls from 93 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 31 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47.5% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling curve is steep and consistent — this is a GPU that loses roughly a third of its performance with each major resolution jump.

The Low preset shows a similar pattern but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 162 FPS, dropping to 103 FPS at 1440p and 55 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36.4% and 46.6% respectively, almost identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency across presets indicates that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw throughput rather than any specific setting or memory constraint.

Medium settings follow the same trend: 124 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, however, shows the most dramatic degradation — 63 FPS at 1080p falls to 40 FPS at 1440p (a 36.5% drop) and then to 21 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% drop). The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that dips below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playable real-time strategy.

The frame time consistency, where measured, reinforces this GPU-bound interpretation. At 1080p Medium, the range spans from 106 FPS minimum to 143 FPS maximum, a spread of 37 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range tightens to 67-91 FPS, a 24 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 35-48 FPS, just 13 FPS. This narrowing of frame time variance as resolution increases is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck — at 4K, the card is working near its limits, leaving less room for fluctuation.

The data suggests that the Intel Core i5-14400F is never the limiting factor in this game at any resolution. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, provide ample processing power for the simulation and AI workloads typical of a city builder. Even at 1080p Low where the GPU is less stressed, the frame rates remain high enough that CPU constraints would manifest as inconsistent frame times — which the Medium preset data does not show.

For players targeting 4K, the practical ceiling is the Low preset at 55 FPS, though Medium at 42 FPS remains playable for less action-heavy moments. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are compromised experiences, with the latter falling to 21 FPS which is borderline unplayable for a game requiring constant management decisions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this specific CPU-GPU combination. Across all three resolutions, the Medium preset emerges as the sweet spot, though the recommendation varies depending on the target resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS. This is nearly double the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz monitors and comfortably above the 90 FPS threshold for high-refresh displays. The High preset at 93 FPS is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High only gains visual fidelity while sacrificing 31 FPS. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is still playable but represents a 49.2% performance drop from Medium for marginal visual improvements that are less noticeable at this resolution.

For 2560x1440, Medium at 79 FPS is the clear recommendation. It maintains smooth gameplay with a 67 FPS minimum, which stays above the 60 FPS threshold even during intensive scenes. The High preset at 59 FPS is borderline — it will be playable but may show occasional stutters when the simulation load spikes. The Low preset at 103 FPS is overkill for most displays and sacrifices too much visual detail for a city builder where readability of your construction is important.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts. Medium at 42 FPS is the best visual experience that remains playable, but the 35 FPS minimum means there will be moments of noticeable slowdown. The Low preset at 55 FPS is the safer choice if consistent performance is prioritized over visual fidelity. The 4K Medium preset has a 67 FPS average drop from 1080p Medium, which is a substantial penalty for the resolution upgrade.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p it costs 61 FPS compared to Medium; at 1440p it drops to 40 FPS; and at 4K it falls to 21 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable real-time gameplay. The visual upgrade from High to Ultra does not justify these performance losses, particularly in a genre where you need to see the state of your city clearly.

For players who prioritize frame rate stability, the Low preset at 1440p (103 FPS) or 1080p (162 FPS) offers the most headroom. The data indicates that the gap between Low and Medium is roughly 30% across all resolutions, while the gap between Medium and High is approximately 25%, and High to Ultra is another 32-33%. This consistent scaling suggests that each preset tier represents a meaningful visual step, but the Medium tier offers the best return on performance investment.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F with Intel Arc B570 ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested combinations in Steamworld Build. This places the combo in the 20.7th percentile — meaning roughly 79% of tested systems perform better in this game. This is a below-average result that reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any CPU limitation.

To contextualize this ranking, the Arc B570's nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Arc A750 at -0.1%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at -0.5%. These are all cards that would be expected to perform similarly in gaming workloads, yet the B570 sits in the lower quartile of all combos. This suggests that Steamworld Build's specific rendering requirements may not favor the Arc architecture's strengths.

The CPU's percentile ranking is notably stronger. The Core i5-14400F sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with a multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 21645 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11268. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U at 0.1% delta, the Intel Core i9-11900 at 0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at -0.2%. This is a top-tier CPU that should not be the source of any performance deficiency in a city builder.

The disconnect between the CPU's high ranking and the combo's low ranking points squarely at the GPU as the bottleneck. The Arc B570's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are modest figures for a 2025 release, and the 160-bit memory bus limits effective bandwidth in memory-intensive scenarios. Steamworld Build, with its complex simulation and large texture sets, may stress these weaknesses more than other titles.

