Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the Zen architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game logic, AI pathfinding, and turn resolution rather than continuous high-frequency rendering tasks. The data shows that the processor's multi-threaded capabilities are substantial for its class, with a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 1248 and a Geekbench multicore score of 5648. Single-thread performance, often more critical for older game engines, is represented by a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 157.3 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1154. These scores place the Ryzen 5 2600 in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which scores 21440 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i9-11900H, which scores 21367 (0.5% higher). The processor's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game's asset streaming, though the game's age suggests that even modest CPU resources are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking.

The measured frame rates in Hard West reflect this CPU adequacy. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 134 FPS, and at Medium settings, it achieves 110 FPS. The drop to 84 FPS at High settings and 63 FPS at Ultra settings indicates that while the CPU can push high frame rates, the graphical settings begin to impose a heavier load. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 2239 and multithread score of 13160 indicate a balanced profile that handles the sequential nature of turn-based logic without stuttering. Notably, the data does not show any min FPS values for Low, High, or Ultra settings, which suggests that frame pacing is consistent enough not to record dips, or that the measurement methodology only captured average frames for those presets. The Ryzen 5 2600's 65 W TDP and AM4 socket compatibility are hardware facts, but in gameplay terms, the benchmark results demonstrate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions; the GPU takes over that role as settings and resolution increase.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically from the Battlemage generation. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with memory running at an effective 19 Gbps. In Hard West, the GPU's role is to handle the 2D and 3D rendering of the game's isometric environments, character models, and visual effects. The card's 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units dictate its pixel and texture processing throughput, rated at 200.0 GPixel/s and 360.0 GTexel/s, respectively. The Arc B570's FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS is a raw compute figure that correlates with its ability to process shader instructions, which is directly relevant to the graphical fidelity of the game.

Benchmark results show that the Arc B570 holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582 (0.1% higher). In practice, the GPU's performance in Hard West is heavily influenced by the settings preset. At 1080p, the jump from Low (134 FPS) to Medium (110 FPS) to High (84 FPS) to Ultra (63 FPS) shows a clear scaling curve where each tier of graphical fidelity imposes a roughly 20-25% performance penalty. The GPU's 10 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for a 2015 title like Hard West, even at 4K, as the game's textures and geometry are unlikely to exceed that capacity. The data confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate differences across settings, as the CPU remains relatively idle in comparison. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 21 FPS, indicating that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are saturated by the higher resolution and maximum settings, whereas at 4K Low, it recovers to 44 FPS, showing that reduced shading and texture work allow the GPU to maintain a playable frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p, the average frame rates across settings are 134 FPS (Low), 110 FPS (Medium), 84 FPS (High), and 63 FPS (Ultra). Moving to 2560x1440, these figures drop to 85 FPS (Low), 69 FPS (Medium), 53 FPS (High), and 40 FPS (Ultra). At 3840x2160, the averages fall further to 44 FPS (Low), 36 FPS (Medium), 28 FPS (High), and 21 FPS (Ultra). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K varies by setting: Low settings experience a reduction of approximately 67% (from 134 to 44 FPS), while Ultra settings see a reduction of about 67% as well (from 63 to 21 FPS). Medium settings drop by 67% (from 110 to 36 FPS), and High settings drop by 67% (from 84 to 28 FPS). This consistent ~67% reduction across all presets indicates that the scaling is uniform, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution.

The data also shows that the gap between settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS (134 vs 63), while at 4K, the difference shrinks to 23 FPS (44 vs 21). This compression indicates that at 4K, even Low settings push the GPU to its limits, leaving less headroom for settings to differentiate performance. Conversely, at 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, and the frame rate is high enough that the CPU's role might be more prominent, though the data suggests the CPU still does not bottleneck, as even at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 134 FPS, which is a high frame rate for a turn-based game. The medium settings also provide min FPS data: at 1080p, min FPS is 93, at 1440p it is 59, and at 4K it is 31. These min FPS values show that frame pacing remains stable, but the lows at 4K (31 FPS) indicate that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent output, likely due to memory bandwidth saturation.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo in Hard West?*

A: The maximum average FPS is 134, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-11900H, scores 21367, which is 0.5% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, which is 0.2% higher.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the limiting factor. The average FPS drops to 21 at Ultra settings and 44 at Low settings, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are saturated, while the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 69 FPS, while High settings yield 53 FPS. This represents a 16 FPS drop, or approximately 23% lower performance when moving from Medium to High.

Q: Does the combo provide a consistent frame rate at 1080p Medium?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 110, with a minimum of 93 and a maximum of 126. This indicates a relatively stable frame rate with a variance of 33 FPS between the minimum and maximum.

Q: How does the GPU's performance rank against the Intel Arc A750?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, while the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582. This makes the A750 0.1% faster than the B570 in aggregate benchmark performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, specifically around the 80th percentile from the bottom (since 2360/2949 is approximately 80%). This ranking suggests that while the individual components are mid-tier (CPU at 75th percentile, GPU at 65th percentile), their combined performance in this specific game is below average compared to other pairings. The reason for this lower ranking likely stems from the game's age and its optimization for older hardware; newer CPUs and GPUs with higher single-thread performance and faster memory bandwidth may yield disproportionately higher frame rates. The data for this combo shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 63, which is playable but not exceptional, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 21 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The ranking reflects that many other combos, perhaps with higher-end GPUs or CPUs with better single-core performance, achieve higher frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU's single-thread performance can matter. However, the combo's performance is not abysmal; it holds its own in the middle of the pack, with the 75th percentile CPU ranking suggesting that the processor is not a weak link, but the GPU's 65th percentile ranking and the game's engine limitations contribute to the overall 2360th position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are as follows: Low settings yield 134 FPS, Medium settings yield 110 FPS (with a min of 93 and max of 126), High settings yield 84 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 63 FPS. There are no min or max values recorded for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution, indicating that the measurement tool only captured averages for those presets. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops: Low settings yield 85 FPS, Medium settings yield 69 FPS (with a min of 59 and max of 80), High settings yield 53 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 40 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are significantly lower: Low settings yield 44 FPS, Medium settings yield 36 FPS (with a min of 31 and max of 42), High settings yield 28 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 21 FPS. The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings provide the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra, with each step imposing a noticeable performance cost. The Medium settings are the only preset that includes min and max FPS data for all three resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the min FPS of 93 and max of 126 show a range of 33 FPS, which is moderate; at 1440p, the range is 21 FPS (59 to 80), and at 4K, the range is 11 FPS (31 to 42). This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that while average FPS drops, the frame pacing becomes more consistent, likely because the GPU is uniformly loaded. The data also reveals that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution: at 1080p, the difference is 71 FPS; at 1440p, it is 45 FPS; and at 4K, it is 23 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's performance ceiling limits the benefit of lower settings at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 110 FPS and a minimum of 93 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity. High settings at 1080p still provide a playable 84 FPS, but the jump to Ultra drops to 63 FPS, which may be acceptable for a turn-based game but is noticeably lower. For users prioritizing frame rate, Low settings at 1080p yield 134 FPS, but this comes at the cost of visual detail. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, delivering an average of 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is adequate for a smooth experience. High settings at 1440p drop to 53 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less fluid. Ultra at 1440p falls to 40 FPS, which is borderline. At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a consistently smooth frame rate: Low settings average 44 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 21 FPS. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, the 44 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K gameplay a compromise. The Medium preset's min FPS data across all resolutions (93 at 1080p, 59 at 1440p, 31 at 4K) indicates that it provides the most stable frame pacing, making it the safest choice for a consistent experience. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings for 1080p and 1440p, and if 4K is required, to use Low settings and accept the lower frame rate.