Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that does not demand extreme hardware, yet the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF with the Intel Arc B370 produces a surprisingly specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by the graphics solution. The data reveals a system that can handle the game at lower resolutions and settings but struggles to maintain playable framerates at higher presets, particularly at 4K. The benchmark results indicate a clear bottleneck, shifting the analytical focus toward the GPU's role in shaping the overall experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B370 is positioned at the very bottom of the performance hierarchy for this specific title. With a rank of 2683 out of 2924 tested combos, this setup places in the 91st percentile from the bottom, meaning only about 8% of all tested configurations perform worse. This is a stark indicator that while the CPU is a high-end component, the integrated graphics solution severely limits the system's capability in Steamworld Build.

This rank aligns perfectly with the GPU's own standing. The Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all tested GPUs, a score that is effectively tied with legacy discrete graphics cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with deltaPct values of -0.2% and -0.5% respectively. The data suggests this combo's performance is dictated almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU's percentile rank of 90 places it in the top tier of processors, far exceeding the needs of this game. The measured frames per second confirm this, with the system unable to reach 60 FPS on any setting at 1440p or 4K, and only achieving it at 1080p on Low settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the central figure in this performance analysis, and its specifications paint a clear picture of its limitations. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," which means it relies on the main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture is a fundamental constraint, as the bandwidth is explicitly noted as "System Dependent," creating a variable performance ceiling based on the rest of the system.

Clock speeds for the GPU are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable, the low base clock and the shared memory system likely contribute to inconsistent frame pacing. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, which are low numbers compared to any modern discrete graphics card. Its raw compute performance is listed as 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32, a figure that is insufficient for the demands of 4K gaming in this title. The benchmark results show the consequence: at 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 12, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p, the GPU's limitations are evident in the scaling of performance across settings, where the jump from Low to Ultra cuts the average FPS by more than half.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo capable of running Steamworld Build at 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 95, which exceeds 60. However, at 1440p, the highest average FPS is 61 on Low settings, and at 4K, the maximum average FPS is 32 on Low settings, showing that 60 FPS is not achievable at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190. The data shows deltaPct values of -0.2% and -0.5% against these cards, indicating a performance tie.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The benchmark data indicates that 1080p with Medium settings provides a balanced experience, with an average FPS of 73 and a minimum of 62, ensuring the framerate stays above 60. This is the highest settings preset that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS experience.

Q: Why does the system perform so poorly at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU's performance collapses at 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS is 18, and at Ultra, it falls to 12. This is due to the Intel Arc B370's limited processing power and its reliance on system shared memory, which lacks the bandwidth needed for 4K rendering.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck for this game?

A: No, the data suggests the opposite. The CPU has a high benchmark score of 49394 and ranks in the 90th percentile, while its nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 are within 0.3% of its performance. The GPU, ranking in the 5th percentile, is the clear limiting factor.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings preset?

A: The measured rows provide minimum FPS data for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the minimum is 62 FPS; at 1440p, it is 39 FPS; and at 4K, it is 21 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for optimal settings. The primary goal for a playable city builder is to maintain a stable framerate, and the data shows that the Ultra preset is not viable on this hardware. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is only 37, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra preset is even worse, with an average of 12 FPS.

The best experience is achieved at 1080p with the Medium settings preset. This configuration yields an average FPS of 73, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84. This indicates that the framerate is stable and well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience for managing a burgeoning steampunk city. While the Low preset at 1080p offers a higher average of 95 FPS, the Medium preset represents the best trade-off between visual fidelity and performance, as the increase in graphical quality does not come at the cost of a consistent 60+ FPS experience. Moving up to the High preset at 1080p drops the average to 55 FPS, which is a noticeable step down in smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The performance data is organized by resolution and settings, revealing a consistent pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 95 FPS, while Medium follows with an average of 73 FPS, maintaining a minimum of 62 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 55 FPS, and Ultra plunges to 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the framerate takes a significant hit across all presets. The Low preset is the only one to approach playability, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53. High settings average 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 23 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p represents a substantial increase in pixel count that the Arc B370 cannot handle efficiently.

The 3840x2160 resolution is where the hardware is completely overwhelmed. The Low preset averages 32 FPS, which is not smooth. Medium settings average 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 28. High settings drop to an average of 18 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at an average of just 12 FPS. The data shows that the Arc B370 is not a viable solution for 4K gaming in this title, as even the lowest settings fail to provide a framerate that would be considered acceptable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It is a high-end desktop CPU that scores 32544 in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test and 4594 in the single-core test. Its performance is strong enough to place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are closely matched, with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 being just 0.3% faster and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 being 0.8% slower.

In the context of Steamworld Build, a city builder that typically relies more on single-thread performance for game logic and simulation, this CPU is more than adequate. The benchmark results show that the system's framerate is not limited by the CPU, as the performance scales dramatically with resolution and settings, which are characteristics of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high core count and fast clock speeds ensure that it can easily feed the GPU with draw calls and simulation data. The fact that the combo ranks so low is a direct result of the GPU, not the CPU. The processor is essentially idling, waiting for the Arc B370 to render frames, and any potential performance gains from a stronger CPU would be irrelevant in this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three resolutions provides a textbook example of a GPU-limited system. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and non-linear, directly correlating with the increase in pixel count. At the High settings preset, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, a 36% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS falls from 35 to 18, a 49% decrease. This shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being saturated, and the cost of each additional pixel is immense.

The data for the Low preset shows a similar trend. At 1080p, the average is 95 FPS. This drops to 61 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 32 FPS at 4K, another 48% reduction. This pattern confirms that the Intel Arc B370's performance is scaling inversely with the number of pixels, indicating that its fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The system is not CPU-bound at any point, as a CPU bottleneck would show a more consistent framerate across different resolutions. The fact that the framerate plummets at 4K, even on Low settings, proves that the integrated GPU is the definitive limiting component, and any analysis of this combo must center on its inability to handle high-resolution rendering.