Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while revealing strong CPU headroom that keeps frame rates high at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across settings and resolutions, placing the combo’s results in context against its nearest rivals and the broader test pool.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo achieves 134 FPS on Low, which drops by 36% to 85 FPS at 1440p, and then by another 48% to 44 FPS at 4K. This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B570’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor once pixel count rises. The trend is consistent across all settings: High settings see a drop from 84 FPS at 1080p to 53 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 28 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). Medium settings show a similar trajectory, falling from 110 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p and 36 FPS at 4K.

The scaling between 1440p and 4K is particularly telling. For Low, Medium, and High presets, the performance loss from 1440p to 4K hovers around 47-48%. This near-consistent percentage drop across different quality levels suggests that the GPU’s fillrate and memory bandwidth are saturated at 4K, regardless of the shading workload. The 4K results—ranging from 21 FPS on Ultra to 44 FPS on Low—are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this combo in Hard West.

At 1080p, the scaling behavior changes character. The jump from Low (134 FPS) to Medium (110 FPS) is an 18% penalty, while Medium to High (84 FPS) costs another 24%. The Ultra preset (63 FPS) represents a 43% reduction from High. These larger incremental penalties at 1080p suggest the CPU is no longer the bottleneck, and the GPU is handling increased shading complexity with diminishing returns. The fact that 1080p Ultra still maintains 63 FPS—above the 60 FPS playability bar—indicates the CPU and GPU combination has enough headroom for high-quality settings at this resolution.

The data implies that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is not the primary constraint in this title. Even at 4K Low, where the GPU is most stressed, the system manages 44 FPS, a figure that would likely be higher if the CPU were the limiting factor. Conversely, the consistent scaling penalties from 1440p to 4K across all presets point squarely at the Arc B570’s 10 GB VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth as the components that dictate the upper performance ceiling.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s specifications directly explain the measured FPS patterns. With a 10 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 160-bit bus, the card delivers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Hard West, a game with relatively modest texture requirements given its 2015 release, this bandwidth is sufficient at 1080p but becomes strained at 4K, where the pixel throughput demands increase exponentially. The card’s base and boost clocks are both fixed at 2500 MHz, with no dynamic range, meaning performance scaling relies entirely on the 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units.

The GPU’s benchmark data provides context for its gaming performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. More revealing are its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534 (0.1% higher), the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (0.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662 (0.5% lower). These near-identical average scores suggest the B570 sits in a performance tier that is competitive with mid-range mobile and older desktop parts, which aligns with its 1080p-oriented results in Hard West.

The GPU’s 4K performance is the clearest indicator of its limits. At 4K Ultra, the card produces just 21 FPS, a figure that is 67% lower than its 1080p Ultra result of 63 FPS. This dramatic drop is consistent with the card’s 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, which, while capable for 1080p, is insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels of 3840x2160 when combined with high shading loads. The 4K Medium result of 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS shows that even moderate settings cannot maintain a stable frame rate at this resolution.

At 1080p, the GPU’s role is more favorable. The card’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is ample for the turn-based tactics genre, which typically features static scenes and limited particle effects. The 1080p Medium result of 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS, demonstrates that the B570 can sustain high refresh rates when the CPU is not the bottleneck. The 1080p Low result of 134 FPS further confirms that the GPU has headroom to spare at this resolution, making it the recommended target for this combo.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS on 4K?*

A: No. The highest 4K result is 44 FPS on Low settings. Medium produces 36 FPS, High produces 28 FPS, and Ultra produces 21 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where all settings, including Ultra at 63 FPS, exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (85 FPS) and Medium (69 FPS) achieve this. High at 1440p drops to 53 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 1440p on Medium settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 110 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, a 37% reduction. The minimum FPS also falls from 93 to 59.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the 4K performance drop?

A: The GPU. The 4K results show a consistent 47-48% drop from 1440p across Low, Medium, and High settings, which indicates the Arc B570’s rendering limits. The CPU’s high benchmark scores (e.g., 16817 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) suggest it is not the constraint.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rival, the RTX 3070 Mobile?

A: The Arc B570’s average benchmark score is 20556, while the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534. This is a 0.1% difference, meaning they are virtually identical in synthetic tests. In Hard West, the measured FPS reflects this parity.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on 1440p Medium, and is it stable?

A: The minimum FPS is 59, with an average of 69 and a maximum of 80. This shows a tight frame time distribution, indicating stable performance without major hitches.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 measured FPS points, covering three resolutions and four settings. Starting with 1080p, the results are: Low 134 FPS, Medium 110 FPS (min 93, max 126), High 84 FPS, and Ultra 63 FPS. This progression shows a 53% reduction from Low to Ultra, which is a significant penalty for the highest quality preset. The Medium preset’s minimum of 93 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the performance scales down predictably: Low 85 FPS, Medium 69 FPS (min 59, max 80), High 53 FPS, and Ultra 40 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, suggesting occasional dips in complex scenes. The High preset at 53 FPS is playable but not ideal for smooth motion, while Ultra at 40 FPS begins to feel sluggish.

