Steamworld Build

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a profoundly GPU-limited experience in Steamworld Build, with the measured frame rates showing that the integrated graphics solution is the decisive bottleneck at every resolution and settings level. The data indicates that this combination ranks in the bottom tier of all tested combos, and users should expect playable performance only at 1080p with reduced settings, while 4K Ultra is essentially unplayable at an average of 12 FPS. The Arc B370’s benchmark percentile of 5 places it near the very bottom of all GPUs, and the measured FPS across all resolutions confirms that this is not a configuration for demanding city-building sessions at high visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Steamworld Build with this hardware combination shows a clear pattern: lower settings are mandatory for a smooth experience, with the 1080p Low preset delivering the only truly fluid frame rate. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 95, which is 22 FPS higher than the next best measured result and represents the only configuration where the frame rate comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to an average of 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, which remains playable but shows a significant 22 FPS reduction from Low, indicating that the GPU is already straining under moderate load. High settings at 1080p further reduce the average to 55 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 37 FPS, making the latter two presets less desirable for consistent gameplay.

For users prioritizing frame rate stability, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice, as the 95 FPS average provides ample headroom for the simulation-heavy moments that city builders often present. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a reasonable compromise with its 73 FPS average and 62 FPS minimum, but the jump from Low to Medium costs 22 FPS, which is a substantial penalty for the visual improvements. At 1440p, no settings preset achieves a 60 FPS average, with Low delivering 61 FPS but Medium dropping to 46 FPS and High falling to 35 FPS. The 4K resolution is entirely impractical, with even Low settings producing only 32 FPS and Ultra producing a slideshow-like 12 FPS average.

Considering the measured data, the best experience per the rows provided is the 1080p Low preset, as it delivers the highest average FPS of 95 and avoids the minimum FPS dips that appear in other configurations. The 1080p Medium preset is the second-best option, with its 73 FPS average and 62 FPS minimum, but users should be aware that the 22 FPS drop from Low is steep. For those who insist on higher resolutions, the 1440p Low preset at 61 FPS is the only viable option above 1080p, but it barely clears the 60 FPS threshold and leaves little margin for performance drops during complex scenes. The data strongly suggests that this hardware combination should be configured with Low settings at 1080p for the most consistent and enjoyable experience in Steamworld Build.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2683 out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the 8th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects a system that is severely hampered by its graphics component, as the CPU is a top-tier desktop processor while the GPU is an integrated solution with a benchmark percentile of 5. The combo rank of 2683 indicates that the vast majority of tested hardware combinations outperform this pairing, and the measured FPS data confirms that this is not a competitive setup for this game. The rank is particularly striking given the CPU’s strength: the i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, yet the overall combo rank is near the bottom, underscoring the GPU’s dominant role in determining performance.

The gap between the CPU’s potential and the combo’s actual ranking highlights a severe imbalance. The i9-14900K’s benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697, but these numbers have little bearing on Steamworld Build’s frame rates when the GPU delivers only 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The Arc B370’s nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a deltaPct of -0.2 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a deltaPct of -0.5, both of which are legacy graphics solutions from over a decade ago. This places the Arc B370 in the company of very old, low-performance GPUs, and the measured FPS in Steamworld Build reflects this positioning.

The combo rank of 2683 out of 2924 means that only 241 tested combinations perform worse, which is a small fraction of the total. This puts the i9-14900K and Arc B370 in the bottom 8.2% of all tested combos, a position that is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s limitations. The data shows that even the weakest modern desktop GPUs would likely outperform this pairing, as the Arc B370’s 5th percentile GPU ranking is catastrophic for gaming performance. Users considering this combination for Steamworld Build should understand that the CPU’s high-end specifications do not translate into playable frame rates, and the combo rank accurately reflects the poor overall performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration, with its integrated graphics architecture and system-shared memory creating a severe performance ceiling. The GPU’s benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, meaning 95% of tested graphics cards perform better. The nearest rivals to the Arc B370 include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with an average score of 1186 and a deltaPct of -0.2, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with an average score of 1190 and a deltaPct of -0.5, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with an average score of 1192 and a deltaPct of -0.7. These comparisons place the Arc B370 alongside graphics solutions from the early 2010s, which explains its poor performance in a 2023 city builder.

