Hard West

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael) using a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU features a substantial L3 cache of 96 MB shared, which is notable for a desktop part in the 7000 series. Its memory support is DDR5, dual-channel, with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes. The processor’s benchmark profile shows a multi-threaded strength: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 16817, while single-core scores 1713; Geekbench multicore reaches 15610 and single-core 2426.

In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the CPU’s role is less about raw frame generation and more about ensuring consistent turn-processing and AI calculations. The data shows the 7800X3D sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33079. Its nearest rivals—AMD Ryzen 7 8700G, Intel Core i7-13650HX, and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX—all post average scores within 0.1% (deltaPct of 0), while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H trails by -0.4%. This tight clustering suggests the 7800X3D is not an outlier in general compute, but its high L3 cache and 8-core/16-thread configuration are well-suited for the logical workloads of turn-based strategy.

Given the game’s age and genre, the CPU’s 16 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game’s simulation overhead. The 3DMark results reinforce this: 16-thread score is 7980, max-thread score is 7967, and 8-thread score is 6539. The gap between 8-thread and 16-thread scores (from 6539 to 7967) indicates good scaling, meaning the CPU can leverage additional threads if the game uses them. However, Hard West’s mechanics are not typically multi-threaded heavy; the single-thread score of 959 in 3DMark and 1713 in Cinebench R23 single-core suggests that the CPU’s per-core performance is ample for the game’s turn-based logic. The data implies the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios, but the measured FPS at lower resolutions will clarify this.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake) on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Critically, its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system’s DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM; the memory bus width and bandwidth are also "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. This is a fundamental limitation for gaming performance, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, with 10 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. The TDP is just 25 W, confirming its low-power integrated nature.

The Arc B370’s benchmark results are sparse—only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. This places it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, which is extremely low. Its nearest rivals are ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (avgScore 1186, deltaPct -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, +1.4%). These are all legacy or low-end parts, indicating the Arc B370’s performance is comparable to hardware from over a decade ago. For Hard West, this GPU is the primary constraint. The game’s measured FPS drops sharply as resolution increases, which aligns with the GPU’s limited fill rate and shared memory architecture. The boost clock of 2400 MHz helps, but with only 6.144 TFLOPS and system-dependent bandwidth, the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates at demanding settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2721 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 8% of all combinations, which is consistent with the GPU’s low percentile (5th) versus the CPU’s relatively high percentile (83rd). The ranking indicates a severe imbalance: the CPU is overqualified for the GPU’s capabilities. In practical terms, the combo’s performance is bottlenecked almost entirely by the Arc B370, as the CPU’s compute headroom is wasted in this pairing.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 79 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 12 FPS. The rank of 2721 suggests that many other combinations—even those with weaker CPUs—likely outperform this pairing because they pair with more capable GPUs. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals (all within ±1.4%) indicate the Arc B370’s performance is on par with ancient discrete GPUs, which are often paired with older CPUs. This combo’s rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU’s. For turn-based tactics, where frame rates are less critical than strategy games, the low rank is less damning, but the measured numbers still show the GPU struggling at higher settings.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average is 79 FPS, dropping to 49 FPS on High. At 1440p, the average falls to 50 FPS on Low and 31 FPS on High, while 4K drops to 26 FPS on Low and 16 FPS on High.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has an average benchmark score of 33079, which is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G (33089, deltaPct 0), Intel Core i7-13650HX (33089, 0), and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX (33091, 0). The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H is slightly behind at 33201, with a deltaPct of -0.4%.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370 better or worse than its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher). Only the AMD FirePro M2000 is slower, at 1168 (1.4% lower). The Arc B370 is essentially equal to these legacy parts.

Q: What settings achieve 60 FPS or above?

A: Only one measured configuration reaches 60 FPS or above: 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 79 FPS. The next closest is 1080p Medium at 64 FPS. No other resolution or setting combination in the data exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Does the combo’s rank improve at lower resolutions?

A: The comboRankInGame is a single value (2721 out of 2949) that does not change by resolution. However, the measured FPS data shows that the combo performs relatively better at 1080p, where it can hit 79 FPS on Low, versus 4K, where it maxes out at 26 FPS on Low.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means performance scales with the system’s DDR5 memory and its bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 79 at 1920x1080, to 50 at 2560x1440, and further to 26 at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 49 FPS at 1080p, to 31 FPS at 1440p, to 16 FPS at 4K—a 67% decline as well. Medium settings show a similar trend: 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 37 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 12 FPS at 4K, a 68% drop.

The consistency of the percentage drop across settings (roughly 67-68%) indicates that the bottleneck is resolution-dependent, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU’s performance is likely not varying with resolution, as turn-based logic is resolution-independent. The fact that FPS halves from 1080p to 4K (e.g., 79 to 26 at Low) suggests the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The shared memory architecture means that at higher resolutions, the GPU requires more bandwidth, which is "System Dependent" and thus limited by the DDR5 bus. The data confirms that the Arc B370 cannot handle 1440p or 4K with this CPU in a playable manner, except at Low settings at 1440p (50 FPS) which is borderline.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution target. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 79 FPS, which is the highest average measured. Medium settings at 1080p yield 64 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 49 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. For a smooth experience, Low or Medium at 1080p are the only viable options. The data shows that Medium at 1080p has a minimum FPS of 55, which is close to 60, so it may dip below in busy scenes.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset provides 50 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action; however, Hard West is turn-based, so this may be acceptable. Medium at 1440p averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35, which could feel sluggish. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, with averages of 31 and 23 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, no settings achieve playable frame rates: Low averages 26 FPS, Medium 21 FPS, High 16 FPS, and Ultra 12 FPS. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not viable for this combo.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which balances an average of 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS. This provides a 19 FPS improvement over High, while only sacrificing some visual fidelity. Low at 1080p offers 15 FPS more (79 vs. 64) but may reduce graphical quality noticeably. For users prioritizing frame rate, Low is the safest choice; for a balance, Medium is recommended. Ultra at any resolution is not advisable, as even at 1080p, it only reaches 37 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 79 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74. High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline: 79, 64, 49, 37. This represents a 53% drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 50 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS (min 35, max 47), High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54%, similar to 1080p. At 3840x2160, Low averages 26 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS (min 18, max 25), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54% as well. This consistency across resolutions indicates a uniform scaling behavior.

Breaking down by resolution, the data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where any setting exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p has a min FPS of 55, which is close to the threshold, but the average of 64 suggests most gameplay is smooth. At 1440p, the best case is Low at 50 FPS, which is below 60. At 4K, the best case is Low at 26 FPS, which is not playable for most users. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Medium is consistent: at 1080p, it’s 15 FPS (79 vs. 64); at 1440p, it’s 9 FPS (50 vs. 41); at 4K, it’s 5 FPS (26 vs. 21). This narrowing gap suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU’s limitations become more pronounced, and settings have less impact on the absolute FPS difference.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding across all resolutions. At 1080p, it achieves 37 FPS, which is 42 FPS lower than Low. At 1440p, Ultra is 23 FPS, 27 FPS lower than Low. At 4K, Ultra is 12 FPS, 14 FPS lower than Low. The absolute difference shrinks with resolution, but the relative drop remains around 53-54%. The data indicates that the Arc B370’s 20 ROPs and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for higher resolutions, as the fill rate demand increases linearly with pixel count. The system shared memory bandwidth is also a constraint, as the GPU cannot access dedicated VRAM. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is only viable at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, and any other configuration results in sub-60 FPS performance.