Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that responds strongly to both resolution and settings, and the Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combo shows a clear performance curve across the tested configurations. The data indicates that this pairing is capable of excellent 1080p performance, solid 1440p gameplay, and playable but demanding 4K results, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic shift in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 120 FPS at 1080p to 76 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 40 FPS at 4K, a further 47% drop from 1440p. This steep decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are increasingly stressed by the pixel count.

The scaling pattern reveals that at 1080p, the CPU still has room to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the 184 FPS Low setting result. However, by 1440p, the GPU starts to dominate, and at 4K, the performance curve flattens considerably. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 43 FPS (70 to 27), while at 1080p that same gap is 103 FPS (184 to 81). This widening delta confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads are sufficient to keep up at lower resolutions.

For a city builder, where camera pans and zoom operations can cause sudden frame hitches, the min FPS data at Medium settings is particularly telling. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 46 FPS against an average of 54, a drop of 15%. At 1440p Medium, the min is 87 against an average of 102 (15% drop), and at 1080p Medium, the min is 136 against 160 (15% drop). This consistent 15% variance suggests a stable frame pacing profile regardless of resolution, which is reassuring for a genre that relies on smooth scrolling.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Steamworld Build at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 70. Medium settings deliver 54 FPS average with a 46 FPS minimum, which is borderline playable. High drops to 40 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS, both of which are too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: Based on the data, 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, the combo produces 76 FPS average, which is smooth for a city builder. At Medium, it hits 102 FPS average with a 87 FPS minimum, giving headroom for large, complex cities.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU begins to matter more at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo reaches 184 FPS, but at High it drops to 120 FPS, and Ultra to 81 FPS. The i5-9400’s 6-core/6-thread configuration and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient, but the GPU’s raw throughput (9.062 TFLOPS FP32) is still the primary driver of the settings-based scaling.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, placing it 1% below the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and 1.2% below the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). It is also 1.3% behind the Intel Arc B570 (20556) and 1.5% behind the Intel Arc A750 (20582). In practical terms, this means performance is nearly identical to these cards in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the CPU’s benchmark standing relative to other processors?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is 0.2% below the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259) and 0.4% below the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264). It is 0.3% above the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248) and 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246). This places it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a mid-pack performer.

Q: Should I use Medium or High settings at 1440p for the best experience?

A: Medium provides 102 FPS average with a 87 FPS minimum, while High delivers 76 FPS average. For a city builder, the extra visual fidelity of High might be worth the 26 FPS drop, but if you prefer maximum smoothness for rapid camera movement, Medium is the safer choice.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3706 tested combos in Steamworld Build, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2256th. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, and the ranking reflects a combination of a mid-tier CPU (47th percentile) and a mid-high-tier GPU (65th percentile). The rank is not a verdict on playability, but rather a relative position among all possible CPU/GPU pairings tested.

The 2256 rank out of 3706 means roughly 39% of tested combos perform better, while 61% perform worse. This is a reasonable position for a system built around a 2018 CPU and a 2019 GPU. The i5-9400’s performance is closely matched by its nearest rivals, with a delta of only 0.4% to 0.3% against the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and Intel Core i7-10710U, respectively. The GPU similarly sits within a 1.5% band of its closest competitors.

For practical purposes, this rank suggests that the combo is not at the current-generation, but it is far from obsolete. The measured FPS data confirms that the pairing can handle the game well at mainstream resolutions. The rank would likely be higher if the CPU had more threads, as city builders with many entities can use additional cores, but the data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is still the limiting factor for Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS table for this combo is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K): Low averages 70 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS (min 46, max 62), High averages 40 FPS, Ultra averages 27 FPS.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): Low averages 133 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS (min 87, max 117), High averages 76 FPS, Ultra averages 52 FPS.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): Low averages 184 FPS, Medium averages 160 FPS (min 136, max 184), High averages 120 FPS, Ultra averages 81 FPS.

At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally strong. Even Ultra settings produce 81 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium and Low are overkill at 160 and 184 FPS respectively, suggesting that the GPU is not being fully utilized at these settings, and the CPU’s 6 threads are keeping up without issue.

At 1440p, the sweet spot emerges. Low hits 133 FPS, Medium 102 FPS, and High 76 FPS. Ultra drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game where you might be zooming in and out frequently. The min FPS data at Medium (87 FPS) shows that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. Low is the only setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS at 70 FPS average. Medium averages 54 FPS, which is borderline, and High (40 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are not recommended for serious play. The 4K results align with the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking, showing that it is a capable 1440p card but not a 4K powerhouse.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. For Steamworld Build, a city builder that simulates numerous agents and buildings, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, pathfinding, and entity updates.

The benchmark results show that the i5-9400 achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935. These scores, combined with a Geekbench multi-core score of 5141, indicate that the CPU is adequate for this genre. The 6 threads are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck at 1080p, where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at Ultra settings (81 FPS vs 184 FPS at Low).

However, the CPU’s 47th percentile ranking suggests that it is not a high-end performer. In a city builder, as your city grows, the number of simulated entities increases, which can put more load on the CPU. The data does not show a specific CPU bottleneck in the measured FPS, but the lack of hyper-threading (6 threads vs 12 on some rivals) could be a long-term concern for very large cities. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, has a slightly higher average benchmark score (2259 vs 2254), but the delta is negligible.

The CPU’s 65W TDP and Socket 1151 compatibility make it an easy drop-in for many older systems. Its memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4) is sufficient for this game’s needs, as the GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is not being starved by the CPU’s memory throughput in the measured scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on your resolution and preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate smoothness.

At 1080p, Ultra settings are the clear choice. The 81 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual quality improvement from High to Ultra is worth the 39 FPS drop (120 to 81). If you have a 144Hz monitor, Medium at 160 FPS will take advantage of the higher refresh rate, but for most players, Ultra provides the best experience.

At 1440p, High settings offer the best compromise. The 76 FPS average is smooth, and the visual detail is significantly better than Medium. If you prioritize frame rate stability over visuals, Medium at 102 FPS (min 87) is a solid choice, especially for large, late-game cities where FPS may dip. Ultra at 52 FPS is playable but risks noticeable stutter during busy scenes.

At 4K, Low settings are the only viable option for consistent gameplay, with a 70 FPS average. Medium at 54 FPS is borderline acceptable if you can tolerate occasional drops to 46 FPS, but High (40 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are too slow for comfortable play. If you want to play at 4K with higher settings, you would need a more powerful GPU than the RTX 2070 SUPER.

For the overall best experience, the data points to 1440p with High settings. This configuration delivers 76 FPS average, which is smooth for a city builder, and it leverages the GPU’s strengths without pushing it to its limits. The min FPS data at 1440p Medium (87 FPS) suggests that even in heavy scenes, the frame rate will remain playable. If you have a high-refresh monitor and prefer esports-level smoothness, 1080p with Medium settings (160 FPS) is the most responsive option, but it leaves visual quality on the table.