The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, with memory marked as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system’s main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which implies that performance can vary based on the CPU’s memory configuration, but the lack of dedicated video memory is a fundamental disadvantage for gaming. The Arc B370 has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards and inadequate for demanding games at high resolutions.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU’s limitations are evident across all measured settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 12, which is unplayable, and even at 1080p Low, the average FPS of 95 represents the absolute ceiling for this GPU. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 95 to 37 FPS, a 61% reduction, which indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by higher graphics settings. The system-shared memory architecture means that the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and in a simulation-heavy game like Steamworld Build, this can cause additional stuttering. The data clearly shows that the Arc B370 is not designed for gaming at this level, and its 5th percentile ranking accurately reflects its position in the graphics performance hierarchy.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Steamworld Build with the i9-14900K and Arc B370 reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, Medium delivers 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84, High delivers 55 FPS, and Ultra delivers 37 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression where each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 18-20 FPS, with Low to Medium being the largest single drop at 22 FPS. The 1080p results are the only ones where the configuration approaches playable frame rates, and even then, only Low and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS averages.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly across all settings. Low delivers an average of 61 FPS, Medium delivers 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53, High delivers 35 FPS, and Ultra delivers 23 FPS. The 1440p Low preset is the only one that barely maintains a 60 FPS average, but the Medium preset’s minimum of 39 FPS indicates that frame times can become inconsistent. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings is substantial: Low goes from 95 to 61 FPS (a 34 FPS reduction), Medium goes from 73 to 46 FPS (a 27 FPS reduction), High goes from 55 to 35 FPS (a 20 FPS reduction), and Ultra goes from 37 to 23 FPS (a 14 FPS reduction). This pattern shows that the GPU struggles more at lower settings when moving to higher resolutions, as the resolution scaling places additional strain on the already limited fill rate.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low delivers an average of 32 FPS, Medium delivers 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 28, High delivers 18 FPS, and Ultra delivers 12 FPS. The 4K results are unplayable at every settings level, with even Low failing to reach 33 FPS. The minimum FPS data points for Medium at each resolution (62 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, 21 at 4K) show a clear degradation pattern, and the maximum FPS values (84 at 1080p, 53 at 1440p, 28 at 4K) indicate that the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates for extended periods. The 1080p Medium preset is the only configuration with a minimum FPS above 60, and the 4K Ultra preset’s 12 FPS average makes it effectively a slideshow. These measured numbers confirm that the Arc B370 is only capable of providing a smooth experience at 1080p with Low settings, and even then, the 95 FPS average is likely to dip during intense simulation moments.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling in Steamworld Build with this hardware combination shows a predictable but steep performance drop from 1080p to 4K, which strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 95 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p and then to 32 at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p and by 300% from 1080p to 4K, and the FPS drops roughly proportionally, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 73 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p and then to 25 at 4K. This is a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K, which mirrors the Low settings pattern almost exactly. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings levels indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck in all cases, as a CPU-bound scenario would show less FPS variation with resolution changes. The i9-14900K has 24 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, which is more than sufficient for a city builder, so the CPU is not limiting performance at any resolution.

At High settings, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p and then to 18 at 4K, representing a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 37 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p and then to 12 at 4K, a 38% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 68% drop from 1080p to 4K. The uniform nature of these percentage drops across all four settings levels is a strong indicator of GPU limitation, as the Arc B370’s 20 raster output units and 40 texture mapping units cannot handle the increased pixel workload at higher resolutions. The system-shared memory also means that increasing resolution places more demand on the system memory bandwidth, which is a shared resource with the CPU. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting component, and the i9-14900K’s substantial processing power is left underutilized at every resolution and settings combination.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is an exceptionally powerful processor that plays a minimal role in determining Steamworld Build’s frame rates with this configuration, as the GPU bottleneck is so severe. The CPU has 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and it sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697. The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF with a deltaPct of -0.3, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with a deltaPct of -0.6, and the AMD EPYC 7413 with a deltaPct of -1.2, all of which are within 1.2% of the i9-14900K’s average benchmark score of 79097.

In Steamworld Build, a city builder genre that typically relies on single-thread performance for simulation logic and AI pathfinding, the i9-14900K’s single-core strength should be an asset. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 and Geekbench single-core score of 2655 indicate strong per-core performance, which is beneficial for the game’s simulation tick rate. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings, so the CPU’s capabilities are not fully utilized. At 1080p Low with 95 FPS average, the CPU is likely providing enough performance to feed the GPU, but at 4K Ultra with 12 FPS average, the GPU is so slow that the CPU is essentially idle waiting for the graphics pipeline.

The i9-14900K’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game logic, and the 125 W TDP (with a process node of 10 nm) indicates a high-power desktop part. The CPU’s launch MSRP was $589, but this is not relevant to performance analysis. The data shows that the i9-14900K is not the bottleneck in this configuration, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops across resolutions that are characteristic of GPU limitation. If the CPU were limiting, the FPS would remain similar across different resolutions at the same settings, but the measured results show a 66-68% drop from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the Arc B370 is the sole determinant of frame rates. The CPU’s 95th percentile ranking is wasted on this pairing, and users would see nearly identical performance with a much weaker processor given the GPU’s constraints.