Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a highly playable experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured frame rates show a system that is well-balanced for this genre, with performance scaling predictably as resolution and settings increase. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary performance driver at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 5 5500 provides ample headroom at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance metrics to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent performance drop as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 111.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces this to 69.6 FPS, a significant 37.5% decrease. The jump to 4K at High settings yields 38.3 FPS, which represents a further 45% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline suggests that the render resolution is heavily taxing the GPU, outweighing the CPU's capabilities at these higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern across all settings presets reinforces this conclusion. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 174 FPS at 1080p to 106.6 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 56.5 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 47%, similar to the High preset's drop. This consistency indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's raw pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K, regardless of the graphical complexity. The game's turn-based nature means this isn't a competitive disadvantage, but the data shows a clear boundary for smooth 4K play.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a larger relative drop than the transition from 1440p to 4K when looking at the High preset. The 41.8 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is larger than the 31.3 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K. This non-linear scaling suggests that the system is beginning to hit a memory bandwidth or fill-rate ceiling as pixel count increases. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the data shows diminishing returns as resolution increases.

For a turn-based tactics game, the frame rate floor is less critical than in fast-paced genres. The 4K High result of 38.3 FPS is still playable, though not ideal. The 1440p High result of 69.6 FPS offers a much smoother experience. The data suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER is best utilized at 1440p for this title, where it can maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS at most settings. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its 3dmark_single_thread score of 836, is sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 83.3. This is a solid result, indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER can handle the highest preset at this resolution without issue, though it is not as high as the 111.4 FPS seen at High settings.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 1440p, the system achieves 69.6 FPS on High and 91 FPS on Medium settings. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 52.8 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings reach 106.6 FPS, showing the GPU's headroom at lower graphical loads.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20897, resulting in a deltaPct of -0.1%. This indicates the two processors are virtually identical in overall synthetic performance, with the Ryzen 5 5500 trailing by a negligible margin.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 2070 SUPER and the AMD Radeon RX 5700?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 21670. The deltaPct shows the RTX 2070 SUPER is 2.5% ahead of the RX 5700 in aggregate benchmarks, a modest but consistent lead.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combination?

A: The data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 38.3, and with Ultra settings it drops to 26.3. While playable for a turn-based game, these frame rates are not ideal for smooth motion. For a better 4K experience, Medium settings yield 49.6 FPS, which is more acceptable.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 499 USD.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing for Hard West. Its performance profile, as detailed by the benchmark results, directly correlates with the measured frame rates. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, operating on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, is more than sufficient for this 2015 title. The data shows no signs of memory capacity or bandwidth being a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 26.3.

The GPU's clock speeds play a significant role in its performance. With a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, the Turing-based chip (TU104) delivers substantial compute throughput. This is reflected in its FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS. The benchmark results, such as a passmark_g3d score of 18169, place the card in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. This percentile ranking, combined with its nearest rivals, shows it sits comfortably in the mid-to-high range of graphics hardware.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution shows the GPU's architecture handling increased load. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 174 FPS on Low to 83.3 FPS on Ultra, a 52% reduction. This is a typical response to increased shader complexity and texture detail. At 4K, the same settings shift yields a drop from 56.5 FPS to 26.3 FPS, a 53% reduction. The consistent percentage drop across resolutions confirms that the GPU is being uniformly stressed by the settings, without any unexpected bottlenecks from other system components.

The GPU's relationship with the Ryzen 5 5500 is synergistic. The CPU's 12 threads and Zen 3 architecture provide enough processing power to avoid holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. The high frame rates at 1080p, such as 139.9 FPS on Medium, indicate the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops, which is expected given the increased pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 111.4 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the Ultra preset's 83.3 FPS, which suggests that the difference between High and Ultra is visually minimal but computationally expensive. For users with 1080p displays, High settings are recommended to maximize smoothness without sacrificing noticeable visual quality.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice for a consistently smooth experience, providing 91 FPS. The High preset at 69.6 FPS is also viable, offering better visual fidelity for a 12% reduction in frame rate compared to Medium. The Ultra preset, at 52.8 FPS, is playable but may not provide the fluidity desired for a turn-based game where camera panning is common. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1440p, balancing visual quality and performance.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset yields 49.6 FPS, which is the highest frame rate that maintains a reasonable level of visual detail. High settings drop to 38.3 FPS, and Ultra to 26.3 FPS, both of which may feel sluggish. For 4K users, Medium settings are recommended, as the jump to High costs over 11 FPS while likely providing marginal visual improvements on most displays. The Low preset at 56.5 FPS is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, but it sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize frame rate stability over absolute graphical fidelity. Given the game's turn-based nature, a lower frame rate is less detrimental than in action games, but the data shows that medium to high settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience. This configuration leverages the GPU's strengths while avoiding the performance cliff seen at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1042 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all possible system configurations for this game. While the rank might seem low, it's important to contextualize this within the game's genre and release date. Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, so it is not particularly demanding by modern standards, meaning many newer, high-end systems will naturally outperform this pairing.

The rank of 1042 out of 1699 means that roughly 61% of tested combos deliver higher frame rates. This is expected given the hardware's age. The RTX 2070 SUPER, while a capable card, is now considered end-of-life and sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The Ryzen 5 5500 is a more recent release, but it is a budget-oriented processor, ranking in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. When combined, their performance in this game is respectable but not exceptional.

The data indicates that this combo is better suited for 1440p gaming than for 4K. The measured FPS at 1440p High (69.6) is comfortably above playable thresholds, while the 4K Ultra result (26.3) is below what most users would consider acceptable. The ranking reflects this, as systems with higher-tier GPUs would achieve better high-resolution performance. However, for users with 1080p or 1440p displays, this combo provides a solid experience for a game like Hard West, offering high frame rates at reasonable settings.

The GPU's nearest rival in benchmarks, the AMD Radeon RX 5700, is 2.5% slower overall, suggesting that this combo would rank similarly with that card. The CPU's near-identical performance to the Intel Core i5-12500 (deltaPct of -0.1%) means that swapping to that processor would not change the ranking meaningfully. The ranking primarily reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, which is the defining characteristic of this system's performance in Hard West.