Hard West

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands at rank 2721 out of 2949 tested combinations for Hard West. This places the combo in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, a position that reflects the Arc B370's modest graphics throughput rather than any deficiency in the CPU. The combo's percentile standing is heavily influenced by the GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards, which drags the overall experience down despite the processor's far more respectable 79th percentile placement among all CPUs.

In practical terms, this means the pairing is positioned for 1080p gaming at medium-to-low settings, with the data showing that even at 1080p Low the system only manages 79 FPS average. The rank of 2721 out of 2949 indicates that roughly 228 other combinations deliver better performance in this specific turn-based tactics title, which is notable given that Hard West is not a graphically demanding game by modern standards. The bottleneck is unmistakably the integrated-class GPU, as the CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Core i5-12600K, AMD Ryzen 7 5800, AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, and Intel Core Ultra 5 125H — all score within 0.3% of the 5700X in average benchmark performance, confirming that the processor is not the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, while 1080p Low reaches 79 FPS average. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only produce 50 FPS average, and at 3840x2160, every preset falls below 30 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184, which is effectively tied with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 trails at 1168, which is 1.4% slower than the Arc B370. These are all legacy or low-power parts, underscoring the Arc B370's limited graphics capability.

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

A: Yes. The CPU scores 13,184 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,499 in single-core, with a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, has an identical average benchmark score of 27,578 with a 0% delta, meaning the 5700X is more than sufficient for Hard West's turn-based gameplay mechanics.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 12 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra settings. This is the lowest recorded frame rate across all tested configurations and is not playable by any reasonable standard. Even 4K Low only reaches 26 FPS average, which remains below typical playability thresholds.

Q: Does the Arc B370 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No. The GPU uses System Shared memory for both capacity and bandwidth, with memory bandwidth rated as "System Dependent." This means the graphics performance is partly contingent on the host system's DDR4 memory configuration, which for the Ryzen 7 5700X is dual-channel with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How does the combo's rank translate to real-world experience?

A: The rank of 2721 out of 2949 combinations places this pairing in the bottom percentile for Hard West performance. The data indicates that 1080p Medium at 64 FPS average is the ceiling for a smooth experience, while 1080p Ultra at 37 FPS average marks the upper limit of visual quality before frame rates become marginal.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, where the Arc B370's limited shading capacity becomes increasingly evident as pixel count rises. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (49 FPS) to 2560x1440 (31 FPS) represents a 36.7% drop, and continuing to 3840x2160 (16 FPS) yields a further 48.4% reduction from the 1440p figure. This non-linear degradation pattern is typical of a GPU that lacks sufficient fill rate and memory bandwidth to sustain higher resolutions.

The Low settings curve tells a similar story, with 79 FPS at 1080p dropping to 50 FPS at 1440p (a 36.7% decrease) and then to 26 FPS at 4K (a 48% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different quality presets strongly suggests that the resolution scaling is governed entirely by the GPU's pixel processing capabilities, not by any CPU limitation. The Ryzen 7 5700X's 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 4.60 GHz boost clock is nowhere near being stressed by a turn-based tactics title at any resolution.

