Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured results for this pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with an Intel Arc B570 show a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. The data indicates a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K pushes the combination to its limits. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the combo’s standing among other tested pairings, and the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, revealing that the Intel Arc B570 becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 134 FPS, which drops to 85 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 44 FPS at 4K. That represents a 36.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 48.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly a third of the frame rate, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs nearly half of the remaining frames.

The pattern repeats with Medium settings, where 1080p yields 110 FPS, 1440p drops to 69 FPS, and 4K falls to 36 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37.3%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 47.8%. High settings show a similar curve: 84 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses are 36.9% and 47.2%, respectively. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 63 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and just 21 FPS at 4K. Here the drops are 36.5% and 47.5%.

These consistent percentage drops across all presets indicate that the GPU’s compute and memory throughput are the limiting factors at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has ample headroom at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the workload shifts overwhelmingly to the graphics card. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the average FPS is only 44, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 90 FPS, highlighting that this GPU is not designed for 4K gaming in this title, regardless of how light the preset is.

The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combination, and even then, only Medium or High settings deliver acceptable frame rates. At 1440p Medium, the average is 69 FPS, and at High it is 53 FPS. The 4K numbers are best described as borderline playable only at Low settings, and even then, the 44 FPS average is likely to feel stuttery in fast-paced moments, though Hard West’s turn-based nature makes lower frame rates less punishing than in action games.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations for Hard West, this pairing ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combos. That places it in the lower half of the field, specifically in the 20th percentile of all tested configurations. This rank reflects the Arc B570’s mid-range positioning rather than any deficiency in the Ryzen 5 5600X. The CPU, on its own, sits in the 75th percentile among all tested CPUs, which suggests that the processor is capable of feeding the GPU adequately in most scenarios.

The combo’s rank of 2360 indicates that a large number of other pairings achieve higher frame rates in this game. This is not surprising given that the GPU’s average benchmark score places it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores within 0.1% of the Arc B570, and the Intel Arc A750, which is 0.1% slower. The Arc B570’s performance is essentially tied with these cards, but none of them are top-tier offerings. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and the Intel Core i7-11700, are within 0.5% of its average score, confirming that the 5600X is a solid mid-range processor.

The low combo rank is largely a function of the GPU’s limits at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combination likely competes with much higher-ranked systems, but the 4K results drag the overall ranking down. Since the rank is based on aggregate performance across all measured resolutions, the weak 4K numbers penalize the combo heavily. For a player using a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this rank understates the actual experience, as the frame rates at those resolutions are respectable. However, for a 4K display, the rank is a fair warning that this hardware is not suitable for that workload.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and uses the BMG-G21 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. The GPU has 18 ray tracing cores, though Hard West does not use ray tracing, so that hardware remains idle. The card operates at a fixed clock speed of 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which simplifies performance predictability.

Memory is a critical aspect of the Arc B570’s role in Hard West. It comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In a turn-based tactics game with relatively simple visuals, 10 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient. Even at 4K Ultra, the game is unlikely to exceed that allocation, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The bandwidth, however, does play a role in the resolution scaling observed. At 4K, the GPU must move more pixel data, and the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is a bottleneck, contributing to the large FPS drops.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are modest: it delivers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These numbers are consistent with a mid-range card that excels at 1080p but struggles at 4K. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s is also a factor; at 4K, the GPU must fill over 8 million pixels per frame, and the measured frame rates suggest that the render output units are saturated. The card’s 80 ROPs are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but are insufficient for 4K at high settings.

The Arc B570’s benchmark scores reinforce this assessment. Its Passmark G3D score is 14195, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2649. These scores place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster). The performance parity with the RTX 3070 Mobile is notable, as that is a laptop GPU with similar thermal constraints. In Hard West, the Arc B570 behaves as expected: strong at 1080p, adequate at 1440p with medium settings, and weak at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 134, which is exceptionally smooth and leaves significant headroom for a high refresh rate monitor. Medium settings drop the average to 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. High settings yield 84 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 63 FPS. All of these numbers are playable, and even the Ultra preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, making 1080p a fully viable resolution for this pairing regardless of settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more varied. Low settings still deliver a strong 85 FPS average, which is smooth for most players. Medium settings drop to 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. The minimum of 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that there are occasional dips, but the average remains solid. High settings produce 53 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings fall to 40 FPS, which is borderline for a turn-based game but may feel sluggish to some. For a 1440p monitor, Medium is the sweet spot, as it offers a good balance between visual quality and smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the results are underwhelming. Low settings yield an average of 44 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability. Medium settings drop to 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. High settings produce 28 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 21 FPS. None of these numbers are suitable for a smooth experience, and even the Low preset will have noticeable frame pacing issues. The 4K results confirm that this GPU is not built for that resolution in Hard West, and players with a 4K display should stick to 1440p or lower.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is excellent, 1440p is good with the right settings, and 4K is not viable. The minimum and maximum FPS values for Medium settings at each resolution provide insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the spread from 93 to 126 FPS is 33 FPS, which is relatively tight. At 1440p, the spread is 21 FPS (59 to 80), and at 4K, it is 11 FPS (31 to 42). This suggests that as the GPU becomes more stressed, the frame times become more consistent but at a much lower average, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 63 FPS. This provides the highest visual fidelity while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. If a player prefers higher frame rates, High settings at 84 FPS offer a smoother experience with only a modest reduction in visual quality. Medium and Low settings are unnecessary at this resolution, as even Ultra is playable.

For a 1440p display, Medium settings offer the best balance. The average of 69 FPS is smooth, and the minimum of 59 FPS is close to the 60 FPS target. High settings, at 53 FPS, are acceptable for a turn-based game, but the lower average may be noticeable during camera movements. Low settings, at 85 FPS, are the choice for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual downgrade is significant. Ultra settings at 40 FPS are not recommended, as the frame rate is too low for a comfortable experience.

For a 4K display, the recommended setting is Low, which produces an average of 44 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches playability, but even then, players should expect a less smooth experience. Medium settings at 36 FPS are borderline, and High and Ultra are effectively unplayable. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combination, and players should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or 1080p if they want a better experience.

The best overall experience is at 1080p Ultra, which combines the highest settings with a playable frame rate. For 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset, as it offers the best compromise between visuals and performance. For 4K, Low is the only viable option, but it is still not ideal.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 32 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, along with 64 KB of L1 cache per core. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The processor uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform and has PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is less demanding than in real-time strategy or action games. The game’s logic, pathfinding, and AI calculations are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded, which plays to the 5600X’s strengths. The processor’s single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1541 and Geekbench single-core score of 1989. These scores indicate that the 5600X can handle the game’s simulation logic without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also adequate, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 9173. While Hard West may not utilize all 12 threads, the extra headroom ensures that background tasks do not interfere with gameplay. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 21771 places it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i7-11700 (0.5% faster), are all within a narrow performance band.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 134 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain similar across resolutions, but the data shows a clear decline as resolution increases. The Ryzen 5 5600X’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for Hard West, and players should not expect any CPU-related stuttering or frame drops in this title. The processor’s 65 W TDP also means it runs cool and quiet, which is a benefit for system builders.