The combo's 2320th place ranking out of 2924 is a clear signal that this configuration is not optimized for this game. Players considering this hardware combination for Steamworld Build specifically would be better served by alternative GPUs in the same price range, such as the Intel Arc A750 which benchmarks nearly identically but may have different driver characteristics.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 162 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average (106 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum)
• High: 93 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 103 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average (67 FPS minimum, 91 FPS maximum)
• High: 59 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 55 FPS average
• Medium: 42 FPS average (35 FPS minimum, 48 FPS maximum)
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 21 FPS average

The data shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low > Medium > High > Ultra. The percentage difference between Low and Ultra is dramatic — at 1080p, Ultra delivers only 38.9% of Low's frame rate; at 1440p, 38.8%; at 4K, 38.2%. This near-constant ratio suggests that the preset scaling affects the GPU workload proportionally regardless of resolution.

The Medium preset's frame time data provides insight into consistency. At 1080p, the 106-143 FPS range shows a 28.8% variation from minimum to maximum. At 1440p, the 67-91 FPS range has a 30.4% variation. At 4K, the 35-48 FPS range shows a 31.4% variation. This slightly increasing variance at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's frame pacing becomes less stable as it approaches its limits.

For players targeting 60 FPS as a minimum, the viable configurations are: 1080p at any preset (Low through Ultra), 1440p at Low, Medium, or High (with High being borderline at 59 FPS), and 4K at Low only (55 FPS). No 4K configuration exceeds 60 FPS average, and only the Low preset at 4K stays above 50 FPS.

The 1440p Medium configuration (79 FPS) offers the best balance of resolution, visual quality, and performance headroom. It provides a 19 FPS buffer above 60 FPS, which allows for simulation spikes without dropping below playable thresholds. The 1080p Medium configuration (124 FPS) is the best choice for high-refresh-rate displays, providing enough performance for 120 Hz monitors in most scenes.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Steamworld Build at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves 93 FPS average. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is also playable, though it represents a significant performance drop from High.

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

A: The data indicates 2560x1440 with Medium settings (79 FPS) is the optimal configuration. It provides a good balance of visual clarity and performance, staying above 60 FPS with a 67 FPS minimum. At 4K, only the Low preset (55 FPS) remains consistently playable.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to Medium across resolutions?

A: The Ultra preset consistently delivers roughly 50-51% of the Medium preset's frame rate. At 1080p, Ultra is 63 FPS versus Medium's 124 FPS; at 1440p, 40 FPS versus 79 FPS; at 4K, 21 FPS versus 42 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is substantial at every resolution.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14400F bottleneck the Arc B570 in this game?

A: No. The CPU's strong benchmark results (21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 11268 in Geekbench multi-core, 83rd percentile overall) indicate it has ample processing power. The frame rate scaling with resolution and preset changes is consistent with GPU-bound performance, not CPU limitations.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware combination?

A: Limited viability. The Low preset at 4K achieves 55 FPS average, and Medium achieves 42 FPS. The High preset drops to 31 FPS and Ultra to 21 FPS. Players wanting to play at 4K would need to accept Low or Medium settings, which compromises visual quality.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to its component ratings?

A: The combo ranks 2320 out of 2924 (20.7th percentile) in Steamworld Build, which is significantly worse than its individual components. The CPU is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. This gap indicates the game does not favor this GPU's architecture.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts to 4.70 GHz, providing strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache.

In Steamworld Build, a city builder where the simulation of citizens, resources, and building operations runs continuously, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are directly relevant. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and Geekbench multi-core score of 11268 indicate strong parallel processing ability. The PassMark multi-thread score of 25470 and data compression score of 315521 further confirm this CPU can handle complex simulation workloads.

The single-threaded performance is equally important for game logic that cannot be parallelized. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 and Geekbench single-core score of 2058 are respectable figures, placing the CPU in the 83rd percentile overall. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that single-threaded game logic runs with minimal latency.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance tier. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U has an average benchmark score of 32233, just 0.1% lower than the i5-14400F's 32279. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226 (0.2% lower), while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354 (0.2% higher). This cluster of scores within 0.5% indicates the i5-14400F is competitive with top-tier mobile and previous-generation desktop processors.

However, the measured frame rates in Steamworld Build do not show evidence of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 162 FPS, which is well above what most displays can show. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different GPU settings at a given resolution. Instead, the data shows consistent scaling — Low to Medium to High to Ultra each produce meaningful frame rate changes, confirming the GPU is the performance limiter.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory (dual-channel) make it a flexible choice for various system configurations. The 20 MB shared L3 cache is particularly beneficial for city builders, where frequently accessed simulation data can be cached locally. The 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded game logic — such as pathfinding or economic calculations — executes promptly.

In the context of this combo's overall ranking, the CPU is performing its role admirably. The 2320th place ranking out of 2924 combos is attributable to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings, not to any deficiency in the i5-14400F's processing capabilities. Players experiencing performance issues in Steamworld Build with this hardware should look to GPU settings as the lever for improvement, not CPU-related adjustments.