Hard West

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F with the Intel Arc B570 in Hard West produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by the game's age and the hardware's architectural characteristics. The data shows a combo that is capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain playable performance at the extreme end of the spectrum. The measured results place this system at rank 2360 out of 2949 tested combos, indicating a mid-to-lower-tier standing in the database for this title. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU roles, settings scaling, resolution behavior, and the exact measured FPS to provide a clear picture of what this configuration offers.

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 are standard for its generation. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191. This positions the processor in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (deltaPct: 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (deltaPct: -0.3).

In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game from 2015, the CPU's role is less about pushing massive frame rates and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing during unit turns and AI calculations. The data shows that at 1080p, the lowest resolution tested, the frame rates are high, ranging from 63 FPS at Ultra settings to 134 FPS at Low settings. The single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Geekbench single-core score of 1996, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in this scenario. The 16 threads are likely underutilized, as Hard West is not a heavily threaded title, but the high boost clock of 4.60 GHz ensures that the few threads it does use are executed quickly. The CPU's performance is not a limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rates scale consistently with graphics settings, a clear sign that the workload is primarily on the GPU. However, the CPU's rank of 2360 out of 2949 combos suggests that while it is competent, other CPU-GPU pairings in the database achieve higher frame rates in this specific game, likely due to the GPU being the more significant contributor to the overall score.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the performance cost of each preset. At 1920x1080, the most common resolution, the differences are stark. The Low preset delivers an average of 134 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and well above the refresh rate of most displays. The Medium preset drops to 110 FPS, still a very playable and fluid experience, with a minimum of 93 FPS ensuring no major stutters. The High preset averages 84 FPS, which remains smooth. The Ultra preset, however, brings the average down to 63 FPS, which is still technically playable but represents a significant 25% drop from High. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, providing a 110 FPS average with a 93 FPS minimum, which is a more stable experience than the High preset's 84 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the pattern holds. The Low preset averages 85 FPS, which is good, but the Medium preset at 69 FPS (with a minimum of 59 FPS) is the sweet spot for a smoother visual experience without sacrificing too much performance. The High preset at 53 FPS is on the edge of what many consider acceptable for a turn-based game, while Ultra at 40 FPS is noticeably less fluid. For a game like Hard West, where precise camera control and reading the battlefield are crucial, a stable frame rate is more important than the highest visual fidelity. Therefore, the Medium preset at both 1080p and 1440p provides the most consistent experience. At 4K, all settings are below the 60 FPS threshold, making the High preset at 28 FPS and Ultra at 21 FPS difficult to recommend for a comfortable experience. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches a playable level, but it does so by sacrificing most of the visual detail.

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

The performance scaling across resolutions clearly indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting component in this system for Hard West. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces 84 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rate drops to 53 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. At 3840x2160, the frame rate plummets to 28 FPS, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is a classic symptom of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, with its high single-threaded score, is not the bottleneck; if it were, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions.

This behavior is consistent across all settings. For example, on the Low preset, the system goes from 134 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p and then to 44 FPS at 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear, but the trend is obvious: the GPU's rendering throughput is being saturated as the resolution increases. The Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for the game's textures, but the raw compute power of the GPU, rated at 11.52 TFLOPS FP32, is not enough to handle the pixel fill rate demands of 4K. The data shows that the game is heavily dependent on the GPU, and the CPU's performance headroom is ample. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and the Passmark multi-thread score of 25032 confirm that the i5-13400F has plenty of processing power left in reserve, even at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the Intel Arc B570 is ranked 2360 out of 2949 tested combinations in the database for Hard West. This puts it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 80% of the tested combos performed better in this specific game. This is a low ranking, which is surprising given the individual components' benchmark scores. The CPU is in the 77th percentile for all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile for all GPUs, yet their combined performance in this title is subpar. This suggests that the pairing is not well-optimized for the game's engine, or that the GPU's architecture does not excel in the specific workloads Hard West presents.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct: 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct: -0.1). However, the frame rates in Hard West are not competitive with what a desktop RTX 3070 would likely achieve, indicating that the B570's drivers or hardware implementation are not fully leveraging its theoretical performance in this title. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, have nearly identical average scores, but again, the gaming performance here is not indicative of a top-tier system. The low combo rank is a critical data point for users, as it highlights that this configuration, while capable in synthetic benchmarks, does not translate that capability into high frame rates for this particular game. The data suggests that users seeking better performance in Hard West should look at other combos, as this one leaves performance on the table.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is the dominant factor in this system's gaming performance. It is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage) and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory operating at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. Its boost clock is a flat 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is a specific design choice to maintain consistent power draw. The GPU's compute capabilities are rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32, and its pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is to render the detailed 2D and 3D backgrounds, character models, and effects. The game is not graphically intensive by modern standards, but the data shows that the Arc B570 still struggles at higher resolutions. The 10 GB of VRAM is more than adequate for the game's textures, as even at 4K Ultra, the memory bandwidth and capacity are unlikely to be a bottleneck. Instead, the limiting factor appears to be the GPU's raw shader throughput and pixel fill rate. The 80 ROPs are responsible for the final pixel output, and at 4K, the 200.0 GPixel/s rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates. The benchmark results support this, with the Passmark G3D score of 14195 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 indicating a mid-range GPU that is outclassed by more powerful options. The GPU's percentile rank of 65 places it above the median, but the frame rates in Hard West at 4K (28 FPS High) show that it is not a high-end performer in this scenario.

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

The following is the complete set of measured FPS data for this configuration.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 134 FPS.
• Medium: Average 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS.
• High: Average 84 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 63 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 85 FPS.
• Medium: Average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS.
• High: Average 53 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 40 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 44 FPS.
• Medium: Average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS.
• High: Average 28 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 21 FPS.

The data shows a consistent trend: each step up in settings costs roughly 20-25% of the frame rate, and each step up in resolution costs significantly more. The only settings with recorded minimum FPS are the Medium presets, which show that the frame time variance is relatively low at that preset, with the 1080p Medium having a 93 FPS minimum and the 1440p Medium having a 59 FPS minimum. The lack of minimum FPS data for other presets suggests they were not measured or were too unstable to record, but the averages provide a clear performance hierarchy. For users targeting a steady 60 FPS, the 1080p High preset (84 FPS) is the highest quality option that reliably exceeds that threshold. At 1440p, the Medium preset (69 FPS) is the only setting that averages above 60 FPS, while at 4K, no setting achieves a playable 60 FPS, with the Low preset being the only one that reaches a borderline-playable 44 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, the High preset averages 84 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 110 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Medium preset averages above 60 FPS, at 69 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS, the 1440p Medium preset is the highest resolution option that meets this target.

Q: How does this system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The performance at 3840x2160 Ultra is very low, with an average of 21 FPS. This is below the threshold for comfortable play, and the High preset at 28 FPS is not much better. The 4K resolution is not recommended for this game with this hardware.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates drop dramatically as resolution increases, from 134 FPS at 1080p Low to 44 FPS at 4K Low. The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604, indicate it has ample headroom, while the GPU's low 4K performance shows it is the bottleneck.

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

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avgScore 20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (avgScore 20582, deltaPct -0.1), showing they are nearly identical in overall benchmark performance.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 134 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the 10 GB of VRAM on the GPU sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the 10 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than adequate for Hard West. The performance drops at 4K are not due to VRAM capacity but rather the GPU's raw compute and pixel throughput, as indicated by its 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance.