Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a solid, if not spectacular, showing in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. With a combo rank of 1329 out of 1699 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier of the database. This position is largely defined by the GPU’s performance class, as the data indicates the Arc B580 is the primary determinant of frame rates across the board. The pairing is not a top-tier performer, but its results are respectable for the hardware tier it occupies, offering a playable experience at most settings below 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Arc B580 places this system at rank 1329 out of 1699 combos for Hard West. This percentile position, roughly in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, suggests that while the hardware is competent, it is not optimized for pushing this particular title to its extremes. The CPU’s own percentile ranking is higher, sitting at the 85th percentile against all CPUs, indicating the processor has ample headroom. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, which holds a 66th percentile ranking against all GPUs.

When examining the CPU’s nearest rivals, the data shows the Ryzen 5 9600X is in a tight cluster. It scores an average benchmark of 28246, which is just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and the AMD Ryzen 5 230. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS by 0.4% and the Intel Core i5-14500T by 0.5%. These marginal deltas confirm that the processor is performing exactly as expected for its class. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, have an average score that is only 0.7% higher, yet the overall combo rank remains modest, reinforcing that the graphics card is the limiting factor in achieving higher frame rates in this game.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the decisive component in this analysis. Its performance characteristics are defined by its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz. These specifications, while not state-of-the-art, are sufficient for a game of Hard West's age. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 23021, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

Its closest rival in the database is the AMD Radeon 760M, which is only 0.1% behind, followed by the NVIDIA P106-100 at 0.3% behind. The comparisons to higher-tier cards are close, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 showing a lead of just 0.7% in average score. This narrow margin in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to a high in-game ranking, however. The data suggests that while the Arc B580 has enough raw compute for many tasks, its performance in Hard West is not sufficient to push the combo into a higher tier, particularly at higher resolutions and settings where the demand on the GPU increases significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 94.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 62.4 FPS, a significant 33.9% decrease. The jump to 4K is even more punishing, with the average FPS falling to 32.9, representing a further 47.3% decrease from the 1440p result and a total 65.1% drop from 1080p.

This steep decline in performance as resolution increases is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its high single-core performance (evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1253 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4570), is not the constraint here. The data shows that the Arc B580’s rendering capabilities are being saturated by the increasing pixel count. The CPU has the headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU simply cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, regardless of the settings used. This points directly to the graphics card as the limiting component in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS across different settings presets provides a clear picture of the optimal configuration for this combo. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 71.7 FPS, which is playable, but the High preset offers a substantial performance boost at 94.4 FPS. The Medium preset pushes this further to 122.1 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 153 FPS. For a turn-based tactics game, the smoothness of the interface is more critical than raw speed, and 94.4 FPS at High is a strong balance.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 62.4 FPS, which is still smooth for this genre. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 44.8 FPS, which, while not unplayable, is less ideal. The Medium preset at 75.3 FPS is a better choice if visual quality can be slightly sacrificed for a more fluid experience. At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset manages just 32.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 22.7 FPS. The Low preset at 49.6 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches a consistent 50 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant. The data suggests that the optimal experience is at 1440p with the High preset, which provides a solid frame rate without sacrificing the visual fidelity that makes the game’s atmosphere effective. For 1080p users, the High preset is the best balance, as the gains from dropping to Medium are less impactful than the visual quality loss.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for this specific CPU-GPU combination in Hard West.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average frame rate is 153 FPS, which is the highest result across all tested settings and resolutions.
• Medium: Performance drops to 122.1 FPS, still a very fluid experience.
• High: The average is 94.4 FPS, providing a strong balance between visual quality and performance.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 71.7 FPS, which is the lowest at this resolution but remains playable.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average frame rate is 96.3 FPS, showing a significant drop from 1080p but still excellent.
• Medium: Performance decreases to 75.3 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay.
• High: The average is 62.4 FPS, which is a comfortable level for a turn-based strategy title.
• Ultra: The average frame rate falls to 44.8 FPS, which begins to feel less fluid.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average frame rate is 49.6 FPS, the only 4K setting that provides a near-60 FPS experience.
• Medium: Performance drops to 42.4 FPS.
• High: The average is 32.9 FPS, which is on the edge of playability.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 22.7 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience.

The data confirms a consistent trend: the Arc B580 is the definitive bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 9600X provides ample processing power, but the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached quickly as resolution and settings are increased. The combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver a smooth and responsive experience. For 4K, users will need to significantly compromise on settings to achieve a playable frame rate.