Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a strictly entry-level experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. Benchmark results show that while the CPU is a modern powerhouse, the integrated graphics solution severely limits performance across all tested resolutions. The data indicates a system that is playable at 1080p with reduced settings but falls short of smooth gameplay at higher resolutions or demanding presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 87 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 55 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 29 FPS, which is a 67% decline from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the rendering pipeline is saturated, not the CPU.

The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is similarly stark, with averages falling from 55 FPS to 35 FPS. The progression to 4K High yields just 18 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at that resolution and preset. The data suggests that the Intel Arc B390's fillrate and memory bandwidth—both system-dependent—are exhausted quickly when pixel count increases. Even at the lowest settings, 4K resolution produces an average of only 29 FPS, indicating that the GPU's raw throughput is insufficient for 2160p output in this title.

Notably, the scaling from Medium to High at 1080p is modest (71 FPS to 55 FPS), but the jump from High to Ultra is severe (55 FPS to 41 FPS). This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU. The lack of a playable frame rate at 4K across all settings—with a maximum average of 29 FPS on Low—confirms that this combo is not designed for high-resolution gaming. The limiting component is unequivocally the graphics processor, as the CPU's capabilities are far beyond what this workload demands.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and codenamed Panther Lake. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines. Its performance in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark is 1482 points, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This score is remarkably low, and the nearest rivals listed—the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710—are all legacy, entry-level parts from over a decade ago. The data shows the Arc B390 is only 1.3% to 2.7% faster than these ancient components, underscoring its limited graphical muscle.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is decisive. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU uses a portion of the system's DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which implies that performance can vary based on the CPU's memory architecture. The Ryzen 5 9600X supports dual-channel DDR5 with a theoretical bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, but the integrated GPU must contend with the CPU for that bandwidth. This contention likely contributes to the low frame rates observed.

The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but these figures are insufficient for modern gaming at high resolutions. The FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is low for a GPU released in 2026. Benchmark results show that at 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 71, with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82, indicating some frame pacing stability. However, at 4K Medium, the average collapses to 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), showing that the GPU cannot handle the increased pixel load. The data strongly suggests that the Arc B390 is the sole reason for poor performance, as its low fillrate and shared memory severely restrict frame generation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process at TSMC. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR5 memory on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. Launch MSRP is $279.

Synthetic benchmarks show the 9600X is a high-performing CPU. It scores 17528.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2183.5 in single-core. In Geekbench, it achieves 14438 multi-core and 2923 single-core. The 3DMark multi-threaded score is 7590, and single-threaded is 1253. Its average benchmark score is 29713, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. Nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (0.2% faster), the Ryzen 7 7840H (0.5% slower), the Ryzen 7 5800XT (0.6% slower), and the Ryzen 7 8845HS (0.8% slower), showing the 9600X sits in a competitive mid-range segment.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is minimal, as the game is a turn-based tactics title with modest processing demands. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the average FPS is 87. This is not CPU-limited; a stronger GPU would likely push this number much higher. The 9600X's 12 threads and high boost clock are more than adequate for the game's logic, AI, and rendering commands. The lack of variation in FPS between different CPU-bound scenarios indicates that the processor is never the bottleneck. For instance, the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7585 and the PassMark multithread score of 30027 confirm that the CPU has ample headroom. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield massive performance gains, while upgrading the CPU would offer none for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested, which is a poor result given the CPU's high standing. The rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU's performance. The CPU alone is in the 81st percentile, but the GPU is in the 9th percentile, creating a massive imbalance. The comboRankInGame of 2614 means that 335 other combinations deliver better frame rates, most of which likely feature even modest discrete graphics cards.

The data suggests that this pairing is fundamentally mismatched. The Ryzen 5 9600X is a capable processor that can handle modern workloads, but the Arc B390 is a low-power IGP designed for basic tasks, not gaming. In Hard West, the combo's performance is closer to systems from a decade ago, as evidenced by the GPU's rival list. The rank of 2614 reflects a system that struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1080p Medium (71 FPS average) and fails to do so at 1080p High (55 FPS average). For a turn-based tactics game, frame rates above 60 FPS are desirable for smooth camera movement and unit animations, but this combo only achieves that at 1080p Low (87 FPS) and 1440p Low (55 FPS, which is below 60).

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Hard West?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Low settings is the only configuration that provides a high average frame rate (87 FPS). 1080p Medium yields 71 FPS, which is playable, but 1080p High drops to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Higher resolutions are not recommended, as 1440p Low averages 55 FPS and 4K Low averages 29 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile, while the Ryzen 5 9600X is in the 81st percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution shows a classic GPU bottleneck, and the CPU's high benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core 17528.5) indicate it is not stressed.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The B390 is only marginally faster than its nearest rivals. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the GT 710. These are all very old, low-end GPUs, confirming the B390's entry-level status.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 45, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. This shows some frame variability, but the average is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." The Ryzen 5 9600X supports dual-channel DDR5 with a theoretical bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. This shared memory configuration likely contributes to the GPU's low performance, as it competes with the CPU for memory access.

Q: What is the rank of this combo among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it near the bottom. This poor rank is due to the GPU's low performance, as the CPU alone would rank much higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents all measured average FPS values from the FACT PACK. Minimum and maximum values are included where available.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 14 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | High | 18 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 24 | 20 | 27 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 29 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 26 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 35 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 45 | 38 | 52 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 55 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 41 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 55 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 71 | 61 | 82 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 87 | — | — |

The data shows a consistent pattern: lowering settings or resolution improves FPS, but the gains are limited by the GPU. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 16 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 16 FPS. The Ultra preset is particularly demanding, costing 14 FPS over High. At 1440p, the same settings progression yields 55, 45, 35, and 26 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, respectively. At 4K, all averages are below 30 FPS, with Ultra producing just 14 FPS, which is a slideshow. The only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS is 1080p Low (87 FPS), and the only other configuration above 50 FPS is 1440p Low (55 FPS). For a game released in 2015, these numbers are disappointingly low, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is unsuitable for anything beyond the most basic 1080p gaming.