Steamworld Build

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Steamworld Build across three resolutions paints a clear picture of how this Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B570 combination scales with rendering load. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 162 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 103 FPS, a reduction of 59 FPS or roughly 36%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 55 FPS, which is about 47% below the 1440p result and 66% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is steep, indicating that the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises.

For the High preset, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the average is 93 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 59 FPS — a 34 FPS decline. At 4K High, the average is 31 FPS, which is 62 FPS below the 1080p figure. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is approximately 67%, which is nearly identical to the Low preset drop. This consistency suggests that neither the CPU nor the GPU is hitting a hard bottleneck at any single setting level; instead, the workload scales fairly uniformly with resolution.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 124 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset produces 63 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. Across all settings, the ratio of 1080p to 4K FPS is roughly 3:1, which is close to the 4:1 pixel-count difference but not exactly proportional. The fact that 4K performance is better than a pure pixel-count scaling would suggest indicates that the CPU is contributing some limiting factor at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs at 1080p.

The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 162 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game's simulation logic. A pure GPU-bound system would show a larger relative gap between 1080p and 1440p, but here the 1080p-to-1440p drop is 36%, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 47%. This suggests the CPU becomes relatively less limiting as resolution increases, and the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at 4K. For a city builder like Steamworld Build, where simulation threads can tax the processor, this is an expected division of labor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 brings 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2375 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz. With 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, the B570 is a mid-range part that sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 20556, placing it very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534 with a deltaPct of 0.1%, and the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582 with a deltaPct of -0.1%.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS deltas between settings presets at each resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 38 FPS (162 to 124), from Medium to High costs 31 FPS (124 to 93), and from High to Ultra costs 30 FPS (93 to 63). At 4K, the same transitions cost 13 FPS (55 to 42), 11 FPS (42 to 31), and 10 FPS (31 to 21). The absolute FPS cost of each settings tier is roughly consistent across resolutions, but the relative impact is much larger at 4K because the starting FPS is lower.

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is relevant for a city builder that may need to hold many textures and object data. The B570's 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, as evidenced by the playable FPS numbers at those resolutions. At 4K, the GPU's raw compute throughput becomes the limiting factor. The B570's FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, and its pixel fill rate is 200.0 GPixel/s. These figures explain why 4K Ultra drops to 21 FPS — the render output units are being asked to fill over 8 million pixels per frame at a high settings load, and the 80 ROPs simply cannot keep up with the combination of resolution and visual complexity.

The GPU's 18 ray tracing cores are present but unlikely to be heavily utilized in a city builder genre title, which typically focuses on rasterized geometry and UI rendering. The B570's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering paths, but the measured FPS data shows that the card is more comfortable at 1080p and 1440p for this game. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra (21 FPS) and High (31 FPS), fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for acceptable smoothness.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all processors in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, deltaPct -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, deltaPct -0.3%), showing that the i7-13700K is effectively tied with these competitors in aggregate performance.

For a city builder like Steamworld Build, the CPU's multi-threaded performance is critical because the game must simulate many entities, track resources, and manage AI pathfinding. The i7-13700K's 3DMark multi-thread score is 12412, while its single-thread score is 1136. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 30745, and the single-core score is 2116. These numbers indicate strong parallel performance, which should help maintain consistent frame pacing when the game's simulation updates each frame.

The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 162 FPS. This is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls and simulation updates. However, the fact that 1080p Low does not reach much higher (compared to what a more powerful GPU might allow) suggests the CPU is at least partially limiting the maximum achievable frame rate. The 1080p Ultra result of 63 FPS is interesting — it is identical to the 1440p High result of 59 FPS within a reasonable margin, showing that the CPU can maintain similar performance when the GPU load is reduced.

The i7-13700K's 24 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game engine threads. The Geekbench multicore score of 19429 and single-core score of 2529 support the notion that this CPU has both strong per-thread performance and excellent scaling across cores. In Steamworld Build, where the simulation may spawn multiple worker threads for different city zones, the 16 cores (8 performance and 8 efficiency, based on the 13th Gen architecture) allow the game to distribute workload effectively. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz on performance cores ensures that single-threaded game logic, such as the main update loop, runs with minimal latency.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Steamworld Build?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 162, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 59, and at Medium settings it is 79. Low settings produce 103 FPS. Only the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at 40 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rival?

A: The B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582).

