Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B580 show a wide performance arc depending on how you configure the game. The data indicates that this combination can deliver very high frame rates at standard resolutions, but it struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K with maximum settings. The measured rows show a clear hierarchy: resolution and preset choice are the two dominant factors, with the CPU providing a stable foundation and the GPU determining the ceiling at higher loads.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse), featuring a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It operates on the AMD Socket AM4 platform and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. This processor was released on 2019-07-06 and carries a 65 W TDP, making it a power-efficient part by today's standards.

In the context of Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics game rather than a fast-paced shooter, the CPU's role is less about maintaining extreme frame rates and more about ensuring consistent logic and AI processing. The 3700X's multi-threading capabilities are reflected in its benchmark scores: it achieves 2092 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 22458 in PassMark multithread. These scores place the CPU in the 84th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 34260 stole. The single-core performance is also solid, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1593 and a PassMark single-thread score of 2656, which matters for game logic that is often single-threaded.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 3700X sits within a tight performance band. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 has an average score of 34222, which is 0.1% higher, while the AMD EPYC 4244P is nearly identical at 34220 (0.1% higher). On the other side, the Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333, which is 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H scores 34083, which is 0.5% higher. These deltas are negligible in practice, meaning the 3700X is not a bottleneck in this game. For Hard West, the 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient; the game's turn-based nature means even the most complex scenarios with multiple AI actors are unlikely to tax the CPU heavily. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 151 FPS average, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU without issue.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the Ryzen 7 3700X and Arc B580 combo handles different presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 151 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for any display. Moving to Medium drops the average to 124 FPS (with a min of 105 and max of 143), still excellent. The High preset brings 95 FPS, and Ultra falls to 71 FPS. None of these 1080p results are problematic; even Ultra remains comfortably above 60 FPS. For 1080p users, the High preset at 95 FPS offers a strong balance of visual quality and performance, but Ultra at 71 FPS is also entirely playable if you want maximum fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. Low preset delivers 96 FPS, Medium gives 79 FPS (min 67, max 90), and High drops to 60 FPS — still a playable target but right at the edge of smoothness for many users. Ultra falls to 45 FPS, which is noticeable and may feel stuttery in a game with turn-based combat but frequent camera movements. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering 79 FPS and a decent visual uplift over Low. High is acceptable if you prefer sharper textures and effects, but you are sacrificing some headroom.

The 4K resolution (3840x2160) is where the combo struggles. Low preset produces 50 FPS, Medium drops to 41 FPS (min 35, max 47), High goes down to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS. For a turn-based game, 4K at Low or Medium might be tolerable, but the frame times are not ideal. The recommended preset for the best experience across all resolutions is Medium: it provides a playable 124 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. If you prioritize smoothness over visuals, Low is the fallback, especially at 4K where it nearly doubles the Ultra performance.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average FPS of 71 at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. While this is lower than the High preset's 95 FPS, it remains above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for maximum visual fidelity.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pair in Hard West?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides the best balance, yielding 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS. This resolution offers a significant upgrade over 1080p in visual clarity while maintaining smooth gameplay, unlike 4K where even High settings only reach 32 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B580 in this game?

A: Based on the benchmark scores, the 3700X is not a bottleneck. It scores in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with a single-thread score of 2656 in PassMark. The FPS data shows that the combo scales predictably with resolution and settings, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher loads, not the CPU.

Q: How does the Arc B580's performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, which places it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, scores 23061, which is 0.2% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, which is 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, putting it 0.7% higher than the B580.

Q: What is the minimum FPS you can expect at 3840x2160 with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 35 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, with an average of 41 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This indicates that while the game is playable, there are occasional frame dips that could be noticeable.

Q: Should I enable the Low preset for turn-based combat at 4K?

A: If you are playing at 3840x2160)Skip the Low preset, you can expect an average of 50 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the 32 FPS at High and 24 FPS at Ultra, making it the best option for smooth 4K gameplay, though it comes with reduced visual details.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2817 out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the lower 75.7% of all configurations, meaning there are 905 other combos that perform better in this specific game. The ranking is a composite metric that likely weighs both average FPS and consistency across different settings and resolutions. Given the data, this rank is not surprising. The combo excels at 1080p, where it can hit 151 FPS on Low, but its performance at 4K is poor, with the Ultra preset dropping to 24 FPS. The high rank number (2817) indicates that many other CPUs and GPUs are better suited for Hard West, particularly at higher resolutions. The 3700X's percentile of 84 and the Arc B580's percentile of 68 are respectable in isolation, but the combination does not synergize perfectly for this game, likely due to the GPU's driver overhead in older titles or the CPU's relatively modest single-core performance for a game that might not be well-threaded. The rank suggests that if you are building a system specifically for Hard West, there are better options, but the combo is still functional for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is a GPU based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation), featuring the BMG-G21 chip on a 5 nm process. It has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, and its memory runs at 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The card comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is ample for Hard West, a game that does not typically require massive VRAM allocations even at 4K. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance is 13.67 TFLOPS for FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1), which are moderate numbers for a modern mid-range card.

In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the B580 is clearly not the limiting factor, as even the Ultra preset achieves 71 FPS. At 2560x1440, the GPU starts to show its capabilities, with the High preset hitting exactly 60 FPS and Medium at 79 FPS. The 4K results are telling: the B580's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160, where even the Low preset only reaches 50 FPS. The card's performance in synthetic benchmarks (PassMark G3D score of 15748, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068) aligns with this behavior, showing it is a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but not a 4K powerhouse. The GPU's nearest rivals in terms of average score include the RTX 2080 (0.6% lower) and RTX 3080 (0.7% higher), which suggests that the B580 sits between those two generations in raw compute, but its driver and architecture may not be optimized for older games like Hard West.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are as follows. The Low preset delivers an average of 50 FPS. The Medium preset yields 41 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. The High preset drops to 32 FPS average, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 24 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K is only viable with the Low or Medium presets, and even then, the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS mark, which might be acceptable for turn-based combat but not ideal for smooth camera panning.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance improves significantly. The Low preset achieves 96 FPS average. The Medium preset hits 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 90. The High preset reaches exactly 60 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 45 FPS average. The 1440p data shows that the combo is capable of a smooth experience at Medium and High, with only Ultra being marginal.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results are the strongest. The Low preset delivers a very high 151 FPS average. The Medium preset achieves 124 FPS average, with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 143. The High preset yields 95 FPS average, and the Ultra preset produces 71 FPS average. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even Ultra staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of 80 FPS (from 151 to 71), which is a significant but expected penalty for higher visual fidelity. The data suggests that for the best experience, users should stick to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, as 4K does not provide a satisfactory frame rate for this hardware combination.