Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a playable but constrained experience in Hard West, with performance scaling that clearly shifts from GPU-bound at high resolutions to CPU-limited at 1080p. The data shows a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, paired with a 12 GB GDDR6 graphics card. Across the measured resolutions, the average frame rates range from 24 FPS at 4K Ultra to 151 FPS at 1080p Low, revealing a system that can handle the turn-based tactics genre comfortably at lower settings but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at maximum quality.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture, using the Raphael codename on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. Its 3.70 GHz base clock and 4.70 GHz boost clock, combined with a 32 MB shared L3 cache, position it as a solid mid-range desktop part. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, unit AI, and pathfinding calculations, which are typically lighter than in real-time strategy games. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, the processor has sufficient headroom to push frame rates well above 100 FPS at lower settings, with 151 FPS recorded at Low and 124 FPS at Medium.

The processor's single-thread performance, measured at 3,072 points in Cinebench R23 single-core, appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 71. This is a 53% decrease from the Low preset at the same resolution, indicating that the CPU's per-core speed becomes a bottleneck when graphical settings are maximized. The multi-core score of 21,765 in Cinebench R23 suggests that the 6-core configuration is more than adequate for this game's threading model, as turn-based titles rarely scale beyond a few threads. The Ryzen 5 7400F's 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node from TSMC indicate efficient power delivery, though the exact power draw during gameplay is not recorded in the data.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7400F's average benchmark score of 32,750 places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, while being 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H. These negligible differences suggest that the processor's performance in Hard West would be nearly identical to these alternatives, meaning the CPU is not the primary differentiator in this combo's results.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, provides 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz, with 2,560 shading units and 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key specifications that drive Hard West's rendering. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, which was released in 2015 and has modest texture requirements, so memory capacity does not appear to be a constraint in any of the measured scenarios.

The GPU's performance profile is revealed by the PassMark G3D score of 15,748, which places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 0.2% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 0.6% lower. This positioning suggests the Arc B580 is roughly equivalent to a high-end GPU from several generations ago, which aligns with the observed frame rates in Hard West. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces only 24 FPS, indicating that the rendering load at that resolution and quality level exceeds what the card can handle for smooth gameplay. The GPU's 190 W TDP and dual-slot design are relevant for system planning, but the measured FPS data shows that the card's raw compute is the deciding factor in this game.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 are modern API features, but Hard West is an older title that likely uses DirectX 11. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 128, compared to 76 for DirectX 12, suggests that the card's performance in legacy APIs is stronger, which is beneficial for this game. The 4K Low preset achieves 50 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle the resolution if graphical quality is reduced, but the jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 9 FPS (from 50 to 41), and from Medium to High costs another 9 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as quality increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions shows a clear pattern of GPU limitation at higher pixel counts. At 1080p High, the system averages 95 FPS, which drops to 60 FPS at 1440p High, a 37% reduction, and further to 32 FPS at 4K High, a 47% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels being rendered directly impacts the frame rate. The Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are not exhausted by this game, so the bottleneck is purely the GPU's shading and rasterization throughput.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings shows a drop from 124 FPS to 79 FPS, a 36% decrease, which again points to the GPU as the limiting component. However, the 1080p Low result of 151 FPS compared to 96 FPS at 1440p Low, a 36% drop, follows the same proportional pattern. This uniformity across settings indicates that the CPU is not becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions; rather, the GPU's performance scales consistently with pixel count. At 1080p Ultra, the 71 FPS average is still higher than the 1440p High result of 60 FPS, suggesting that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output even at maximum quality settings at 1080p.

The 4K results are the most telling: Ultra produces 24 FPS, High produces 32 FPS, Medium produces 41 FPS, and Low produces 50 FPS. The step from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 52% performance penalty, indicating that the GPU's compute units are saturated at this resolution. The data does not include minimum or maximum FPS values for most entries, but the Medium preset has recorded min/max values: 35/47 at 4K, 67/90 at 1440p, and 105/143 at 1080p. These ranges suggest that frame pacing is relatively stable, with the spread between minimum and maximum increasing at lower resolutions due to CPU-driven scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2,221 out of 2,949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 25th percentile of all configurations. This rank indicates that the combo performs below the median for this game, which aligns with the observed frame rates that struggle to reach 60 FPS at 1440p High and 4K Low. The rank is likely driven by the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the CPU's benchmark scores are average for modern processors, but the Arc B580's performance is comparable to older high-end cards rather than current top-tier models.

The combo's rank of 2,221 out of 2,949 means that approximately 75% of tested combinations deliver higher frame rates in Hard West. This is not surprising given that the game is from 2015 and many newer GPUs would have significantly more headroom. However, the data shows that the combo is still capable of achieving 60 FPS at 1440p High and 71 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which are acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where precise frame timing is less critical than in fast-action genres. The rank does not account for the game's genre, so the practical experience may be better than the raw ranking suggests.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU's percentile of 83 versus all CPUs indicates it is a strong processor, while the GPU's percentile of 68 versus all GPUs is lower. This discrepancy suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter in this combo, which is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis. The combo's rank could be improved by pairing the CPU with a faster GPU, but the data does not include alternative configurations for direct comparison.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 95 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, while the Medium preset provides 124 FPS for higher refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 71 FPS is still playable, but the 24 FPS drop from High to Ultra (from 95 to 71) may not be worth the visual improvement, given that the game's turn-based nature does not demand ultra-high frame rates. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with 124 FPS and a minimum of 105 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutter.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 79 FPS provides more headroom, with a minimum of 67 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p. The Low preset at 96 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes frame rate over visual quality. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for a consistent experience.

At 4K, none of the presets reach 60 FPS, with the highest being Low at 50 FPS and the lowest being Ultra at 24 FPS. The Medium preset at 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS, is the highest quality setting that remains playable, but even this may feel sluggish. For 4K, the Low preset at 50 FPS is the most playable option, though it sacrifices significant visual detail. Given the game's genre, a 4K Medium setting at 41 FPS could be acceptable for patient players, but the data suggests that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Hard West is as follows:

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 151 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average, 105 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 71 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 96 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 90 FPS maximum
• High: 60 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 50 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average, 35 FPS minimum, 47 FPS maximum
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern where each step up in settings reduces the frame rate by roughly 20-30%. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 80 FPS (151 to 71), while at 4K, the same settings difference is 26 FPS (50 to 24). This indicates that the absolute performance penalty of higher settings is larger at lower resolutions, but the relative penalty is similar across resolutions. The Medium preset at each resolution has the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing that frame times are more variable at Medium settings, possibly due to the interaction between CPU and GPU workloads.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo achieves in Hard West?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 151, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. The next highest is 124 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 96 FPS at 1440p Low.

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

A: The data shows that 4K performance tops out at 50 FPS with Low settings, dropping to 41 FPS at Medium, 32 FPS at High, and 24 FPS at Ultra. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold, so smooth 4K gameplay is not achievable with this combo.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32,750. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T (32,707) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (32,697), but 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32,812).

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark positioning relative to its closest competitors?

A: The Intel Arc B580's average benchmark score is 23,021. It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23,061) and 1% behind the NVIDIA P106-100 (23,249), but 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22,895) and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172).

Q: Which resolution and settings combination provides the best experience for this combo?

A: The 1440p Medium preset offers 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, providing a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual quality. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 124 FPS is superior, but 1440p Medium is recommended for better image clarity.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2,221 out of 2,949 tested combinations, placing it in the lower quartile. The CPU's percentile is 83 versus all CPUs, while the GPU's percentile is 68 versus all GPUs, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.