Q: What is the worst measured performance in this dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 21, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data suggests some CPU limiting at 1080p Low, where the FPS is 162. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as shown by the steeper FPS drops from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in the database for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2320 out of 2924 tested combinations for Steamworld Build.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The dataset provides average FPS for twelve distinct configurations: four settings presets at three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 162 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 124 FPS average, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High settings at 1080p yield 93 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 63 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 99 FPS, indicating that the settings presets have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 103 FPS. Medium settings produce 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS. Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 63 FPS. This narrower spread compared to 1080p (99 FPS) suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor, compressing the performance differences between settings tiers.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 55 FPS. Medium settings produce 42 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings average 31 FPS. Ultra settings average 21 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 34 FPS. The minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (35 FPS) and the average at 4K High (31 FPS) indicate that the GPU is struggling to maintain smooth frame delivery at this resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min is 106 and max is 143, giving a range of 37 FPS. At 1440p, the min is 67 and max is 91, a range of 24 FPS. At 4K, the min is 35 and max is 48, a range of 13 FPS. The shrinking range at higher resolutions reflects the GPU becoming uniformly saturated, reducing frame-to-frame variance.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data allows for direct comparison of settings presets at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets produce average FPS above 60, with Low at 162, Medium at 124, High at 93, and Ultra at 63. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is the only one below 90 FPS, but it still clears the 60 FPS threshold. For players prioritizing visual fidelity at 1080p, Ultra is viable since it maintains a playable average. However, the High preset at 93 FPS offers a substantial frame rate buffer, and Medium at 124 FPS provides even more headroom while still looking significantly better than Low.

At 2560x1440, the choices become more constrained. Low produces 103 FPS, Medium produces 79 FPS, and High produces 59 FPS. Ultra drops to 40 FPS. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, High is borderline (59 FPS average), while Medium comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at 79 FPS. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot at 1440p, offering a 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum, ensuring no frame drops below the 60 FPS threshold. High at 59 FPS average may experience occasional dips below 60, and Ultra at 40 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low averages 55 FPS, Medium averages 42 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 21 FPS. If 4K is the target resolution, Low is the only preset that approaches playable frame rates, with a 55 FPS average. Medium at 42 FPS is borderline playable for a city builder, which is a genre less sensitive to high frame rates. High and Ultra at 31 and 21 FPS respectively are likely too sluggish for comfortable interaction, given the need to pan, zoom, and manage construction in real time.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is Medium settings at 1920x1080, delivering 124 FPS average with a 106 FPS minimum. This combination provides a high frame rate with minimal risk of stutter, and the Medium preset still offers a meaningful visual upgrade over Low. For players with 1440p displays, Medium at 1440p (79 FPS) provides a better balance of resolution and smoothness than High at 1080p (93 FPS), though the choice depends on display capabilities and personal preference for visual detail.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Steamworld Build, the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2320 out of 2924 total combos. This places the combo in the bottom 21% of tested configurations, which is a notable contrast to the individual component percentiles. The CPU ranks at the 89th percentile among all processors, and the GPU ranks at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a combo ranking that is dragged down by the GPU's more modest position.

The combo's rank of 2320 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average FPS in this game. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 63 FPS, which is decent but not exceptional. At 4K Ultra, the 21 FPS result is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This indicates that the B570 GPU is the limiting factor for this combo's overall standing in the database. The i7-13700K's strong multi-threaded performance (3DMark max threads score of 12412, Cinebench R23 multicore of 30745) does not translate into top-tier gaming FPS when paired with a GPU that sits at the 65th percentile.

The nearest GPU rival data shows the B570 is closely matched with the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750, differing by only 0.1% in average benchmark score. This means the combo's rank is not an outlier due to a defective or poorly performing GPU; rather, the B570 is simply a mid-range card that cannot compete with higher-tier GPUs in the database. The CPU, on the other hand, is within 0.5% of its nearest rivals (Ryzen 9 5900, Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, Ryzen 9 7845HX, Xeon w3-2535), confirming that the i7-13700K is performing as expected.

For context, the combo ranking of 2320 out of 2924 means that 604 combinations perform worse. This places the combo in the lower-middle portion of the distribution. The data indicates that for Steamworld Build specifically, this pairing is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a top performer. Players seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need to consider a GPU with greater compute throughput, while those satisfied with 1080p or 1440p Medium settings will find this combo serviceable. The CPU's headroom suggests that upgrading the GPU in the future would yield significant FPS gains, as the i7-13700K is unlikely to bottleneck a more powerful graphics card in this game.