Hard West

# Hard West — AMD Ryzen 5 3600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting case for hardware analysis because its demands differ markedly from fast-paced genres. The measured frame rates for this combination — AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 — reveal a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU influence at lower ones. The data set includes 12 measured configurations across three resolutions and four quality presets, giving a clear picture of how this pairing behaves under varying loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a story of increasing GPU pressure. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 133.6 at 1920x1080 to 84.1 at 2560x1440, then to 43.7 at 3840x2160. That represents a 37% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep scaling curve indicates the RTX 3070 is the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs — the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K.

The Low preset shows a different pattern. At 1080p, the system achieves 181.8 FPS, dropping to 133.7 at 1440p and 68.2 at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is 26%, which is less severe than at High settings. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU begins to play a more significant role — the Ryzen 5 3600's six cores and twelve threads with a 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clock start to become a bottleneck when the GPU isn't fully stressed.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution scaling effect dramatically. The 99 FPS at 1080p falls to 63.1 at 1440p and 31.2 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — below 30 FPS territory indicates the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high pixel count and maximum graphical effects. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 37 FPS (68.2 vs 31.2), while at 1080p that same gap expands to 82.8 FPS (181.8 vs 99). This widening delta at lower resolutions suggests the CPU can keep up with the RTX 3070 at 1080p but becomes less relevant as GPU work dominates at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600, built on the Zen 2 architecture with a 7 nm process, provides six cores and twelve threads. Its benchmark scores show a processor that performs solidly in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads: the 3dmark_single_thread score of 696 and cinebench_r23_singlecore of 2124 indicate decent per-core performance for a 2019-era chip. The passmark_multithread score of 17700 and cinebench_r23_multicore of 15045 demonstrate the multi-threading capability that turn-based tactics might leverage for AI calculations and game logic.

In Hard West, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At Low settings, the 181.8 FPS figure suggests the game engine is running into CPU limitations — this is a 2015 title that likely doesn't scale perfectly across six cores. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1361 and 4_threads score of 2579 hint that the processor's strength in low-thread-count scenarios matters more for older games. The Ryzen 5 3600's 32 MB shared L3 cache helps maintain data locality, which can benefit games with complex turn-based logic.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 3600 sits within a tight performance band. The Intel Core i5-11400 has an average benchmark score of 18150, just 0.1% above the Ryzen's 18129. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 18101 (0.2% lower), while the older AMD Ryzen 5 1600 scores 18158 (-0.2%). This clustering indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600's CPU performance is neither a standout nor a liability — it's firmly average for its class, which is adequate for a game like Hard West that doesn't demand extreme frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, based on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, brings substantial graphical horsepower. Its 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs combine with a 1500 MHz base and 1725 MHz boost clock to deliver 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is critical for 4K texture streaming in modern games.

For Hard West, the RTX 3070's performance profile shows clear GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. The transition from Medium to Ultra at 4K yields a 23.8 FPS drop (55 to 31.2), while the same transition at 1080p costs 71.3 FPS (170.3 to 99). This disproportionate scaling suggests that the game's Ultra preset includes effects that disproportionately tax the GPU's resources — likely shadow quality, volumetric effects, or post-processing that scale with pixel count.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it competitively. The passmark_g3d score of 22214 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 3162 reflect strong DirectX 12 performance. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT with an average score of 27985 (0.9% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti at 27956 (1% lower). The RTX 3070's 28238 average places it slightly above these competitors, though the margins are thin — under 1% in both cases. This indicates that in Hard West, the GPU's raw compute isn't the differentiator; rather, its memory bandwidth and driver optimization for older titles matter more.

FAQ

Q: Why does 4K Ultra drop below 30 FPS while 1080p Ultra stays near 100 FPS?

