Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a playable experience in Hard West, but the data reveals a clear performance hierarchy where the GPU's capabilities are the primary constraint at higher resolutionsestrategies. The combo ranks in the 66th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating solid but not top-tier performance for this turn-based tactics title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 155 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls further to 51 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 37% performance reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and an additional 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 3080's rendering workload increases substantially with pixel count, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The Ultra settings curve shows a similar trajectory but with lower absolute values. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 116 FPS, dropping to 73 FPS at 1440p and 38 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent: roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and another 48% from 1440p to 4K. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution scaling is independent of the graphics preset applied, pointing to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth as the bottleneck.

Low settings exhibit the least severe scaling. From 188 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate falls to 155 FPS at 1440p and 82 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 56% drop from 1080p, slightly larger than the High and Ultra curves. This suggests that at Low settings, where the GPU's shader workload is reduced, other factors such as memory bandwidth begin to play a more significant role in limiting performance at 4K.

Medium settings provide the most complete dataset with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 175 FPS with a range of 149 to 201 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 127 FPS with a range of 108 to 146 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77 FPS. The consistent frame time variance across resolutions indicates stable performance without severe micro-stuttering.

The data clearly shows that this combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, but 4K gaming requires careful settings management to maintain acceptable frame rates. The 4K Ultra figure of 38 FPS falls below the standard 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay without compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is directly relevant to the resolution scaling observed in the data. At 4K resolution, the frame buffer requirements increase significantly, and the 10 GB capacity combined with the high bandwidth helps maintain playable frame rates even at Medium settings, where the average reaches 67 FPS.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1440 MHz base and 1710 MHz boost, which are modest for a high-end card but sufficient for Hard West's turn-based tactical nature. The 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance provides ample shading power for the game's visual effects, but the data shows that at 4K, the GPU is still the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

The RTX 3080's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are not directly relevant to Hard West, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS according to the measured data. The 8704 shading units and 96 ROPs handle the traditional rasterization workload, and the 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate ensures smooth texture filtering at all tested settings.

The GPU's 320 W TDP indicates a power-hungry design, but the benchmark results show that the performance scales predictably with the workload. The 8 nm process node from Samsung allows for high transistor density, with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. This architectural advantage is evident in the 4K Medium result of 67 FPS, which is respectable given the resolution.

The percentile ranking of 68 for the GPU versus all other GPUs places it in the upper mid-range of the benchmark database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at -0.3%, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at -0.4%. These extremely small deltas indicate that the RTX 3080's benchmark scores are tightly clustered with these competitors, despite their different architectures and market positions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and RTX 3080 combination ranks 1242 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 66.6th percentile. This ranking indicates that the combo performs better than roughly two-thirds of all configurations tested, but it is not among the elite performers. The turn-based strategy genre typically favors CPU performance for AI calculations and game logic, but the data suggests that the GPU's rendering capabilities dominate the frame rate results in this title.

The CPU, a 6-core 12-thread Zen 2 processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz, shows a percentile ranking of 71 against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 17507, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (17482, delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE (17614, delta -0.6%), Intel Core 7 150U (17395, delta 0.6%), and Intel Core i3-14100T (17648, delta -0.8%). These small deltas indicate that the 4600G's CPU performance is well within the normal range for its class.

The GPU's percentile of 68 against all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU's 71, suggesting that the GPU is the relative weak point in this pairing. However, the combo's overall rank of 1242 out of 3722 shows that the two components work well together for Hard West. The 66.6th percentile placement means that the combo outperforms a majority of configurations while being beaten by a significant minority, likely those with newer or higher-end GPUs.

The ranking data shows that the combo's performance in Hard West is not limited by the CPU's 8 MB shared L3 cache or its DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The 7 nm process node and 9,800 million transistors provide sufficient compute for the game's turn-based logic, allowing the GPU to reach its full potential in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 188 FPS, Medium averages 175 FPS with a range of 149 to 201 FPS, High averages 155 FPS, and Ultra averages 116 FPS. All 1080p results exceed the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, and even the Ultra setting maintains a solid 116 FPS, making 1080p gaming a non-issue for this combination.

The 2560x1440 results show a moderate decrease in performance. Low settings average 155 FPS, Medium averages 127 FPS with a range of 108 to 146 FPS, High averages 98 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The Ultra setting remains above 60 FPS, while High settings dip slightly below the 100 FPS mark. This resolution offers a good balance between visual quality and frame rate, with all settings remaining playable.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 82 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77 FPS, High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS. The Medium setting is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below this threshold. The 4K Low result of 82 FPS shows that reducing graphical fidelity can make 4K gaming viable, but the Ultra setting's 38 FPS is noticeably below the standard 60 FPS target.

The Medium settings provide the most complete data with minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the range is 149 to 201 FPS, at 1440p the range is 108 to 146 FPS, and at 4K the range is 57 to 77 FPS. These ranges show consistent frame delivery without major spikes or drops, indicating stable performance across all resolutions.

The data reveals a clear pattern: the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p with no settings requiring compromise, while 4K gaming requires either Medium settings for 60+ FPS or Low settings for higher frame rates. The High and Ultra settings at 4K are only suitable for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 116 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the best visual experience without any performance concerns. The High preset at 155 FPS offers a significant frame rate boost for players with high refresh rate monitors, but Ultra is recommended for the best balance of quality and speed.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 73 FPS, which remains above 60 FPS and is the recommended choice for most players. The High preset at 98 FPS provides additional headroom for high refresh rate displays, while the Medium preset at 127 FPS is ideal for competitive play or players who prefer maximum smoothness. The Low preset at 155 FPS is unnecessary for this resolution given the excellent performance of higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, averaging 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, providing smooth gameplay while preserving a reasonable level of visual quality. The Low preset at 82 FPS offers a 22% performance increase over Medium but at a noticeable visual cost. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 38 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for consistent gameplay.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the 4K High preset at 51 FPS may be acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where fast reaction times are not critical. However, the Medium preset provides the best overall experience at 4K, balancing performance and quality. The data shows that the combo is capable of delivering a smooth experience at 4K only with Medium settings or lower.

The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings show that 4K has a minimum of 57 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target but does not drop below it. This indicates that the Medium preset provides a stable experience without significant frame drops. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 108 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 149 FPS, both showing excellent stability.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 4K with high settings?

A: No, the measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 51, which falls below the standard 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS at 4K, delivering 67 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 188 FPShare and Medium achieves 175 FPS, both exceeding 144 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset at 155 FPS exceeds 144 FPS, while Medium at 127 FPS falls short.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 1080p Ultra compare to 4K Medium?

A: The 1080p Ultra preset delivers an average of 116 FPS, while 4K Medium delivers 67 FPS. This represents a 42% performance reduction when moving from 1080p Ultra to 4K Medium, with the 4K resolution providing higher visual detail at the cost of frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game at 4K?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The RTX 3080's rendering workload increases significantly with resolution, as shown by the 51 FPS at 4K High versus 155 FPS at 1080p High. The CPU's performance percentile of 71 is higher than the GPU's 68, indicating the GPU is the relative bottleneck.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 127 with a minimum of 108 and maximum of 146. This provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold, with sufficient headroom for most displays.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 1242 out of 3722 tested combinations, placing it in the 66.6th percentile. This indicates that it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested configurations while being beaten by the remaining third, likely those with higher-end GPUs.