Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data places the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the Intel Arc B370 at the 2721st position out of 2949 tested combos. That ranking places this configuration in the lower percentile of tested systems for this specific game, suggesting a significant performance bottleneck. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are modest, with the system unable to exceed 79 FPS even at the lightest 1080p Low preset, indicating that this is not a high-performance gaming combination for this title.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a desktop processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. The processor also integrates Radeon Graphics, though the benchmark results here are driven by the discrete Intel Arc B370.

In terms of raw compute, the Ryzen 7 7700 posts strong synthetic scores. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 18760, and its single-core score is 1930. Geekbench results show a multicore score of 15371 and a single-core score of 2525. PassMark multithread performance is recorded at 34470, with a single-thread score of 4063. The processor’s percentile versus all CPUs is 87, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of tested processors in general-purpose workloads. However, Hard West is a turn-based tactics game from 2015, and its engine is unlikely to leverage the full thread count or high boost clocks available on this modern chip.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 79 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all tests. In a CPU-bound scenario, lowering resolution and settings would typically push frame rates higher, but the 79 FPS ceiling suggests the GPU is already the primary constraint. The Ryzen 7 7700’s 16 threads and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game’s logic and AI calculations, but the measured FPS figures are low enough to indicate that the Intel Arc B370 is struggling to render frames efficiently. The CPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Intel Core 5 221E, AMD Ryzen 9 270, and Intel Core i9-13905H—all have average benchmark scores within 0.6% of the 7700, confirming that the CPU is a mid-to-high-tier part in general compute terms, yet this does not translate to strong gaming performance here.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 8% of all recorded configurations for this game, which is a poor showing for a CPU that otherwise ranks in the 87th percentile among all processors. The disparity between the CPU’s general compute standing and this combo’s gaming rank underscores how heavily the GPU drags down the overall result. The Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168, delta 1.4%). These deltas are all within 1.4%, meaning the Arc B370 performs essentially on par with a set of GPUs that are over a decade old. This explains the combo’s low rank: the CPU is capable, but the GPU is severely underpowered for even a 2015 title like Hard West. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the system never reaches playable frame rates at 4K, and even at 1080p, Ultra settings drop to 37 FPS average.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data illustrates a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at the same settings shows a consistent and substantial drop in average FPS, which is characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the bottleneck. For example, at High settings, the average FPS goes from 49 at 1080p, down to 31 at 1440p, and further to 16 at 4K. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload would not increase with pixel count. The sharp decline indicates the GPU is maxed out.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute numbers: 79 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. Again, the 50% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and the 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K point squarely at the GPU. The Medium preset shows 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding 37 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and only 12 FPS at 4K. The consistent halving of frame rates as resolution doubles is a textbook sign of a GPU that lacks the fill rate and memory bandwidth to handle higher pixel counts. The Arc B370’s memory is system-shared, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent," which further compounds the issue at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results: 79 FPS average on Low, 64 FPS average on Medium (with min/max of 55/74), 49 FPS average on High, and 37 FPS average on Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with reported min/max values, showing a range of 55 to 74 FPS. None of the 1080p presets reach 60 FPS consistently, as even the Low preset’s 79 FPS average is a single point above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Medium preset’s min of 55 FPS indicates dips below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, performance drops further. Low settings yield 50 FPS average, Medium produces 41 FPS average (with min/max of 35/47), High falls to 31 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 23 FPS average. The 1440p Low preset barely breaks into playable territory, but the Medium preset’s min of 35 FPS suggests noticeable stutter. At 3840x2160, the system is largely unplayable. Low settings average 26 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS (with min/max of 18/25), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages just 12 FPS. The 4K Medium preset’s min of 18 FPS confirms that the GPU cannot sustain a smooth experience at this resolution, regardless of settings.

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

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Hard West?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 79 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS on average, and it does so by a slim margin.

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

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). It is 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 considered a high-performing CPU?

A: Yes, the CPU ranks in the 87th percentile versus all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 18760 and single-core score is 1930, with a PassMark multithread score of 34470.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Does the system perform better at 1080p or 4K?

A: The system performs significantly better at 1080p. For example, at High settings, the average FPS is 49 at 1080p versus 16 at 4K, representing a 67% drop. At Low settings, it is 79 FPS at 1080p versus 26 FPS at 4K.

Q: Which settings preset offers the highest average FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset offers the highest average FPS at 50. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended preset depends heavily on the target resolution and the user’s tolerance for frame rate dips. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only one that averages above 60 FPS, hitting 79 FPS. However, the Medium preset averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is likely to provide a more visually acceptable experience while still staying close to playable levels. The High preset drops to 49 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS threshold. For a smoother experience, Medium at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot, offering a balance between visual quality and performance, though it does dip below 60 FPS at times.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that stays above 50 FPS on average, at 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which may be acceptable for a turn-based game where twitch reactions are not required. High and Ultra are less viable, averaging 31 FPS and 23 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, no preset is truly playable, with even the Low preset averaging only 26 FPS. Given the turn-based nature of Hard West, a lower frame rate might be tolerable, but the data suggests that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo. The best experience is likely at 1080p with Medium settings, as it provides a reasonable average FPS of 64 while preserving some visual fidelity, or at 1080p Low if a consistent 60+ FPS is required.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is a mobile-class integrated GPU based on the Panther Lake chip, built on Intel’s 3 nm process using the Xe3-LPG architecture. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, and an FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with no dedicated VRAM, and the bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent." This is a critical limitation for gaming, as the GPU must share system memory bandwidth with the CPU.

The GPU’s benchmark score is 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. This is an extremely low score, and its nearest rivals are all legacy GPUs from over a decade ago. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate that this is not designed for high-performance gaming, and the measured FPS in Hard West reflects that. The low pixel rate and texture rate, combined with the system-shared memory, mean the GPU struggles to fill frames even at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, it manages 79 FPS, but this drops to 49 FPS at High settings and 37 FPS at Ultra, showing that the GPU’s limited resources are quickly exhausted as rendering demands increase. The 4K results, which max out at 26 FPS on Low, further confirm that the Arc B370 lacks the memory bandwidth and fill rate needed for higher resolutions. For a game like Hard West, which is turn-based and not graphically intensive by modern standards, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, preventing the capable Ryzen 7 7700 from delivering higher frame rates.