Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a playable experience in Hard West only at 1080p, where the turn-based tactics title’s modest demands align with the GPU’s entry-level performance profile. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy: the combo ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all recorded hardware pairings for this game. This is not a combination built for high-refresh-rate heroics, but rather for stable, turn-based strategy sessions at mainstream resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark rows reveal a straightforward performance ladder across the four tested presets at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 79 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset and provides a comfortable margin above display refresh rates. The Medium preset drops to 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, which remains well within smooth territory for a genre where frame pacing is less critical than in fast-paced shooters. The High preset at 1080p yields 49 FPS average, still acceptable for turn-based gameplay, while the Ultra preset falls to 37 FPS average, which begins to feel less responsive during camera pans and ability animations.

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice. The data shows it provides a 64 FPS average, representing a 19% improvement over High while maintaining a minimum of 55 FPS that keeps the game fluid during busy turns. The 55 FPS floor is notably higher than the 37 FPS average of Ultra, and the Medium preset’s 74 FPS maximum suggests headroom for occasional complex scenes. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset still produces a playable 41 FPS average with a 35 FPS minimum, making it viable for users who prioritize resolution over effects. However, the 1440p High preset drops to 31 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 23 FPS, both of which are suboptimal for consistent interaction. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a consistently smooth experience: the best result is Low at 26 FPS average, which is insufficient for comfortable play. The Medium preset at 4K manages 21 FPS average with an 18 FPS minimum, and Ultra drops to 12 FPS, making 4K effectively unplayable with this hardware.

The data strongly indicates that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, offering a 64 FPS average that is nearly double the 4K Low result. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium remains the pragmatic choice, sacrificing some sharpness for a 41 FPS average that preserves playability. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as the 37 FPS at 1080p and 23 FPS at 1440p represent diminishing returns for visual gains that do not enhance the tactical gameplay.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU and GPU in Hard West?*

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best experience, achieving a 64 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum. This combination offers the highest playable frame rate while maintaining visual quality above the Low preset.

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

A: No, the benchmark results indicate that 3840x2160 is not viable. The highest average FPS at 4K is 26 FPS on Low settings, while Medium drops to 21 FPS and Ultra falls to 12 FPS. All 4K presets fall below the threshold for smooth turn-based gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset incurs a significant performance penalty across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra averages 37 FPS compared to High’s 49 FPS, a 24% reduction. At 1440p, Ultra averages 23 FPS versus High’s 31 FPS, and at 4K, Ultra averages 12 FPS versus High’s 16 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 has a percentile rank of 5 among all GPUs, placing it in the bottom tier, while the Ryzen 5 5600 has a percentile rank of 74 among CPUs. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a steep drop-off that is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a 41 FPS average with a 35 FPS minimum and a 47 FPS maximum at 1440p Medium. This is a playable range for a turn-based tactics game, though it is notably lower than the 64 FPS average at 1080p Medium.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20468, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G, and 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7713. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming terms.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B370 occupies the 2721st position out of 2949 tested combinations for Hard West. This rank places the pairing in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations, indicating that most other hardware combinations deliver higher frame rates in this title. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which has a percentile rank of 5 among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only 5% of the graphics cards in the database. In contrast, the CPU’s percentile rank of 74 shows that the Ryzen 5 5600 is a competent processor relative to the broader market, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s low standing.

The data reveals a significant mismatch between the two components. The Ryzen 5 5600’s average benchmark score of 20468 places it within 0.5% of several high-end rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7713, yet the Arc B370’s average score of 1184 puts it within a fraction of a percent of decade-old parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770. This gap explains why the combo ranks so low: the GPU is fundamentally limited, and even a strong CPU cannot boost the overall result. The ranking is consistent across all resolutions, as the GPU’s memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which likely hampers performance at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases.

For perspective, the combo’s rank of 2721 out of 2949 means it trails the median configuration by a substantial margin. In practical terms, this translates to the 1080p Medium average of 64 FPS being the ceiling for playable performance, while many rival combos likely achieve higher frame rates at higher settings. The data does not include specific rival combo scores, but the GPU’s low percentile rank and the overall rank position strongly suggest that users seeking smoother gameplay should consider a different graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 79 FPS, Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74, High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The 1080p dataset shows a clear linear progression, with each step up in settings costing roughly 15 FPS on average. The Medium preset’s 55 FPS minimum is particularly notable, as it ensures that even during intense combat sequences with multiple units on screen, the frame rate does not dip below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low averages 50 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p but with a steeper decline at the higher settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 27 FPS, compared to 42 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases. The Medium preset’s 35 FPS minimum is still playable for turn-based tactics, but it is noticeably less smooth than the 1080p equivalent.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. Low averages 26 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 25, High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly below the threshold for comfortable gameplay, with even the Low preset failing to maintain a consistent 30 FPS. The Medium preset’s 18 FPS minimum is particularly problematic, as it would cause visible stuttering during camera movements. The data suggests that 4K is entirely out of reach for this combination, regardless of settings adjustments.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing the GPU’s limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 79 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 26 at 4K (an additional 48% reduction). At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 64 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 21 at 4K (a 49% reduction). At High settings, the average FPS falls from 49 at 1080p to 31 at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 16 at 4K (a 48% reduction). At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 37 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p (a 38% reduction) and then to 12 at 4K (a 48% reduction).

This pattern of approximately 37% scaling from 1080p to 1440p and an additional 48% from 1440p to 4K is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The pixel counts increase by 78% from 1080p to 1440p and by 125% from 1440p to 4K, yet the FPS drops do not perfectly match these ratios, suggesting some inefficiency in the GPU’s memory subsystem. The Intel Arc B370’s memory is "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth, which likely causes additional overhead at higher resolutions as the shared memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck.

The CPU shows no signs of limiting performance in this game. The Ryzen 5 5600’s strong single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and its 74th percentile ranking among CPUs suggest it has ample headroom for the turn-based logic and AI computations in Hard West. The FPS scaling is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as evidenced by the uniform percentage drops across all settings. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, but the data shows the opposite.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This design provides strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for turn-based tactics games that often rely on discrete AI calculations and pathfinding algorithms.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5600 achieves a single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and 2584 in Cinebench R23, both of which are solid results for its generation. The multicore performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and a Geekbench multicore score of 9158. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 20468 places it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms most processors in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G with a delta of 0.2%, and the AMD EPYC 9454P and EPYC 7713 with deltas of 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. These differences are within the margin of error and indicate that the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers performance on par with much newer and more expensive processors.

For Hard West, the CPU’s role is to handle the game’s turn-based logic, unit animations, and UI responsiveness. The 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for this workload, and the high single-thread performance ensures that the game’s main loop runs efficiently. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution changes. Even at 4K Low, where the GPU is clearly struggling, the CPU maintains the frame rate at 26 FPS, which is close to what the GPU can deliver. The Ryzen 5 5600’s 32 MB of L3 cache is also beneficial for games with large asset files, as it reduces the need to fetch data from system memory. Overall, the CPU performs its role admirably, but it cannot overcome the GPU’s fundamental limitations in this pairing.