Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build pairs a six-core Intel Core i5-9400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, a combination that lands at rank 1202 out of 3706 tested combos for this title. That places it comfortably in the upper third of all configurations, though the spread between the CPU’s modest standing and the GPU’s high-end positioning suggests the pairing is not perfectly balanced. The data indicates a system that can push high frame rates at most settings, but the i5-9400’s aging architecture becomes a visible constraint as resolution drops and the GPU is given more headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1202 out of 3706 tested combinations places it in the 67th percentile of all pairings measured in Steamworld Build. That is a solid result, but not an elite one — the top quartile of configurations is clearly out of reach, and the reason becomes evident when examining the individual components. The RTX 4080 SUPER sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core i5-9400 only reaches the 47th percentile among all CPUs. This 39-point gap between the two components’ relative standings is the defining characteristic of the pairing: the GPU is performing near the top of its class, while the CPU is squarely mid-pack.

Benchmark scores reinforce this imbalance. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 54209 places it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 and 1.1% of the Radeon Pro W5700X, showing it trades blows with the fastest cards available. The CPU, by contrast, averages 2254 across its benchmark suite, sitting 0.2% below the Core i7-1068NG7 and 0.3% above the Core i7-10710U. These rivals are mobile and low-power parts, which puts the i5-9400’s desktop position into perspective — it is competitive with efficient laptop chips rather than modern desktop processors. In Steamworld Build specifically, the 1202 rank reflects a system that delivers playable performance across most scenarios but cannot exploit the RTX 4080 SUPER’s full potential at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. For a city builder like Steamworld Build, which expands the simulation footprint as the player builds outward, this memory capacity is more than adequate — the game’s asset streaming and texture loads will rarely approach the limit. The GPU’s 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores are far beyond what this genre typically demands, but they ensure that even the heaviest visual effects like dynamic shadows and ambient occlusion do not strain the card.

Clock behavior matters here. The GPU boosts to 2550 MHz from a 2295 MHz base, and the measured frames suggest it is not thermally or power-limited in this title. At 4K Ultra, the average of 51 FPS is the only sub-60 result across the entire measurement set, indicating the card is running near its architectural limits only at the most demanding settings. The 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate mean the GPU can handle any scenario Steamworld Build presents, but the question is whether the CPU can feed it fast enough. The data shows the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing, and its 86th percentile ranking confirms it is doing the heavy lifting.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU-bound pattern at lower resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo produces 150 FPS; at 1440p High, that drops to 129 FPS; at 4K High, it falls to 76 FPS. The 4K to 1080p ratio is roughly 2x, which suggests the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the 1080p to 1440p drop of only 14% indicates the CPU is holding back the GPU at 1080p. If the GPU were fully utilized at 1080p, the jump to 1440p would typically show a larger frame rate reduction.

The Low settings tell a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 184 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire set. Dropping to 1440p Low only reduces that to 158 FPS, a 14% decline, while 4K Low still manages 128 FPS. The fact that 4K Low nearly matches 1080p High (128 vs 150 FPS) is telling — the GPU has enough headroom at 4K Low to compensate for the resolution increase, but at 1080p High, the CPU cannot push frames beyond the 150-184 range regardless of settings. This is a textbook CPU bottleneck: the i5-9400’s six threads are the ceiling at lower resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1440p or 1080p gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: The data favors 1440p as the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the combo produces 129 FPS, which is still far above the 60 FPS threshold and only 14% lower than 1080p High’s 150 FPS. At 4K High, the drop to 76 FPS is more pronounced, so 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate headroom.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High?

A: At every resolution, Ultra is significantly more demanding than High. At 1080p, Ultra drops to 129 FPS from High’s 150 FPS (a 14% reduction). At 1440p, Ultra falls to 97 FPS from 129 FPS (a 25% reduction). At 4K, Ultra drops to 51 FPS from 76 FPS (a 33% reduction), which is the only setting that dips below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER being fully utilized in this game?

A: Not at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 184 FPS versus the 1440p Low result of 158 FPS shows only a 14% difference, which is smaller than the expected scaling. This indicates the CPU is limiting the GPU at 1080p. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the larger performance gaps between settings.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2254 is within 0.4% of the Core i7-10710U and Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and within 0.4% of the Core i3-10305. It sits 0.2% below the Core i7-1068NG7. This means the CPU is effectively tied with its closest competitors, showing no meaningful performance advantage.

