Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers playable frame rates in Hard West only at 1080p, with performance collapsing as resolution increases. The data indicates a severe GPU bottleneck, as the integrated-class Arc B390 struggles to maintain fluid motion beyond entry-level settings. This combination ranks in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations, making it suitable only for low-demand scenarios or esports-level titles at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 55 at 1920x1080 to 35 at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then plummets to just 18 at 3840x2160, which is 67% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s rendering throughput, not the CPU’s processing power, is dictating performance.

The scaling behavior becomes even more pronounced at lower quality presets. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a drop from 87 to 55 FPS (a 37% loss), while moving to 4K reduces the average to 29 FPS, a 67% decrease from 1080p. The consistency of this percentage drop across settings strongly suggests that the Arc B390’s fixed-function units, such as its 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs, are saturated even at modest resolutions, leaving little headroom for pixel-count increases.

For the Medium preset, the data includes minimum and maximum frame times, providing further insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82, showing a tight frame pacing window. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 45 FPS with a wider spread (38 to 52), indicating that the GPU is beginning to struggle with consistency. At 4K Medium, the average collapses to 24 FPS with a range of 20 to 27, showing that the system is firmly in unplayable territory.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic resolution scaling, going from 41 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 1440p and finally to 14 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result is already below the 60 FPS threshold, and the 4K figure is barely a slideshow. This data makes it clear that the Arc B390’s 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for high-resolution rendering in this turn-based tactics title, regardless of the quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hard West, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 total combos. This places the configuration in the 11.4th percentile, meaning that roughly 89% of all tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The poor ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU itself sits in the 71st percentile among all processors.

The contrast between the components is stark. The Ryzen 5 3600 is a capable six-core, twelve-thread processor with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045, placing it near peers like the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, just 0.2% higher) and Intel Core i7-1260P (17007, 0.2% lower). However, the Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 puts it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower) and GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower). This GPU performance level is more typical of decade-old integrated graphics than a modern gaming solution.

The ranking data shows that this combo is not competitive for Hard West at higher resolutions. The best measured result, 87 FPS at 1080p Low, is the only configuration that approaches smooth gameplay. When considering the 2949 total combos, the 2614 rank reflects a system that can handle the game’s CPU-side logic — turn-based tactics often rely on single-thread performance — but is hamstrung by the GPU’s inability to process the visual output efficiently. The Ryzen 5 3600’s single-thread score of 2124 in Cinebench R23 is adequate, but it cannot compensate for the Arc B390’s hardware limitations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 3 nm process. Its specifications reveal why it performs so poorly in this game: it has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and only 24 ROPs. The boost clock reaches 2500 MHz, which is relatively high, but the memory subsystem is “System Shared,” meaning it relies on main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory configuration, coupled with a system-dependent bandwidth, severely limits fill-rate-heavy workloads.

The GPU’s pixel rate is rated at 60.00 GPixel/s, which sounds adequate on paper, but the texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS are modest figures. In Hard West, the game’s detailed environments and character models require significant texture fetching and pixel shading, which the Arc B390’s 24 ROPs struggle to sustain at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is a direct consequence of this ROP bottleneck, as the GPU simply cannot process the increased pixel count.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, with the nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% slower). This benchmark data indicates that the Arc B390 is not a gaming-focused part, despite supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The API support is modern, but the underlying hardware is too weak to leverage these features effectively in a demanding scene. The 80 W TDP and IGP slot width further confirm that this is designed for low-power mobility, not desktop-class gaming.

In practice, the GPU’s role in this combo is to be the definitive bottleneck. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are not the constraining factors; rather, the Arc B390’s system-shared memory and limited ROP count create a situation where frame rates scale almost linearly with pixel count, regardless of CPU headroom. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU could theoretically push more frames, the GPU maxes out at 87 FPS, suggesting that the integrated solution has hit its architectural ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its only playable results. Low settings produce an average of 87 FPS, which is the highest measured value for this combo. Medium settings yield 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82, providing a stable experience that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 55 FPS, which is playable but not consistently smooth. Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS, which is marginal for a turn-based game but may cause noticeable stutter during camera pans.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades significantly. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is exactly the same as 1080p High, showing that the resolution increase costs roughly one full quality tier. Medium settings average 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52, meaning even the maximum frame rate is below the 60 FPS target. High settings drop to 35 FPS, and Ultra falls to 26 FPS. None of the 1440p results are ideal for smooth gameplay, though turn-based tactics can tolerate lower frame rates better than action genres.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively non-functional for gaming. Low settings produce 29 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS (with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27), High drops to 18 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 14 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so saturated that quality settings have diminishing returns. The 4K Medium range of 20 to 27 FPS shows that even the best-case frame time is below the threshold for acceptable motion.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each resolution step up costs approximately one quality tier. For instance, 1080p High (55 FPS) is comparable to 1440p Low (55 FPS), and 1440p High (35 FPS) is similar to 4K Low (29 FPS). This linear scaling confirms that the Arc B390’s rendering pipeline is the sole limiting factor, with no evidence of CPU-induced frame drops even at the lowest settings and highest resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve in Hard West?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 87, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory.

*Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K?*

A: No. The best 4K result is 29 FPS at Low settings, with Medium at 24 FPS and Ultra at 14 FPS. All 4K averages are below 30 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at that resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the GPU in this pairing?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482. The CPU is far more capable than the GPU.

Q: Is the 1440p Medium setting playable?

A: The average FPS at 1440p Medium is 45, with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52. While this is below the 60 FPS target, turn-based tactics may still be playable, but the frame pacing variance could cause occasional judder.

*Q: What is the combination’s overall rank in Hard West?*

A: This combo ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses “System Shared” memory, meaning it relies on the system’s main DDR4 RAM rather than dedicated graphics memory. This contributes to its poor high-resolution performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only settings that provide a consistently smooth experience are at 1920x1080. For players prioritizing frame rate, Low settings at 1080p are the clear choice, delivering 87 FPS average. This is the highest performance tier available and ensures the game runs without any frame pacing issues. Medium settings at 1080p are also viable, with a 71 FPS average and a minimum of 61 FPS, which stays above the critical 60 FPS threshold.

For those who prefer higher visual fidelity while maintaining playability, 1080p High at 55 FPS is the best compromise. The drop from Medium to High costs 16 FPS, but the visual improvement in a turn-based tactics game may be worth it for some users. However, 1080p Ultra at 41 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips below the 45 FPS comfort zone and offers diminishing returns over High.

At 1440p, the data suggests avoiding all settings except Low. The 55 FPS result at 1440p Low matches 1080p High, making it a reasonable alternative for users with 1440p monitors who do not mind lower quality. However, 1440p Medium (45 FPS) and High (35 FPS) introduce noticeable stutter, and Ultra (26 FPS) is unplayable. The minimum frame rates at 1440p Medium (38 FPS) indicate that the game will frequently drop below smooth thresholds.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely. Even Low settings at 29 FPS are below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable motion, and the high-end presets produce slideshow-like results. The data indicates that this combo is strictly a 1080p solution for Hard West, with the sweet spot being Medium settings at 1080p for a balanced experience, or Low settings for maximum fluidity. Users with higher-resolution displays should either lower the resolution to 1080p or consider a different GPU entirely.