Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a narrow range of frame rates in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data shows this combination is heavily constrained by the graphics subsystem, with performance dropping dramatically as resolution increases. Across all tested settings, the combo never reaches 80 FPS average, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 12 FPS, indicating that the Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior in Hard West reveals a clear and dominant GPU limitation. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 49 FPS to 31 FPS, a 36.7% drop. The scaling continues steeply to 3840x2160, where the average falls to 16 FPS, representing an additional 48.4% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B370's rendering throughput is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions but cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to handle higher pixel counts.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced in percentage terms. The 1080p Low average of 79 FPS drops to 50 FPS at 1440p (a 36.7% decline) and then to 26 FPS at 4K (a 48% decline from 1440p). The fact that the 4K Low score (26 FPS) is lower than the 1080p Ultra score (37 FPS) underscores how pixel count dominates the performance equation here. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is substantial: 42 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. This widening absolute gap at lower resolutions suggests that even at 1080p, the GPU is already the primary constraint, with the CPU not being able to push frame rates significantly higher regardless of settings.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 55 to 74 FPS with an average of 64 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 35-47 FPS with a 41 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the range compresses further to 18-25 FPS with a 21 FPS average. The narrowing of the min-max spread as resolution increases is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where frame time variance decreases when the GPU is saturated. The 4K Medium average of 21 FPS is only 5 FPS higher than the 4K High average of 16 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset's quality reductions provide diminishing returns at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2721 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's position in the broader hardware landscape. The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). This places the Arc B370 in the company of integrated and entry-level discrete graphics solutions from over a decade ago.

The CPU, by contrast, is a mid-range performer. The Ryzen 7 5700 ranks at the 78th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25517. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25530, 0.1% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, 0.1% slower), AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25550, 0.1% faster), and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, 0.3% slower). The delta percentages here are remarkably tight, all within 0.3% of each other, indicating that the Ryzen 7 5700 is positioned in a crowded performance band where minor variations separate competitors.

The stark contrast between the CPU's 78th percentile ranking and the GPU's 5th percentile ranking explains the overall combo position. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700 is more than capable of supporting a much faster graphics card, and the Arc B370 is the limiting factor in this pairing. For a game like Hard West, which is turn-based and not demanding on modern hardware, this combo's low rank indicates it falls well short of what most tested configurations achieve.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate floor. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 79 FPS average, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed 70 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p provides 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is still a playable experience for a turn-based tactics game. The High preset drops to 49 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS.

For players prioritizing smoothness and responsiveness, the 1080p Medium preset is the recommended balance. It maintains a 55 FPS minimum, which prevents noticeable stutter, while offering a 15 FPS improvement over High and a 27 FPS improvement over Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium only costs 15 FPS (79 to 64), which is a reasonable trade for the visual uplift. Going from Medium to High costs another 15 FPS (64 to 49), which is a steeper penalty per unit of visual quality.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The Low preset reaches 50 FPS, Medium reaches 41 FPS, High reaches 31 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS. For 1440p users, Low is the only viable option for maintaining near-60 FPS performance, though the Medium preset's 35 FPS minimum may still be acceptable for a turn-based game where frame rate spikes are less critical.

At 3840x2160, all presets produce sub-30 FPS averages. The Low preset tops out at 26 FPS, Medium at 21 FPS, High at 16 FPS, and Ultra at 12 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo in Hard West, even at the lowest quality settings. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely and focus on 1080p Medium for the best overall experience, or 1080p Low for maximum smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo in Hard West is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 79 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 64 FPS average, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS. The High preset at 1080p delivers 49 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 37 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 50 FPS average. The Medium preset delivers 41 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. The High preset delivers 31 FPS average. The Ultra preset delivers 23 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 26 FPS average. The Medium preset delivers 21 FPS average, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS. The High preset delivers 16 FPS average. The Ultra preset delivers 12 FPS average.

The pattern across all resolutions shows a consistent ordering: Low > Medium > High > Ultra. The delta between Low and Medium ranges from 15 FPS at 1080p to 5 FPS at 4K, while the delta between High and Ultra ranges from 12 FPS at 1080p to 4 FPS at 4K. This compression of differences at higher resolutions reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the configuration. The largest single gap in the entire dataset is between 1080p Low (79 FPS) and 1080p Medium (64 FPS), a 15 FPS difference. The smallest gap is between 4K High (16 FPS) and 4K Ultra (12 FPS), a 4 FPS difference.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor in this combo's Hard West performance. The GPU is based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process at Intel's foundry. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The clock speeds range from a 300 MHz base to a 2400 MHz boost. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 6.144 TFLOPS and FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS.

The memory configuration is notable for its absence of dedicated VRAM. The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, with a System Shared bus width and bandwidth described as System Dependent. This means the GPU relies on the system's main memory, which in this case is DDR4 running on a dual-channel bus with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth from the CPU side. The lack of dedicated VRAM likely contributes to the poor performance at higher resolutions, as the GPU must compete with CPU memory traffic.

The GPU's TDP is 25 W, and it is classified as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) with no power connectors. Despite being integrated, it maintains API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score for the Arc B370 is 1184, positioning it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. Its closest comparable in the benchmark database is the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190, a 0.5% difference. This places modern Intel integrated graphics roughly on par with a 2009-era discrete GPU in synthetic testing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its performance characteristics suggest it is not the limiting factor in Hard West. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture (codename Cezanne), built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of L3 cache.

The 3DMark multi-threaded benchmarks show a strong scaling pattern: 1762 for 2 threads, 3382 for 4 threads, 5585 for 8 threads, and 6617 for max threads. The jump from 8 to 16 threads is modest (5585 to 6617, a 18.5% increase), indicating that the additional threads provide diminishing returns. The single-thread score is 901, which is relatively low compared to the multi-thread scores, but still sufficient for a turn-based tactics game that does not demand high single-thread performance.

Cinebench results reinforce the CPU's capability: R15 multicore scores 2082, R20 multicore scores 8675, and R23 multicore scores 20655. The single-core scores are 293 (R15), 1224 (R20), and 2916 (R23). Geekbench shows 9959 multicore and 1907 singlecore. The PassMark suite shows a multithread score of 24303 and single-thread score of 3296, with physics at 984 and integer math at 90091.

The CPU's 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with its 65 W TDP and DDR4 memory support, indicates it has substantial headroom for gaming workloads. In Hard West, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and given the GPU's low performance ceiling, the CPU is never the bottleneck. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the average FPS of 79 is far below what this CPU could theoretically support with a more capable GPU.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this combo?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where playable frame rates are achieved. At 1080p, all presets range from 37 to 79 FPS. At 1440p, the maximum average is 50 FPS (Low), and at 4K, the maximum average is 26 FPS (Low).

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival is the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5% faster), followed by the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% slower at 1168.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 strong enough for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks at the 78th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25517. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H, scores 25550 (0.1% faster). The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power for a turn-based tactics game.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This is the only preset at 1440p with complete min/max data, and it falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU use dedicated VRAM?

A: No. The Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory for both its memory size and type, with a System Shared bus width and System Dependent bandwidth. This is consistent with its classification as an IGP with a 25 W TDP.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Hard West?*

A: The combo ranks 2721 out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations. This low rank is primarily attributed to the GPU, which sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs.