Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build, a city builder released in late 2023, presents a distinctive workload that shifts between CPU-bound simulation and GPU-bound rendering depending on the settings and resolution. The data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 shows a configuration that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but becomes progressively more GPU-limited as visual fidelity and pixel count increase. The performance envelope across the tested settings reveals a system where the powerful 20-core processor ensures high frame rates at 1080p, while the graphics card’s capabilities define the ceiling at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured average frame rates demonstrate a clear and consistent pattern of scaling as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the 'High' preset, the system delivers 103.3 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 65.4 FPS at 1440p, and further to 36.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36.7% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 1440p, and a 64.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling indicates that the game’s rendering load is substantial, and the Arc B580’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs.

The 'Ultra' preset shows the steepest performance curve, which is expected given the increased demand on the GPU. At 1080p, the combo achieves 68.7 FPS, which is playable but not exceptionally high. Moving to 1440p, the frame rate falls to 43.3 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to a demanding 24.1 FPS. The difference between the 'High' and 'Ultra' presets at 4K is particularly stark, with the latter representing a 34.3% performance penalty. This suggests that the most demanding settings include effects that heavily tax the GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Interestingly, the 'Low' preset scaling tells a different story about the system's balance. At 1080p with 'Low' settings, the system reaches 179.4 FPS, which is an exceptional result that highlights the CPU’s strength in feeding the GPU. At 1440p 'Low', the frame rate is 114.6 FPS, and at 4K 'Low', it remains at a solid 59.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on 'Low' shows a 66.6% drop, which is similar to the 'High' preset, but the absolute values are much higher. This indicates that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU’s rendering capabilities at 4K are still the primary constraint.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts based on the settings. At 1080p with 'Low' or 'Medium' settings, the frame rates of 179.4 FPS and 139.2 FPS respectively suggest that the CPU is capable of pushing well beyond 140 FPS, and the GPU is likely not the bottleneck. However, at 4K with 'Ultra' settings, the 24.1 FPS result clearly indicates a GPU-bound scenario where the Arc B580’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth are insufficient for the workload. The 'Medium' preset at 4K (45.7 FPS) and 1440p (88.2 FPS) shows that the system is well-balanced for these mid-range settings, offering a good compromise between visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between the 'High' and 'Ultra' presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the 'High' preset averages 65.4 FPS, while the 'Ultra' preset averages 43.3 FPS. The transition to 'Ultra' results in a 33.8% lower frame rate, indicating that the additional visual features have a significant performance cost.

Q: Can this system maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the maximum average frame rate achieved across the tested presets is 59.9 FPS on the 'Low' setting. The 'Medium' preset averages 45.7 FPS, 'High' averages 36.7 FPS, and 'Ultra' averages 24.1 FPS, so 60 FPS is only marginally attainable at the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count influence performance in this game?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads. The high frame rates at 1080p, such as 179.4 FPS on 'Low' settings, suggest the CPU is not a limiting factor for the majority of the tested configurations, as it can provide enough data to the GPU to reach very high frame rates.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p with 'Medium' settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 139.2 FPS at 1920x1080 with the 'Medium' preset. This is significantly higher than the 103.3 FPS seen at 'High' settings, showing a clear performance tier separation.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1353 out of a total of 1730 tested combinations in the database. This places the system in the lower portion of the ranking, indicating that while it performs adequately, there are many more powerful configurations available.

Q: Is the performance at 4K with 'Ultra' settings playable?

A: With an average of 24.1 FPS, the frame rate is below the standard for smooth playability. The data indicates that this setting is not suitable for a fluid experience, and users would need to lower the resolution or settings for a better frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The card’s performance in Steamworld Build is well-documented by the benchmark results, which show it is capable of providing high frame rates at 1080p but struggles at 4K with maximum settings. The GPU’s memory configuration includes 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory subsystem is a key factor in the card’s ability to handle large textures and complex scenes, which is evident in the performance difference between 'Medium' and 'High' presets at 1440p (88.2 FPS vs 65.4 FPS).

The clock speeds are fixed at 2670 MHz for both base and boost, which is a relatively high frequency that helps with the card’s compute performance. The measured data shows that the GPU’s FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS is adequate for the game’s rendering demands at lower resolutions. The card’s percentile ranking of 66 among all GPUs indicates it is a mid-range performer, which aligns with its benchmark scores. In the database, the Arc B580’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 760M, which has an average score of 22999 (a deltaPct of 0.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has an average score of 23181 (a deltaPct of -0.7%). This places the B580 within a close performance band of these competing products.

The GPU’s role in this game becomes more critical at higher resolutions and settings. The drop from 65.4 FPS at 1440p 'High' to 36.7 FPS at 4K 'High' is a 43.9% decrease, which is a larger relative drop than what would be expected from a purely CPU-limited scenario. This confirms that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the bottleneck at 4K. The 24.1 FPS result at 4K 'Ultra' highlights the card’s limitations with the most demanding visual effects, which likely include advanced shading and post-processing that require more compute and memory bandwidth than available.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 1353 out of 1730 tested combos in the database for Steamworld Build. This rank places the system in the 78th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that 22% of tested combos perform worse, but a significant majority of 78% perform better. While this ranking might seem low, it is important to consider the context of the game’s genre. City builders are often more CPU-intensive than other game types, but the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings for this specific combo.

The rank suggests that this pairing is not among the top performers for this game, which is consistent with the GPU’s 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU’s high percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs indicates that the processor is not the source of the combo’s lower ranking. The benchmark data shows that the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p are generally good, but the 4K performance pulls the overall ranking down. In comparison to other combos, this system is more suited for gamers who prioritize high refresh rates at 1080p or 1440p with medium-to-high settings, rather than those seeking maximum fidelity at 4K.

The ranking also reflects the balance of the system. With a CPU that has an average benchmark score of 70104 and a GPU with an average score of 23021, the system’s overall performance is dictated by the GPU’s capabilities in graphically intensive tasks. The data suggests that for Steamworld Build, the combination is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results are less competitive. The 1353rd rank is a quantitative summary of these observations, indicating that while the system is functional, it is not optimized for the highest-end performance in this specific title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU’s performance in this game is indicative of its strong multi-threaded capabilities, which are often leveraged by city builders for simulation and AI logic. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with 'Low' settings, the system reaches 179.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame rate output for this game. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution and settings combination.

The processor’s percentile ranking of 96 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has a nearly identical average score of 70074 (a deltaPct of 0%), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which scores 70420 (a deltaPct of -0.4%). This shows that the 14700KF is competitively positioned against the best consumer processors. The CPU’s high core count and boost clock are essential for maintaining the high frame rates seen at 1080p, as the game’s simulation logic can utilize the available threads.

However, the CPU’s role in the overall performance is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on 'High' settings shows a 64.5% drop in frame rate, which is primarily due to the GPU’s inability to keep up with the increased pixel count. The CPU’s performance at 4K 'Low' (59.9 FPS) demonstrates that it can still provide sufficient data to the GPU, as the frame rate is limited by the GPU’s rendering speed. The data indicates that for this game, the i7-14700KF provides a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but the system’s overall capability is constrained by the graphics card. The CPU’s 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile choice, but its performance in this specific game is overshadowed by the GPU’s limitations at 4K.