Hard West

Intel Core i5-12400F paired with Intel Arc B390 in Hard West presents an unusual combination: a modern 6-core CPU designed for desktop workloads alongside an integrated-class GPU built for mobile/portable devices. The benchmark data shows this pairing produces playable frame rates at 1080p with optimized settings, but the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck as resolution increases. The measured results indicate this combo ranks in the 11th percentile overall, meaning roughly 89% of tested configurations deliver higher average performance in this turn-based tactics title.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S family, built on Intel's 10nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts up to 4.40 GHz, which explains its strong single-thread performance in synthetic workloads. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 1680 in single-core and 12380 in multi-core tests. Geekbench results follow a similar pattern: 1964 single-core and 9472 multi-core. These numbers place the i5-12400F at the 73rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039.

What matters for Hard West is not raw core count but how the CPU handles the game's logic and AI calculations. Turn-based tactics titles like this one rarely stress all 12 threads simultaneously. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1699 at 2 threads to 5912 at max threads, indicating the processor adds meaningful performance up to about 8 threads (4779 score) before gains taper off. For Hard West, the 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide sufficient headroom for map data and unit states. The CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support keep it compatible with mainstream motherboards on Socket 1700.

The measured FPS data suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 87 FPS average — a figure that a weaker processor would struggle to maintain. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU drops to 14 FPS, the CPU still has ample capacity to feed frames. The i5-12400F's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (deltaPct 0), Intel Core 3 201E (deltaPct -0.1), and Intel Core i5-1335U (deltaPct 0.3). These competitors all score within 0.3% of each other, showing the 12400F sits in a crowded performance tier. For Hard West specifically, the CPU's single-thread strength (985 in Cinebench R20 single-core) ensures smooth turn transitions and quick AI responses, though the game itself is not demanding enough to expose differences between these closely-matched processors.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is a different beast entirely. This is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3nm process. It operates with system-shared memory rather than dedicated VRAM, which means its bandwidth is "System Dependent" — a critical detail for understanding its performance limits. The GPU's base clock sits at 300 MHz and boosts to 2500 MHz, which is a wide range that shows how aggressively it can scale under load. With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, it delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s.

The Arc B390's benchmark presence is minimal: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s: GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3), GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), GeForce GT 625 OEM (deltaPct 2.5), and GeForce GT 710 (deltaPct 2.7). This puts the Arc B390 in territory that was entry-level over a decade ago. The 80W TDP and "IGP" slot width confirm this is not a discrete card but an integrated solution, likely found in a laptop or mini PC.

In Hard West, the GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM becomes apparent at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system manages 87 FPS, but this drops to 29 FPS at 4K Low — a 67% reduction. The game's art style, which uses dark, stylized Western environments, does not require heavy texture work, but the system-shared memory still creates bandwidth bottlenecks. The Arc B390 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so it has modern API coverage. However, the 24 ROPs limit fill-rate intensive scenes, and the 12 RT cores are irrelevant for a game like Hard West that predates ray tracing by several years.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions. At 1080p, the system delivers 87 FPS on Low, 71 on Medium, 55 on High, and 41 on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, those numbers fall to 55, 45, 35, and 26 respectively. At 4K, the situation becomes dire: 29 FPS on Low, 24 on Medium, 18 on High, and 14 on Ultra.

The scaling pattern reveals the GPU as the dominant bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, FPS drops from 87 to 55 — a 37% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at Low, it falls from 55 to 29 — a 47% reduction. The CPU, meanwhile, would have no trouble maintaining 100+ FPS in a game this old, given its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680. The 4K Ultra result of 14 FPS is particularly telling: the GPU is rendering less than one frame every 70 milliseconds, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

The Medium settings at 4K show a minimum FPS of 20 and maximum of 27, with an average of 24. This narrow range suggests the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing spikes or stutters. The 1080p Medium results (71 average, 61 min, 82 max) show a similar consistency but at a much higher performance level. The data indicates that Hard West at 1080p is the only resolution where this combo approaches smooth gameplay, and even then, only at Low or Medium presets. The GPU's system-shared memory architecture means that increasing resolution not only adds pixel throughput demands but also competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, compounding the performance loss.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. To put that in perspective, the i5-12400F alone ranks at the 73rd percentile among CPUs, so the processor is not the problem. The Arc B390, ranking at the 9th percentile among GPUs, drags the entire system down. The combination of a top-quartile CPU with a bottom-decile GPU creates a massive imbalance.

