Hard West

# FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 posts an average benchmark score of 36,938, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with an average score of 36,945, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D trails by 0.2% (score 37,018), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.4% behind (score 37,093), and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.5% behind (score 37,112). The data shows the Ultra 5 225 sits squarely in a competitive pack where performance differences are negligible.

Q: What is the combo ranking for this CPU and GPU pairing in Hard West?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,614 out of 2,949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the lower portion of the database, indicating that while the system is functional, it does not deliver top-tier performance for this turn-based tactics title.

Q: What frame rates does this combo achieve at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS ranges from 87 on Low settings to 41 on Ultra. Medium settings yield 71 FPS (with a min of 61 and max of 82), while High settings produce 55 FPS. The data shows a clear scaling pattern where each preset step down from Ultra to Low roughly doubles the average frame rate.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's GPU benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1,482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1,463 (1.3% higher), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1,460 (1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1,446 (2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1,443 (2.7% higher). The B390 outperforms all four listed rivals, though the margins are slim.

Q: What is the best playable setting for 1440p based on the measured data?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 55 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches smooth gameplay. Medium averages 45 FPS (min 38, max 52), High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26 FPS. Based on the measured rows, Low is the only preset that maintains a playable average at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this combo in Hard West?

A: The benchmark data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 has a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs and only 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, while the CPU sits in the 85th percentile with strong multi-core scores like 25,891 in Cinebench R23. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and the CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ultra 5 225 delivers strong results: 25,891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,655 in single-core. PassMark tests show 30,459 in multithread, 4,412 in single-thread, 92,038 in floating-point math, and 65,345 in integer math. These numbers indicate a capable processor for general compute tasks, though Hard West is a turn-based tactics game from 2015 that likely does not heavily stress modern multi-core CPUs.

For this game, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rates show consistent scaling with resolution changes—dropping from 87 FPS at 1080p Low to 18 FPS at 4K High—which is typical of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and strong Cinebench scores suggest it has ample headroom for this title, meaning the processor is unlikely to be the primary constraint on performance.

The 10-core configuration with 10 threads (no hyperthreading) is more than sufficient for a turn-based tactics game, which typically uses a limited number of threads for game logic and AI. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides solid single-thread performance, which matters for games that rely on a primary simulation thread. However, the data does not show a scenario where CPU performance becomes the deciding factor in Hard West frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,614 out of 2,949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 11th percentile of all combinations in the database. This is a low ranking, reflecting the GPU's weak performance relative to the broader hardware landscape.

The combo's ranking is heavily influenced by the Intel Arc B390, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it alongside integrated and entry-level discrete graphics solutions from over a decade ago. In contrast, the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile, meaning the processor is substantially more capable than the graphics component it is paired with.

This imbalance is evident in the measured frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 87 FPS, which is playable, but dropping to 4K Ultra yields only 14 FPS. The ranking reflects a system that can handle low-resolution, low-detail gaming but struggles at higher settings and resolutions. Among the 2,949 combos tested, this pairing sits in the bottom 12%, indicating that most other CPU-GPU combinations deliver better performance in Hard West.

The data suggests that the combo rank would improve significantly with a more powerful GPU, as the CPU has demonstrated strong benchmark results that are not fully utilized in this configuration. However, as tested, the Intel Arc B390 limits the overall experience to low-to-medium settings at best.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—across four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average frame rates: Low at 87 FPS, Medium at 71 FPS (min 61, max 82), High at 55 FPS, and Ultra at 41 FPS. The scaling from Ultra to Low shows a 212% improvement in average FPS, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution. The Medium preset's min FPS of 61 suggests that even with frame-time variance, the experience remains mostly smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 55 FPS on Low, 45 FPS on Medium (min 38, max 52), 35 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% reduction in average FPS across all settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel count demanding more from the GPU. The Medium preset's min of 38 FPS indicates noticeable frame dips, making Low the only consistently smooth option at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal: Low averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. Even the Low preset falls below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for playability. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 15 FPS, showing that the GPU's limited compute resources (7.680 TFLOPS FP32) cannot handle the pixel throughput required at this resolution.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each resolution step from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reduces frame rates by roughly 35-40% at the same settings. This linear scaling confirms the GPU-bound nature of the system, as a CPU bottleneck would show less variation across resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process at Intel. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. The GPU includes 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory is system-shared, meaning the GPU uses a portion of the CPU's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively, which means performance is tied to the CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This shared memory configuration is a significant limitation for gaming, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest: 7.680 TFLOPS FP32, 15.36 TFLOPS FP16, a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), GeForce 800M (1,460), GT 625 OEM (1,446), and GT 710 (1,443). The B390 beats these rivals by 1.3% to 2.7%, but all of these are entry-level or legacy parts.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is the primary determinant of frame rates. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck across all resolutions and settings, with performance dropping sharply as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the GPU manages 87 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 14 FPS. The GPU's limited ROP count (24) and system-shared memory bandwidth constrain fill-rate and memory-intensive operations, which are critical for higher resolutions.

The TDP of 80 W and IGP form factor indicate this is not a high-performance gaming solution. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking confirms that it performs below the vast majority of standalone graphics cards, making it suitable only for light or older titles at modest settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the player's tolerance for frame rate drops.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. This ensures no frame dips below 60 FPS, providing a smooth experience for a turn-based tactics game where camera movement and animations benefit from consistent frame pacing. The High preset at 55 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset's higher minimum frame rate makes it the safer choice. For players who prioritize maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 41 FPS is acceptable given the game's slower pace, but Medium is recommended for the most consistent experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only setting that maintains an average above 50 FPS (55 FPS), and it is the recommended choice for playable performance. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, which may be tolerable for turn-based gameplay but risks noticeable stutter during camera pans. High at 35 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are below the threshold for comfortable play, even for a slow-paced strategy game.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a playable average frame rate. The highest average is 29 FPS on Low, which is below the 30 FPS minimum for smooth gameplay. Medium averages 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. Based on the data, 4K gaming is not viable with this combo, and players should avoid this resolution entirely.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset at 1080p is the single best configuration in the measured data, delivering 71 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum. This provides the best experience per the measured rows, balancing visual quality with performance headroom. For players who prefer higher resolutions, dropping to 1440p Low (55 FPS) is the only alternative that remains playable, while 4K should be avoided regardless of settings.