Hard West

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a playable but constrained experience in Hard West, with the data clearly showing that the integrated GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo delivers solid frame rates, but performance collapses as resolution increases, revealing a hardware pairing suited for low-to-medium settings at best. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, GPU characteristics, and settings recommendations to provide a clear verdict on this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and predictable decline as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 79 FPS average, which drops to 50 FPS at 1440p and further to 26 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in average FPS from 1080p Low to 4K Low, indicating that the rendering load increases faster than the hardware can compensate.

Looking at High settings, the scaling pattern is even more severe. The 49 FPS average at 1080p High falls to 31 FPS at 1440p High, then plummets to 16 FPS at 4K High. The gap between 1080p and 1440p here is 18 FPS (a 37% drop), while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 15 FPS (a 48% drop). This nonlinear degradation suggests that the Arc B370's limited processing power becomes increasingly overwhelmed as pixel count rises.

The Ultra preset tells the most telling story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 37 FPS average, which is already below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider smooth. At 1440p Ultra, this falls to 23 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 12 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is essentially unplayable, and the data indicates that this settings level is not viable at any resolution above 1080p.

Medium settings provide the most balanced scaling curve. The 64 FPS average at 1080p Medium drops to 41 FPS at 1440p Medium (a 36% reduction), then to 21 FPS at 4K Medium (a 49% reduction). The minimum FPS values at Medium settings — 55 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K — show that frame pacing remains consistent even as average performance declines.

The resolution scaling data points to the GPU as the limiting component, not the CPU. The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, provides sufficient processing power for this turn-based tactics title, but the Arc B370's integrated nature and modest specs cannot keep up with the increasing pixel workload. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 79 FPS while 4K Low only reaches 26 FPS demonstrates that the bottleneck scales directly with GPU workload.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 operates as an integrated GPU (IGP) with a slot width of "IGP" and no power connectors, indicating it shares system memory rather than using dedicated VRAM. Its memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the GPU's performance is tied to the host system's memory subsystem, which is a critical constraint for a game like Hard West that requires consistent frame delivery.

The GPU's clock speeds show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, a substantial 8x multiplier between base and boost. This wide range suggests the GPU dynamically adjusts its frequency based on thermal and power headroom, which could explain some of the variance seen in the measured FPS data. The chip is fabricated on a 3 nm process node and uses the Xe3-LPG architecture, but these technical details matter less than the actual measured results.

With 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, the Arc B370 has a modest hardware configuration. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s provide theoretical limits that align with the observed performance. The FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS is the raw compute capability, and the data shows this is insufficient for high-resolution gaming in Hard West.

The GPU's benchmark percentile is striking: it sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), both of which are older discrete cards. This places the Arc B370 in the bottom tier of GPU performance, which is consistent with the measured FPS data showing 4K Ultra at 12 FPS.

The GPU's 25 W TDP and integrated nature mean it shares thermal and power resources with the CPU. This is particularly relevant for the i5-9400, which has a 65 W TDP, as the combined thermal envelope may limit sustained performance. The data does not provide direct evidence of thermal throttling, but the FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with a GPU that cannot maintain its boost clock under sustained load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and frame rate goals. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best experience with 79 FPS average, providing headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 1080p achieve 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is still playable and offers better visual quality at a cost of 15 FPS average.

For players prioritizing smooth gameplay at 1080p, Low is the clear choice, as it delivers 79 FPS average and avoids any risk of dropping below 60 FPS. Medium is a viable alternative for those who want improved visuals, as the 55 FPS minimum is still reasonably smooth. High settings at 1080p drop to 49 FPS average, which introduces noticeable stutter in a turn-based game where camera pans and animations need consistent frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Low is the only preset that breaks the 50 FPS barrier, achieving 50 FPS average. Medium at 1440p delivers 41 FPS average with a 35 FPS minimum, which is borderline acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where twitch reflexes are not required. High at 1440p drops to 31 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS, making both choices less desirable for sustained play.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves playable frame rates by conventional standards. Low at 4K delivers 26 FPS average, Medium 21 FPS, High 16 FPS, and Ultra 12 FPS. Even the Low preset at 4K is below the 30 FPS minimum that many consider the floor for playability, so 4K gaming is effectively off the table for this combo.