The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals (Ryzen 5 7535HS, Core 3 201E, Core i5-1335U, EPYC 7773X) all have average scores within 0.3% of the 12400F, meaning any of those CPUs paired with the same GPU would produce nearly identical results in Hard West. The bottleneck is so severe that CPU choice becomes irrelevant beyond a baseline level. The 2614th rank out of 2949 means this combo sits alongside other configurations where an integrated or entry-level GPU limits a capable processor.

For a game released in 2015, this ranking reflects how far GPU technology has come — and how far behind the Arc B390 is. The combo's measured FPS at 1080p Low (87 FPS) is actually respectable for a turn-based title, but the 4K Ultra result (14 FPS) shows the GPU's limitations clearly. The rank is not a measure of failure but of context: in a database with nearly 3000 combos, this one sits firmly in the lower tier, suitable for 1080p gaming at modest settings in older or less demanding titles.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where the measured average is 87 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 71 FPS, still above 60. At 1440p Low, the average is 55 FPS, so achieving 60 FPS at that resolution requires lowering settings further or accepting occasional dips.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?*

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 40 FPS across all settings (41 FPS at Ultra minimum). At 1440p, even Low settings only reach 55 FPS average, and 4K is not viable for smooth play, with the best case being 29 FPS at Low.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F holding back the Arc B390?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores (12380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 73rd percentile overall) far exceed what Hard West requires. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking and system-shared memory are the clear limiting factors, as evidenced by the FPS dropping by 67% from 1080p Low to 4K Low.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5-2.7% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446) and GT 710 (1443). These are all very old, low-end parts, showing the B390 sits in that performance tier.

Q: What CPU score indicates the processor is adequate for this game?

A: The i5-12400F scores 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 909 in 3DMark single-thread tests. These scores are more than sufficient for Hard West; even the 2-thread 3DMark score of 1699 shows strong low-thread performance that turn-based tactics benefit from.

Q: Should I expect better performance at 4K with different settings?

A: The 4K results range from 29 FPS at Low to 14 FPS at Ultra. Medium settings at 4K average 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27. There is no setting combination that brings 4K to playable levels above 30 FPS with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo in Hard West, the data points clearly to 1080p as the target resolution. At 1080p Low, the system averages 87 FPS, which provides smooth, responsive gameplay for a turn-based tactical title. This preset gives maximum headroom for any background tasks or streaming software the user might run. If visual quality is a priority, 1080p Medium at 71 FPS (minimum 61, maximum 82) is a strong compromise — it maintains 60+ FPS while improving texture and lighting quality over Low.

The 1080p High preset at 55 FPS is playable but risks dipping below 60 FPS during heavy combat sequences with multiple units on screen. The Ultra preset at 41 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate drops below the point where camera panning and unit animations feel smooth. At 1440p, the Medium preset (45 FPS average) is the highest playable option, but the 38 FPS minimum could cause noticeable hitches. The Low preset at 1440p (55 FPS) is safer if higher resolution is essential.

Avoid 4K entirely with this combo. Even at Low settings (29 FPS), the experience is below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider minimum for playability. The 4K Medium preset's 20 FPS minimum is particularly problematic for a strategy game where precise cursor placement and quick decision-making matter. The optimal configuration is 1080p Medium, which balances visual fidelity and performance, or 1080p Low for users who prioritize frame rate stability above all else. This pair does not have the GPU headroom for higher resolutions in Hard West, so treat 1080p as the practical ceiling.