Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder released in late 2023, presents a unique scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the CPU maintaining a strong presence even as graphical load increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, examining the distinct roles of the processor and graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic shift in frame rates, indicating a clear move from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate drops from 129 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 47 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 43 FPS, representing a 67% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline suggests that while the RTX 4060 is capable at lower resolutions, the pixel throughput required at 4K becomes a significant limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is consistent across other presets, though the magnitude of the drop varies. With the "Low" preset, the system achieves 184 FPS at 1080p, 143 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The 4K result here is still more than double the "High" preset's 4K performance, highlighting that the GPU's workload scales almost linearly with resolution. The "Ultra" preset shows the most severe degradation, starting at 87 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 55 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to just 29 FPS at 4K. This 58 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K on Ultra demonstrates that the most demanding settings place an overwhelming burden on the GPU.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary constraint, as even the "Ultra" preset maintains a playable 87 FPS, which is not far off from the "High" preset's 129 FPS. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant factors. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K data shows a clear wall where performance drops to levels that are borderline playable or unplayable depending on the preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. This puts it in direct competition with chips like the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p. At this resolution, the frame rate differences between presets are relatively small, suggesting that the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output. For instance, the "Medium" preset at 1080p yields 167 FPS, while "High" yields 129 FPS. The fact that the "Low" preset reaches 184 FPS indicates that the CPU can push even higher frame rates when the GPU is less burdened. The 6 threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are adequate for the game's simulation and entity management, which is typical for a city builder.

However, the CPU's limitations become apparent when considering the 4K "Ultra" result of 29 FPS. While this is primarily a GPU bottleneck, the processor's lower single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, may contribute to frame time inconsistencies in complex scenes. The data shows that at 1440p, the CPU is still able to feed the GPU well enough for a 143 FPS average on "Low," but the "Ultra" preset's 55 FPS suggests that the combination of high CPU simulation load and high GPU load creates a balanced bottleneck. The processor's 65 W TDP and end-of-life status indicate it is a modest performer by modern standards, but within this specific game, it does not appear to be a severe hindrance until the very highest settings are combined with lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear workhorse for this configuration, featuring the AD107 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus provide 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical factor in the game's resolution scaling. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and 3072 shading units deliver a FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 17639. This puts it slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M in synthetic benchmarks, which scores 17588.

The GPU's performance in Steamworld Build is characterized by a steep cliff at 4K. The "High" preset at 4K averages 43 FPS, which is technically playable but not smooth, while the "Ultra" preset drops to 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. This suggests that the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth is insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects that the "Ultra" preset likely enables. The 128-bit memory bus is a known limitation for this card, and the data reflects this constraint clearly.

At 1440p, the GPU shows more headroom. The "High" preset achieves 82 FPS, and "Medium" reaches 110 FPS, both of which are excellent results. The "Low" preset at 143 FPS demonstrates that the GPU can output high frame rates when the visual fidelity is reduced, but the jump from 143 FPS at 1440p to 184 FPS at 1080p on "Low" suggests that the GPU is still a limiting factor even at lower settings. The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but unused in this title, as Steamworld Build does not appear to leverage ray tracing or DLSS based on the measured data. Instead, the GPU's raw rasterization performance and memory subsystem are what determine the results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the "High" preset provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 129 FPS. This is nearly double the frame rate of the "Ultra" preset's 87 FPS, which offers diminishing returns for the performance cost. The "Medium" preset at 167 FPS is also viable, but the jump to "High" is worth the 38 FPS loss for improved visuals. The "Low" preset at 184 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor and prioritizes maximum frame rate.

For 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset is the sweet spot, delivering 110 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay without the visual compromises of the "Low" preset, which yields 143 FPS but loses significant detail. The "High" preset at 82 FPS is also acceptable for most users, but the "Medium" preset's higher minimum frame rate is preferable for maintaining consistency. The "Ultra" preset at 55 FPS should be avoided, as the frame rate dips are likely to cause noticeable stuttering in a city builder where camera movement is frequent.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The "Low" preset is the only option that provides a smooth experience, averaging 76 FPS. The "Medium" preset at 58 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 49 FPS that may cause visible hitches. The "High" preset at 43 FPS is playable but suboptimal, and the "Ultra" preset at 29 FPS is not recommended for any serious play. Users with 4K displays should either stick to "Low" settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to use higher presets. The data clearly favors a "Medium" preset at 1440p as the best overall experience, offering a high frame rate with good visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 with the "Medium" preset provides the best balance, averaging 110 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS. This is significantly higher than any 4K result and offers better visuals than 1080p.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: It can, but only at lower settings. The "Low" preset averages 76 FPS at 4K, while "Medium" drops to 58 FPS. The "Ultra" preset at 29 FPS is not playable. For a consistent experience, 1440p is the recommended resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is more likely the limiting factor, as frame rates are high but the differences between presets are smaller. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with frame rates dropping dramatically due to the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M (17588) and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551). It is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17666.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between "High" and "Ultra" presets at 1080p?

A: The "High" preset averages 129 FPS, while the "Ultra" preset averages 87 FPS. This is a 42 FPS difference, indicating that the "Ultra" preset imposes a significant performance penalty for marginal visual gains.

Q: Does the i5-9400's performance limit the RTX 4060?

A: The i5-9400 ranks in the 47th percentile of CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629. At 1080p, the CPU can drive the GPU to 184 FPS on "Low," suggesting it is not a major limitation. However, at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, so the CPU's impact is minimized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is directly from the measured FPS for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination:

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Low: Average 184 FPS
• Medium: Average 167 FPS, Minimum 142 FPS, Maximum 192 FPS
• High: Average 129 FPS
• Ultra: Average 87 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Low: Average 143 FPS
• Medium: Average 110 FPS, Minimum 93 FPS, Maximum 126 FPS
• High: Average 82 FPS
• Ultra: Average 55 FPS

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Low: Average 76 FPS
• Medium: Average 58 FPS, Minimum 49 FPS, Maximum 67 FPS
• High: Average 43 FPS
• Ultra: Average 29 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation with increasing resolution and settings. The "Medium" preset is the only one that provides minimum frame rate data, indicating it is the most stable option at each resolution. The "Ultra" preset at 4K, with an average of 29 FPS, is the weakest result in the entire dataset.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2060 out of 3706 tested combos in Steamworld Build. This places it in the 55.6th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other combinations. This rank is influenced by the CPU's modest performance, as the RTX 4060 is a capable mid-range GPU, but the i5-9400's 6 threads and older architecture hold the system back in CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, show negligible performance differences (less than 1% delta), indicating that the i5-9400 is not exceptionally weak. However, the GPU's rank is higher than the CPU's, with the RTX 4060 sitting in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This suggests that the system's overall rank is dragged down by the processor, which is in the 47th percentile. In a city builder like Steamworld Build, where simulation and entity counts can tax the CPU, this combination may struggle in late-game scenarios with large populations, even if the GPU has headroom. The rank of 2060 confirms that this is a mid-tier setup that provides a decent experience at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not optimized for high-refresh-rate or 4K gaming.