Q: What is the most consistent frame rate experience across resolutions?

A: The Medium preset offers the steadiest experience. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192. At 1440p Medium, it averages 144 FPS with a 122-165 range. At 4K Medium, it averages 102 FPS with an 86-117 range. The minimum-to-average gaps are consistent, suggesting no major stuttering issues.

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

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or below. At 4K Medium, it achieves 102 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 128 FPS. At 4K High, it drops to 76 FPS, which is still playable, but 4K Ultra at 51 FPS is marginal. The GPU has enough memory and bandwidth for 4K, but the CPU limits the high-setting performance.

Settings Recommendations

The Medium preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 167 FPS with a narrow 142-192 frame range, showing the system is not being pushed to its limits. At 1440p Medium, the 144 FPS average with a 122 minimum ensures smooth gameplay even during busy city-building moments. At 4K Medium, the 102 FPS average with an 86 minimum remains well above the 60 FPS target, making this the only preset that delivers playable 4K performance without compromising frame consistency.

High settings are viable for users prioritizing visuals over frame rate, but the trade-off becomes steeper at higher resolutions. At 1080p High, the 150 FPS average is still excellent, and 1440p High’s 129 FPS remains competitive. However, 4K High’s 76 FPS average is a 25% drop from Medium, which may be noticeable in a genre where camera panning and zooming are frequent. Ultra settings are not recommended for this combo — the 51 FPS average at 4K Ultra is the only sub-60 result in the entire measurement set, and even at 1080p, Ultra delivers only 129 FPS, which is identical to the 1440p High result.

Low settings offer the highest frame rates but are unnecessary for this hardware. The 184 FPS at 1080p Low and 158 FPS at 1440p Low exceed the refresh rate of most displays, meaning the extra performance is wasted. For a city builder, where simulation complexity can cause frame drops as the city grows, the Medium preset’s headroom provides a safety margin that Low settings do not meaningfully improve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a 2.90 GHz base clock and boosting to 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. These specifications place it as a mid-range desktop part from 2018, and its benchmark results confirm its age: the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 are modest by modern standards, with the average benchmark score of 2254 putting it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU’s role is to manage the simulation logic — the agents, resource flows, and building interactions that define a city builder. The game’s genre is typically CPU-intensive, but the measured FPS data shows the i5-9400 is the limiting factor only at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the 184 FPS ceiling is likely set by the CPU’s single-thread performance, as the GPU could easily render more frames. The fact that 1080p Ultra (129 FPS) is nearly identical to 1440p High (129 FPS) further suggests that the CPU cannot push beyond roughly 150-184 FPS in this game, regardless of GPU load.

The six threads without hyper-threading are a potential concern for a simulation game, as modern titles often scale with additional threads. However, the data shows no catastrophic bottlenecks — even at 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS result is driven by GPU load rather than CPU starvation. The nearest CPU rivals, which include mobile parts like the Core i7-10710U, indicate the i5-9400 is performing at a level consistent with its specifications, but it is the weak link in this pairing. Upgrading to a more modern CPU with higher single-thread performance would likely unlock higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measurement set shows a consistent pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo delivers 184 FPS on Low, 167 FPS on Medium, 150 FPS on High, and 129 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows the only recorded minimum and maximum values at this resolution: 142 FPS minimum and 192 FPS maximum, indicating a 50 FPS spread that suggests some frame pacing variability during intense simulation moments.

At 1440p, the results are 158 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 129 FPS on High, and 97 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows the only full range: 122 FPS minimum and 165 FPS maximum, a 43 FPS spread. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14% on Low, 14% on Medium, 14% on High, and 25% on Ultra — the larger Ultra drop indicates the GPU is becoming more involved at higher settings.

At 4K, the results are 128 FPS on Low, 102 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 51 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows an 86 FPS minimum and 117 FPS maximum, a 31 FPS spread that is the tightest of any resolution, suggesting more consistent frame times at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 19% on Low, 29% on Medium, 41% on High, and 47% on Ultra — this accelerating decline confirms the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, with the CPU’s influence waning as resolution increases. The symmetry between 1080p Ultra (129 FPS) and 1440p High (129 FPS) is a notable data point, showing that the CPU can deliver the same frame rate regardless of whether the GPU is rendering at 2.1 million or 3.7 million pixels.