Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents a unique challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Intel Arc B390 combination. The benchmark data shows this pairing struggles significantly in this title, landing at rank 2614 out of 2949 tested combos. The Intel Arc B390, operating as an integrated GPU with system-shared memory, is the primary bottleneck, limiting performance even with the capable Ryzen 7 5800XT handling the CPU workload. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, interprets what the scores mean relative to rival components, and explains the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in this game's results.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT + Intel Arc B390 combo in Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems. This indicates that while the setup can run the game, it delivers a subpar experience compared to the vast majority of other hardware pairings in the database.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. This puts it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, and 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM. These are marginal performance differences, placing the Arc B390 in the entry-level GPU tier.

Q: What is the best frame rate achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 87 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings, the average drops to 71 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 55 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset yields an average of 41 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT a high-performance CPU based on its benchmark scores?

A: Yes, the CPU data indicates strong performance. It scores 23,794 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,359 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 29,879, which places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, showing it is a high-end processor that should not be a limiting factor in most games.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT's average score of 29,879 is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, which scores 29,868 (a 0% difference). It is also on par with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS, which both score 29,955 (a -0.3% difference). It is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X.

Q: What can be inferred about the GPU's memory from the performance data?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent". This means it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This setup typically results in lower performance, which is reflected in the GPU's low 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in Hard West's performance. Its role is defined by its very low processing power and its integrated nature. The GPU is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and operates with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. It also features 12 ray tracing cores. Its raw compute capability is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32, but the benchmark results show its real-world gaming performance is minimal. The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, categorizing it as an entry-level component.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at a base of 300 MHz and can boost up to 2500 MHz. While the boost clock is relatively high, the low base clock and the overall architecture's efficiency seem to hamper sustained performance. The memory configuration is a critical weakness. With "System Shared" memory, the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM. Its memory bus width and bandwidth are also listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. This means the GPU must share the system's memory bandwidth with the CPU, which can cause significant bottlenecks. This is a likely reason for the low frame rates, as the GPU has to constantly fetch data from system memory over a relatively slow bus.

The benchmark results in Hard West reflect this hardware profile. At 1080p with Low settings, the game becomes playable at an average of 87 FPS, but this is the only setting where the combo achieves high performance. The frame rates drop sharply as settings increase, showing that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are quickly overwhelmed. The GPU's low ROPS count of 24 and pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s also contribute to the performance degradation at higher resolutions and settings, where the demands on pixel processing increase.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that highlights the GPU as the limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 (4K) results in a dramatic and consistent drop in frame rates across all settings. This is a classic symptom of a GPU-bound scenario, where the processor is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU lacks the power to render the increasing number of pixels.

At High settings, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, a 36% reduction. Scaling up to 4K brings the average down to 18 FPS, a 67% reduction from the 1080p figure. The trend is similar for other settings. At Medium settings, the game runs at 71 FPS at 1080p, falls to 45 FPS at 1440p, and plummets to 24 FPS at 4K. Even on Low settings, where the GPU has less work, the average FPS drops from 87 at 1080p to 55 at 1440p and 29 at 4K.

This scaling indicates that the Intel Arc B390's performance is heavily tied to the resolution. The GPU's compute resources and memory bandwidth are simply not sufficient for high-resolution rendering. The fact that even 1080p performance is only moderate suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would remain more constant while the GPU's increases. The data shows the opposite, confirming that the Arc B390 is the limiting factor. The 4K results are mostly unplayable, with even the Low setting averaging just 29 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how the combo performs under different conditions.

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from playable to poor. With Low settings, the average FPS is 87, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82. High settings bring the average down to 55 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of 41 FPS. This shows that the game is only fully fluid at 1080p on Low or Medium settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. The Low setting averages 55 FPS, which is playable but not high refresh rate material. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. The High preset drops to 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS. At this resolution, the game becomes a compromise, with only Low and Medium settings providing a reasonable experience.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo is rendered largely unplayable. The Low setting averages 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27. High settings drop to 18 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 14 FPS. The data shows that this hardware configuration is not suitable for 4K gaming in Hard West, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combinations for Hard West, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Intel Arc B390 pairing performs poorly. It is ranked 2614 out of 2949 combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance, as the Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, are similarly ancient and low-power components, confirming the Arc B390's status as a very weak graphics solution.

This low ranking is particularly notable because the CPU is a high performer. The Ryzen 7 5800XT is in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,879. The system's overall performance is dragged down entirely by the GPU. The combination of a top-tier CPU and an entry-level GPU creates a massive imbalance. The data suggests that the system's 1080p performance, even at 87 FPS on Low, is limited by the GPU. The CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU cannot deliver the frames to take advantage of it. The ranking shows that this combo is not a viable choice for playing Hard West with high settings or at high resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a high-end desktop processor that plays a supporting role in this configuration. Based on the Zen 3 architecture, it has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. Its substantial cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 cache, which helps with gaming performance. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,794 and a single-core score of 3,359. Its average benchmark score of 29,879 is 81st percentile, showing it is a powerful processor.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI calculations, and scene management. For a turn-based tactics game, these tasks can be significant, especially with many units on the map. The Ryzen 7 5800XT has more than enough processing power to handle these workloads. Its multi-core performance ensures that all game threads are well-served, and its strong single-core performance ensures that the main game loop runs efficiently. The 3DMark scores show a scaling pattern from 1,879 for 2 threads to 7,683 for 16 threads, indicating that the CPU scales well with additional threads.

However, the CPU's power is not reflected in the final frame rates. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the FPS drops are directly correlated with resolution and settings, which are GPU-intensive workloads. The CPU is likely not the limiting factor even at 4K, as the game's CPU demands are likely static across resolutions. The Ryzen 7 5800XT is effectively waiting for the Intel Arc B390 to produce frames. This is a classic case of a CPU being held back by a weak GPU, and it highlights that the Ryzen 7 5800XT is overqualified for the graphics solution it is paired with in this test.