Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, paired with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Arc B570, presents a dataset that is far more revealing about the GPU's performance ceiling than the CPU's capabilities. The measured FPS across all resolutions and settings shows a clear pattern: the Intel Arc B570 is the dominant factor limiting frame rates, particularly as resolution increases, while the Ryzen 9 7900X's substantial processing power goes largely underutilized in this specific benchmark scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the measured data is the severe impact of resolution scaling on the Intel Arc B570's performance. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves 84 FPS, but this drops to 53 FPS at 2560x1440—a substantial 37% reduction—and further plummets to 28 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 67% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its absolute limits at higher resolutions, with the 4K results falling below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the 1440p result of 69 FPS drops to 36 FPS at 4K, representing a 48% performance loss. Even at the least demanding Low preset, the drop from 85 FPS at 1440p to 44 FPS at 4K shows a 48% reduction, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and raw compute capabilities are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in this game. The data strongly implies that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain 60 FPS.

Interestingly, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p is less punishing but still significant. For High settings, the drop is from 84 to 53 FPS (37%), while Low settings see a decrease from 134 to 85 FPS (37% as well). This consistent proportional drop across presets suggests a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering load scales predictably with pixel count. The fact that the 1080p Low result of 134 FPS is the only measured frame rate that exceeds the 120 FPS mark indicates that the GPU has headroom only at the lowest settings and resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications provide context for these results. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the GPU offers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest for a modern graphics card. The 2500 MHz base and boost clock, combined with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, yield a peak FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS. These numbers suggest a mid-range GPU, and the benchmark results align with that positioning—it can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably at moderate settings but struggles at 4K.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks further contextualizes its gaming behavior. A Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, is essentially tied with a delta of -0.1%, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and AMD Radeon R9 M390X are within 0.5% of its average score of 20556. This indicates that the B570 is a competent but not exceptional performer, and the Hard West results reflect this—it can manage 1080p and 1440p at playable frame rates but lacks the muscle for 4K.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is sufficient for a 2015 title like Hard West, which likely does not have demanding texture requirements. However, the GPU's bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s appears to be a limiting factor at higher resolutions, where the memory subsystem must feed more pixels to the render output units. The measured 4K performance, capped at 44 FPS even on Low settings, suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth is a bottleneck that cannot be overcome by reducing graphical fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, High settings at 84 FPS provide a smooth and visually appealing experience, while Low settings at 134 FPS cater to players prioritizing maximum frame rates. The Medium preset at 110 FPS offers a balanced middle ground, and Ultra at 63 FPS remains playable, though it dips closer to the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the recommended preset is Medium, which delivers 69 FPS with a recorded range of 59 to 80 FPS. This ensures most of the experience stays above 60 FPS. High settings at 53 FPS are acceptable for slower-paced turn-based gameplay, but Medium provides more headroom. Low settings at 85 FPS are also viable for players who prefer higher frame rates over visual quality, while Ultra at 40 FPS is only suitable for those who prioritize image quality over smoothness.

For 3840x2160, none of the presets deliver a fully smooth experience. Low settings at 44 FPS is the best option, but even this falls short of the 60 FPS standard. Medium at 36 FPS and High at 28 FPS are playable for a turn-based game where reactions matter less, but Ultra at 21 FPS is borderline. The data suggests that 4K should be avoided unless the player is willing to accept significant compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset reveals a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are 134 for Low, 110 for Medium (with min and max of 93 and 126), 84 for High, and 63 for Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 53% drop in performance, highlighting the significant cost of higher graphical presets.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 85 for Low, 69 for Medium (min 59, max 80), 53 for High, and 40 for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 53%, consistent with the 1080p scaling. The Medium preset's minimum of 59 FPS is notable, as it sits just below the 60 FPS target, suggesting occasional dips that might be perceptible.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 44 for Low, 36 for Medium (min 31, max 42), 28 for High, and 21 for Ultra. The low minimum of 31 FPS at Medium settings indicates that even the mid-range preset can experience significant frame drops at 4K. The overall pattern across all resolutions shows that the Ultra preset consistently delivers roughly half the frame rate of Low, which is a substantial penalty for the visual enhancements it provides.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS on 4K?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 44 FPS on Low settings, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets at 4K deliver 36 FPS or lower.

Q: What is the best resolution-to-settings ratio for a smooth experience?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings at 84 FPS provide a good balance. At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 69 FPS are recommended, as the minimum recorded FPS is 59, close to the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, +0.1%), the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, +0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, -0.5%). It performs essentially on par with these GPUs.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data shows Ultra consistently delivers less than half the FPS of Low settings at every resolution. At 1080p, Ultra achieves 63 FPS versus 134 for Low, a 53% reduction, making it a high-cost option for marginal visual gains.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity limit performance in this game?

A: The 10 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a constraint for a 2015 title like Hard West. The more probable limiting factor is the 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, which appears insufficient for high-resolution rendering based on the steep FPS drops at 4K.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 85 FPS, while High settings average 53 FPS. This represents a 38% performance decrease when moving from the lowest to the higher preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, combined with 64 MB of shared L3 cache, make it a formidable CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29300 and a single-core score of 2016.5, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

However, the measured FPS data for Hard West suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this scenario. Turn-based tactics games are typically not CPU-intensive, and the 7900X's processing power far exceeds what this title requires. The consistent FPS scaling with resolution changes points to a GPU-bound system, where the Ryzen 9 7900X has ample headroom. The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores—the AMD EPYC 7313P (0.2% higher), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% lower), Intel Xeon 634 (0.6% higher), and Intel Core i7-14700F (0.6% lower)—are all within 1% of its average score of 53288, but none of these comparisons are relevant to gaming performance in Hard West.

The 7900X's specifications, such as its 170 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, indicate a processor designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads. In this game, those capabilities are largely unused, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates are determined almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU's high single-thread performance, reflected in its Passmark single-thread score of 4238, ensures that it can handle game logic efficiently, but it is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any resolution or settings combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2998 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is one of the more powerful processors available. The combo's percentile ranking of approximately 19.5% indicates that most other tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in this game.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strength of the CPU component. The Ryzen 9 7900X's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it should be among the best performers, but the B570's 65th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo down. The data implies that for a game like Hard West, which is not CPU-intensive, the GPU selection is the primary determinant of performance. Players with this combo would likely see significant improvements by upgrading the graphics card while keeping the CPU, as the measured FPS at 4K (28 FPS on High) is far below what the CPU alone could support.

The ranking also highlights the importance of balanced system builds. A top-tier CPU paired with a mid-range GPU results in a system that performs well at lower resolutions but struggles at 4K, as evidenced by the measured data. For this specific game, the combo is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium to high settings, but it is not suited for high-refresh-rate or 4K gaming. The 2998th rank out of 3722 combos serves as a clear indicator that this configuration is below average for Hard West, despite the excellent CPU.