Hard West

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne codename) using a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it carries 16 MB of L3 cache alongside 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core. The CPU draws a 65 W TDP and uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5500 demonstrates a balanced profile. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 836, while the 2-thread test reaches 1645, and scaling up to 8 threads yields 4593. The max-threads score of 5411 shows modest gains beyond 8 threads, indicating that the 6-core/12-thread configuration provides diminishing returns as thread count increases — a pattern consistent with a mid-range desktop part. Cinebench R23 scores of 2319 single-core and 16429 multi-core place it firmly in the upper-middle tier of desktop CPUs.

The CPU's percentile rank against all CPUs is 79, with an average benchmark score of 20875. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i5-12500 scores 20897 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE scores 20900 (0.1% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845 (0.1% lower). This means the Ryzen 5 5500 sits within a hair's breadth of these alternatives in raw compute capability, with deltas of no more than 0.2% in either direction.

For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame pacing during turn transitions, AI calculations, and scene loads. The 6-core/12-thread design with a 4.20 GHz boost clock provides enough single-thread headroom for game logic, while the additional threads handle background tasks. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 218 FPS average — a figure that suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck even at high frame rates. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, which the measured FPS data confirms.

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest CPU rivals in raw performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 20897 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE scores 20900 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Core i5-12600T scores 20917 (0.2% higher). All five processors are effectively within 0.2% of each other, making them statistically indistinguishable in aggregate performance.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hard West?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 481 out of 1699 tested combos in this game. This places it in the upper third of all configurations tested, though not at the very top tier.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.6% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A scores 38008 (1.9% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (2.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5300M scores 36371 (2.5% lower). The GPU sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What frame rate does the combo achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 158.7 FPS. This is well above typical display refresh rates and indicates smooth gameplay for a turn-based tactics title.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 38.3 FPS. Comparing this to the 1080p Ultra result of 123.9 FPS shows a drop of 85.6 FPS when moving to 4K. The GPU is clearly the limiting component at this resolution and settings level, as the CPU's performance headroom demonstrated at lower resolutions cannot compensate for the GPU's workload at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's memory configuration affect Hard West performance?

A: The RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game with modest texture requirements, this memory capacity and bandwidth are more than sufficient, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1440p and the significant scaling observed when lowering settings at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 158.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 104.6 FPS — a reduction of 54.1 FPS (34.1% lower). At 4K, High settings yield 53.6 FPS, which is 105.1 FPS below the 1080p result (66.2% lower). This steep decline indicates the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases.

The Low settings row tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 218 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 162.7 FPS (55.3 FPS lower). At 4K Low, it falls to 83.4 FPS — a 134.6 FPS reduction from 1080p. The proportional drop from 1080p to 4K is 61.7% at Low settings, compared to 66.2% at High settings. This suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU's rendering workload scales heavily with resolution.

Medium settings show the same trend: 202.2 FPS at 1080p, 132.8 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop is 134.2 FPS (66.4% lower). Ultra settings produce 123.9 FPS at 1080p, 78.4 FPS at 1440p, and 38.3 FPS at 4K — a 85.6 FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K (69.1% lower).

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested. At 1080p Low, the 218 FPS average suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 can feed frames well above typical display capabilities. The consistent pattern of FPS dropping by roughly 60-70% from 1080p to 4K across all settings points to the RTX 4070's rendering throughput as the binding constraint at higher resolutions. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but become strained at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings that likely increase pixel shading and texture sampling workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings produce 218 FPS average, Medium settings reach 202.2 FPS, High settings hit 158.7 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 123.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 94.1 FPS, showing that settings have a substantial impact on frame rate even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent. Low settings average 162.7 FPS, Medium settings hit 132.8 FPS, High settings reach 104.6 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 78.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 84.3 FPS — slightly narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU's workload from higher resolution partially masks the settings-based differences.

At 3840x2160, the results show significant strain on the GPU. Low settings average 83.4 FPS, Medium settings reach 68 FPS, High settings hit 53.6 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 38.3 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap at 4K is 45.1 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions. This confirms that at 4K, resolution is the dominant factor, and settings adjustments provide diminishing returns compared to 1080p and 1440p.

The settings scaling at each resolution follows a predictable pattern. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 15.8 FPS, Medium to High costs 43.5 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 34.8 FPS. At 1440p, the equivalent steps are 29.9 FPS, 28.2 FPS, and 26.2 FPS. At 4K, they are 15.4 FPS, 14.4 FPS, and 15.3 FPS. The settings-based differences shrink at higher resolutions because the GPU is already heavily loaded by pixel count, leaving less headroom for additional visual effects.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combo ranks 481 out of 1699 tested combinations for Hard West. This places it in the 71.7th percentile of all combos tested — comfortably in the upper third, but not among the elite configurations. Given that the RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, the combo's ranking is slightly lower than either component's individual percentile might suggest.

This slight underperformance relative to component percentiles likely stems from the game's turn-based nature. Hard West does not heavily stress multi-threaded CPU performance the way action games might, so the Ryzen 5 5500's 6-core/12-thread configuration provides more compute than the game can utilize. Conversely, the RTX 4070's strengths — such as its 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs — are partially underutilized because the game's visual complexity is modest by 2015 standards.

The rank of 481 means there are 480 combos that deliver higher frame rates in this specific game. Those higher-ranked combos likely pair more powerful GPUs with CPUs that have higher single-thread performance, as Hard West's frame rate at 1080p and 1440p appears to scale primarily with GPU capability. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for a game from 2015, so memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in this ranking.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1080p, High settings at 158.7 FPS provide an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra settings at 123.9 FPS are also viable, given that both exceed 120 FPS and well above typical 60 Hz display refresh rates. The 34.8 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1080p may not justify the visual gains for a turn-based game where frame rate consistency matters less than in fast-paced genres.

At 1440p, High settings at 104.6 FPS deliver smooth gameplay while maintaining visual fidelity. Medium settings at 132.8 FPS offer additional headroom for those with high-refresh-rate displays, while Ultra at 78.4 FPS remains playable. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p is the sweet spot — it provides a 26.2 FPS improvement over Ultra while still looking substantially better than Medium.

At 4K, the choice becomes more constrained. High settings at 53.6 FPS are playable but not ideal for fast camera movements. Medium settings at 68 FPS offer better fluidity, while Low at 83.4 FPS provides the smoothest experience. Ultra at 38.3 FPS is borderline, falling below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for comfortable play. For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, where precise timing is not critical, Medium settings at 4K (68 FPS) represent the best trade-off between visual quality and performance.

Across all resolutions, the data indicates that the RTX 4070 can handle Hard West well at 1080p and 1440p with high or ultra settings, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or Low for optimal frame rates. The Ryzen 5 5500's performance is sufficient at every resolution and settings combination tested, confirming that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate in this pairing.