Hard West

The data for Hard West with the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B390 reveals a configuration that is decisively limited by its graphics processor. The measured frame rates show a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases, pointing to a GPU that is saturated even at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics across resolutions, settings, and the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in this turn-based tactics title.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of frame rates from 1080p to 4K in Hard West demonstrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 87 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 55 FPS, a significant 37% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average plunges to 29 FPS, representing a 47% drop from the 1440p figure and a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate goes from 55 FPS at 1080p to 35 FPS at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to 18 FPS at 4K (a 49% decrease from 1440p). The scaling factor between resolutions is remarkably similar regardless of the quality preset, indicating that the performance ceiling is being hit by a single component rather than a balanced system constraint.

The nature of the drop-off is telling. A system that is purely CPU-limited would typically show a smaller performance delta between 1440p and 4K because the GPU would have more headroom to work with as resolution increases. Here, the near-identical percentage drops across all settings suggest that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary limiting factor. The GPU's memory configuration, listed as "System Shared," means it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, which can introduce severe bandwidth constraints at higher resolutions where memory access demands increase substantially.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (87 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) is 46 FPS. At 1440p, the difference shrinks to 29 FPS (55 vs. 26). At 4K, the difference is just 15 FPS (29 vs. 14). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a classic symptom of a GPU that is completely overwhelmed; when the GPU is the bottleneck, reducing graphical quality has diminishing returns because the core rendering workload at 4K is already beyond the hardware's capability.

The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming. The performance at 1440p is playable only at lower settings, while 4K is not a viable option for a smooth experience in any configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured performance, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers a strong balance, delivering 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p also performs well at 55 FPS, but the Medium preset's higher average and tighter frame time consistency make it the safer recommendation for a stable experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset becomes the most practical choice, yielding 55 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution drops to 45 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less smooth. The High preset at 35 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are likely too inconsistent for a pleasant experience, especially in a genre where camera pans and UI interactions can make lower frame rates feel more pronounced.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that no setting provides a playable frame rate. The best result is 29 FPS on Low, which falls short of a smooth 30 FPS target. The Medium preset at 24 FPS and High at 18 FPS are below acceptable thresholds. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at 14 FPS. Users with 4K displays should not consider this configuration for Hard West.

The Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot for this hardware combination. It provides a 71 FPS average that is nearly double the 4K Low result, and the minimum of 61 FPS ensures that the experience remains fluid even during complex tactical scenes with multiple units and environmental effects.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this system's performance profile. Its benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is an exceptionally low score, and the nearest rivals confirm its position: it sits just 1.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% above the GeForce GT 710. These are entry-level parts from previous generations, indicating that the Arc B390 is not designed for demanding gaming workloads.

The GPU's specifications align with its low benchmark performance. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but its memory is "System Shared," meaning it has no dedicated video memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice means the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access. This architectural choice severely limits the GPU's ability to handle high-resolution textures and large frame buffers.

The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s provide a theoretical ceiling that the measured frame rates reflect. At 4K, the GPU's fill rate is simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates, even at Low settings. The FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the 1536 shading units are tasked with rendering at resolutions that would challenge far more powerful hardware.

The GPU's role in Hard West is to be the limiting factor. The frame rate data shows that the GPU is saturated at all settings and resolutions tested. The fact that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases confirms that the GPU is running at its maximum capacity, and reducing quality settings cannot compensate for the fundamental lack of rendering power.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Hard West, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 combos. This places it in the bottom 11.4% of all configurations, a position that aligns with the GPU's low benchmark percentile. The combo rank reflects the overall gaming experience, and the measured frame rates at 1080p Ultra (41 FPS) and 1440p High (35 FPS) support this low placement.

The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU, as will be discussed in the next section, is a competent mid-range part that should not hold back the system in most games. However, the GPU's performance is so weak that it drags the entire combo down. The 9th percentile GPU score is the primary determinant of the combo's bottom-quartile placement.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals help illustrate its position. The Arc B390 is only 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M and 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. These are parts that are typically found in low-end laptops or as basic display adapters. The fact that this GPU is being paired with a desktop-class 6-core processor creates a stark imbalance that the combo rank reflects.

The 2614th rank out of 2949 is not a position that suggests any degree of gaming capability beyond the most basic titles. In a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, which is not known for being graphically intensive, this combo still struggles to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and above. The rank is a clear indicator that users should set their expectations for 1080p gaming at medium settings or lower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, and its performance metrics indicate it is more than capable of handling the demands of Hard West. The processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This is a Comet Lake architecture part built on a 14 nm process, and its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

The CPU's benchmark scores show a balanced performance profile. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10283 in multicore and 1451 in single-core. In Geekbench, it achieves 6257 in multicore and 1420 in single-core. These scores place the CPU in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, a much stronger position than the GPU's 9th percentile. The 3DMark thread scaling results show a healthy progression from 1350 with 2 threads to 4748 with 16 threads, indicating good multi-threading capability.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s via dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for most gaming scenarios. However, in this system, the GPU's "System Shared" memory means that the CPU and GPU are likely competing for the same memory bandwidth. This can lead to performance degradation in memory-intensive scenes, but the CPU's strong single-thread score of 1451 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can handle the game's logic and AI processing without becoming a bottleneck.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU is responsible for game logic, pathfinding, and AI decisions. The i5-10400F's 12 threads provide ample headroom for these tasks. The measured frame rates show no evidence of CPU limitation; the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's percentile rank of 68 versus the GPU's 9 clearly identifies the GPU as the weak link.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.30 GHz is sufficient for the game's single-threaded performance requirements. The PassMark single-thread score of 2541 is respectable, and the Cinebench R20 single-core score of 609 confirms that the processor can deliver adequate performance for games that rely on a few fast cores rather than many slower ones.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The detailed frame rate data for this combo in Hard West is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the performance is the most playable. Low settings produce an average of 87 FPS. Medium settings yield 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82. High settings drop to 55 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 41 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease substantially. Low settings average 55 FPS. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. High settings average 35 FPS. Ultra settings average 26 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is largely unplayable. Low settings average 29 FPS. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27. High settings average 18 FPS. Ultra settings average 14 FPS.

The minimum and maximum frame rates are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 61 to 82 FPS, showing a relatively tight band. At 1440p Medium, the range widens to 38 to 52 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 20 to 27 FPS. These ranges indicate that the Medium preset provides some consistency, but the overall performance is still dictated by the GPU's limitations.

The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is viable at Medium or High settings, 1440p is only playable at Low settings, and 4K is not a viable gaming resolution for this configuration. The 18 FPS at 4K High and 14 FPS at 4K Ultra are far below any acceptable threshold for interactive gameplay. The 29 FPS at 4K Low is the best 4K result, but even this falls short of a smooth 30 FPS target.

For users seeking the best experience, the 1080p Medium preset is the recommended configuration, offering a solid 71 FPS average. The 1440p Low preset is a compromise that maintains playability at 55 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial. The 4K results should be disregarded entirely for gaming purposes.