Hard West

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, with ECC support enabled.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong single-thread performance, scoring 1280 in 3DMark single-thread, 346 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 3023 in Geekbench single-core. Multi-threaded results are equally robust: 9824 in 3DMark 16-thread, 3178 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 20485 in Cinebench R23 multicore, and 17906 in Geekbench multicore. The PassMark suite shows a multithread score of 37161, floating point math at 78999, integer math at 120142, and data compression at 437140. The processor sits at the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics title, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame pacing during unit turns and AI calculations. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that single-threaded game logic — which often dominates in this genre — executes quickly. The 8-core/16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks, but the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most measured scenarios. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2525 and 4-thread score of 4869 indicate that the processor scales efficiently with thread count, which is relevant for handling the game's turn-based computations without stutter.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700X has an average score of 37943, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904). It leads the Intel Core 5 211E (37829) by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804) by 0.4%. These margins are negligible, indicating that the CPU's performance class is well-established, and any differences observed in Hard West are more likely attributable to GPU or resolution scaling.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage, Arc 5 generation) using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, 80 raster output units, and 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B570 scores 2649 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), 83514 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 96844 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark results show a G3D score of 14195, GPU compute of 7281, DirectX 11 at 118, and DirectX 12 at 72. The GPU ranks at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556.

For Hard West, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's asset streaming, and the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth prevents texture thrashing during intense scenes. The 2500 MHz clock ensures consistent fill rates, which matter for the game's isometric camera and lighting effects. However, the measured FPS data reveals that the GPU struggles at 4K Ultra (21 FPS) and 4K High (28 FPS), suggesting that the Arc B570's 80 ROPs and 11.52 TFLOPS are taxed heavily by the game's rendering load at high pixel counts.

Compared to nearest rivals, the Arc B570 has an average score of 20556, which is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480). It trails the Intel Arc A750 (20582) by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662) by 0.5%. These tight margins indicate that the GPU is mid-pack in its class, but the measured game FPS shows that Hard West's optimization plays a larger role than raw synthetic scores.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 achieves a combo rank of 2360 out of 2949 combos for Hard West. This places the pairing in the lower portion (roughly the 20th percentile) of all tested configurations. The rank reflects the GPU's relative weakness at higher resolutions, as the CPU's strong synthetic scores do not translate to top-tier game performance when paired with the Arc B570.

The data indicates that this combo is not optimized for Hard West's demanding ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 63 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 40 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 21 FPS — a significant degradation. The combo's rank of 2360 suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs achieve higher frame rates, likely due to the Arc B570's mid-range positioning (65th percentile among GPUs) relative to the CPU's high-end positioning (86th percentile among CPUs).

The gap between CPU and GPU performance classes is telling. The Ryzen 7 9700X can feed frames far faster than the Arc B570 can render them, particularly at 4K. This imbalance means the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU, and users would see substantial gains by pairing the CPU with a stronger GPU, or by dialing back resolution and settings to match the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p delivers playable frame rates across all settings, with Low at 134 FPS, Medium at 110 FPS, High at 84 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. At 1440p, frame rates range from 85 FPS (Low) to 40 FPS (Ultra), while 4K drops to 44 FPS (Low) and 21 FPS (Ultra).

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37829), and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and how does it compare to rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 20556. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750 (20582), and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662).

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

A: The difference is stark. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 84 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 28 FPS — a 66.7% reduction. The gap narrows at Low settings, from 134 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 4K, but the GPU remains the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combinations for Hard West, placing it in the lower 20% of all combos. This indicates that while the CPU is strong, the GPU limits overall performance in this game.

Q: Is there a settings preset that yields consistent frame times?

A: The Medium preset provides the only measured minimum and maximum FPS data, showing 93-126 FPS at 1080p, 59-80 FPS at 1440p, and 31-42 FPS at 4K. This suggests Medium offers more predictable performance than other presets, which lack min/max data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear resolution scaling trends. At 1080p, the combo delivers playable frame rates across all settings: Low at 134 FPS, Medium at 110 FPS, High at 84 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. Moving to 1440p, frame rates drop to 85 FPS (Low), 69 FPS (Medium), 53 FPS (High), and 40 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the performance falls further to 44 FPS (Low), 36 FPS (Medium), 28 FPS (High), and 21 FPS (Ultra).

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent reduction across all settings. At Low settings, the drop from 134 FPS to 44 FPS represents a 67.2% decrease. At Medium, the drop from 110 FPS to 36 FPS is a 67.3% decrease. At High, the drop from 84 FPS to 28 FPS is a 66.7% decrease. At Ultra, the drop from 63 FPS to 21 FPS is a 66.7% decrease. This uniform percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K but frame rates only drop by roughly two-thirds.

The CPU's influence on resolution scaling is minimal, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain more stable as resolution increases, since the CPU workload (game logic, AI, turn calculations) remains constant while GPU workload scales with pixel count. Instead, the steady decline confirms that the Arc B570's 80 ROPs and 10 GB VRAM are insufficient for 4K rendering in Hard West, even at Low settings where 44 FPS is only marginally playable.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the data suggests that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 110 FPS with a measured range of 93-126 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without frame drops below 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 69 FPS with a range of 59-80 FPS, still maintaining playability. Only at 4K Medium does the combo drop to 36 FPS (31-42 FPS range), which is below the 40 FPS threshold often considered acceptable for turn-based tactics.

High settings are also viable at 1080p (84 FPS) and 1440p (53 FPS), but the lack of min/max data makes it harder to guarantee consistent frame times. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p (63 FPS), as it drops to 40 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K — both below comfortable playability thresholds. Low settings provide the highest frame rates (134 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, 44 FPS at 4K) but sacrifice visual fidelity, which may not be worth the performance gain given the game's turn-based nature.

The Medium preset's measured min/max data provides the only concrete evidence of frame time stability, making it the most reliable choice. Users prioritizing visual quality at 1080p can choose High, while those with 1440p displays should stick to Medium or lower. At 4K, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average, so users with 4K displays must accept lower settings or consider that the game's turn-based genre is more forgiving of lower frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves the following averages: Low at 134 FPS, Medium at 110 FPS (min 93, max 126), High at 84 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear gradient, with Medium providing a 31% improvement over High and Low providing a 22% improvement over Medium.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 85 FPS, Medium at 69 FPS (min 59, max 80), High at 53 FPS, and Ultra at 40 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset maintains a minimum of 59 FPS, which is just at the edge of smooth playability, while High and Ultra dip below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 44 FPS, Medium at 36 FPS (min 31, max 42), High at 28 FPS, and Ultra at 21 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve a 60 FPS average, and even Low settings fall below 45 FPS, indicating that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Hard West.

The measured data also reveals the impact of settings on performance within each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS (134 vs 63), a 53% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 45 FPS (85 vs 40), a 53% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 23 FPS (44 vs 21), also a 52% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the settings scaling is proportional, as expected, with the GPU handling increased graphical load uniformly. The only resolution with min/max data is Medium, which shows narrow ranges (93-126 at 1080p, 59-80 at 1440p, 31-42 at 4K), indicating stable frame times that are less prone to spikes than other presets might be.