Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a highly playable experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. Benchmark data shows this combination is firmly capable of handling the game at mainstream resolutions, with performance scaling predictably as settings and resolution are adjusted. The combo ranks 2360th out of 2949 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, but the game's modest demands mean this ranking translates into smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS on a 1080p display?*

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the configuration achieves 84 FPS on High settings, 110 FPS on Medium, and 134 FPS on Low. Even at Ultra settings, it maintains an average of 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings produces an average of 53 FPS, which is below 60. To hit 60 FPS at 1440p, you would need to use Medium settings, which delivers 69 FPS, or Low settings, which delivers 85 FPS.

Q: Is this CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. For instance, at 1080p High the average is 84 FPS, but at 4K High it drops to 28 FPS. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3072, is likely sufficient for this turn-based title.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in raw compute benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its closest competitors. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, showing it sits in a very tight performance band.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F stack up against similar CPUs in synthetic tests?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, placing it 83rd percentile among all CPUs. It is effectively tied with its nearest rivals, being 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H by 0.2%.

Q: Does the game support the latest graphics APIs that the Arc B570 can utilize?

A: The Arc B570 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Since Hard West was released in 2015, it likely relies on older DirectX APIs, but the GPU's PassMark DirectX 11 score of 118 indicates solid legacy performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a 10 GB GDDR6 graphics card with a 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its core clocks are fixed at a base and boost of 2500 MHz. The GPU's specifications, including 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs, are more than adequate for a game of Hard West's era. The 10 GB frame buffer is generous for this title, ensuring that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor even at 4K Ultra settings.

The benchmark results show a clear GPU-bound trend as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 134 on Low to 63 on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the range drops to 85 FPS on Low and 40 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, performance falls further to 44 FPS on Low and 21 FPS on Ultra. This pattern indicates that the Arc B570's raw throughput, rated at 11.52 TFLOPS FP32, is the primary driver of frame rates in this scenario. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with its mid-range positioning.

The card's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s appears sufficient for this game. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 37% drop in average FPS (from 84 to 53), while the transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in a 47% drop (from 53 to 28). This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel count, whereas at 1440p, it has enough headroom to maintain respectable performance. The card's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s is a theoretical figure that seems to align with its real-world 4K limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2360th out of 2949 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the bottom 20% of all configurations in the database. While this ranking may seem low, it is important to contextualize it within the game's requirements. The rank is likely driven by the fact that many higher-ranked combos use more powerful CPUs and GPUs that are capable of much higher frame rates, particularly at 4K.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 32750, which is in the 83rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707, a difference of just 0.1%. The GPU, however, is a more mid-range part, with an average score of 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile. The Arc B570's closest competitor, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, which is 0.1% higher. This pairing of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-percentile GPU is common in budget-oriented builds, and the overall combo rank reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The discrepancy between the individual component percentiles and the combo rank is notable. The CPU's strong multithreaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21765, ensures it won't hold back the GPU in most scenarios. However, the game's engine likely scales more with GPU power, meaning the combo's rank is more heavily weighted by the Arc B570's performance. The data suggests that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this rank is acceptable, but for 4K, the combination falls short of delivering a fluid experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the configuration excels across the board. Low settings yield an average of 134 FPS, Medium settings produce 110 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS, High settings deliver 84 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 63 FPS. This means that even at the highest preset, the game is playable on a standard 60 Hz monitor without compromises.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but requires some settings adjustments for a locked 60 FPS experience. Low settings produce 85 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings deliver 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, putting it right at the edge of 60 FPS. High settings drop to 53 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 40 FPS. For a smooth 1440p experience, Medium is the highest playable setting.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low settings yield 44 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Medium settings produce 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 28 FPS, and Ultra settings are nearly unplayable at 21 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is only viable on Low settings for a decent experience.

The frame time data for Medium settings at all resolutions shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the difference between min and max FPS is 33 FPS. At 1440p, this difference is 21 FPS, and at 4K, it is 11 FPS. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more stable but also much lower, indicating that the GPU is working at its limit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It features 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. The CPU's synthetic performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3689.

For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, CPU performance is crucial for AI calculations and game logic, but less so for raw frame rate in simple scenes. The Ryzen 5 7400F's high single-core boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures responsive turn transitions and AI decision-making. The 32 MB L3 cache also helps with game asset streaming, though the game's age means it likely doesn't require heavy cache usage.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node make it an efficient part, but its performance is more than sufficient for this title. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 134 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. However, the fact that performance scales consistently from Low to Ultra suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 0.1% higher on average, indicating that the 7400F is a competitive mid-range option.

The processor's 12 threads are more than enough for Hard West, which likely uses fewer than 4 cores effectively. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 25645 and data compression score of 289999 indicate it handles background tasks well, but in-game, the single-thread performance is what matters most. With a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 309, the 7400F ensures no CPU-related stutters in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard. If you prefer a higher refresh rate monitor, the High preset at 84 FPS or Medium at 110 FPS are excellent options, with Medium providing a very stable frame time range of 93-126 FPS.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 69 FPS and a minimum of 59 FPS. This is the only preset that consistently stays near 60 FPS at this resolution. The High preset at 53 FPS is playable but may show slight stutters on a 60 Hz display. If you prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 85 FPS is a solid choice.

For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only viable option for a playable experience, averaging 44 FPS. The Medium preset at 36 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 31 FPS, which may feel sluggish in a turn-based context but is technically playable. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as they drop to 28 FPS and 21 FPS respectively, which detracts from the overall experience.

Given the game's turn-based nature, lower frame rates are more tolerable than in fast-paced genres. However, the data suggests that 1080p Ultra is the sweet spot for this hardware, providing a high-quality visual experience without sacrificing performance. For those with 1440p monitors, Medium settings offer a good compromise, while 4K users should stick to Low settings to maintain a reasonable frame rate. The frame time data for Medium settings across resolutions shows that the game is well-optimized, with no major spikes or drops in the tested configurations.