The Medium preset, which is the only setting with measured minimum and maximum frame rates, shows the scaling with additional granularity: 64 FPS average at 1080p (55 min, 74 max), 41 FPS at 1440p (35 min, 47 max), and 21 FPS at 4K (18 min, 25 max). The frame time consistency also degrades with resolution, as the gap between minimum and maximum FPS widens proportionally at higher pixel counts. This pattern indicates that the Arc B370's 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are simply overwhelmed when the render target expands beyond 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its most usable performance across all four tested presets. Low settings produce 79 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Medium settings yield 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS, providing a smooth experience with headroom for occasional scene complexity. High settings drop to 49 FPS average, still playable but approaching the threshold where turn-based camera panning may feel less fluid. Ultra settings bring the average down to 37 FPS, which is playable for a turn-based title but shows the GPU struggling with the highest quality assets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope shrinks considerably. Low settings produce 50 FPS average, which is acceptable but represents a significant step down from the 1080p figure. Medium settings average 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS, placing the experience in a marginal zone where frame pacing may become noticeable during map transitions. High settings drop to 31 FPS average, which is borderline for comfortable play. Ultra settings produce 23 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth interaction.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively out of its depth. Low settings manage 26 FPS average, Medium drops to 21 FPS (18 min, 25 max), High falls to 16 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 12 FPS. None of these figures meet the standard for playable frame rates, and the data suggests that 4K should be avoided entirely with this hardware configuration. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent halving of performance with each resolution step at equivalent settings, which is a clear indicator of the GPU's fill rate limitations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a Zen 3 architecture processor built on TSMC's 7 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3, providing ample data locality for the logical decision-making and pathfinding calculations that dominate turn-based tactics titles like Hard West.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 5700X demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13,184 and a single-core score of 1,499. The Geekbench results show 10,779 multi-core and 2,016 single-core, while PassMark multi-thread reaches 26,612 and single-thread hits 3,385. The 3DMark threaded tests reveal scaling from 921 single-thread to 6,858 at 16 threads, indicating efficient utilization of all available cores.

For Hard West specifically, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate patterns across resolutions. The 5700X's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, achieves an identical average benchmark score of 27,578 with a 0% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 is just 0.2% behind. This parity among top competitors confirms that the CPU is not creating any performance ceiling in this game. The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate system memory throughput for the Arc B370's System Shared memory architecture.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration delivers 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, providing smooth camera movement and responsive UI interaction during turn-based play. The 55 FPS minimum indicates that even during complex scenes with multiple characters and environmental effects, the frame rate remains above the 50 FPS threshold where most players perceive fluid motion.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, 1080p High at 49 FPS average is a viable alternative. The 12 FPS difference between Medium and High averages is noticeable but not jarring, and the higher quality textures and lighting effects may be worth the trade-off in a game where fast reaction times are not required. However, the data suggests that 1080p Ultra at 37 FPS average is the upper limit of acceptable performance, and players who choose this preset should expect occasional frame rate dips during screen transitions.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low settings at 50 FPS average, which is the only 1440p configuration that maintains a playable frame rate. Medium at 41 FPS is borderline, and the 35 FPS minimum recorded for this preset suggests that some scenes will fall below the comfort threshold. For 3840x2160, the data provides no playable options, as even Low settings only reach 26 FPS average. Players with 4K displays should consider running the game at a lower resolution or accepting a compromised experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Panther Lake chip. It features 1,280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2400 MHz, delivering 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12.29 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (2:1 ratio).

The Arc B370's memory configuration is System Shared, meaning it relies on the host system's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This architecture introduces latency and bandwidth dependencies that are particularly impactful at higher resolutions, as the GPU must compete with CPU memory accesses for the same dual-channel 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,184 places the GPU in the 5th percentile among all tested graphics cards, and its nearest rivals — all legacy ATI/AMD parts from over a decade ago — confirm its entry-level positioning.

In Hard West, the GPU's limitations manifest clearly in the resolution scaling data. The 20 ROPs provide a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s, which is insufficient for 4K rendering at any quality preset. The 40 TMUs deliver a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, and while this is adequate for 1080p, the texture fetch demands at higher resolutions quickly overwhelm the available bandwidth. The 25W TDP and integrated form factor (IGP bus interface) further constrain performance, as the GPU must share power and thermal budgets with the CPU in a unified package.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 5 indicates that 95% of tested graphics cards outperform it, which is consistent with the observed Hard West frame rates. For this turn-based tactics title, the Arc B370 can provide a competent 1080p experience at Medium settings, but its performance ceiling is firmly established by the measured data. Players seeking higher resolutions or more demanding presets would need to consider a discrete GPU solution, as the Arc B370's System Shared memory and limited compute resources (1280 shading units) fundamentally cap its gaming potential.