The data suggests a clear recommendation: 1080p Low for the best frame rate experience, or 1080p Medium for a balance of visuals and performance. At 1440p, Low is the only sensible choice, while 4K should be avoided entirely. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as even at 1080p it only achieves 37 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this configuration in Hard West is 2721 out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the severe GPU bottleneck, as the i5-9400 is a mid-range CPU (47th percentile among all CPUs) while the Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile among GPUs. The combo's performance is dragged down by the GPU's limitations.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provide context. The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, delta -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, delta 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, delta 0.4%). This indicates the CPU is not a performance outlier in either direction; it is a competent mid-range processor that is simply paired with a very weak GPU.

The GPU's ranking is far more damning. With a score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Arc B370 sits just below the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), both of which are older discrete parts. The delta percentages are tiny (under 1% in either direction), meaning the Arc B370 is statistically tied with these legacy GPUs in synthetic benchmarks.

The 2721st rank out of 2949 combos means that the vast majority of tested configurations outperform it in Hard West. This is expected given the GPU's percentile ranking, but it also suggests that even modest CPU upgrades would not help this combo significantly. The bottleneck is so heavily skewed toward the GPU that the i5-9400's 6 cores and 6 threads are likely idle while the Arc B370 struggles to keep up.

Comparing to the GPU's nearest rivals in actual game performance, the deltaPct values are all under 1.5%, indicating that the Arc B370 performs almost identically to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000. This is a sobering comparison, as those are all products from a much older era of graphics hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates across multiple settings. At 1080p Low, it reaches 79 FPS average, and even at 1080p High it maintains 49 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings break 50 FPS, and at 4K, no preset exceeds 26 FPS average.

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

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where the measured average FPS is 79. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 64 FPS with a 55 FPS minimum, which still stays above 60 FPS on average but may dip below during intense scenes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The i5-9400 ranks in the 47th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile among GPUs. The FPS scaling pattern, with a 67% drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low, indicates the GPU workload is the bottleneck.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with all four nearest rivals within 1.4% of that score. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (delta -0.5%), the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (delta -0.2%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (delta -0.7%).

Q: What settings should be avoided?

A: The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely. At 1080p Ultra, the combo only achieves 37 FPS average; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 23 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 12 FPS. High settings are also problematic at 4K, where they yield just 16 FPS average.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with this hardware?

A: No. The best 4K result is 26 FPS average on Low settings, which is below the 30 FPS minimum threshold for playability. All other 4K presets score 21 FPS or lower, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B370 in Hard West is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 79 FPS average. Medium settings achieve 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS. High settings drop to 49 FPS average. Ultra settings yield 37 FPS average, which is the lowest result at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance declines noticeably across all presets. Low settings maintain 50 FPS average. Medium settings produce 41 FPS average with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings fall to 31 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 23 FPS average, making this preset marginal at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings achieve 26 FPS average. Medium settings produce 21 FPS average with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS. High settings fall to 16 FPS average. Ultra settings collapse to 12 FPS average, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations.

The Medium settings preset is the only one that provides minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions, offering a complete picture of frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 55-74 FPS range shows consistent performance. At 1440p Medium, the 35-47 FPS range indicates tighter but still acceptable pacing. At 4K Medium, the 18-25 FPS range reveals the GPU's severe limitations at high pixel counts.

The data set includes no minimum or maximum FPS values for Low, High, or Ultra presets, so only average FPS can be assessed for those settings. However, the average values alone tell a clear story: this combo is capable of smooth 1080p gameplay on low-to-medium settings, but its performance degrades rapidly as resolution increases, making it unsuitable for high-resolution gaming.