Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the CPU and GPU work in a delicate balance, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B570 show a component pairing that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data indicates that this combination is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p play, while 4K Ultra presents a significant challenge. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy: the system delivers excellent frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, but the demands of 4K Ultra push the hardware to its limits, resulting in a sub-30 FPS average. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to provide a clear picture of what this specific hardware configuration offers for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In the context of Steamworld Build, a genre that relies heavily on simulation and AI calculations, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are crucial for maintaining a stable simulation speed as the city grows. The processor's benchmark scores reflect a strong performer, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, placing it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. This indicates that it has substantial headroom to handle the game's logic, which is often the bottleneck in city builders.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 245 is effectively in a dead heat. Its average benchmark score of 48995 is only 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is also 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K. These deltaPct values are all within a margin of error, suggesting that in pure processing power, this CPU is on par with those competitors. For Steamworld Build, this means the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor when compared to any of these alternatives; the performance difference will be negligible in-game.

The game's performance scaling with this CPU is more evident when looking at the FPS deltas across settings. At 1080p, the average FPS jumps from 63 at Ultra settings to 93 at High, a 30 FPS difference. The jump from High to Medium is another 31 FPS, reaching 124, and finally to 162 at Low. This scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach these higher frame rates. The fact that the system can achieve 162 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution and setting, as the frame rate is high enough to be limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The 14 threads are likely well-utilized in managing the game's simulation, resource management, and pathfinding, ensuring that the GPU is not starved for work.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this configuration is found at Medium settings, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. This frame rate is high enough to ensure smooth, responsive gameplay, which is critical for a city builder where you are constantly placing buildings and managing resources. The minimum FPS of 106 also indicates that there are no significant stutters, keeping the experience fluid. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset still provides a very playable 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance.

The High preset is a viable alternative, but it shows a more significant performance cost. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 93, which is still very smooth, but it represents a 25% reduction from Medium. At 1440p High, the average drops to 59 FPS, which is on the edge of what many consider to be the ideal for a smooth experience. While 59 FPS is playable, the higher minimum frame rates of the Medium preset make it the safer choice for consistent performance. The Ultra preset is not recommended for this configuration, as it yields only 63 FPS at 1080p and 40 FPS at 1440p, which can feel less responsive and is a considerable visual upgrade cost for the frame rate penalty.

The Low preset offers the highest frame rates—162 FPS at 1080p and 103 FPS at 1440p—but it does so by stripping away visual fidelity. For a game like Steamworld Build, where the visual charm is part of the appeal, the Medium preset provides the best compromise. It retains enough graphical detail to make the world feel alive while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data strongly suggests that Medium is the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination, providing the best experience per the measured rows without venturing into the diminishing returns of High or the performance pitfalls of Ultra.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a 10 GB GDDR6 graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. In Steamworld Build, the GPU is responsible for rendering the game world, including the terrain, buildings, and various effects. Its benchmark scores show it to be a mid-range performer, with a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs. Its performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, as its average benchmark score of 20556 is just 0.1% different from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and the Intel Arc A750.

The GPU's role becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. The data shows a clear pattern: the FPS drops are more pronounced when moving to higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. For instance, at Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 124 at 1080p to 79 at 1440p, and then to 42 at 4K. This scaling indicates that the Arc B570's rendering capabilities are being taxed heavily at higher resolutions. The 10 GB of VRAM is also a factor; while it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, the higher texture detail and larger frame buffer demands of 4K can put pressure on the memory capacity, potentially contributing to the performance drop.

The GPU's compute performance, as evidenced by its Passmark GPU Compute score of 7281, is also relevant. In a city builder, the GPU may be used for various post-processing effects and particle simulations, which can add to the processing load. However, the most significant impact from the GPU is seen in the resolution scaling. The fact that the system can achieve 162 FPS at 1080p Low but only 31 FPS at 4K High demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The card is capable of producing high frame rates when the workload is light, but it cannot maintain those frame rates when the pixel count and visual complexity increase.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS decreases from 162 at 1080p to 103 at 1440p, a 36% drop, and then to 55 at 4K, a further 47% drop from 1440p. This trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average FPS goes from 63 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p, and then plummets to 21 at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh, with the FPS almost halving in every setting tier. This indicates that the Arc B570 is being overwhelmed by the 4K pixel count, and the rendering pipeline is saturated.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is more moderate, suggesting that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the jump in resolution without a catastrophic loss in performance. For instance, at High settings, the drop from 93 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p is a 34 FPS loss, which is significant but still leaves the game in a playable state. However, the jump to 4K High results in a 31 FPS average, which is a steeper decline and pushes the game into an unplayable range for most users. This data shows that the system is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can maintain playable frame rates even at higher settings.

The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU's strong benchmark scores suggest it has the processing power to handle the game's simulation at any resolution, but the GPU's rendering capabilities are insufficient to maintain a smooth frame rate at 4K. The measured FPS values at 4K, which range from 21 to 55 depending on settings, are all below the 60 FPS target that many gamers prefer. This means that for a 4K experience, users would be forced to use the Low preset to achieve an average of 55 FPS, which is a significant visual compromise. The data clearly shows that this hardware configuration is not designed for 4K gaming in Steamworld Build.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware configuration in Steamworld Build?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution for this setup. It provides the highest frame rates across all settings, with an average of 162 FPS at Low and 124 FPS at Medium. 2560x1440 is also viable, offering 103 FPS at Low and 79 FPS at Medium, but 4K performance is too low for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 compare to its closest rivals in terms of processing power?

A: The data shows it is essentially tied with its nearest rivals. Its average benchmark score of 48995 is only 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is also 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K, making performance differences negligible.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 a good match for this CPU?

A: Yes, the pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The CPU is powerful enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at these resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved. However, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where it cannot maintain playable frame rates even at High settings.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the highest setting that reliably achieves near 60 FPS, with an average of 79 FPS. The High preset drops to 59 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS target, so Medium is the recommended choice for consistent performance above 60 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance hit is the Ultra preset compared to Medium?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 124 at Medium to 63 at Ultra, a 49% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 79 to 40, a 49% reduction as well. This makes Ultra a poor choice for this hardware.

Q: Does the system perform well in 4K?

A: No, the 4K performance is not suitable for smooth gameplay. The highest average FPS at 4K is 55 at Low settings, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. At High settings, the average is 31 FPS, and at Ultra, it is only 21 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical with this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data was measured for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B570 combination in Steamworld Build. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 162. The Medium preset provides an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset averages 93 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with each settings tier providing a substantial frame rate decrease.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains playable but takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset averages 103 FPS, while the Medium preset delivers an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 59 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. This resolution represents a good balance between visual quality and performance for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches a playable level. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset averages 31 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages only 21 FPS. This data confirms that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware configuration in Steamworld Build. The overall combo rank for this CPU/GPU pair is 2320 out of 2924 combinations, reflecting the mid-range nature of this setup.