Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames-per-second data for Hard West with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B390 reveals a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 87 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops that figure to 55 FPS, a reduction of 32 frames. At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 29 FPS average, which is roughly one-third of the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is consistent across every settings tier, indicating that the rendering load grows rapidly with pixel count.

The transition from Medium at 1080p to Medium at 1440p shows a drop from 71 FPS to 45 FPS, while the same settings tier at 4K produces 24 FPS. High settings follow a similar trajectory: 55 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, starting at 41 FPS at 1080p, falling to 26 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 14 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the limiting component under higher resolutions is the graphics processor, since the frame rate degradation is proportionally larger than what the CPU workload alone would explain. Turn-based tactics games typically have modest CPU demands per frame, so the dramatic FPS loss at 4K points to the Intel Arc B390's rendering throughput as the bottleneck.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 46 FPS. At 1440p, that gap shrinks to 29 FPS. At 4K, the difference is only 15 FPS. This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes saturated even at Low settings in 4K, leaving little headroom for quality improvements without pushing frame rates into single-digit territory. The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is particularly telling — it is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset and falls well below the threshold for comfortable playability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the full database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hard West, the Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 lands at rank 2614 out of 2949 combos. This places the pairing in the 88th percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly 335 tested configurations perform worse. The rank reflects the combination's overall capability in this specific game, not just the individual components' standalone scores. Given that the GPU's average benchmark score places it in the 9th percentile versus all GPUs, the low combo ranking is consistent with the graphics card being the primary performance limiter.

The CPU itself, however, is a mid-pack performer relative to other processors. The Ryzen 5 2600 holds a 75th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V with an average score of 21440 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-11900H at 21367 (0.5% lower), the Intel Xeon D-1746TER at 21635 (0.7% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9454 at 21223 (1.2% lower). These deltas are all within roughly one percent, indicating that the Ryzen 5 2600's raw processing power is competitive with a broad range of other chips. The disparity between the CPU's respectable 75th percentile standing and the GPU's 9th percentile standing explains why the combo ranks so low in-game — the graphics solution is holding back an otherwise capable processor.

The combo rank of 2614 out of 2949 suggests that in Hard West specifically, this configuration is not well suited to high-resolution or high-settings play. The game's turn-based nature means that frame rates are not as critical for responsiveness as in action titles, but the measured values at 4K still indicate a poor experience. The rank data, combined with the measured FPS, paints a clear picture: this pairing is adequate for 1080p gaming at medium or high settings, but it falls apart at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts up to 2500 MHz. Its memory configuration is system-shared, meaning it draws from the same DDR4 memory pool as the CPU rather than having dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent, which means it varies based on the host platform's memory configuration. In this case, the Ryzen 5 2600 supports dual-channel DDR4 with a measured bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, so the GPU's effective memory bandwidth is tied to that figure.

The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The chip includes 12 ray tracing cores but no dedicated tensor cores. Its thermal design power is 80 watts, and it uses no power connectors, consistent with its integrated form factor. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it can handle modern graphics APIs that Hard West might leverage.

In the GPU benchmark database, the Arc B390 scores 1482 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This places it in the 9th percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA mobile or entry-level desktop parts: the GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% higher score), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% higher), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% higher), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% higher). These are all extremely low-performing GPUs by modern standards, which reinforces that the Arc B390 is positioned at the bottom of the graphics performance spectrum. The system-shared memory architecture and lack of dedicated VRAM likely contribute to the poor scaling at higher resolutions, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a usable range of performance. Low settings produce an average of 87 FPS, which is the highest value recorded across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings average 71 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 61 and 82 FPS respectively. High settings average 55 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 46 FPS, showing that there is meaningful headroom to adjust quality without falling below playable frame rates. Even at Ultra, 41 FPS is acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where twitch response is not required.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 55 FPS, which matches the 1080p High setting. Medium settings at 1440p average 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 26 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 29 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GPU is starting to struggle, but Low and Medium settings remain playable. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium (38 FPS) suggest that even during more demanding scenes, the game stays above the 30 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. Low settings average 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 24 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 20 and 27 FPS. High settings average 18 FPS, and Ultra settings average 14 FPS. None of the 4K results reach 30 FPS average, and the minimum recorded value at Medium is 20 FPS, which would produce noticeable stuttering even in a turn-based game. The data shows that 4K is not viable with this combination for Hard West, regardless of settings. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K spans only 15 FPS, indicating that the GPU is thoroughly saturated at this resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings tiers exceed 40 FPS average. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings stay above 40 FPS. At 3840x2160, no setting reaches 30 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% higher), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% higher), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% higher), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% higher). All rivals are within 3% of the Arc B390's score.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a strong CPU compared to others?

A: The CPU sits in the 75th percentile versus all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, scores 21440, which is only 0.2% lower. The gap to the AMD EPYC 9454 is 1.2%, with the EPYC scoring 21223.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a range of 61 to 82 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 24 FPS with a range of 20 to 27 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank well in Hard West compared to other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. Approximately 335 configurations perform worse, while the majority perform better.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 87, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS recorded at any setting is 82, which occurs at 1080p Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the Zen architecture with the Pinnacle Ridge codename. It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 3.90 GHz. The CPU is manufactured on GlobalFoundries' 12 nm process with 4,800 million transistors on a 213 mm² die. Its cache hierarchy includes 96 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 16 MB L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 46.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes available from the processor.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 2600 demonstrates solid multi-threaded performance. It scores 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 157.3 in single-core. Geekbench results show 5648 multi-core and 1154 single-core. PassMark tests reveal strengths in integer math (44518), floating-point math (22942), and data compression (187062). The multi-thread score of 13160 and single-thread score of 2239 indicate balanced performance. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking versus all CPUs suggests it handles general processing tasks competently.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the CPU's role is likely secondary to the GPU. The game's mechanics involve turn-based movement and combat, which typically do not require high sustained frame rates or rapid input processing. The Ryzen 5 2600's 12 threads provide ample parallel processing capacity for game logic, AI decision-making, and unit pathfinding. The 16 MB shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores. However, the measured FPS data shows that lowering resolution does not yield proportionally higher frame rates beyond a point — at 1080p Low, the system reaches 87 FPS, but this appears to be near the practical ceiling for this combination, suggesting that the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the data supports using High settings for a balanced experience. The 55 FPS average at High is smooth for a turn-based game, and the drop to 41 FPS at Ultra may not justify the visual improvement. Medium settings at 1080p provide a comfortable margin at 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, which would be ideal for players who prioritize stability. Low settings at 1080p hit 87 FPS but sacrifice visual quality unnecessarily.

For 2560x1440, the data indicates Medium settings provide the best experience. The 45 FPS average with a minimum of 38 FPS keeps the game playable while offering better visuals than Low. High settings at 1440p drop to 35 FPS average, which is still functional for turn-based play but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1440p at 26 FPS is borderline, and Low at 1440p at 55 FPS is acceptable but wastes the resolution's potential.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests this combination should be avoided entirely for Hard West. Even Low settings produce only 29 FPS average, which is below the 30 FPS threshold. Medium at 4K averages 24 FPS with minimums of 20 FPS, leading to visible stuttering. The game is turn-based, so low frame rates are less damaging to gameplay than in action titles, but the 14 FPS at Ultra and 18 FPS at High are severe drops that would make even camera movement feel sluggish. The recommendation is to play at 1080p with High settings as the primary configuration, with Medium as a fallback for players who want higher minimum frame rates. The data clearly shows that the Intel Arc B390's performance ceiling is reached at 1080p, and pushing beyond that resolution requires substantial compromises in visual quality that do not yield acceptable frame rates.