A: The measured data shows 31.2 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra versus 99 FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra. This 68% reduction indicates the RTX 3070's 8 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become saturated at 4K, while at 1080p the GPU has ample headroom.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 holding back the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 181.8 FPS, which suggests some CPU limitation given the GPU's capability. However, the Ryzen 5 3600's 3dmark_single_thread score of 696 and cinebench_r23_singlecore of 2124 indicate sufficient per-core performance for a 2015 turn-based title.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 801 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This rank reflects the balanced but not exceptional performance of the Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 3070 pairing.

Q: What's the best setting for smooth 4K gameplay?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 68.2 FPS, Medium yields 55 FPS, and High drops to 43.7 FPS. Only Low and Medium maintain playable frame rates above 50 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Does the GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks match its in-game results?

A: The RTX 3070's passmark_g3d score of 22214 and average benchmark score of 28238 indicate strong general performance. In Hard West, the 43.7 FPS at 4K High is consistent with a GPU that ranks in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High?

A: Across all resolutions, Ultra averages 20-28% lower FPS than High. The smallest absolute difference is at 4K (12.5 FPS), while the largest is at 1080p (34.6 FPS), suggesting Ultra's additional effects scale with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 181.8 FPS, Medium reaches 170.3 FPS, High achieves 133.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 99 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 82.8 FPS, representing a 45% performance penalty for maximum quality at this resolution. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the capabilities of this hardware, even at the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings yield 133.7 FPS, Medium hits 110.3 FPS, High delivers 84.1 FPS, and Ultra manages 63.1 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 70.6 FPS (53% penalty), showing that resolution increases compress the performance range. At this resolution, all presets remain playable, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low produces 68.2 FPS, Medium reaches 55 FPS, High falls to 43.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31.2 FPS. The performance penalty from Low to Ultra at 4K is 37 FPS (54% reduction). Notably, the gap between Medium and High at 4K is 11.3 FPS, while at 1080p that same gap is 36.7 FPS — indicating diminishing returns from settings changes at higher resolutions.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 3070 handles 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K requires careful settings management. The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture requirements likely exceed available memory, causing the sharp performance drop.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 99 FPS is the clear choice — it provides the best visual quality while maintaining smooth frame rates. The 34.6 FPS difference between Ultra and High at this resolution is significant, but 99 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay in a turn-based tactics title.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 84.1 FPS offer the best balance. Ultra at 63.1 FPS is still playable, but the 21 FPS penalty for maximum quality may not justify the visual improvements. Medium at 110.3 FPS is overkill for a game genre that doesn't demand high refresh rates.

For 3840x2160, Low settings at 68.2 FPS provide the smoothest experience, but Medium at 55 FPS is the recommended compromise — it maintains playability while offering better visual fidelity. High at 43.7 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 31.2 FPS should be avoided due to inconsistent frame pacing potential.

The data suggests that for this turn-based tactics game, prioritizing resolution over settings yields the best experience. A 1440p High preset at 84.1 FPS provides better visual clarity than 1080p Ultra at 99 FPS, while 4K Low at 68.2 FPS offers the highest pixel density without sacrificing smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

This AMD Ryzen 5 3600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 801 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is notable given the hardware's individual performance profiles — the CPU ranks in the 76th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The combined rank being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that Hard West's engine doesn't fully leverage the strengths of this pairing.

The ranking makes sense when considering the game's age — a 2015 release that predates the RTX 3070 by five years and the Ryzen 5 3600 by four years. The game's engine likely doesn't utilize the GPU's tensor cores or ray tracing capabilities, and the CPU's 12 threads may go largely underutilized in a turn-based game that primarily relies on single-threaded logic. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1361 indicates the CPU's strength in low-thread-count workloads, which should benefit this type of game, but the overall 801st rank suggests other combos with faster single-thread performance or better GPU memory configurations achieve higher frame rates.

The nearest GPU rivals provide context: the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT scores 0.9% lower in synthetic benchmarks, yet the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth make it better suited for the 4K resolutions where Hard West's performance drops most sharply. The combo's rank reflects that this is a capable but not top-tier configuration for this specific game — it handles 1080p and 1440p excellently, but 4K Ultra remains out of reach, which likely prevents it from climbing higher in the rankings.