At 4K, the results fall below playability thresholds: Low 44 FPS, Medium 36 FPS (min 31, max 42), High 28 FPS, and Ultra 21 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 31 FPS is particularly concerning, as it indicates that frame pacing could become erratic. The Ultra result of 21 FPS is barely interactive, making 4K unsuitable for this title with this hardware.

The delta between settings is not uniform across resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 24 FPS, while at 4K it is only 8 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU’s pixel processing limits dominate, reducing the impact of shading quality settings. Conversely, at 1080p, the larger gaps (e.g., 21 FPS between High and Ultra) suggest that the GPU has enough headroom to render additional effects, but the cost is still substantial.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + Intel Arc B570 combo ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combinations in Hard West. This places it in the 20th percentile of all combos, meaning roughly 80% of tested systems achieve higher frame rates. This ranking is unsurprising given the game’s age and the Arc B570’s mid-range positioning. The combo’s rank is more indicative of the GPU’s tier than the CPU’s capability, as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a high-end processor.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals provides context for the combo’s positioning. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has an average benchmark score of 33079, with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G (33089, 0% delta), Intel Core i7-13650HX (33089, 0% delta), and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX (33091, 0% delta) all performing within 0.1% in synthetic tests. This suggests that swapping the CPU would yield negligible FPS changes in Hard West, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

The GPU’s ranking is more relevant. With a percentile of 65 against all GPUs, the Arc B570 is a mid-pack performer. Its nearest rivals—the RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher), Arc A750 (0.1% lower), and R9 M390X (0.5% lower)—all fall within a 1% band of average scores. This tight clustering means that the combo’s rank in Hard West is largely determined by the GPU tier, not the specific card model.

The combination of a top-tier CPU and mid-tier GPU creates a bottleneck scenario. The CPU’s 83rd percentile ranking (with an average benchmark score of 33079) far exceeds the GPU’s 65th percentile (average score 20556). In Hard West, this imbalance manifests as the GPU being the sole limiter, which is why the combo’s rank (2360) reflects GPU performance rather than CPU performance. For users with this combo, the ranking suggests that upgrading the GPU would provide a significant FPS boost, while a CPU upgrade would offer no measurable benefit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D brings substantial processing power to this combo. Its 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture, are complemented by a 96 MB shared L3 cache. This large cache is particularly beneficial for turn-based tactics games, which often involve complex AI calculations and pathfinding. The CPU’s base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2426 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1713.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (134 FPS) suggests the CPU can feed the GPU far more frames than the Arc B570 can render. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16817 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 34293, are more than adequate for the game’s turn-based logic. The data indicates no CPU bottleneck, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which would not occur if the CPU were the limiting factor.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 83 places it well above the GPU’s rank of 65. This disparity means that in Hard West, the CPU is effectively idle at higher resolutions, waiting for the GPU to complete rendering tasks. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7980 and 8-thread score of 6539 further confirm the CPU’s ability to handle concurrent workloads, but the game’s reliance on GPU throughput renders this headroom unused.

For a game released in 2015, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D’s performance is overkill. The CPU’s nearest rivals—including the Ryzen 7 8700G and Intel Core i7-13650HX—all have average scores within 0.1% of the 7800X3D, meaning any of these processors would deliver identical Hard West results. This suggests that the CPU choice is irrelevant for this title, and the combo’s performance is entirely dictated by the graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 110 FPS average with a 93 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. High settings at 1080p (84 FPS) are also viable, but the 24% performance drop from Medium may not justify the visual improvements in a turn-based game where motion is less critical.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering 69 FPS average and 59 FPS minimum. This is just at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold, and the tight frame times (min 59, max 80) suggest consistent performance. Low settings at 1440p (85 FPS) provide more headroom for demanding scenes, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable. High settings at 1440p (53 FPS) are playable but may feel less responsive, while Ultra (40 FPS) is not recommended.

At 4K, no settings provide a fully smooth experience. Low settings at 44 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but the 4K resolution’s benefits are undermined by the low frame rate. For users with 4K displays, the data suggests either lowering the resolution to 1440p or accepting a sub-60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 4K (36 FPS) has a minimum of 31 FPS, which could cause noticeable stuttering in busy scenes, making it a poor choice.

The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it achieves 63 FPS. At any higher resolution, the performance penalty (40 FPS at 1440p, 21 FPS at 4K) makes it impractical. Given the game’s turn-based nature, the visual enhancements of Ultra may be less impactful than in action games, so the Medium preset’s combination of 110 FPS at 1080p and 69 FPS at 1440p represents the sweet spot for this hardware. For users prioritizing frame rate stability, Low settings at 1080p (134 FPS) offer the highest performance with minimal risk of drops.