Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build is a city builder that can scale from a light simulation to a demanding visual showcase depending on the preset and resolution. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, yet capable of extreme frame rates at lower presets. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the Ultra preset at 4K presents a significant challenge, while the Low preset at 1080p produces frame rates that far exceed display refresh rates. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across the twelve tested configurations, examining how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and directly indicates where the performance bottleneck lies. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 228 FPS at 1920x1080 to 145 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 83 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 77, representing a 66% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the system transitions from being partially CPU-bound at lower resolutions to firmly GPU-bound at 4K, as the rendering load increases faster than the CPU's frame generation capability.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with average FPS dropping from 304 at 1080p to 194 at 1440p, and then to 102 at 4K. The 4K result is less than half of the 1080p performance, a ratio that underscores the RTX 4080's struggle to maintain high frame rates at the highest pixel counts with moderate settings. The Low preset exhibits the most extreme scaling, starting at 397 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 253 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 134 FPS at 4K. Even at 4K Low, the system maintains a playable frame rate, but the 66% drop from 1080p to 4K shows that even the least demanding settings cannot escape the GPU's limitations at 4K.

The Ultra preset presents the most telling case for the bottleneck. At 1080p, the average FPS is 154, which is lower than the High preset at 1440p (145 FPS) but close to it. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 52, a 66% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This significant drop, coupled with the fact that the 1440p Ultra score of 98 FPS is still high, suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are fully saturated at 4K Ultra. The CPU, with its 24 cores and high boost clock, is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the data indicates that the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM and its 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming with this combo?

A: For maximum smoothness, the 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings yields an average of 304 FPS, while the High preset at the same resolution still delivers 228 FPS. At 2560x1440, the High preset provides 145 FPS, which is suitable for most high-refresh monitors. The 4K resolution is best reserved for slower-paced play, as the High preset only averages 77 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: The difference is significant. At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 145 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS. This represents a 32% reduction in performance for the higher visual fidelity. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding, as it also causes a larger proportional drop when moving from 1440p to 4K (from 98 FPS to 52 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The scaling data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. For instance, at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 82 FPS (from 134 FPS to 52 FPS), showing heavy reliance on GPU rendering. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 397 FPS is likely limited by the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls.

Q: What is the lowest playable frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The lowest average frame rate recorded is 52 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is the only configuration in the measured data that falls below the 60 FPS threshold. All other tested configurations achieve an average of at least 77 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: According to the data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209. The data shows a negligible performance difference between these two cards in general benchmark tests.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus outperform its direct predecessor?

A: The data shows the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807. This indicates a very minor performance advantage in synthetic multi-core tests.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is ranked 180th out of 3706 tested combos for Steamworld Build. This ranking places the combo in the top 5% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very high-performing configuration for this title. The high ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show that the combo can handle the game at high settings across all resolutions.

The combo's position in the 180th spot suggests that there are 179 other system configurations that perform better in this specific game. These higher-ranked combos likely include more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090 or newer generations, which can provide higher frame rates at 4K Ultra. The data shows that the RTX 4080, despite its strong performance, is not the absolute top-tier option for this game. However, the 180th rank out of 3706 combos is a strong result, and it indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for Steamworld Build's demands.

The percentile ranking for the GPU itself is 86, meaning the RTX 4080 outperforms 86% of all other GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentile is even higher at 96, placing it in the top 4% of all CPUs. This combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU is what drives the combo to its 180th rank. The data suggests that for users seeking a high-refresh-rate experience at 1440p or a stable 4K experience at High settings, this combo is well-suited.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance. The Low preset yields an average of 397 FPS, which is the highest recorded score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset produces an average of 304 FPS, with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 350 FPS. The High preset averages 228 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 154 FPS. All 1080p configurations are well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, making this resolution ideal for competitive or fast-paced play.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very high but begins to show the GPU's load. The Low preset averages 253 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. The Medium preset averages 194 FPS, with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 223 FPS. The High preset averages 145 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset averages 98 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance for most users. The data shows a clear step-down from Low to Medium, and then a more significant step from High to Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the system operates at its limits. The Low preset averages 134 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 118 FPS. The High preset averages 77 FPS, which is acceptable for a city builder where precise timing is not critical. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS, which is the only configuration in the dataset that dips below 60 FPS. This 4K Ultra setting is the most demanding, and the data suggests that users targeting a locked 60 FPS at 4K should use the High preset or lower.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 plays the dominant role in this game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and uses the AD103 chip, which is manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is crucial for handling the large textures and draw calls common in city builders.

The benchmark data for the GPU shows a Passmark G3D score of 34457, which is a strong result. The GPU's performance in Steamworld Build correlates with its high synthetic scores. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, even at Low settings, confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the data does not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in, even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score that is 0.1% lower, indicating that the standard RTX 4080 is essentially on par with its SUPER variant in general compute tasks. However, the measured game performance shows that the RTX 4080 is capable of delivering high frame rates in Steamworld Build, except for the most extreme settings. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 is a very capable card for this title, offering a good balance between performance and power consumption, with a TDP of 320 W.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus serves as the foundation for this system, providing ample processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture and is manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. The CPU has a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache, which aids in data-heavy tasks like simulation and game logic.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4823, and its multi-thread score is 60860. These scores place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, making it one of the fastest processors available. In Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with the Low preset, where the frame rate of 397 FPS is likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and update the game state.

At higher resolutions and settings, the CPU has headroom to spare. The data shows that the frame rate scales primarily with the GPU workload, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting component at 1440p and 4K. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent, which is important for the main game thread in a city builder. The data confirms that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an excellent match for the RTX 4080, providing sufficient performance to support the GPU's capabilities without being a constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the user's display and performance priorities. For 4K displays, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 77 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS, which may be noticeable in a game with a lot of on-screen movement. The Medium preset at 4K offers 102 FPS, which is a good option for users who prioritize frame rate over the highest visual fidelity. The Low preset at 4K provides 134 FPS, but the visual compromise may be too significant for most users.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering an average of 145 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset provides 98 FPS, which is still very smooth and offers the best visual quality for this resolution. Users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors will find the High preset to be the sweet spot, while those with 120Hz displays can comfortably use the Ultra preset. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 194 FPS, which is overkill for most displays but can be used to maximize input responsiveness.

For 1080p displays, the system is over-powered. The High preset averages 228 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset at 304 FPS and Low preset at 397 FPS are only useful for users with extremely high refresh rate displays (240Hz or more) or for esports-style play. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 154 FPS, which is still very high and provides the best visual quality without any performance concerns. In summary, the data recommends using the High preset for 4K and 1440p, and the Ultra preset for 1080p to get the best balance of visual quality and performance.