Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for this specific configuration—Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU—paints a stark picture of performance limits. The combination ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos in this game, placing it in the bottom tier. The benchmark results show a system where the integrated graphics solution is the overwhelming bottleneck, struggling to maintain playable framerates at any resolution above the most modest settings. This analysis breaks down exactly where those limits lie, how the CPU and GPU contribute to the outcome, and what settings offer the least painful experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable but severe collapse in framerates as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B390's integrated graphics are completely overwhelmed by the pixel count. At 1080p with Low settings, the system manages an average of 87 FPS, which drops to 55 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 29 FPS at 4K. That represents a 67% reduction in average framerate from 1080p to 4K on Low settings. The scaling is even more punishing on Medium, where the 71 FPS average at 1080p falls to 45 FPS at 1440p and then to 24 FPS at 4K—a 66% total drop.

The High preset tells a similar story: 55 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and only 18 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, as the framerate penalty scales almost directly with the increase in rendered pixels. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions, with the framerate plateauing once the CPU's limit was reached. Instead, the performance degrades consistently with every resolution step, showing that the Arc B390's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are saturated even at 1080p on higher presets.

The Ultra preset is the most revealing. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 41 FPS, which drops to 26 FPS at 1440p and 14 FPS at 4K. This is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the scaling seen on other presets. The consistency of this percentage across all settings strongly suggests that resolution is the dominant factor in performance, not the complexity of the scene or the number of objects rendered. For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, which typically involves static camera angles and limited draw distances, this is a clear indicator that the integrated GPU's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its specifications include 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This is a critical limitation, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the effective bandwidth available to the GPU is significantly lower than what a dedicated graphics card would have.

The benchmark data for the GPU shows a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, a 1.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% delta). These are all entry-level or legacy mobile/desktop GPUs from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance class. In Hard West, this translates to the measured framerates: even at 1080p Low, the GPU is only able to produce 87 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it drops to 41 FPS.

The GPU's pixel rate is rated at 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate at 120.0 GTexel/s, but these theoretical figures do not hold up in practice due to the shared memory subsystem. The lack of dedicated VRAM means that the GPU must constantly fetch texture and geometry data from system memory, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth becomes a severe bottleneck. This is why the 4K results are so poor—at 3840x2160, the GPU is trying to fill over 8 million pixels per frame, and the memory subsystem simply cannot supply the data fast enough. The 24 ROPs are particularly limiting for resolution scaling, as they handle the final pixel output, and 24 ROPs is a very low count for any modern game at high resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and the CPU uses the Intel Socket 1851. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216, a single-core score of 5960, and a Passmark multi-thread score of 49682. The CPU sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is almost entirely secondary to the GPU. The game is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, which means it does not demand high thread counts or complex AI simulations that would stress a modern 20-core processor. The measured framerates show that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system only reaches 87 FPS average. This is far below what the CPU is capable of—the Core Ultra 7 265's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (avg score 64823, delta -0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438, delta 0.3%), and the AMD EPYC 7343 (64202, delta 0.7%). These are all high-end server or desktop processors, and none of them would be the limiting factor in a 2015 turn-based game.

The fact that the framerate drops from 87 FPS at 1080p Low to 55 FPS at 1080p High, and then further to 41 FPS at 1080p Ultra, confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is likely idle or lightly loaded during these scenes, as the game's logic and rendering calls are simple by modern standards. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads are essentially wasted on Hard West, which likely uses only a few threads for game logic and draw call submission. The 30 MB of L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for the game's data requirements, so the CPU is never the constraint. In fact, the benchmark results indicate that if the GPU were stronger, the CPU could easily push framerates well beyond 100 FPS at 1080p in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and playability is found at 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 87 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches a smooth experience, with no reported minimum FPS, suggesting the framerate is relatively stable. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 71 FPS, which is still playable for a turn-based game, and the minimum of 61 FPS indicates that even the worst-case framerate stays above 60 FPS. This makes 1080p Medium a viable choice if you want slightly better visuals without sacrificing smoothness.

For 1440p, the data shows that Low settings are the only reasonable option, with an average of 55 FPS. This is acceptable for a turn-based tactics game, where precise timing is not critical, but it is noticeably less smooth than 1080p Medium. The 1440p Medium average of 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 35 FPS average starts to feel sluggish. At 4K, none of the settings are playable in any meaningful sense—the best result is Low at 29 FPS average, which is below the threshold for comfortable play even in a turn-based game.

If you are willing to accept lower framerates for better visuals, 1080p Ultra at 41 FPS average is the highest visual quality that remains technically playable, but the lack of a reported minimum FPS means there could be stutters. The Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot for most users, as it provides a 71 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. For 1440p, stick to Low settings if you prioritize smoothness, or Medium if you can tolerate occasional dips to 38 FPS. Avoid Ultra at any resolution above 1080p, as the 26 FPS average at 1440p and 14 FPS at 4K are effectively unplayable.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1080p with Medium settings provides the best balance, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. 1080p Low offers a higher average of 87 FPS but with lower visual quality.

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K?

A: The data indicates that 4K is not playable in any practical sense. The best 4K result is 29 FPS average on Low settings, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. 4K Ultra drops to 14 FPS average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Hard West?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The framerate scales consistently with resolution, which is a GPU-bound characteristic.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is just 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). These are all very low-end GPUs.

Q: What is the highest average framerate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average framerate is 87 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds this value in the data.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265's performance matter for this game?

A: Not significantly. The CPU has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and sits in the 93rd percentile, but Hard West's performance is entirely constrained by the GPU. The framerate would not improve with a faster CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Hard West with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B390 is as follows. At 3840x2160 (4K), the High preset averages 18 FPS, Low averages 29 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. At 2560x1440, High averages 35 FPS, Low averages 55 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. At 1920x1080, High averages 55 FPS, Low averages 87 FPS, Medium averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82, and Ultra averages 41 FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: every settings tier at 4K is below 30 FPS, every settings tier at 1440p is below 60 FPS, and only 1080p Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS. The Medium presets are the only ones with reported minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating more consistent frame pacing, while the other presets lack this data. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 1080p Ultra delivering 41 FPS average, which is 53% lower than 1080p Low. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution is significant: at 1080p, the drop is from 87 to 41 FPS (a 53% reduction); at 1440p, from 55 to 26 FPS (a 53% reduction); and at 4K, from 29 to 14 FPS (a 52% reduction). This consistent percentage drop across resolutions confirms that the GPU's workload scales uniformly with both resolution and settings, and that the system is firmly GPU-limited in all configurations.