Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a highly constrained experience in Hard West, with the data indicating that playable performance is largely confined to lower resolutions and settings. Benchmark results show that this combination ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. The measured frames per second (FPS) figures reveal a system that struggles with demanding presets, yet offers a functional path for playing this turn-based tactics title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the Low preset is the only reliable option for a consistent gameplay experience, particularly at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 79 FPS, which is the highest average recorded across all tested configurations. This is a substantial jump from the Medium preset, which averages 64 FPS at the same resolution. While the Medium preset at 1080p might appear playable, the Low preset provides a significant performance buffer that is more forgiving in this genre, where frame drops during unit animations or environmental effects can be distracting.

For users with 1440p displays, the Low preset remains the only viable choice, delivering an average of 50 FPS. Stepping up to Medium at this resolution drops the average to 41 FPS, which is still within a playable range for a turn-based game, but the margin for error is thinner. The High preset at 1440p yields 31 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play, and the Ultra preset falls to 23 FPS, which is likely to feel sluggish. At 4K, the data shows that even the Low preset only manages an average of 26 FPS, making it difficult to recommend any setting at this resolution for a comfortable experience.

The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable across all resolutions, with averages of 37 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 12 FPS at 4K. The High preset, while better than Ultra, still struggles to maintain 60 FPS at any resolution, peaking at 49 FPS at 1080p. The data indicates that the performance cost of moving from Medium to High is substantial, with a drop of 15 FPS at 1080p (from 64 to 49) and a drop of 10 FPS at 1440p (from 41 to 31). This suggests that the visual improvements from Medium to High come at a steep performance penalty that is not justified given the frame rates achieved.

The optimal strategy, according to the measured data, is to prioritize the Low or Medium presets at 1080p. The Low preset offers the smoothest experience, while the Medium preset provides a balance, with the 64 FPS average and a recorded minimum of 55 FPS, which ensures that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate remains above 50. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only recommendation, as it is the only setting that maintains an average above 48 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that this hardware combination is not suitable, as all presets fall below the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2721 out of 2949 places this system firmly in the lower echelons of tested hardware configurations. This is a strong indicator that the combination of the Ryzen 5 5600G and the Arc B370 is a significant bottleneck for modern gaming, even for a title as old as Hard West. The percentile ranking for the GPU alone is 5, meaning it performs better than only 5% of all GPUs in the database. This is a stark contrast to the CPU, which has a percentile rank of 74, suggesting that the processor is far more capable than the graphics solution.

This disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is a crucial finding. The data implies that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this system. While the Ryzen 5 5600G is a mid-range processor from its generation, the Arc B370 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance charts, with an average benchmark score of 1184. This score is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which has a score of 1186 and a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with a score of 1192. These are all legacy or low-power mobile parts, which contextualizes the Arc B370's performance level.

The system's overall rank suggests that it will struggle with any graphically intensive task. In the context of Hard West, a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards, the combo still fails to deliver high frame rates at high settings. The rank of 2721 out of 2949 indicates that a vast majority of other tested systems, including those with older discrete GPUs, would outperform this configuration. The data shows that the combination is better suited for productivity or light, less demanding games rather than a title requiring a robust GPU, even if that title is from 2015.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution, as indicated by its slot width of "IGP" and bus interface of "IGP". This is a fundamental characteristic that explains its performance limitations. The GPU has a boost clock of 2400 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory setup is a significant handicap, as it competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which is "System Dependent" according to the data.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process from Intel. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 20 render output units (ROPs). These specifications are modest, reflecting its low-power design with a 25 W TDP. The theoretical pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with an FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. While these numbers provide a baseline, the actual gaming performance is heavily influenced by the shared memory bandwidth, which is a bottleneck for texture-heavy scenes.

