Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a starkly imbalanced configuration for Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The processor is a high-end 16-core desktop part, while the graphics solution is an integrated GPU (IGP) from Intel’s Panther Lake mobile architecture. Benchmark data confirms that the Arc B390 is the primary constraint, with performance lagging severely behind the CPU’s capabilities. Across all tested resolutions, frame rates are modest at best and become unplayable at 4K. The measured results show a system that is entirely GPU-bound, making the choice of in-game settings and resolution the sole determinant of playability.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination is found at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 87 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate smoothness, and it does so with a significant margin over the next best option. While Medium settings at 1080p still provide a playable 71 FPS average, the drop from Low is notable. For a turn-based game where smooth camera panning is not as critical as in action titles, the Medium preset may be acceptable, but Low offers the most headroom.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset yields a 55 FPS average, which is still adequate for a tactical game. However, the High preset at this resolution drops to 35 FPS, and Ultra falls to 26 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p is only viable with the Low or Medium presets, with Medium averaging 45 FPS. The 4K resolution is effectively out of reach for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 3840x2160 averages a mere 18 FPS, and even the Low preset only manages 29 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst performer, averaging just 14 FPS.

The recommendation is clear: prioritize 1080p for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. Within that resolution, Low is the safest choice for consistent frame pacing, but Medium provides a 61 FPS minimum that is still within a playable range. For users who prefer higher graphical detail, the Medium preset at 1080p is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. Any attempt to use High or Ultra settings at this resolution will result in average frame rates of 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively, which, while technically playable, are more susceptible to noticeable stutter in busy scenes. The data strongly indicates that the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that fully utilizes the available performance headroom.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this hardware?*

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average frame rate exceeds 60 FPS, and it does so with both the Low (87 FPS) and Medium (71 FPS) presets. While 2560x1440 is playable with the Low preset (55 FPS), the performance at 4K is consistently below 30 FPS across all settings.

Q: How does the integrated GPU impact performance in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is a decisive bottleneck. Even at the lowest tested settings and resolution, the frame rate is limited by the GPU's throughput. The data shows a clear performance ceiling, with the CPU's high core count and clock speeds providing no benefit in this GPU-bound scenario.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable with this combination?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p, where it produces a 41 FPS average. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 26 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 14 FPS. The performance penalty for Ultra is steep, making it a poor choice for consistent gameplay outside of 1080p.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops from 87 to 55 at the Low preset, a reduction of 32 FPS. At the High preset, the drop is from 55 FPS to 35 FPS. This indicates a significant scaling penalty that reflects the GPU's limited fillrate and memory bandwidth.

*Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 3D V-Cache affect the frame rates in Hard West?*

A: The benchmark results do not show a measurable impact from the CPU's cache or core configuration. The FPS figures are consistently low across all settings, indicating that the game's performance is not limited by CPU processing power but rather by the integrated GPU's rendering capabilities.

Q: What is the playable threshold for this game and hardware?

A: Based on the data, a 60 FPS average is achievable only at 1080p with the Low or Medium presets. For a playable experience above 30 FPS, the 1440p Low preset (55 FPS) is the limit. The 4K resolution does not meet this threshold at any tested setting.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614th out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, a poor result that underscores the significant mismatch between the processor and the graphics solution. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score. The CPU, by contrast, is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, highlighting the extreme imbalance.

The data suggests that this combo's rank is dragged down almost entirely by the Arc B390. While the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a top-tier processor, it cannot compensate for the integrated GPU's low absolute performance. The game's measured FPS values are consistent with a low-end GPU bottleneck, and the combo's rank reflects this reality. For context, the GPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GT 800M, and GT 625 OEM, all of which are legacy entry-level parts. This places the Arc B390 in a performance class that is fundamentally unsuited for modern gaming at high resolutions.

Given the CPU's strength and the GPU's weakness, the combo ranking is expected and logical. The score would likely be significantly higher if the processor were paired with a discrete graphics card, but as measured, the system is severely limited. The 2614th rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's 9th percentile standing, and no CPU optimizations or settings changes can alter the fundamental hardware limitation. Users of this configuration should be aware that it is not representative of the CPU's potential in gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The results are as follows:

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: Average 87 FPS.
• Medium: Average 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.
• High: Average 55 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 41 FPS.

