Hard West

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher graphical loads. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and overall standing of this combination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases, indicating that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 84 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 53 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K High, the average falls to 28 FPS, which is a further 47% drop from the 1440p figure. This steepening decline is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance; the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames, but the GPU's rendering throughput cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel load.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. For Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is from 134 FPS to 85 FPS (a 37% decrease), and then to 44 FPS at 4K (a 48% drop from 1440p). This consistent percentage decrease across different settings presets strongly implies that the scaling is entirely resolution-driven. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is not the bottleneck here. A CPU bottleneck would typically manifest as a smaller frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU load increases but the CPU workload remains similar. The data shows the opposite, confirming the GPU's dominance in determining final frame output.

The most extreme example of this is the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 63 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 40 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it falls to just 21 FPS. This final figure is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in most genres, though the turn-based nature of Hard West makes it more tolerable. The 1080p to 4K Ultra scaling shows a 67% reduction in frame rate, which is a substantial hit. This indicates that the Arc B570's memory bandwidth and compute resources are heavily taxed by the combination of Ultra settings and 4K resolution. The GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the sheer pixel throughput at 4K overwhelms it.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B570 combination produces an average of 69 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Hard West?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 4K with Low settings, it achieves an average of 44 FPS. On High settings, the average drops to 28 FPS, and on Ultra, it falls to 21 FPS. Only the Low preset is likely to provide a consistently playable experience at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset yields an average of 84 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 63 FPS. This is a 25% reduction in performance for the higher preset, suggesting that Ultra settings have additional effects or post-processing that are particularly demanding on the GPU.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this combo?

A: The data points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions, which is characteristic of GPU limitation. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, ranking in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, has sufficient processing power to keep up with the Arc B570 at all tested settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is a solid experience. The High preset at this resolution drops to 53 FPS, which is still playable but a noticeable step down.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 44 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS. This represents a 52% performance loss when switching from Low to Ultra at this resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the central figure in this performance analysis. Its specifications, including 10 GB of GDDR6 memory, a 160-bit memory bus, and a peak bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s, are directly relevant to the measured results. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz, and it operates with a 150 W TDP. The benchmark results show the Arc B570 in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, positioning it as a mid-range performer. Its average benchmark score of 20556 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750, indicating similar raw performance levels.

The GPU's role in Hard West is evidenced by the frame rate scaling. The game is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, but the Arc B570's performance envelope is clearly defined. At 1080p, it can handle even Ultra settings, producing 63 FPS. This suggests that the GPU has enough compute power (11.52 TFLOPS FP32) and texture fill rate (360.0 GTexel/s) for the game's requirements at this resolution. The 80 ROPs are likely sufficient for the pixel throughput needed at 1080p.

However, the 4K results expose the GPU's limitations. The 21 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a low score, and even the Low preset at 44 FPS is not ideal. The 160-bit memory bus and 10 GB VRAM capacity are the likely culprits. While the game may not require more than 10 GB of memory, the bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is the limiting factor when pushing 8.3 million pixels. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s is also a constraint at this resolution. The data suggests that the Arc B570 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring substantial settings reductions to achieve playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080 (Full HD):

• Low: 134 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate recorded for any configuration, indicating a CPU and GPU combination with significant headroom at this low load.
• Medium: 110 FPS average, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. The frame time variance is low, suggesting a stable experience.
• High: 84 FPS average. This is a substantial drop from Medium, indicating that the High preset introduces a significant GPU workload increase.
• Ultra: 63 FPS average. This is the most demanding 1080p preset but remains comfortably playable.

2560x1440 (Quad HD):

• Low: 85 FPS average. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 49 FPS at Low settings, highlighting the resolution's impact.
• Medium: 69 FPS average, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. This is a good balance of visual quality and performance.
• High: 53 FPS average. This is a playable but not ideal frame rate for fast-paced action, though it is fine for turn-based tactics.
• Ultra: 40 FPS average. This is a significant reduction, showing that Ultra settings are not well-suited for 1440p on this GPU.

3840x2160 (4K Ultra HD):

• Low: 44 FPS average. This is the only 4K preset that approaches playability, but it is still below the 60 FPS target.
• Medium: 36 FPS average, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. The minimum frame rate suggests occasional stutters.
• High: 28 FPS average. This is a demanding configuration that results in a sluggish experience.
• Ultra: 21 FPS average. This is the lowest result in the dataset, showing that 4K Ultra is beyond the capabilities of this GPU in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience is found at 1080p with High or Ultra settings, or at 1440p with Medium settings.

For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the 1080p resolution is the only reliable option. The High preset at 1080p delivers 84 FPS, and Ultra delivers 63 FPS. Both exceed the 60 FPS threshold, and the choice between them depends on the user's preference for visual fidelity. The High preset is the safer recommendation, as it provides a significant frame rate buffer. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 110 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors, but the visual upgrade to High is often worth the 26 FPS cost.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice. The 69 FPS average is smooth, and the minimum of 59 FPS indicates that it rarely drops below playable levels. The High preset at 1440p is playable at 53 FPS, but the drop from Medium is steep. The Ultra preset at 1440p is not recommended, as the 40 FPS average is a noticeable compromise.

For 4K, the data suggests that this combination is not ideal. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the only option that provides a playable frame rate, but it requires significant visual compromises. Users who prioritize 4K resolution over visual quality may find this acceptable for a turn-based game, but the 21 FPS at Ultra is not recommended for any scenario. The best experience is clearly at 1080p or 1440p, where the GPU can maintain a solid performance level.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-performance processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. Its specifications include 14 cores (a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The processor's benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. It ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 49394 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which is only 0.3% higher.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI pathfinding, and unit actions. The game is a turn-based tactics title, which can be CPU-intensive for complex scenarios with many units. However, the measured frame rates show that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 134 FPS. This high frame rate is likely near the CPU's limit for game logic, but it is still high enough to prevent a CPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to remain constant regardless of resolution, which is not the case.

The CPU's high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2445) is beneficial for this genre, as many game systems are single-threaded. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with data access patterns. However, the data shows that even with a more powerful CPU, the frame rates would not improve significantly because the GPU is already at its limit. The 14-core, 20-thread configuration provides ample headroom for any background tasks or future game updates, ensuring that the system will not become CPU-bound in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B570 combination is ranked 2360 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range standing. The Arc B570 is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, but this specific game's performance is heavily dependent on the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput, areas where the B570 is not particularly strong.

The combo's rank of 2360 suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is also not at the bottom. The CPU's high percentile ranking (90th) helps boost the combo's overall position, but the GPU's limitations prevent it from reaching a higher rank. In comparison to other combos, the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (within 0.1%). This suggests that similar combos with these GPUs would likely produce similar frame rates in this game.

The rank of 2360 out of 2949 means that about 80% of tested combos perform better. This is a clear indicator that the Arc B570 is a limiting factor for high-resolution or high-settings gaming in Hard West. For users with a 1080p monitor, the combo performs admirably, ranking higher in effective usability. But for 4K enthusiasts, this combo would be considered inadequate, as its rank reflects the low frame rates at that resolution. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain performance at higher resolutions, leading to its overall mid-to-low rank in the database.