Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a compelling, if uneven, experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the clear dominant force, but the CPU's architectural limits become apparent at lower resolutions and higher settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, interpreting what the numbers imply about the hardware's balance and the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS trajectory across resolutions shows a classic GPU-bound curve, but with a notable inflection point. At 1080p, the combo achieves 188 FPS on Low, which drops to 133 FPS on High—a 29% reduction. Moving to 1440p, the same Low-to-High spread sees 133 FPS down to 84 FPS, a 37% decline. At 4K, the drop is steeper: Low delivers 70 FPS, while High falls to 44 FPS, a 37% reduction again. This scaling pattern suggests that while the RTX 3070 has ample headroom at 1080p, the gap between presets widens as pixel count increases, indicating the GPU is progressively becoming the limiting factor.

The jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At High settings, average FPS falls from 84 to 44, a 48% reduction. This nearly halving of performance for a 2.25x increase in pixel count (from 3.7 million to 8.3 million pixels) aligns with the GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6. The 4K Ultra setting collapses to 33 FPS, suggesting the game's Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the memory subsystem or shading units. Conversely, the 1080p to 1440p transition at High settings only drops from 133 to 84 FPS (37%), which is less severe, implying the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately at these lower resolutions.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is partially holding back the GPU. With 188 FPS on Low, the Ryzen 5 4600G's six cores and twelve threads are likely nearing their limit for frame generation, as turn-based tactics often have single-threaded simulation overhead. The RTX 3070, with its 5888 shading units and 20.31 TFLOPS, could theoretically push higher, but the CPU's 3.70 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clocks cap the ceiling. At 4K, the GPU becomes the unequivocal bottleneck, with the CPU's role diminishing as frame rates drop to the 33-70 FPS range, where per-frame CPU time is less critical.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a Zen 2 (Renoir) part with six cores and twelve threads, a configuration that is generally well-suited for turn-based tactics. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13593 and single-core score of 1919 indicate balanced throughput, but Hard West's engine appears sensitive to single-thread performance. The 3dmark single-thread score of 726 and 2-thread score of 1430 suggest that while the CPU can handle modest parallelism, the game's core logic likely runs on fewer threads, making the 4.20 GHz boost clock the critical factor.

Benchmark results show the CPU's percentile rank at 71 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17507. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (deltaPct 0.1) and Intel Core i3-14100T (deltaPct -0.8), indicating the 4600G sits in a competitive mid-range tier. For Hard West, the 8 MB shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards, but the game's 2015 release date means it was designed for far less capable hardware. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 188 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited; the GPU could render more, but the CPU's frame pacing becomes the constraint.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4) is another potential limiting factor. At 1080p High, the system delivers 133 FPS, but the gap to 1440p High (84 FPS) is 37%, which is larger than the pixel count increase alone would suggest. This could indicate that the game's draw calls and object updates are stressing the CPU's memory controller, especially when settings increase the number of on-screen entities. The 4600G's PCIe Gen 3 interface (20 lanes) also limits bandwidth to the RTX 3070, though for a 2015 game, this is unlikely to be a major constraint at the measured frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimal play, balancing visual fidelity against frame rate consistency. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 FPS and maximum of 198 FPS, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh displays. The jump from Medium to High costs 40 FPS (173 to 133), while Ultra drops further to 99 FPS, a 43% reduction from Medium. For 1440p, Medium achieves 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS, which is still fluid, but High at 84 FPS and Ultra at 63 FPS show diminishing returns. At 4K, only Low (70 FPS) and Medium (57 FPS, min 49) are playable; High at 44 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data suggests that Medium is the recommended preset across all resolutions, as it offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, Medium's 173 FPS average is nearly double the 99 FPS of Ultra, while the visual difference between Medium and High in a turn-based game is often minimal. At 1440p, Medium's 109 FPS provides headroom for drops, whereas High's 84 FPS may struggle in dense scenes with multiple units. For 4K, Medium is the highest playable setting, with the 49 FPS minimum indicating occasional stutters, but it remains the most viable option. Low at 4K (70 FPS) is smoother but sacrifices too much detail for a game that emphasizes atmospheric presentation.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 3070 bottleneck the Ryzen 5 4600G in Hard West?

A: No, the data shows the opposite. At 1080p Low, the system hits 188 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 33, indicating the GPU is the constraint. The CPU's six cores and 4.20 GHz boost clock are sufficient for the game's turn-based logic.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1440p Medium provides the best experience, with 109 FPS average and 93 FPS minimum. This resolution balances the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth with the CPU's single-thread performance. At 1080p, the CPU limits top-end FPS, while 4K stresses the GPU excessively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600G has an average benchmark score of 17507, which is 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (17482) and 0.6% above the Intel Core 7 150U (17395). It trails the AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE (17614) by 0.6% and the Intel Core i3-14100T (17648) by 0.8%.