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: Average 55 FPS.
• Medium: Average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS.
• High: Average 35 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 26 FPS.

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: Average 29 FPS.
• Medium: Average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS.
• High: Average 18 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 14 FPS.

The data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern. At 1080p, the Low preset provides a playable and responsive experience, while the Ultra preset is the only one that falls below 45 FPS. At 1440p, all presets are below 60 FPS, with the Low preset being the only one that remains above 50 FPS. At 4K, performance collapses entirely, with the best case (Low) averaging just 29 FPS and the worst case (Ultra) averaging 14 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a 20 FPS spread at 1080p and a 14 FPS spread at 4K, which suggests some frame-time inconsistency.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 32 FPS drop at the Low preset, a 26 FPS drop at Medium, a 20 FPS drop at High, and a 15 FPS drop at Ultra. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a 26 FPS drop at Low, a 21 FPS drop at Medium, a 17 FPS drop at High, and a 12 FPS drop at Ultra. The absolute frame rate loss decreases as settings increase, but the percentage loss remains significant.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, indicating a GPU that is quickly overwhelmed by pixel count. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 87 at 1080p to 29 at 4K, a reduction of approximately 67%. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU with limited shading units and fillrate. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, which are modest figures for rendering at high resolutions.

The scaling pattern also reveals that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions. A CPU-bound scenario would show a smaller FPS drop when increasing resolution, as the CPU would remain the bottleneck. Here, the FPS drops consistently with each resolution step, confirming that the Intel Arc B390's rendering pipeline is saturated. The memory bandwidth, listed as "System Dependent" and using "System Shared" memory, is likely a major contributor to this bottleneck, as the integrated GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

The data shows that the game becomes progressively less playable as resolution increases. The 1440p results are about 63% of the 1080p results at the Low preset, while the 4K results are only about 33% of the 1080p results. This non-linear scaling highlights the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel workload efficiently. The results suggest that the Arc B390 is only suitable for 1080p gaming in this title, and even then, only with lower settings presets to maintain a reasonable frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a flagship desktop processor with 16 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptionally high, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018 and a single-core score of 2259. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance. However, the measured FPS in Hard West shows no sign of CPU limitation. The frame rates are consistently low across all settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

In a game like Hard West, a turn-based tactics title, the CPU demands are typically modest. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 16 cores are far more than the game requires, and its single-thread performance is more than adequate for the game's logic. The data supports this, as the FPS does not improve at lower resolutions where a CPU bottleneck would typically become more apparent. For example, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 87 FPS, but this is still limited by the GPU, not the CPU.

The CPU's role in this combo is to provide ample headroom that is never utilized. Its 128 MB of L3 cache and high clock speeds have no measurable impact on the game's performance because the graphics solution is so much slower. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a factor in the low frame rates; the system is entirely GPU-bound. Users should not expect any CPU overclocking or core allocation to improve performance, as the processor is not the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and 1536 shading units. It has 48 TMUs and 24 ROPs, and its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. Despite these specifications, its actual gaming performance is poor, as evidenced by its 9th percentile rank among all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad is 1482, placing it in the same performance class as legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710.

In Hard West, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The measured FPS shows that even at the lowest settings and resolution, the GPU cannot push frame rates to high levels. The "System Shared" memory configuration is a significant drawback, as it relies on system memory bandwidth that is shared with the CPU. This often leads to lower effective memory performance compared to dedicated VRAM, and it explains the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are limiting factors for fillrate-intensive scenarios, which become more demanding at higher resolutions. The results show that the Arc B390 is only capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p with low-to-medium settings. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed, resulting in average frame rates that are well below the 60 FPS target. The data confirms that this integrated GPU is not suitable for gaming beyond the most basic settings, and it severely restricts the potential of the paired high-end CPU.