Hard West

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a severely constrained gaming experience in Hard West, with benchmark data showing the combination ranking in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations. The measured frame rates reveal a system where the integrated-class GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck, struggling to maintain playable performance even at lower resolutions and settings, while the high-end desktop CPU sits largely underutilized.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory across resolutions tells a clear story of GPU limitation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 79 FPS, which drops to 64 FPS at Medium and 49 FPS at High, before falling to 37 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the averages decline to 50 FPS (Low), 41 FPS (Medium), 31 FPS (High), and 23 FPS (Ultra), representing a predictable scaling pattern. At 4K, the situation becomes critical: the averages collapse to 26 FPS (Low), 21 FPS (Medium), 16 FPS (High), and 12 FPS (Ultra).

The frame rate deltas between resolutions are substantial and reveal the limiting component. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, performance drops by 36.7% (from 79 to 50 FPS), and from 1440p Low to 4K Low, it drops by another 48% (from 50 to 26 FPS). This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of fill rate and shader capacity, not a CPU-bound scenario. If the processor were the constraint, we would expect to see relatively flat performance across resolutions, as the CPU workload in a turn-based tactics game like Hard West does not increase proportionally with pixel count.

The data indicates that the Arc B370, which has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, simply cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the average of 26 FPS falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and at Ultra, the 12 FPS average makes the game essentially unplayable. This resolution scaling profile suggests that users would need to remain at 1080p with reduced settings to achieve anything close to acceptable performance, and that the CPU's potential is entirely masked by the GPU's inability to render frames quickly enough.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its performance is extremely limited, as evidenced by its percentile ranking of just 5th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168, delta 1.4%), all of which are legacy parts from over a decade ago.

The GPU's specifications confirm its integrated nature: it uses "System Shared" memory with system-dependent bandwidth, has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs. Its clock speeds are modest, with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, while its FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS. The TDP is just 25 W, and it operates as an IGP with no dedicated power connectors, slot width classified as IGP, and display outputs that are "Portable Device Dependent."

In the context of Hard West, these specifications translate directly to the measured frame rates. The game, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, is not particularly demanding by modern standards, but the Arc B370's limited ROP count and fill rate become the primary constraint. The 4K Medium result shows a minimum FPS of 18 and maximum of 25, while the 1080p Medium result shows a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74, indicating that even the GPU's best-case scenarios are inconsistent. The fact that the GPU's nearest competitors are from the ATI Radeon HD 5000 series underscores how far behind modern discrete solutions this integrated part sits, and the benchmark results in Hard West reflect that legacy-level performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a high-end desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor has a substantial 25 MB shared L3 cache, 1.25 MB L2 cache per core, and 80 KB L1 cache per core, and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its benchmark scores are strong across the board, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784, a Geekbench multicore score of 15790, and a Passmark multithread score of 34404.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 84th, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, delta -0.1%), Intel Core i7-12700KF (avg score 35365, delta -0.2%), Intel Core i7-13700T (avg score 35403, delta -0.3%), and Intel Core 5 213PE (avg score 35428, delta -0.4%), all of which are within 0.4% of the i7-12700K's average score, indicating that the CPU is performing at expected levels for its class.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is almost entirely secondary due to the game's turn-based nature, which does not demand high sustained thread utilization. The measured frame rates show no evidence of CPU limitation: if the processor were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at a certain level regardless of resolution. Instead, the data shows a consistent decline from 1080p to 4K at every settings level, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The i7-12700K's 12-core, 20-thread configuration and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are vastly overqualified for this workload, and benchmark results indicate that the CPU is likely idle for significant portions of the frame rendering time, waiting on the Arc B370 to complete its work.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct result of the extreme mismatch between the capable CPU and the severely limited GPU. The combo's position in the database reflects the fact that while the processor is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, the GPU is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and the final frame rate is determined by the weakest link.

The ranking indicates that this configuration performs worse than the vast majority of systems tested with this game, including those with much older or lower-end CPUs paired with discrete graphics cards. The data suggests that any modern desktop GPU, even entry-level models, would likely outperform this integrated solution. The combo's rank is particularly notable because the i7-12700K is a premium desktop part that would typically be paired with a high-end discrete GPU; the Arc B370's integrated nature creates an anomalous setup that underperforms in a game that is not graphically intensive by contemporary standards.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all legacy discrete cards from the early 2010s, which means the combo is effectively performing at the level of a system from that era, despite having a modern flagship-class CPU. This ranking serves as a cautionary data point about the importance of balanced component selection, though the specific frame rates and ranking are what they are in the measured results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for the Intel Core i7-12700K + Intel Arc B370 combo in Hard West are as follows, broken down by resolution and settings:

1920x1080:

• Low: 79 FPS average
• Medium: 64 FPS average (min 55, max 74)
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 37 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 50 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average (min 35, max 47)
• High: 31 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 26 FPS average
• Medium: 21 FPS average (min 18, max 25)
• High: 16 FPS average
• Ultra: 12 FPS average

The 1080p results show that the combo can achieve playable frame rates at Low (79 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) settings, with the Medium setting showing a minimum of 55 FPS that remains above the 30 FPS threshold. However, at High and Ultra, the averages drop to 49 FPS and 37 FPS respectively, indicating that the GPU struggles with higher quality settings even at the lowest resolution. The 1440p results are more concerning, with only the Low setting (50 FPS) achieving an average above 45 FPS, while Ultra dips to 23 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with all settings falling below 30 FPS, and Ultra reaching just 12 FPS.

The variance between settings within each resolution is consistent: the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 42 FPS (79 to 37), at 1440p it is 27 FPS (50 to 23), and at 4K it is 14 FPS (26 to 12). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the absolute bottleneck, and the quality settings have diminishing impact on performance because the fill rate limit is reached first. The Medium settings at all resolutions show the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded, allowing for an analysis of frame time consistency: at 1080p, the range is 55-74 FPS; at 1440p, 35-47 FPS; and at 4K, 18-25 FPS, showing a relatively tight band that suggests stable but low performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Hard West?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Low settings produces the highest average frame rate at 79 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium (64 FPS average) is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower), showing that it performs at the level of early-2010s discrete GPUs.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35287, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12700KF, is only 0.2% faster. The frame rates in Hard West decline consistently with increasing resolution, indicating the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 79 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 67.1%. This steep decline demonstrates that the GPU cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 4K.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Hard West?*

A: The combo ranks 2721st out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU's 5th percentile performance, despite the CPU's strong 84th percentile standing.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo records a minimum FPS of 35 and a maximum FPS of 47, with an average of 41 FPS. This shows that even at a moderate resolution and quality level, the frame rate can dip below 40 FPS.