Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a highly constrained experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings indicate that the Intel Arc B390 graphics processor is the primary performance bottleneck, with the capable Ryzen 7 9700X CPU unable to compensate for the GPU's limitations. The data shows a clear pattern where frame rates plummet as resolution increases, and even at the lowest settings, the system struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 71 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 1440p, and then to 24 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing that the rendering load increases disproportionately with pixel count.

The pattern is consistent across other settings as well. With High settings, the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, and then to 18 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic decline, starting at 41 FPS at 1080p, falling to 26 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 14 FPS at 4K. This consistent scaling behavior across all quality presets strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, as a CPU bottleneck would typically show less variation between 1440p and 4K.

The gap between 1080p and 4K performance is substantial. At Low settings, the system achieves 87 FPS at 1080p but only 29 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. This indicates that the Intel Arc B390, with its modest specifications, is overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at 4K resolution. The 300 MHz base clock and 2500 MHz boost clock of the GPU are not sufficient to handle the increased workload, and the system shared memory architecture further limits performance at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demands increase.

The data also shows that the scaling is not linear. Moving from 1080p to 1440p incurs a smaller penalty than moving from 1440p to 4K, which is expected given the larger pixel count jump between the latter two resolutions. The 4K results, ranging from 14 FPS at Ultra to 29 FPS at Low, are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this combination in Hard West.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear performance limiter in this combination. Its benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low standing, and the nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446. The Arc B390's score is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX, indicating that its raw graphics processing capability is at the entry-level tier.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG based on the Panther Lake chip, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. These specifications, while modest, are not the entire story; the memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice means it shares bandwidth with the CPU, potentially causing contention in memory-intensive scenarios.

The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and it operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The low base clock is particularly telling, as it suggests the GPU is designed for power efficiency rather than peak performance. In Hard West, the measured frame rates at 1080p Low (87 FPS) are the only results that approach playable levels, while all other configurations fall below 71 FPS. The 4K results, ranging from 14 to 29 FPS, are consistently poor, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU cannot handle high-resolution rendering.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 9 out of 100 is a stark indicator of its position in the market. Compared to the CPU, which ranks in the 86th percentile, the GPU is severely underpowered for this pairing. This imbalance means that even though the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU with draw calls and geometry data, the GPU simply cannot process the frames fast enough to deliver smooth gameplay at higher settings or resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end desktop processor that is vastly more capable than the GPU it is paired with. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process. The base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9700X demonstrates strong performance. It scores 20485 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2211 in single-core, 17906 in Geekbench multicore, and 3023 in single-core. The PassMark multithread score is 37161, with a single-thread score of 4654. Its average benchmark score is 37943, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-14901E with an average score of 37911 (only 0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 37904 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core 5 211E at 37829 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 37804 (0.4% lower).

Despite this strong CPU performance, the data shows that it has little impact on Hard West frame rates. The game is turn-based tactics, which typically does not demand high CPU throughput for frame generation, but rather for turn calculations and AI logic. The measured FPS values are consistently low at higher resolutions, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 87 FPS, which is the highest recorded value, but this still does not leverage the full potential of the Ryzen 7 9700X, which could theoretically push much higher frame rates if the GPU were more capable.

The CPU's high single-thread performance (2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is relevant for game logic, but in this case, the GPU's 9th percentile ranking creates an insurmountable bottleneck. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, but the GPU's low fill rate and shared memory bandwidth prevent it from keeping up with even modest resolutions. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X is significantly overqualified for this pairing, and its performance is effectively wasted in Hard West due to the GPU limitation.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 41 at Ultra to 87 at Low, with Medium at 71 and High at 55. All 1440p and 4K results fall below 55 FPS, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). It ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X a good match for the Intel Arc B390?

A: The CPU is far more powerful than the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X ranks in the 86th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 37943, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile. This imbalance means the CPU has significant unused potential in Hard West.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 87 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 41 FPS. This is a 46 FPS difference, or a 53% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

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

A: The measured data shows that 4K performance is poor. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 29 at Low, 24 at Medium, 18 at High, and 14 at Ultra. These frame rates are below the threshold for comfortable gameplay.

Q: What does the combo rank in this game?

A: The combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific CPU-GPU pairing in Hard West is 2614 out of 2949 tested combinations. This ranking places it in the 2614th position, meaning that 2613 other combinations perform better, and only 335 combinations perform worse. This is a low rank, consistent with the GPU's poor performance metrics.

The rank is particularly telling when considering the CPU's high standing. The Ryzen 7 9700X is in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943, while the Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 1482. The massive disparity in their capabilities results in a system that is heavily skewed toward CPU performance, but in a GPU-bound game like Hard West, the GPU's limitations dominate the overall experience.

The rank of 2614 out of 2949 means that this combo is in the bottom 11.3% of all tested configurations. This is a clear indication that the pairing is poorly balanced for this title. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary reason for this low rank, as its 9th percentile standing is the weakest link in the chain. The CPU's 86th percentile standing does not boost the combo's rank because the game's frame rate is limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

In practical terms, this rank means that users with this combination will experience frame rates that are significantly lower than what the CPU could theoretically support. The measured FPS data confirms this, with the highest average being 87 FPS at 1080p Low, and the majority of settings yielding results below 60 FPS. The rank also indicates that many other combos, likely those with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings, will provide a smoother experience in Hard West.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo in Hard West are at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This configuration achieves an average of 87 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all resolutions and settings. The Low preset at 1080p provides a playable experience, though it sacrifices visual quality for performance.

If the user prefers higher visual fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p is the next best option, delivering an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This still provides a smooth experience and offers better graphical quality than Low. The High preset at 1080p yields 55 FPS, which is marginally playable but may show occasional stutters depending on scene complexity.

The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 41 FPS, is not recommended for a consistent experience, as the frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 55 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while Medium drops to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, at 35 FPS and 26 FPS respectively, are too low for smooth gameplay.

For 4K resolution, all settings are below 30 FPS, with Low at 29 FPS, Medium at 24 FPS, High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. None of these configurations are recommended for gameplay, as they all fall well below playable frame rates. The data clearly indicates that the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, balancing frame rate and visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is organized by resolution and settings, providing a comprehensive view of performance:

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 87 FPS
• Medium: Average 71 FPS, Minimum 61 FPS, Maximum 82 FPS
• High: Average 55 FPS
• Ultra: Average 41 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 55 FPS
• Medium: Average 45 FPS, Minimum 38 FPS, Maximum 52 FPS
• High: Average 35 FPS
• Ultra: Average 26 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 29 FPS
• Medium: Average 24 FPS, Minimum 20 FPS, Maximum 27 FPS
• High: Average 18 FPS
• Ultra: Average 14 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the Low preset provides the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in descending order. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 46 FPS, which is substantial. At 1440p, the difference is 29 FPS, and at 4K, the difference is 15 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly saturated, reducing the impact of quality settings on performance.

The Medium settings rows include minimum and maximum FPS values, which provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 61 to 82 FPS, indicating a relatively stable experience. At 1440p Medium, the range is 38 to 52 FPS, showing more variability. At 4K Medium, the range is 20 to 27 FPS, which is a tight band but at an unplayable level.

The lack of minimum and maximum data for Low, High, and Ultra presets means that the average values are the only metrics for those settings. However, the averages are sufficient to establish a clear hierarchy of performance. The overall trend shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with lower settings, and it cannot handle higher resolutions with acceptable frame rates in Hard West.