Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation's demands on hardware scale differently than in a shooter. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B370 shows a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, especially as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across the tested settings and resolutions, interprets the performance relative to other tested combos, and explains what the data reveals about the roles of the CPU and GPU in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep and consistent penalty as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, then further to 18 at 4K. That is a 36% reduction in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 49% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern is a clear indicator that the graphics processor is the limiting factor; a CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller differences across resolutions, as the processor's workload would remain constant regardless of pixel count.

The Low preset shows the same trend but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 95 FPS average, which drops to 61 FPS at 1440p and 32 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 48%. This consistency in percentage loss across presets reinforces that the resolution scaling is dictated by the fill rate and pixel processing capacity of the Intel Arc B370, not by the CPU. The fact that even the Low preset cannot maintain a playable frame rate at 4K—where it averages just 32 FPS—underscores that this combo is not designed for native 4K gaming in this title.

The Medium preset provides the only data points with minimum and maximum FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53. At 4K Medium, the average is 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 28. The min-to-max spread is roughly 22 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 7 FPS at 4K. This narrowing variance at higher resolutions suggests that as the GPU becomes more saturated, frame times become more consistent but at a much lower performance level. The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo consistently delivers frame rates that would be considered fluid for a city builder, while 1440p is borderline and 4K is effectively unplayable at any preset.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This architecture explains the sharp performance drop at higher resolutions; the integrated GPU must share memory bandwidth with the CPU, and the demands of 4K rendering exacerbate this bottleneck.

The GPU's raw specifications are modest: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs. Its pixel rate is listed at 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate at 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 6.144 TFLOPS. In the context of Steamworld Build, which is a city builder that likely has moderate graphical demands compared to AAA shooters, these figures are sufficient for 1080p gaming at lower presets but fall short at higher resolutions. The benchmark results from 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 show a score of 1184, placing the GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190), are separated by less than 1% in either direction, indicating that the Arc B370 is positioned at the very low end of the performance spectrum.

The data shows that the GPU's role is the primary determinant of frame rate in this game. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 95 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 12 FPS. This 8x difference in performance across resolutions is entirely attributable to the GPU's limited pixel processing capabilities. The fact that the GPU has no dedicated VRAM and relies on system memory further compounds the issue at 4K, where the data transfer requirements increase significantly. The measured results indicate that this GPU is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can provide acceptable performance on Low to Medium settings, but it is not viable for 1440p or 4K gaming in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Steamworld Build, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2683 out of 2924 combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing sub-60 FPS averages at 1080p on anything above Low settings. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's low percentile placement (5th) rather than the CPU's high percentile placement (96th). This disparity between the two components creates a significant imbalance, where the CPU's potential is largely wasted due to the GPU's inability to keep up.

The combo rank of 2683 indicates that the vast majority of other tested combinations—whether they use discrete GPUs or more balanced integrated solutions—deliver better performance in Steamworld Build. The data shows that this configuration is not competitive, and the rank reflects that. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average benchmark score of 83807 and a delta of 0.2%, and the AMD EPYC 4584PX with a score of 83090 and a delta of 1.1%, are all within 1.3% of the 290K Plus's average score of 84003. This indicates that the CPU is performing as expected for its class, but it does not compensate for the GPU's shortcomings.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with an entry-level integrated GPU results in a rank that is far lower than what the CPU alone would suggest. This is a classic case of a bottleneck, where the GPU limits the overall system performance. The data implies that if the goal is to play Steamworld Build at higher settings or resolutions, this combo is not a suitable choice. However, for users who prioritize CPU-heavy tasks outside of gaming, the rank in this specific game is not necessarily representative of the system's overall capabilities. The benchmark results show that the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the combo rank in this game is only in the 8th percentile, clearly illustrating the GPU's dominance in dictating gaming performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. This is the only setting at any resolution that achieves a frame rate above 90 FPS, indicating that it is the most fluid experience. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 73 FPS, which is still smooth for a city builder, but the drop from Low to Medium is 23%. The High preset at 1080p averages 55 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, and the Ultra preset drops to 37 FPS, which may feel sluggish for a game that involves frequent camera movement and zooming.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution that breaks the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 46 FPS, which is borderline playable but may show occasional stutter, as indicated by the minimum FPS of 39. The High preset at 1440p averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS, both of which are too low for a comfortable experience. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a playable frame rate; the best is Low at 32 FPS average, followed by Medium at 25 FPS, High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 12 FPS.

The data suggests that the best experience per the measured rows is at 1080p with the Low preset, which provides the highest frame rate and, presumably, the most responsive gameplay. If visual fidelity is a priority, the Medium preset at 1080p is a reasonable compromise, offering a 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, which ensures that frame drops are less likely to be noticeable. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option, but it still represents a significant downgrade from 1080p Low due to the 36% performance loss. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as it yields average FPS below 40, which is likely to result in a poor experience for this genre. The measured data clearly points to 1080p Low or Medium as the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 95 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84. High settings yield an average of 55 FPS. Ultra settings yield an average of 37 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with each step up in quality costing roughly 20-25% performance. The jump from Low to Medium is the largest (23% loss), while the jump from High to Ultra is 33%, indicating that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low settings yield an average of 61 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53. High settings yield an average of 35 FPS. Ultra settings yield an average of 23 FPS. Comparing to 1080p, the performance loss is consistent across presets: Low drops by 36%, Medium by 37%, High by 36%, and Ultra by 38%. This uniformity suggests that the GPU is uniformly bottlenecked by the increase in pixel count, with no single preset being disproportionately affected.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low settings yield an average of 32 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 28. High settings yield an average of 18 FPS. Ultra settings yield an average of 12 FPS. The performance loss from 1440p to 4K is even more severe: Low drops by 48%, Medium by 46%, High by 49%, and Ultra by 48%. This near-identical percentage loss across all presets further confirms that the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as the relative cost of rendering at 4K is the same regardless of the quality settings.

The data also shows that the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset are consistently about 15-17% lower than the average, while the maximum FPS values are about 12-15% higher than the average. This variance is present at all resolutions, indicating that there is some frame time inconsistency, but it does not worsen disproportionately at higher resolutions. The absolute frame rates, however, are the primary concern, with 4K results being uniformly below the threshold for a playable city-building experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a flagship desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It features a substantial cache hierarchy, including 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark scores are top-tier, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. In Passmark tests, it scores 60860 in multithread and 4823 in single-thread. These results place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.3% of its performance, confirming that it is operating at the expected level for its class.

In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role appears to be largely underutilized due to the GPU bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 95 FPS, which is likely the point where the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to hit its maximum. However, at higher resolutions, the frame rate drops drastically, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions, as the simulation and AI logic of the city builder would be the primary workload. Instead, the frame rate scales inversely with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's high core count and clock speeds are more than sufficient for the demands of a city builder like Steamworld Build, which can be CPU-intensive during large-scale simulations. However, with the Intel Arc B370's modest capabilities, the CPU's potential is never fully realized in this configuration. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU-related performance dips, such as frame hitches during complex simulation moments, which would manifest as low minimum FPS values. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset (62 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, 21 at 4K) are proportionally consistent with the averages, suggesting that the CPU maintains a steady stream of frames to the GPU, but the GPU simply cannot render them fast enough at higher resolutions. This configuration is a clear example of how a powerful CPU cannot compensate for a weak GPU in a graphically demanding title, and the overall gaming performance is dictated by the weakest link in the chain.