Q: Is Ultra settings ever viable with this hardware?

A: Only at 1080p, where Ultra averages 99 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 33 FPS. The 33 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates the GPU's 5888 shading units are overwhelmed, and the 8 GB VRAM may also be a factor.

Q: Why does Medium outperform High by such a large margin?

A: At 1080p, Medium averages 173 FPS versus High's 133 FPS, a 30% difference. This suggests High enables effects that disproportionately load the GPU, such as advanced shadows or post-processing. At 4K, the gap narrows to 57 vs 44 FPS (23%), indicating the GPU is saturated regardless.

Q: What does the 4K Low setting (70 FPS) tell us about the game's optimization?

A: The 70 FPS at 4K Low, versus 188 FPS at 1080p Low, shows a 63% reduction. This is more than the pixel count increase, implying the game's renderer scales poorly with resolution, possibly due to fill-rate limits or memory bandwidth constraints. The RTX 3070's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears insufficient for high-resolution Low settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the workhorse of this combo, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its PassMark G3D score of 22214 and percentile rank of 61 among all GPUs place it in the upper-mid range. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (deltaPct 0.7) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (deltaPct 1.0), showing it is competitive with modern mid-range cards. The 1725 MHz boost clock and 5888 shading units drive the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results reveal its limits.

At 4K Ultra, the 33 FPS average indicates the GPU is fully saturated. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor, as Hard West's textures at Ultra may exceed this capacity, causing paging. The 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are strained by the 4K pixel count, which explains the steep drop from 70 FPS (Low) to 33 FPS (Ultra). The GPU's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are irrelevant for this game, as it uses DirectX 11 (PassMark DX11 score of 182), but the raw rasterization power is still substantial.

The GPU's role is most evident in the 1440p to 4K transition. At High settings, 84 to 44 FPS (48% drop) shows the GPU becoming the sole bottleneck. The CPU's 12 threads can easily feed frames at 44 FPS, but the GPU cannot render them fast enough. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the GPU's potential is wasted, as the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R20 single-core score of 805) caps the frame rate below what the GPU could theoretically deliver. The data suggests that for a 2015 game, the RTX 3070 is overkill at 1080p but appropriately matched at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all combinations. At 1080p, the progression is: Low 188 FPS, Medium 173 FPS (min 147, max 198), High 133 FPS, Ultra 99 FPS. The 15 FPS difference between Low and Medium is modest, but the 40 FPS jump from Medium to High is significant. At 1440p, the results are: Low 133 FPS, Medium 109 FPS (min 93, max 126), High 84 FPS, Ultra 63 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent 29-37% reduction across settings.

At 4K, the data reveals the most dramatic shifts: Low 70 FPS, Medium 57 FPS (min 49, max 66), High 44 FPS, Ultra 33 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 49 FPS is concerning, as it indicates frame time spikes that could affect turn-based gameplay, though the genre's non-real-time nature mitigates this. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is the only sub-40 FPS measurement, confirming the GPU's limits. The min/max data for Medium settings across resolutions shows a consistent spread: 147-198 at 1080p, 93-126 at 1440p, and 49-66 at 4K, indicating stable frame pacing with occasional spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 1635 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 56th percentile. This rank reflects a system that is above average but not exceptional, which aligns with the individual component percentiles (CPU at 71, GPU at 61). The rank suggests that many combinations either have a stronger CPU to feed the RTX 3070 at 1080p or a more powerful GPU to handle 4K Ultra.

The combo's position is likely dragged down by the CPU's single-thread performance at high frame rates. The 1080p Low result of 188 FPS is respectable, but other combos with higher-clocked CPUs (e.g., the Intel Core i3-14100T, which has a deltaPct of -0.8 in CPU benchmarks) may achieve higher FPS at 1080p, pushing them up the ranks. Conversely, the GPU's strong 4K performance (44 FPS at High) may be offset by combos with 16 GB VRAM GPUs that handle Ultra settings better. The rank of 1635 out of 3722 indicates this is a mid-tier combination, suitable for 1080p high-refresh or 1440p high-quality play, but not for 4K enthusiasts. The data shows that the system's sweet spot is 1440p Medium, where it delivers 109 FPS, a performance level that would likely place it higher if all combos were tested at that specific configuration.