Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder where the simulation's pace is dictated more by CPU logic than by raw GPU muscle, but the data for this specific Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B390 combo shows a system that is severely constrained by its graphics component. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings reveal a configuration where the processor's formidable computational power is essentially left waiting on the integrated graphics solution. This analysis provides a clear picture of what to expect from this particular pairing, based strictly on the benchmark data available.

The performance profile is a study in imbalance. The CPU is a 24-core, 24-thread behemoth based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, capable of boosting to 5.80 GHz and scoring in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. In stark contrast, the GPU is an integrated part of the package, the Intel Arc B390, which lands in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This 87-percentile gap is the defining characteristic of this combo, and it dictates every result in the measured FPS data. For a genre like city builders, which often become CPU-bound as your population grows, this bottleneck is particularly detrimental, as the GPU's limitations will cap the visual experience long before the CPU's potential is ever tested.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of playing Steamworld Build at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 106 FPS on Low settings, 81 FPS on Medium, and 60 FPS on High. This indicates that playable frame rates are achievable at this resolution, though the Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS.

Q: How does the system perform at 1440p, and is it a viable resolution for this game?

A: At 2560x1440, performance is more variable. The data shows an average of 67 FPS on Low settings and 51 FPS on Medium, which are playable. However, the High preset yields 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS, making the higher settings less suitable for a consistently smooth experience.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience at 4K?

A: Based on the measured data, the Low preset at 3840x2160 is the only viable option, producing an average of 35 FPS. The Medium preset averages 27 FPS, while High and Ultra average 20 FPS and 14 FPS, respectively, all of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: According to the benchmark data, the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than its closest rivals. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the CPU's performance standing relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, sitting in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 84003 is just 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, its closest rival, and it also leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%.

Q: Given the benchmarks, what is the primary performance bottleneck for this system?

A: The data clearly identifies the Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU as the limiting factor. Its 9th percentile ranking and low benchmark scores (e.g., a 1482 score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12) contrast sharply with the CPU's high performance, indicating that the GPU prevents the system from achieving higher frame rates in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested combinations for Steamworld Build, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B390 ranks at 3293 out of 3706 total combos. This places it in the bottom 11th percentile of all systems tested for this specific game. This is a remarkably low ranking, especially when considering the strength of the processor at the heart of the system. The ranking indicates that, in practice, the experience delivered by this combo is far closer to that of a low-end, entry-level machine than to a high-performance desktop.

The discrepancy between the CPU's individual performance and the combo's overall rank is stark. The CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile, suggesting it is one of the most capable processors available. Yet, when paired with the Arc B390, the entire system's capability for running Steamworld Build is dragged down to the bottom tier. This is a textbook example of a severe bottleneck, where the slowest component dictates the system's overall performance in a specific workload. The rank of 3293 is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, and it highlights that no amount of CPU power can compensate for a graphics solution that cannot keep up with the demands of the game's rendering.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the graphics engine for this combo, and it is the single most important factor in the measured frame rates. Its architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, and it operates as an integrated graphics processor (IGP). The benchmark data shows it has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its clock speeds are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz. However, its memory configuration is its most significant weakness: it relies on "System Shared" memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental limitation for a game like Steamworld Build, which requires substantial memory bandwidth for texture streaming and scene complexity.

The GPU's benchmark results confirm its low-end status. It scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are legacy NVIDIA parts, such as the GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, with the Arc B390 holding a lead of just 1.3% to 2.7% over them. This performance tier is simply not designed for high-fidelity gaming at high resolutions. In Steamworld Build, the shared memory architecture is particularly problematic, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for the same memory pool, and the system's overall memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor. The result is that the GPU is unable to maintain high frame rates, especially when the resolution and visual settings increase the amount of data it must process.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for lower frame rates. For a standard 1920x1080 display, the Medium preset is the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering a solid 81 FPS average. The High preset is also playable at 60 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High comes with a significant 21 FPS cost. The Low preset is the only option for high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, with a 106 FPS average, but it sacrifices a considerable amount of visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, users will need to make more compromises. The Medium preset, with an average of 51 FPS, is the highest settings level that remains consistently playable. While the Low preset offers a smoother 67 FPS, the visual downgrade is substantial. The High preset at 38 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not recommended for a playable experience. For 3840x2160, the situation is more dire. The Low preset is the only playable option, with a 35 FPS average. Even then, the experience may feel choppy. For the best experience, users should prioritize 1080p with Medium settings, as this provides the best combination of smoothness and visual detail without overburdening the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and consistent performance hierarchy dictated by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its peak performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 106 FPS, which is excellent. The Medium preset follows with an average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, indicating a reasonably stable experience. The High preset drops to an average of 60 FPS, which is the baseline for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 41 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid and suggests the GPU is struggling with the increased visual load.

Moving up to 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. The Low preset averages 67 FPS, which is still very good. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, with a min-max range of 44 to 59 FPS, which is acceptable but shows more variance. The High preset averages 38 FPS, which starts to feel unresponsive for a city builder where you are constantly panning and zooming. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 26 FPS, which is a poor experience. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 35 FPS. The Medium preset averages 27 FPS (with a min of 23 and max of 31), the High preset averages 20 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 14 FPS. These lower resolutions and settings represent the only viable configurations for this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an extraordinarily powerful processor that is held back by its integrated GPU. It features 24 cores and 24 threads, which is a configuration that suggests the cores are all performance-focused without hyper-threading. Based on its Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, it has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It also includes 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU is a standout, scoring 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core. It also achieves an impressive 60860 in Passmark's multithread test and 4823 in single-thread. These scores place it in the 96th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 84003 is slightly ahead of its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, by 0.2%.

In the context of Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is to handle the game's simulation logic, which includes pathfinding, resource management, and the AI of all the citizens and vehicles. City builders are notoriously CPU-intensive in the late game, and a processor like this would normally excel at managing a sprawling metropolis with thousands of individual entities. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's computational demands. However, the measured FPS is not limited by the CPU's ability to compute the simulation, but by the GPU's ability to render the frames. The 24 cores and high clock speeds are essentially idling, waiting for the Intel Arc B390 to finish drawing the scene. This is why the combo ranks so low in-game despite the CPU's top-tier standing; the processor's immense potential is entirely wasted in this configuration, making the CPU the silent partner in a system where the GPU is the definitive bottleneck.