Hard West

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but demanding experience in Hard West, with performance scaling directly from settings and resolution. The combo ranks in the 20th percentile of tested configurations, indicating that while it can handle the game, it requires careful settings management to achieve smooth frame rates, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Hard West?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 134 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 63 FPS at the same resolution when settings are increased to Ultra.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 21 FPS on Ultra to 44 FPS on Low. Only the Low preset provides a remotely playable experience, while Medium and High yield 36 FPS and 28 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its closest competitors. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, showing it is a mid-pack performer in its class.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset achieves 69 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. Frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 84 FPS to 28 FPS on High settings), indicating that the rendering load is the main constraint rather than CPU processing power.

*Q: How does this combo rank overall among all tested systems for Hard West?*

A: The combo ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 20% of all systems. This indicates that while it can run the game, most other tested configurations provide higher performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the defining component in this pairing for Hard West. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs operate at a consistent 2500 MHz base and boost clock. The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are the primary drivers of the frame rates observed in this title.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Hard West's performance scaling. The 10 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game's needs at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the ability to run at 4K. However, the 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth become a limiting factor as resolution increases. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the GPU can push high frame rates (134 FPS on Low), but at 4K, the same settings yield only 44 FPS. This 67% drop in performance at the same settings highlights the memory bandwidth constraint as the resolution scales.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, but Hard West is a 2015 title that likely doesn't utilize these advanced APIs. The Arc B570's performance here is more indicative of its raw rasterization throughput and memory subsystem efficiency rather than its feature set. The benchmark results show a GPU that is capable for 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, a characteristic typical of its mid-range positioning (65th percentile among all GPUs).

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2360 out of 2949 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the 20th percentile of all systems. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's mid-tier status rather than the CPU's capabilities. The CPU itself is a high-end processor, ranking in the 96th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 93785.

The disconnect between CPU and GPU performance is significant. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, with its 24 cores and 36 MB of L3 cache, is far more powerful than what Hard West requires. Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks — the Intel Xeon 6520P (0% delta), AMD EPYC 4564P (-1.5% delta), and AMD EPYC 9175F (-1.9% delta) — are all enterprise-class processors that are overkill for this game. The GPU, however, is the limiting factor, with its benchmark score of 20556 placing it in the 65th percentile and its nearest rivals being mobile or previous-generation parts.

This ranking indicates that the combo is not optimized for this specific title. The CPU's massive processing headroom is largely unused, while the GPU is pushed to its limits. Users with this configuration would see minimal performance gains from CPU upgrades, but significant improvements from a GPU upgrade. The 2949 tested combos represent a wide range of hardware, and this pairing sits in the bottom quintile, suggesting it is better suited for less demanding titles or lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Hard West show a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 134 FPS, Medium achieves 110 FPS (with a minimum of 93 FPS and maximum of 126 FPS), High reaches 84 FPS, and Ultra drops to 63 FPS. All of these are above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making 1080p the most comfortable resolution for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a significant hit. Low settings average 85 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium drops to 69 FPS (min 59 FPS, max 80 FPS), and High falls to 53 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that becomes problematic, with an average of 40 FPS. This resolution is playable with settings at Medium or below, but High and Ultra require compromises.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 44 FPS, Medium drops to 36 FPS (min 31 FPS, max 42 FPS), High falls to 28 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 21 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS target, and even the Low preset is borderline for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Hard West without accepting significant performance compromises.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 1080p, the difference is 71 FPS (134 vs 63); at 1440p, it's 45 FPS (85 vs 40); and at 4K, it's 23 FPS (44 vs 21). This indicates that the game's settings have a major impact on performance, and users can effectively trade visual quality for frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 84 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and then to 28 at 4K (a 67% decrease from 1080p). This scaling is consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes increasingly insufficient as pixel count increases, causing the frame rate to drop disproportionately.

The same pattern holds at other settings. On Low, the drop is from 134 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and 44 FPS at 4K (a 67% decrease). On Medium, the numbers are 110 FPS to 69 FPS (37% decrease) and 36 FPS (67% decrease). The consistency of these percentages across all settings strongly indicates that resolution is the dominant factor, not the specific graphical features enabled.

This scaling behavior confirms that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component. The CPU, with its 24 cores and high single-thread performance (5068 Passmark single-thread score), is not constraining frame rates at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less severe drops at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload for a turn-based tactics game like Hard West is relatively light. Instead, the frame rate scales almost linearly with pixel count, a classic sign of GPU or memory bandwidth limitation.

The 10 GB VRAM is not the issue, as the game fits comfortably within it at all resolutions. Rather, the 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are the constraints. The data suggests that users targeting 4K would need a GPU with higher memory bandwidth, while those staying at 1080p or 1440p can achieve good results with this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 63 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest visual quality. Users with high refresh rate monitors might prefer High settings (84 FPS) or Medium (110 FPS) for smoother motion, but Ultra offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, averaging 69 FPS. This is the only setting that exceeds 60 FPS while providing reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 53 FPS is passable but may result in noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. Low settings at 85 FPS are the best choice for competitive play or if frame rate consistency is paramount, but Medium provides a better visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, though it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. Medium at 36 FPS is tolerable for a turn-based game where frame rate fluctuations are less impactful, but High (28 FPS) and Ultra (21 FPS) are too slow for comfortable play. Users at 4K should either accept the Low preset or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The data shows that the Medium preset provides the most consistent performance across all resolutions, with frame rates of 110 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. This preset also has the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating it was tested more thoroughly. For most users, Medium is the safe default choice, with adjustments upward at 1080p or downward at 4K as needed.