Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents an unusual combination in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows a stark contrast between a high-end, modern CPU and a low-power integrated GPU, resulting in frame rates that are heavily constrained by the graphics solution. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and practical settings for this specific pairing.

FAQ

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

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate is 18 FPS on High settings and 14 FPS on Ultra. Even dropping to Low settings only yields an average of 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the only resolution where playable frame rates are consistently achieved. At this resolution, Low settings produce 87 FPS average, Medium produces 71 FPS, and High produces 55 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 places it just 1.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% above the GeForce 800M. It is 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM and 2.7% faster than the GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is far more capable than the GPU. Its average benchmark score of 58386 places it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. The frame rates are limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 55 FPS, while Ultra settings average 26 FPS. This represents a significant 29 FPS drop for the higher visual fidelity.

Q: Are the minimum frame rates available for all settings?

A: No. The measured data includes minimum and maximum frame rates only for Medium settings at each resolution. For example, at 1920x1080 Medium, the frame rate ranges from 61 to 82 FPS, while other settings only list an average.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive limiting factor in this system. It is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its performance class is very low; the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 puts it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are entry-level discrete cards like the GeForce GT 710, which it beats by only 2.7%.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This makes memory bandwidth "System Dependent," which is a critical factor in a game like Hard West. The shared memory setup means the GPU's performance can be influenced by the CPU's memory controller and the speed of the system RAM, but the core limitation remains the GPU's raw compute power.

The Arc B390's clock speeds are notable for their range: a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. While the boost clock is high, the sheer lack of processing units (1536 shading units, 24 ROPs) limits its output. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are modest figures that directly impact how quickly the game can fill the screen with graphical data.

The benchmark results confirm this. At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles enormously. Even at Low settings, the average frame rate is 29 FPS, which is not smooth. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 15 FPS (29 vs 14). At 2560x1440, the situation improves, with Low settings hitting 55 FPS, but Ultra still falls to 26 FPS. This pattern shows that the Arc B390 is only suitable for lower resolutions and less demanding settings in Hard West. The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP slot width suggest it is designed for efficiency in portable devices, not for high-end gaming performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an entirely different class of hardware. As a desktop processor from the 9000 series, it is built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU has a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a hallmark of the X3D lineup and beneficial for gaming.

The CPU's benchmark scores are robust. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228. In PassMark tests, it scores 41318 in multithread and 4704 in single-thread. Its average benchmark score of 58386 places it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, just 0.1% above the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and 0.5% above the Intel Core i9-14900.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is primarily in handling game logic, AI calculations, and unit pathfinding. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's high single-thread performance and large cache are well-suited for these tasks. The data clearly shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck. In every measured scenario, the frame rate is dictated by the GPU's limits, not the CPU's ability to feed it data.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s provides a fast pipeline for the shared GPU memory. However, this advantage is moot when the GPU lacks the compute units to process the data. The CPU's performance headroom is vast; it could easily support a far more powerful dedicated GPU, but in this pairing, its capabilities are largely wasted on a game that is visually simple by modern standards.

Settings Recommendations

Given the Arc B390's performance profile, the settings selection is crucial for a playable experience. The goal is to maintain a frame rate above 30 FPS, with 60 FPS being ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the recommended preset is Medium. This setting achieves an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target and ensures consistent performance. While Low settings achieve a higher average of 87 FPS, the visual quality improvement at Medium is worth the minor performance cost for most users. High settings at 55 FPS are also playable, but the drop below 60 FPS may be noticeable in fast-paced scenes.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation is Low settings. This yields an average of 55 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a 60 Hz monitor. Medium settings drop to 45 FPS, and while still playable for a turn-based game, the decreased smoothness is more pronounced. Ultra settings at 26 FPS are not recommended for a comfortable experience.

At 3840x2160, no settings provide a playable experience. The highest average is 29 FPS on Low, which is below the 30 FPS minimum threshold for acceptable gameplay. High settings at 18 FPS and Ultra at 14 FPS are essentially slideshows. Users with a 4K display should either lower the resolution to 1440p or 1080p or consider a different GPU.

The measured data suggests that the performance scaling from Low to Ultra is not linear. For example, at 1080p, the jump from Low (87 FPS) to Medium (71 FPS) costs 16 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High (55 FPS) costs another 16 FPS. The jump to Ultra (41 FPS) costs 14 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is hitting its architectural limits at higher settings, making the Medium preset the best balance of visual quality and performance for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hard West, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 total combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's low performance percentile. The ranking reflects the fact that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU is a major limiting factor that drags the overall gaming experience down.

This low rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's average benchmark score is 58386, placing it in the 92nd percentile, with rivals like the Intel Core i9-14900 being only 0.5% slower. The Intel Arc B390, however, has an average score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile. The combination of these two extremes results in a system that is unbalanced for gaming, where the GPU is unable to utilize the CPU's performance potential.

The rank of 2614 suggests that almost all other combinations tested, even those with much older CPUs, outperform this setup in Hard West because they likely include a more capable GPU. The data indicates that the Arc B390 is a significant bottleneck, and its performance is more in line with iGPUs from a decade ago than with modern discrete graphics cards. For a game like Hard West, which is not graphically intensive, the CPU's power is irrelevant if the GPU cannot render the frames.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is a direct breakdown of the measured average frame rates for this combination. Minimum and maximum values are only provided for Medium settings.

3840x2160 (4K)

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

2560x1440 (1440p)

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

1920x1080 (1080p)

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

The data shows a clear pattern. At 1080p, the system is capable of producing playable frame rates across all settings, with Low being very smooth and Ultra being playable. As resolution increases, the performance degrades sharply. The gap between Low and Ultra widens at higher resolutions, with a 58 FPS difference at 1080p, a 29 FPS difference at 1440p, and a 15 FPS difference at 4K. This indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution rendering. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only configuration that offers both a consistently high frame rate and a reasonable visual quality, making it the clear recommendation for this hardware pairing.