In Hard West, the GPU's limitations are clearly visible in the FPS data. The game relies on static scenes and character models, but the rendering still requires consistent frame buffer access. The drop from Medium to High settings, which likely increases texture detail and shadow quality, causes a disproportionate performance hit. For instance, at 1080p, the average FPS drops from 64 on Medium to 49 on High, a 23% reduction. This suggests that the GPU's limited memory bandwidth and ROP count are unable to handle the increased data throughput required by higher visual fidelity settings. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile, confirming its position as a very low-end part, which is consistent with its role as an integrated processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the system's performance across different settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 79 FPS, Medium settings average 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74, High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra settings average 37 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression of performance degradation as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 42 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 50 FPS, Medium settings average 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47, High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 23 FPS. The pattern remains the same, but the overall numbers are lower, highlighting the increased rendering resolution's impact. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 27 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. Low settings average 26 FPS, Medium settings average 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 and maximum of 25, High settings average 16 FPS, and Ultra settings average 12 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 18, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that even the most minimal settings cannot achieve a stable 30 FPS at this resolution, making it unsuitable for play. The frame time consistency also degrades at higher resolutions, as seen in the wider gap between minimum and maximum FPS at 4K Medium (18 to 25) compared to 1080p Medium (55 to 74).

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and revealing. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 79 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p, and then to 26 at 4K. This represents a 37% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% decrease from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the averages are 64, 41, and 21 FPS respectively, showing similar percentage drops. The data indicates that the scaling is not linear; the transition to 4K causes a more than proportional drop in performance.

This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound system. The number of pixels being rendered increases dramatically with resolution, and the Arc B370's limited processing power and memory bandwidth cannot keep up. The CPU, which is more powerful, is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. This is confirmed by the fact that the FPS drops are consistent across all settings when moving to higher resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variation in FPS between resolutions, as the CPU workload would be similar. Instead, the data shows that the GPU is saturated, and its performance scales inversely with the pixel count.

The implication is that users seeking higher resolutions need a more powerful GPU. The Ryzen 5 5600G is capable of feeding frames to a faster graphics card, but the Arc B370 is unable to do the same. The system is effectively limited to 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being out of the question. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where the system can maintain a playable frame rate without excessive compromise.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus. Its benchmark scores show a well-rounded performer, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10551 and a single-core score of 1409. The PassMark multi-thread score is 19717, and its single-thread score is 3177. These scores place it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a competent mid-range processor.

In the context of Hard West, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's. Hard West is a turn-based tactics game, which typically relies more on single-thread performance for game logic and AI, but the frame rate is ultimately dictated by the GPU for rendering. The Ryzen 5 5600G's strong single-core performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 872, is sufficient to handle the game's computational demands. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the FPS drops are more closely tied to resolution and settings changes, which are GPU-intensive parameters.

The CPU's integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are not used in this configuration, as a separate Intel Arc B370 is present. However, the presence of the integrated GPU does not affect the measured performance. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is shared with the discrete GPU, which uses system memory. This shared bandwidth can be a limiting factor, but the CPU's processing power is more than adequate for the game. The benchmark data indicates that the Ryzen 5 5600G is a reliable partner, but its potential is severely hampered by the weak GPU, leading to the low overall combo rank.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this system in Hard West?

A: The data shows that the Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average FPS of 79. For a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 55 FPS.

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

A: The measured data indicates that 4K performance is inadequate. Even at the Low preset, the average FPS is only 26, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth play. The Ultra preset at 4K averages just 12 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, indicating a very low performance tier.

Q: Which component is the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data points to the Intel Arc B370 GPU as the primary limiting factor. The GPU has a percentile rank of 5, while the CPU has a percentile rank of 74. The FPS scaling with resolution also indicates a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 79 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 42 FPS, or about 53%, when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more powerful in this pairing?

A: According to the data, the CPU is significantly more powerful. The Ryzen 5 5600G has a percentile rank of 74 among all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B370 has a percentile rank of 5 among all GPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score of 21088 is much higher than the GPU's score of 1184.