Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents a demanding workload for the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and the Intel Arc B370. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with performance metrics that place it in the lower echelons of tested hardware combinations. The benchmark results show a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, underscoring the GPU's limitations as the primary bottleneck in this setup.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data across the three tested resolutions provides a clear picture of how this hardware combination scales with pixel count. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 79 FPS, which represents the highest performance point in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average frame rate drops to 50 FPS, a substantial decrease of 29 FPS that represents a 36.7% reduction in performance. This trend intensifies at 4K, where the Low preset yields an average of just 26 FPS, further diminishing the playability of the title.

The scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component at every resolution. The GPU's performance profile, as indicated by its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs, demonstrates that it lacks the raw throughput to maintain consistent frame rates as the pixel count increases. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Low settings results in a 67.1% drop in average frame rate, a severe penalty that highlights the GPU's inability to handle the increased fill rate requirements of higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the same scaling trend is evident but from a lower starting point. The 1080p Medium preset averages 64 FPS, which falls to 41 FPS at 1440p and further to 21 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. The consistency of this percentage drop across different settings presets suggests that the GPU is operating at its limits regardless of the graphical complexity, with resolution being the dominant factor in determining final performance.

The High preset shows the most dramatic scaling penalty. From 49 FPS at 1080p, performance drops to 31 FPS at 1440p and then to 16 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result represents a 67.3% decrease from the 1080p baseline, again showing the same proportional drop. This uniformity across presets indicates that the Arc B370's memory bandwidth and processing capabilities are saturated even at the lowest quality settings, making resolution the primary variable that dictates final frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for reduced visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the best experience with an average of 79 FPS, providing smooth gameplay that exceeds the typical 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 64 FPS, also offers acceptable performance while providing improved visual quality over Low. The measured minimum frame rate of 55 FPS at 1080p Medium ensures that even during demanding scenes, the game remains playable without significant stuttering.

The High preset at 1080p, averaging 49 FPS, represents a compromise between visual quality and performance. This setting may be acceptable for users who prioritize graphical fidelity over frame rate consistency, but the drop below 60 FPS could be noticeable in a turn-based tactics game where camera movements and unit animations occur frequently. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 37 FPS, is not recommended as it sacrifices too much performance for marginal visual improvements.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only setting that maintains an average above 50 FPS, achieving exactly 50 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 41 FPS, which may be playable but falls short of the smoothness found at 1080p. The High preset at 1440p drops to 31 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS, neither of which provides a satisfactory experience for most users. For 1440p gameplay, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it offers the only playable frame rates while maintaining some level of visual detail.

At 4K resolution, none of the tested presets deliver acceptable performance. The Low preset averages 26 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the Ultra preset averages just 12 FPS, making the game nearly unplayable. Given these results, 4K gaming with this hardware combination is not viable, and users should either reduce their resolution to 1080p or 1440p or accept significant frame rate limitations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a mobile-oriented graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its specifications reveal a modest configuration with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, resulting in a peak FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS. The graphics memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent."

This shared memory architecture is a significant factor in the performance observed in Hard West. The game's frame rates at 4K resolution, ranging from 12 FPS at Ultra to 26 FPS at Low, suggest that the GPU is severely limited by memory bandwidth and latency when dealing with high-resolution textures and geometry. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184 places the Arc B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it performs worse than 95% of tested graphics processors. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, both of which are older, lower-performance parts from a different era.

The GPU's thermal design power of 25 W and IGP slot width suggest that it is designed for integrated or low-power applications rather than high-performance gaming. The lack of dedicated VRAM is particularly problematic for Hard West, as the game's isometric visuals and detailed environments require substantial memory bandwidth to maintain consistent frame rates. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering, as evidenced by the sub-30 FPS results at that resolution across all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured frame rates show a clear progression based on settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 79 FPS, which is the highest recorded result for this hardware combination. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, demonstrating consistent performance within a narrow band. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 15 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 12 FPS, indicating that each settings tier imposes a similar performance cost.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the frame rates scale downward proportionally. The Low preset averages 50 FPS, a 36.7% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 35 and 47 FPS respectively. The High preset at 1440p averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The 1440p results show that the Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 35 FPS is close to the High preset's average, suggesting that the GPU struggles to maintain stable performance when resolution increases.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the performance becomes marginal at best. The Low preset averages 26 FPS, which is barely above the threshold for playable frame rates in slower-paced games. The Medium preset averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS, showing that frame times are highly variable. The High preset averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that this hardware combination cannot handle the game at native 4K resolution with any settings preset, as even the lowest quality settings fail to reach 30 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the Low preset averages 79 FPS and Medium averages 64 FPS, while at 1440p the Low preset drops to 50 FPS and at 4K even Low only reaches 26 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in Hard West?

A: Ultra settings produce an average of 37 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 12 FPS at 4K. While the 1080p result is technically playable, the frame rate is below the 60 FPS threshold that most users prefer, and higher resolutions become increasingly unplayable.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370 the bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the consistent frame rate drops as resolution increases indicate that the graphics processor cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions. The CPU is comparatively strong, ranking in the 75th percentile.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (0.2% difference) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5% difference), placing it in the same performance class as these older parts.

Q: What frame rates can users expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 41 FPS at 1440p Medium, with minimum and maximum values of 35 and 47 FPS respectively. This is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for a turn-based tactics game.

Q: Should users consider lowering resolution to improve performance?

A: Based on the data, dropping from 1440p to 1080p at the same settings yields significant gains. For example, Medium settings improve from 41 FPS at 1440p to 64 FPS at 1080p, a 56% increase, making the lower resolution the more practical choice for smoother gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process node by GlobalFoundries. It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, and its 16 MB of shared L3 cache helps mitigate the latency of main memory access. The CPU's 65 W TDP indicates efficient power consumption, and its support for DDR4 memory with a dual-channel configuration provides a theoretical bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The processor's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1248 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 5648.

In the context of Hard West, the CPU's role is somewhat limited by the game's age and genre. Turn-based tactics games typically do not require high single-thread performance for AI calculations or physics simulations, as these tasks are usually not as demanding as those in real-time strategy games. The Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 2239, is sufficient for the game's logical operations. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all processors indicates that it outperforms three-quarters of tested CPUs, making it a capable component for this workload.

The CPU's 12 threads allow for efficient multitasking and background process handling, which can be beneficial when running the game alongside other applications. However, the measured frame rates suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this system. The consistent performance drops as resolution increases, independent of settings, point to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 79 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame rate capability for this game, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher resolutions where frame rates fall below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all hardware configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's poor performance relative to other graphics processors, as the CPU's 75th percentile standing is dragged down by the graphics component's 5th percentile result. The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 is among the lowest recorded, and its nearest rivals are all older, less capable parts from previous generations.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is notable. While the Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score of 21484 places it within 0.2% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V and 0.5% of the Intel Core i9-11900H, the Arc B370's score is essentially tied with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770. This mismatch means that the system's overall gaming performance is severely constrained by the graphics solution, making it unsuitable for modern gaming at high resolutions or settings.

In Hard West specifically, this combo's ranking of 2721 out of 2949 indicates that the vast majority of tested systems deliver better performance. The frame rate data confirms this assessment, as even the best-case scenario of 79 FPS at 1080p Low is modest, and the system falls below 30 FPS at 4K across all settings. Users of this hardware combination should expect to play the game at 1080p with reduced settings to achieve acceptable frame rates, and they should not expect to engage in 4K gaming or high-refresh-rate gameplay with this configuration.