Hard West

# Hard West with AMD Ryzen 9 7900X + Intel Arc B370

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a profoundly GPU-limited experience in Hard West, a 2015 turn-based tactics title. The combination ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. Benchmark results show playable frame rates at 1080p with Low settings, but the system struggles substantially as resolution and quality presets increase, revealing a massive imbalance between the high-end CPU and the integrated-class GPU.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 7900X's CPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, placing it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206) and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon 634 (52974). It trails the Intel Core i7-14700F by 0.6% (53620) and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 0.3% (53469). This CPU sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs tested.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo achieves, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 79, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution with Medium settings, the average drops to 64 FPS, while High settings yield 49 FPS and Ultra drops to 37 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with this hardware combination in Hard West?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 26 FPS average. Medium averages 21 FPS, High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra falls to 12 FPS. These results are well below smooth playability thresholds.

Q: What does the Intel Arc B370's benchmark percentile indicate?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. It performs nearly identically to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), while edging the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168) by 1.4%.

Q: How consistent are frame times at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo delivers a 41 FPS average with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This 12 FPS spread between min and max indicates moderate frame pacing variance.

Q: Does the CPU's multithreading capability translate to better gaming performance here?

A: No. Despite the Ryzen 9 7900X scoring 29300 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 51406 in PassMark multithread, the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking bottlenecks the system entirely. The game's performance scales with GPU capability, not CPU throughput.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 4 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, drawing 170 W TDP. The CPU features 64 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1 MB L2 and 64 KB L1 per core. It supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel interface, delivering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 CPU lanes.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the CPU's raw compute muscle is largely irrelevant. Benchmark data shows the CPU ranks in the 91st percentile overall, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4238 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2617. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2137 and 16-thread score of 10972 demonstrate strong scaling across core counts, yet the game's frame rates never reflect this capability.

The mismatch becomes evident when examining the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the system produces 79 FPS, which is respectable. However, the same CPU paired with a stronger GPU would likely push far higher. The Ryzen 9 7900X's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29300 and PassMark physics score of 3060 indicate no CPU-bound constraints for a game of Hard West's era. The data suggests the processor is effectively idle-waiting on the GPU in nearly every scenario.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. It runs at a 300 MHz base clock with a 2400 MHz boost, featuring 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. The GPU includes 10 ray tracing cores and delivers 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 performance. Memory is system shared, with bandwidth described as system dependent.

This GPU's benchmark credentials are modest: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy parts—the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000—none of which are modern gaming solutions. The 20 ROPs and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate explain why resolution scaling hurts so severely.

In Hard West, the GPU's limitations dominate every measured frame rate. At 1080p Low, 79 FPS is achievable, but the 25 W TDP and system-shared memory architecture create a hard ceiling. The 2.4 GHz boost clock helps at low resolutions, yet the sheer lack of fill rate and bandwidth becomes crippling as pixel count grows. The GPU's 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 performance and DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set do not compensate for the fundamental throughput deficit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Ryzen 9 7900X and Arc B370 ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's 5th percentile standing rather than the CPU's 91st percentile. The data indicates a severe bottleneck: the CPU is capable of far higher performance, but the GPU cannot deliver it.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals—the AMD EPYC 7313P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, Intel Xeon 634, and Intel Core i7-14700F—all sit within 0.6% of the 7900X's average benchmark score. Yet in this gaming context, such CPU differences are meaningless. The combo's rank is essentially determined by the Arc B370's position relative to other GPUs. A system with the same GPU but a weaker CPU would likely achieve similar frame rates, as the game is entirely GPU-bound.

The 2721st rank out of 2949 suggests this configuration is not intended for gaming at competitive levels. For a 2015 turn-based tactics game, the hardware should theoretically excel, but the integrated graphics solution prevents that. The ranking data implies that users seeking playable Hard West performance would need to either lower expectations dramatically or choose a different GPU entirely.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances playability with visual quality. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 79 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive. Medium settings still achieve 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, making this the best compromise for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. High settings drop to 49 FPS, which is acceptable but less fluid, while Ultra falls to 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the situation worsens. Low settings produce 50 FPS average, which remains playable. Medium drops to 41 FPS with a 35 FPS minimum, approaching the edge of comfort. High settings at 31 FPS and Ultra at 23 FPS are not recommended for consistent gameplay. At 3840x2160, even Low settings at 26 FPS average are insufficient for a smooth experience, and Ultra at 12 FPS is essentially a slideshow.

The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, offering 64 FPS average with a 55-74 FPS range. For users prioritizing frame rate stability, 1080p Low at 79 FPS is the safest choice. At 1440p, only Low settings provide a reliable experience. 4K gaming is not viable under any preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum was tested. Low settings produced 79 FPS average, the highest of any configuration. Medium settings yielded 64 FPS average, with a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS. High settings delivered 49 FPS average, while Ultra dropped to 37 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 53% reduction in frame rate, from 79 to 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Low settings achieved 50 FPS average. Medium settings produced 41 FPS average, with minimum and maximum values of 35 and 47 FPS respectively. High settings fell to 31 FPS average, and Ultra dropped further to 23 FPS. The 1440p results show a 54% decrease from Low to Ultra, similar to the 1080p scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, Low settings managed 26 FPS average. Medium settings delivered 21 FPS average, with a minimum of 18 FPS and maximum of 25 FPS. High settings dropped to 16 FPS average, and Ultra bottomed out at 12 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate a 54% reduction from Low to Ultra, consistent with the other resolutions, but all values are below playable thresholds.

Across all resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra remains proportionally similar, indicating consistent GPU scaling behavior. The Medium preset always sits between Low and High, with the 1440p and 4K Medium runs showing tighter min-max ranges than the 1080p result.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's severe resolution sensitivity. At Low settings, 1080p yields 79 FPS, 1440p yields 50 FPS, and 4K yields 26 FPS. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the progression is 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K—a 36% and 67% reduction respectively.

High settings show a similar pattern: 49 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K, representing 37% and 67% drops. Ultra settings follow with 37 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 12 FPS at 4K, again a 38% and 68% reduction. The consistency of these percentages—roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 67% from 1080p to 4K—indicates a purely fill-rate-limited GPU.

The pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K is 4x, yet FPS drops by only about 67%, suggesting some CPU involvement at lower resolutions. The 1080p to 1440p drop (1.78x pixel increase) results in a 37% FPS loss, which is less than proportional, hinting that the CPU can partially compensate at lower resolutions. However, at 4K, the GPU is utterly overwhelmed. The Arc B370's 20 ROPs and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in Hard West, regardless of the Ryzen 9 7900X's formidable 5.60 GHz boost clock and 12-core processing power.