Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The benchmark data reveals a system that is profoundly capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, particularly under higher graphical loads. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the division of labor between CPU and GPU, and what the numbers imply for players seeking the optimal experience.

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

The measured FPS data shows a stark and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline tells a compelling story about which component is the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 134 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 85 FPS, a 37% reduction. Jumping to 4K further reduces it to 44 FPS, which is a 48% drop from 1440p and a 67% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU has ample headroom, and the rendering load is increasingly falling on the Intel Arc B570.

The trend intensifies with higher settings. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 110 FPS (1080p), 69 FPS (1440p), and 36 FPS (4K). The percentage drops are similar, but the absolute values are lower. However, the most dramatic illustration of the GPU's limitations is visible at the High and Ultra presets. At High, the system manages 84 FPS at 1080p, but this collapses to 53 FPS at 1440p and a barely playable 28 FPS at 4K. At Ultra, the situation is dire for high-resolution enthusiasts: 63 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and just 21 FPS at 4K.

This data strongly suggests that the Arc B570's 10 GB of VRAM and its raw compute capability are the primary constraints. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is not the limiting factor here; even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most significant, the system is producing 134 FPS, which is far beyond what a turn-based tactics game requires for smooth play. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, but it is consistent. The GPU is simply overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K, especially when the game's shading and texture complexity increase with the High and Ultra presets.

The implication is clear: the Arc B570 is a capable 1080p and, to a lesser extent, 1440p card for this title, but 4K gaming is largely out of reach for demanding settings. The data shows a classic GPU-bottleneck signature—the frame rate halves as the pixel count roughly quadruples from 1080p to 4K, which points directly at the graphics card's fill rate and memory bandwidth (380.0 GB/s) being the ceiling.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end desktop processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, featuring 12 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. For a game like Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics title, the CPU's role is less about generating hundreds of frames per second and more about ensuring consistent, stable frame times and handling the game's logic, AI, and unit pathing calculations.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is more than sufficient for this task. At 1080p Low, the system's 134 FPS average suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is likely still the limiting factor even at this low resolution and preset. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16262 and a single-core score of 1527. This single-threaded performance is crucial for games that rely on a main simulation thread, and the data shows it is not holding the system back.

When we look at the 3DMark scores, the 16-thread score of 9075 and the max-thread score of 10075 indicate that the processor scales well with utilization. However, in Hard West, the difference between 1080p and 1440p frame rates (e.g., 134 FPS to 85 FPS at Low settings) is a 49 FPS drop, which is too large to be attributed to CPU limitations. The CPU's performance is consistent, and the frame rate variance is almost entirely due to the GPU's rendering load. The processor's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide a solid foundation, but the game's data suggests it is not a heavily multithreaded title that would stress the CPU's 24 threads. The Ryzen 9 5900X is essentially idling in terms of its headroom, leaving all the performance responsibility to the Intel Arc B570.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. Even at Ultra settings, the system maintains an average of 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 53 on High and 40 on Ultra, which is still playable but less fluid. 4K is not recommended, as the average FPS falls below 30 on all settings except Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750?

A: The average benchmark score for the Arc B570 is 20556, while the Arc A750 scores 20582, a delta of -0.1%. In practical terms, the data shows they are virtually identical in overall performance, suggesting that the B570's architectural improvements are offset by its reduced memory bus width (160-bit vs. the A750's larger bus), resulting in comparable frame rates in a title like this.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5900X a bottleneck for the Arc B570 in this game?

A: No. The data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 134 FPS, and the frame rate scales down primarily as resolution and settings increase. The CPU's high single-thread score (1527 in Cinebench R23) and ample core count ensure it can feed the GPU without becoming a constraint.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 85 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 40 FPS. This is a 45 FPS difference, or a 53% reduction in performance, showcasing the significant graphical load increase from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the combo rank well among other tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems tested for Hard West, which is surprising given its strong 1080p performance but is dragged down by the very low 4K frame rates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided are for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 93 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 59 FPS. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 31 FPS. These figures show that even at the lowest recorded points, the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p remains fluid.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across nine distinct configurations.

At 1920x1080, the system is at its most comfortable. The Low preset averages 134 FPS. The Medium preset averages 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. The High preset averages 84 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. This resolution is where the Arc B570 shines, delivering playable to highly fluid frame rates across all settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 85 FPS. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. The High preset averages 53 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. This is a viable resolution for gamers willing to compromise on settings, but the frame rates at High and Ultra are approaching the threshold where fast-paced action might feel less smooth.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the GPU's limitations. The Low preset averages 44 FPS. The Medium preset averages 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. The High preset averages 28 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 21 FPS. None of these settings achieve a consistent 60 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall below the 30 FPS playability threshold for many users. The 4K data clearly shows that this resolution is not suitable for this game with this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo's overall rank in Hard West is 2360 out of 2949 tested combinations. This places it in the 20th percentile of all systems tested, which is a surprisingly low position given the individual components' strong benchmark scores. The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376, which is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The low rank in this specific game is likely due to the game's age and its rendering engine. Hard West was released in 2015, and its engine may not be optimized for modern GPU architectures. The data shows that while the GPU is capable of high frame rates at 1080p, its performance at 4K is disproportionately poor, suggesting a potential driver overhead or architectural inefficiency in this title. The rank indicates that many other combos, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve better 4K performance, which pulls the average down. Despite the CPU's strength, the GPU's inability to handle 4K effectively is a significant factor in this low ranking.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (deltaPct 0.4), have nearly identical average scores, confirming that the 5900X is not the issue. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1), also has a nearly identical score, indicating that the Arc B570 is performing as expected for its class. The rank, therefore, is a reflection of the game's specific demands rather than a defect in the hardware.

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

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice. With an average of 63 FPS, it provides a high-fidelity experience without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset at 110 FPS is also excellent for players with high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual upgrade to Ultra is worth the 47 FPS trade-off for most users.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. It averages 53 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS standard but provides a significantly better visual experience than Medium (69 FPS) at a more modest performance cost than Ultra (40 FPS). The data suggests that High is the best balance of fidelity and performance at this resolution.

For 4K, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 44 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 36 FPS, which is borderline, and the High (28 FPS) and Ultra (21 FPS) presets are not recommended for a smooth experience. If a player insists on 4K, they must accept the Low preset to maintain a reasonable frame rate.

The data clearly points to 1080p Ultra as the definitive "best experience" for this combo, delivering the highest visual quality with a frame rate that remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is the decisive factor in this system's performance profile. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, it offers a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz and features 2304 shading units. Its compute capability is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The game's performance scaling strongly implicates the GPU as the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 21 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it averages 63 FPS. This three-fold reduction in performance with a four-fold increase in pixels is a classic sign of a GPU that is limited by its memory bandwidth and raw pixel throughput (200.0 GPixel/s). The 10 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this 2015 title, but the bus width and bandwidth are not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K with heavy shading.

The GPU's benchmark data shows a passmark G3D score of 14195 and a DirectX 12 score of 72, which are modest. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a nearly identical average score (20582 vs. 20556), confirming that this is a mid-range GPU. The performance in Hard West reflects this positioning: it is excellent for 1080p, acceptable for 1440p with settings compromises, and inadequate for 4K. The data suggests that the GPU is optimized for lower-resolution gaming, where its 2500 MHz clock can be fully utilized, but it struggles to maintain frame rates when the pixel count and texture detail increase, highlighting the limitations of its 160-bit memory interface.