Hard West

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It operates at a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The chip includes 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for a desktop processor. Its benchmark percentile ranks at 92, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of all CPUs in the database.

For a turn-based tactics title like Hard West, the CPU's role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing and handling game logic, AI calculations, and scene management. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 151 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower graphical loads. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 71 FPS, indicating that the GPU begins to take on more responsibility as settings increase.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4704. These scores matter for Hard West because turn-based games often have moments where the engine must process a sequence of actions quickly, and single-thread latency can affect how snappy those transitions feel. The multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a Passmark multithread score of 41318, ensures that background tasks and complex game logic do not interfere with frame delivery.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D sits within a tight cluster. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900, and 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon w5-2545. The data shows that the 9850X3D is effectively in the same performance tier as these processors, though the specific architecture and cache layout may influence real-time game behavior differently.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Hard West?

A: The highest average FPS is 151, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 41, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. At High settings, the average is 32 FPS, and at Ultra, it drops to 24 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2228, while the multi-core score is 22807, indicating roughly a 10x scaling across cores. The Passmark single-thread score of 4704 versus a multithread score of 41318 shows a similar pattern.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D ranks in the 92nd percentile, meaning it is faster than 92% of all CPUs in the benchmark database.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and how does it compare to rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021. It is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield an average of 96 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 45 FPS, a difference of 51 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data reveals a clear pattern of FPS degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. Starting at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 151 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 96 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average further declines to 50 FPS, which is about 67% lower than the 1080p result.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar but with slightly different magnitudes. At 1080p Medium, the average is 124 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it falls to 79 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it reaches 41 FPS. The High settings preset shows 95 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 71 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K.

The consistent proportional drop across all settings suggests that the system is largely GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The Intel Arc B580's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory are being stressed as pixel count increases, particularly at 4K where the render workload grows exponentially. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores indicate it can feed frames quickly at lower resolutions, but once the GPU becomes saturated, the FPS ceiling is determined by the graphics card's compute and memory capabilities.

At 1080p, the gap between Low (151 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS) is 80 FPS, which shows that even at the lowest resolution, the GPU's shading units and texture units are the primary constraint when settings are maxed. The Arc B580's FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are being fully utilized at higher presets. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, only Low settings approach a playable 50 FPS, while Medium and above fall below 41 FPS.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth turn-based gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 71 FPS, still playable but with a noticeable drop. Medium at 1080p offers 124 FPS, making it the best balance between visual fidelity and headroom for complex scenes, as the minimum FPS of 105 ensures consistent performance.

For 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 60 FPS average, which is exactly at the common 60 Hz refresh rate target. The Medium preset at 1440p reaches 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67, providing additional margin for frame time spikes during AI-heavy turns. Low at 1440p produces 96 FPS, which may be excessive for a turn-based game and sacrifices visual quality unnecessarily. Ultra at 1440p drops to 45 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth camera panning and animation.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches a comfortable experience. Medium at 4K averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced game but could feel stuttery during transitions. High at 4K averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS, both of which are likely to feel sluggish. For 4K users, Low settings are recommended, while users with 1080p or 1440p displays should consider High or Medium respectively.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across most resolutions, as it maintains a minimum FPS above 35 at 4K and above 105 at 1080p. The High preset is a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual detail, provided they accept lower average FPS at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2221 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places the combo in the 75th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the systems in the database but lags behind the top 25% of high-end configurations.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's strong benchmarks and the GPU's mid-range positioning. The Arc B580's percentileVsAllGpus is 68, which is below the CPU's 92, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The combo's rank reflects this imbalance: the CPU has headroom to spare, but the GPU constrains overall performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

In the context of other tested combos, this rank suggests that while the system is capable of running Hard West, it is not optimized for maximum frame rates. The nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, which are older but more powerful cards, and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is an older budget option. The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 sits between these cards, explaining why the combo does not rank higher.

The rank of 2221 out of 2949 also indicates that many systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings achieve better results in Hard West. The game's turn-based nature may not fully utilize the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads, so a less powerful CPU paired with a stronger GPU might yield higher FPS. However, the current combo still delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, as shown in the measured FPS data.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 151 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average, 105 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 71 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 96 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 90 FPS maximum
• High: 60 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 50 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average, 35 FPS minimum, 47 FPS maximum
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: the gap between Low and Medium is smaller than the gap between Medium and High, and the gap between High and Ultra is the largest. For example, at 1440p, the difference between Low (96 FPS) and Medium (79 FPS) is 17 FPS, between Medium and High (60 FPS) is 19 FPS, and between High and Ultra (45 FPS) is 15 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces disproportionately heavy effects that tax the GPU's resources.

The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings, showing 105 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that the Medium preset maintains a stable frame rate without severe drops, which is important for a turn-based game where sudden camera movements can cause stutter.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective).

The GPU's shading units number 2560, with 160 texture mapping units and 80 raster output units. It also includes 20 ray tracing cores, though Hard West, as a 2015 turn-based tactics game, is unlikely to use them. The FP32 performance is 13.67 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s. The pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s.

In the context of Hard West, the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for a game from 2015, even at 4K resolution. The memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations do not become bottlenecks at lower settings. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 24 FPS, indicating that the GPU's compute throughput is the limiting factor when all visual effects are enabled.

The Arc B580's benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672, and a Passmark G3D score of 15748. Its percentileVsAllGpus is 68, placing it in the upper third of all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% ahead).

The GPU's role in Hard West becomes evident when comparing the FPS scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully saturated, as evidenced by the 151 FPS at Low settings. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are increasingly taxed, leading to the observed FPS drops. The 190 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest a mid-range power draw, which aligns with its performance class. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for the GPU's memory operations, though a x16 interface might offer marginal improvements in data transfer for texture-heavy scenes.