Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D pairs with the Intel Arc B570 to deliver a distinctive performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. This combination lands in the 80th percentile of all tested combos (rank 2360 out of 2949), indicating a setup that is more than capable of handling the game’s demands, though it is not without its bottlenecks at higher resolutions. The data reveals a system where the CPU’s substantial multi-threading capabilities are largely secondary to the GPU’s workload at 4K, but become more relevant as resolution drops and frame rates climb.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache, which is often beneficial for gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong single-thread performance with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1269 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4646. Its multi-threaded prowess is evident in a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Geekbench multicore score of 22884. This level of processing power is significant, but Hard West is a turn-based tactics game from 2015, which typically does not require extreme CPU resources.

The benchmark results from this specific combo suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 134 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to produce a very fluid experience. The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is tight; it sits just 0.6% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF in average benchmark score, and 1.3% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K. This suggests that while the 9900X3D is a high-end chip (91st percentile among all CPUs), its gaming performance in a title like this is not dramatically different from mid-range competitors, as the game’s logic is not heavily threaded or demanding on modern core counts.

The 12 cores and 24 threads are far more than Hard West requires, but they ensure that any background tasks or OS overhead will not cause frame dips. The 4.40 GHz base and 5.50 GHz boost clocks provide a solid foundation for the game’s logic, which is often serial in nature. The data shows that the CPU’s massive L3 cache and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame pacing, particularly when the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 53, and at Medium it is 69, which are respectable numbers that indicate a balanced load between CPU and GPU. The CPU’s role is to ensure that the turn-based calculations and AI routines are processed without delay, allowing the GPU to render the scenes smoothly. The benchmark scores, such as a Passmark physics score of 5340, confirm that the CPU is ready for any computational task the game presents, but the FPS data shows that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the settings presets scale across three resolutions. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset stands out. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 110 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS, providing a smooth experience with only minor dips. Moving up to 2560x1440, Medium still offers a playable average of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is generally acceptable for a turn-based game where twitch reflexes are not essential. Finally, at 3840x2160, Medium drops to an average of 36 FPS, which is less ideal but still workable for the genre.

The High preset is a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rates. At 1920x1080, High achieves an average of 84 FPS, which is still very smooth. At 2560x1440, it drops to 53 FPS, which is playable but shows a significant cost versus Medium. However, at 3840x2160, High falls to an average of 28 FPS, making it a poor choice for 4K gaming. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with average FPS of 63 at 1080p, 40 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is nearly unplayable, and even 1440p Ultra might feel sluggish for some users. The Low preset is the only way to achieve high frame rates at 4K, with an average of 44 FPS, but it comes with significant visual compromises.

The data suggests that the ideal experience depends on the user’s resolution. For 1080p and 1440p displays, the Medium preset offers the best combination of fluidity and visual detail. The jump from Low to Medium is substantial in terms of frame rate cost (from 134 to 110 FPS at 1080p, and from 85 to 69 FPS at 1440p), but the visual upgrade is typically worth it. For 4K users, the choice is more difficult. Low is the only preset that approaches a comfortable frame rate, but Medium at 36 FPS is still playable for a turn-based strategy game, and the visual improvement is significant. The data indicates that High and Ultra should be avoided at 4K, as they fall below 30 FPS, which can make the game feel choppy.

FAQ

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

A: At 4K (3840x2160), the combo achieves an average of 44 FPS on Low settings and 36 FPS on Medium. High and Ultra settings average 28 FPS and 21 FPS, respectively. For a turn-based game, Medium might be acceptable, but Low is the only preset that provides a consistently fluid experience at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this setup for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo can deliver very high frame rates. The Low preset averages 134 FPS, Medium averages 110 FPS, and High averages 84 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the combo can fully utilize a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor, particularly on Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762. This is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093) and 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053). It also outperforms the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2.0% and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1%.

Q: Is the GPU's performance competitive with other graphics cards in its class?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. It is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% lower). It also shows a 0.4% lead over the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and a 0.5% deficit against the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: What is the impact of the CPU's cache on game performance?

A: The CPU features a large 128 MB L3 cache. While the FPS data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most scenarios, this large cache helps ensure that game logic and asset loading are handled efficiently, contributing to the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions, such as the 134 FPS average at 1080p Low.

Q: Are the frame rates stable, or are there significant dips?

A: For the Medium preset, the data provides minimum and maximum FPS. At 1080p, the range is 93 to 126 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 59 to 80 FPS. At 4K, it ranges from 31 to 42 FPS. This shows that while averages are solid, there can be noticeable dips, especially at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2360 out of 2949 combos. This places it in the 80th percentile, meaning it outperforms 80% of all other tested CPU and GPU pairings. This is a strong showing, indicating that the hardware is well-matched for the game. The rank suggests that this is a high-performing setup, though not at the very top of the charts. The 589 combos that rank higher likely feature more powerful GPUs or CPUs that are better optimized for this specific title.

The ranking is a reflection of the overall capability of the system. The CPU’s 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs is higher than the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. This suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing. The combo’s overall rank of 2360 reflects the fact that the CPU is not holding back the GPU in this game. The FPS data supports this, as the performance scales predictably with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck at higher settings. For instance, the massive drop from 110 FPS at 1080p Medium to 36 FPS at 4K Medium is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load. The high rank indicates that for a 2015 turn-based tactics game, this setup provides a very good experience, with the only major compromise being at 4K with high visual settings.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage) and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 14195 in Passmark G3D and 2649 in 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12. Its overall average benchmark score is 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its performance is nearly identical to the Intel Arc A750, which is a key rival.

The GPU’s role in Hard West is to handle the rendering of the game’s isometric environments and character models. The 10 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for a 2015 title, even at 4K resolution. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 44 on Low to 21 on Ultra, a clear indication that the GPU’s compute and fillrate capabilities are being taxed. The 2500 MHz clock speed and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key factors in determining how quickly the GPU can fill the screen. The texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s also plays a part, particularly with detailed environments.

The GPU’s performance relative to its rivals is notable. It is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower). This places it in a competitive mid-range tier. In the context of Hard West, the Arc B570’s capabilities are more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers high frame rates on Medium settings. At 4K, the GPU’s limitations become apparent, as it cannot maintain high frame rates on higher presets. The 10 GB VRAM is likely not a limiting factor, as the game’s texture sizes are not massive by modern standards. Instead, the raw compute and memory bandwidth are the constraints. The GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is sufficient for the DirectX 12 workloads, but the game’s age means it likely uses simpler shaders, which makes the GPU’s fillrate and pixel throughput more important than its raw compute. The measured results show a typical performance curve, with frame rates scaling down as resolution increases, confirming the GPU is the dominant factor in determining the final FPS.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strength. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 134 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average is 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 84 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still yields an average of 63 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the combo shines, offering a wide range of playable settings with high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 85 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, making it a solid choice for a balanced experience. The High preset drops to an average of 53 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 40 FPS, which is on the lower end for smooth gameplay but is acceptable for a turn-based strategy title.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The Low preset averages 44 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches a comfortable level. The Medium preset averages 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 28 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 21 FPS. These lower numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only feasible on Low or Medium settings for a reasonably fluid experience. The data shows a clear progression, with the cost of each preset increasing significantly at higher resolutions. The differences between presets are also notable; for example, the jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 16 FPS (from 69 to 53), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 13 FPS (from 53 to 40). This breakdown confirms that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions.