Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F + Intel Arc B390 combination shows a system that is fundamentally constrained by its graphics processor. The Arc B390, operating as an integrated part of the Panther Lake platform, delivers playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings, while the Ryzen 5 5600F provides ample processing headroom that the GPU cannot fully utilize. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy: the GPU is the bottleneck in nearly every scenario, and users should target 1080p with moderate settings for a consistent experience.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the observed performance ceiling. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory architecture, combined with a 3 nm process node from Intel, results in a GPU that ranks in only the 9th percentile of all GPUs according to the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it in the company of very old discrete parts; the nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, a 1.3% delta), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5%), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5%). This is a GPU that was never designed for high-end gaming, and the Hard West results reflect that positioning.

In Hard West specifically, the GPU's limitations become apparent immediately. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 87 FPS, which is the only clearly fluid result in the entire dataset. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. The GPU's 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines are modest numbers, and its 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s sound capable on paper, but the system-shared memory bandwidth ("System Dependent") creates a severe bottleneck when frame buffers grow. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings drops the average FPS from 55 to 35, and at 4K High, the score falls to 18 FPS. This scaling pattern is textbook GPU-bound behavior: the CPU is not the issue, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Low (29 FPS), the frame rate is barely half of what the same settings produce at 1080p (87 FPS). The data shows that the Arc B390's integrated nature is its fatal flaw for this game, as it cannot sustain the memory bandwidth demands of Hard West's scenes at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo are clearly at 1080p with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 87 FPS, which is the only measurement that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for turn-based tactics. The Medium preset at 1080p is the second-best option, delivering 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82, which is also perfectly playable and offers better visual fidelity. The High preset at 1080p drops to 55 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced game like Hard West but begins to show the GPU's strain. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 41 FPS, which is borderline and not recommended unless the user is willing to tolerate occasional stutter.

Stepping up to 1440p reveals that the Low preset (55 FPS) is the only viable option, and even then it just barely crosses into playable territory. The Medium preset at 1440p (45 FPS, min 38, max 52) is playable but with visible dips, while High (35 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are too slow for a comfortable experience. At 4K, all presets fail to reach 30 FPS, with Low at 29 FPS, Medium at 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. The recommendation is unambiguous: users should prioritize 1080p and choose between Low (87 FPS) and Medium (71 FPS) depending on their tolerance for visual detail versus frame rate headroom. The Medium preset's minimum of 61 FPS provides a safety margin that the High preset lacks, making Medium the best overall choice for a stable experience.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data tells a clear story about where the bottleneck resides. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 87 at 1080p to 55 at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 29 at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is 55 → 35 → 18, representing a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 49% drop from 1440p to 4K. These are large, consistent declines that are characteristic of a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel count. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions because the CPU's workload (game logic, AI, pathfinding) does not scale with resolution. Instead, the data shows that every doubling of pixel count roughly halves the frame rate, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The fact that the 4K Low result (29 FPS) is only marginally better than the 4K Medium result (24 FPS) further confirms that the GPU is the limiting component. Even with the lowest possible graphical load, the Arc B390 cannot push Hard West past 30 FPS at 4K because the sheer number of pixels requires memory bandwidth and fill rate that the system-shared memory cannot provide. The drop from 1080p Low (87 FPS) to 4K Low (29 FPS) represents a 67% loss in performance, which is a severe penalty. This pattern strongly indicates that no amount of CPU optimization or overclocking would help; the Ryzen 5 5600F is effectively idle in these scenarios, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. Users should treat 4K as unsupported for this combo, and 1440p as a stretch goal that only works with the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems evaluated. This is a poor ranking that aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile standing among all GPUs. The rank is determined by the combination of the Ryzen 5 5600F and the Arc B390, and the data suggests that the CPU is not the reason for the low placement. The Ryzen 5 5600F itself has an average benchmark score of 36945, which puts it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs; its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (score 36938, delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%). This is a strong CPU that is being dragged down by a very weak GPU.

The combo's rank of 2614 out of 2949 means that it outperforms only 335 other tested combinations. In practical terms, this places the system below the vast majority of gaming PCs, even those with older discrete GPUs. The data indicates that the Arc B390's integrated nature is a severe handicap; it is not comparable to even entry-level discrete graphics solutions in this game. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to handle Hard West at higher resolutions and settings, and it highlights that this combo is suitable only for undemanding titles or very low graphical presets. Users considering this system for Hard West should expect a bottom-tier experience relative to other tested hardware.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 (Vermeer) architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are robust: a Passmark single-thread score of 2872, a multithread score of 19236, and a floating-point math score of 34548. These numbers place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, confirming that it is a capable gaming processor.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, turn-based AI calculations, and unit pathfinding, all of which are single-threaded or lightly threaded workloads. The 5600F's strong single-thread performance (2872 in Passmark) is more than adequate for this 2015 title. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 87 FPS, which is a respectable frame rate that indicates the CPU is not holding back the GPU. However, the CPU's potential is never fully realized because the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. For example, at 4K Ultra (14 FPS), the CPU is likely almost entirely idle, waiting for the GPU to render each frame. The 5600F's 12 threads and 32 MB of L3 cache are overkill for a turn-based tactics game, but they ensure that there is no CPU-induced stutter in any of the measured scenarios. The bottleneck analysis is clear: the CPU is not the limiting factor, and its performance headroom is wasted by the Arc B390's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1080p, the system delivers its best results: Low settings produce an average of 87 FPS, Medium settings produce 71 FPS (with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82), High settings produce 55 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 41 FPS. The Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS, which ensures smooth gameplay even during complex turn transitions. The High preset's 55 FPS average is acceptable but lacks the headroom of Medium, and Ultra's 41 FPS is noticeably less fluid.

At 1440p, the performance drops significantly. Low settings yield 55 FPS, which is the only preset that maintains a playable average. Medium settings drop to 45 FPS (minimum 38, maximum 52), which is borderline but usable for a turn-based game. High settings fall to 35 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 26 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear degradation pattern, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening from 46 FPS at 1080p to 29 FPS at 1440p, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain even the lowest settings.

At 4K, the system is effectively unplayable. Low settings average 29 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS (minimum 20, maximum 27), High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. No preset at 4K reaches 30 FPS, which is the bare minimum for a playable experience in most games. The Medium preset's minimum of 20 FPS means that even the most forgiving interpretation of playability is violated. The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Hard West, and users should avoid it entirely. The overall breakdown confirms that the system's only comfortable operating range is 1080p with Low or Medium settings, with 1440p Low as a secondary option for users who prioritize resolution over frame rate.