Steamworld Build

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2573rd out of 2924 tested combos in Steamworld Build, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This is a weak result for a city builder, a genre where sustained frame rates matter more than peak bursts. The data shows a combo that struggles to deliver playable performance at higher settings, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck. The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 1482 places it alongside legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M. This is not a configuration built for smooth city management at high resolutions.

The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Core Ultra 5 245 sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. That puts it within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K and just 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. The processor is not the limiting factor here; the graphics solution clearly is. The measured FPS data confirms this imbalance: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 106 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 14 FPS. That spread indicates a component that cannot scale with resolution demands, which is typical of an integrated graphics solution pretending to be a discrete GPU.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is an Arrow Lake-S architecture part built on a 3 nm process from TSMC, featuring 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, and it includes ECC memory support. It connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

For Steamworld Build, these specifications matter because city builders are typically simulation-heavy. The CPU handles game logic, agent pathfinding, and resource management calculations. The benchmark results show the processor is more than capable of handling these tasks. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 32924 in multi-core and 4648 in single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score is 38706, with a single-thread score of 4394. These numbers indicate a processor that can feed frames to the GPU without becoming the constraint.

The 14 threads are notable because Steamworld Build is a title that can utilize multiple cores for simulation updates, but it is not a heavily threaded workload like rendering or encoding. The lack of hyperthreading (14 cores, 14 threads) means each core handles one thread, but the high boost clock of 5.10 GHz compensates for this in single-threaded tasks. The data suggests the CPU is never the reason for low frame rates in this combo; the GPU is. The processor's 90th percentile ranking versus all CPUs reinforces this interpretation.

# GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process from Intel. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory configuration is system shared, meaning it uses the same DDR5 memory as the CPU, with bandwidth dependent on the system. The GPU has no dedicated VRAM, no power connectors, and an 80 W TDP. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The benchmark data reveals a GPU that is severely underpowered for modern gaming. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, all of which are ancient or entry-level parts. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures sound reasonable on paper but translate poorly to actual gaming performance in city builders.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's role is to render the expanding city, handle visual effects, and maintain frame pacing. The integrated nature of the Arc B390 means it shares memory bandwidth with the CPU, which can cause contention during heavy simulation moments. The 12 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this title, as Steamworld Build does not rely on ray-traced effects. The data shows the GPU is the clear bottleneck in this combo, as evidenced by the FPS dropping by 87% from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo performs across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 106 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. Moving to Medium settings at 1080p drops the average to 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings at 1080p yield 60 FPS average, which is exactly at the standard 60 Hz target. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 41 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings produce 67 FPS average, which is still playable. Medium settings at 1440p yield 51 FPS average, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. High settings drop to 38 FPS average, which starts to feel stuttery in a city builder. Ultra settings at 1440p collapse to 26 FPS average, which is barely interactive.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly unplayable. Low settings at 4K produce 35 FPS average, which is marginal. Medium settings at 4K yield 27 FPS average, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. High settings drop to 20 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 14 FPS average. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not viable with this combo, regardless of settings.

The data shows a clear pattern: the combo can handle 1080p Low and Medium settings adequately, struggles at 1440p beyond Low, and fails at 4K entirely. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (69 at 1080p, 44 at 1440p, 23 at 4K) suggest frame time spikes that would be noticeable in a game where the camera pans across a growing city. The maximum FPS values are also not high enough to compensate for the dips.

# Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals the limiting component clearly. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 106 to 35, a 67% reduction. From 1080p High to 4K High, the drop is from 60 to 20, a 67% reduction as well. This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates a GPU-bound scenario at all quality levels. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU workload stays the same while the GPU workload grows.

The data disproves CPU limitation in this combo. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 106 FPS, but the GPU cannot sustain that at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium shows a drop from 81 to 51 FPS, a 37% reduction. From 1440p Medium to 4K Medium, the drop is from 51 to 27 FPS, a 47% reduction. The increasing percentage drop at higher resolutions is classic GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU's strong performance metrics support this conclusion. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 38706, the processor is capable of handling the simulation load of Steamworld Build at any resolution. The GPU, with its 9th percentile ranking and 1482 Steel Nomad score, is simply not up to the task. The integrated nature of the Arc B390 means it draws from the same memory pool as the CPU, and at higher resolutions, the memory bandwidth demands increase, further limiting performance.

The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is particularly telling. This is not a playable frame rate for any genre, let alone a city builder where you need to inspect buildings and manage resources. Even the 4K Low result of 35 FPS is marginal, as city builders tend to have frame rate drops when the population grows and the simulation becomes more complex. The data suggests that this combo is best used at 1080p with Medium settings or lower, where it can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this setup?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best balance, achieving an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS. This is the only configuration that combines playable frame rates with reasonable visual quality. Low settings at 1080p reach 106 FPS, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it for a city builder.

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

A: No. The data shows that 4K performance is below 35 FPS even at Low settings, with Medium at 27 FPS, High at 20 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. These frame rates are not playable for a game that requires continuous interaction with the city.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. This places it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710. This places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks at the 90th percentile and has strong multi-core performance, while the GPU ranks at the 9th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent 67% drop, which is indicative of GPU limitation, not CPU limitation.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a launch MSRP of $270. The Intel Arc B390 does not have a listed launch MSRP, as it is an integrated graphics solution.