Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a commanding performance in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from late 2015. Across all tested resolutions, the combo produces frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest recorded average being 51 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial L3 cache and strong single-threaded performance keep the 1% lows exceptionally high at 1440p and 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Hard West?*

A: The combo ranks 578th out of 3,722 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 15.5% of all tested systems.

Q: How does the RTX 4080’s benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4080’s average benchmark score is 54,247. This is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% faster. It also sits 1.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and 2.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved in this test, and at what settings?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 207 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the CPU’s cache configuration provide a measurable benefit in this title?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache. Benchmark results show a single-thread score of 2,941 and a multithread score of 20,363, indicating strong per-core performance that helps maintain high minimum frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent, or do they vary significantly?

A: The data shows tight frame time consistency. For example, at 2560x1440 Medium settings, the average FPS is 166, with a minimum of 141 and a maximum of 191, indicating a variance of roughly ±15% from the mean.

Q: How much faster is the 4K High preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 4K High preset averages 69 FPS, which is 35.3% faster than the 4K Ultra preset’s 51 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 578 out of 3,722 combos places this specific pairing in the upper echelon of tested systems for Hard West. This is a strong result, though not a top-tier placement, which suggests that the game’s engine has limits that even a high-end GPU and a modern 3D V-Cache CPU cannot fully overcome. The percentile position implies that while this system is exceptionally fast, there are still 577 other configurations that deliver higher average frame rates, likely due to the game’s age and its reliance on single-threaded CPU performance.

The ranking is a composite of the CPU’s and GPU’s individual strengths. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D holds an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. This near-parity in percentile suggests a well-balanced pairing, where neither component is severely bottlenecking the other in general compute tasks. However, in Hard West specifically, the GPU’s role becomes more dominant as resolution increases, as evidenced by the FPS scaling data.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals provide further context. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 37,018 is within 0.3% of its closest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225. This indicates that the 5500X3D’s performance is very competitive, but not a outlier in raw compute. The GPU’s average score of 54,247 is similarly clustered with its rivals, being only 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER. This suggests that in a game like Hard West, the differences between these top-tier components are marginal, and the overall rank is more dependent on how the specific software interacts with the hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of frame rates in this analysis, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for a game of Hard West’s era. The GPU’s high boost clock of 2505 MHz allows it to push geometry and effects without becoming a limiting factor until the resolution reaches 4K.

The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops proportionally. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 207 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 51 FPS. This 75.4% reduction in frame rate directly correlates with the increase in pixel count, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs support this, showing that while it is a high-end part, it still has finite limits when rendering at 4K.

The RTX 4080’s architectural features, such as its 9,728 shading units and 112 ROPs, are designed for high-throughput rasterization. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game with a stylized art style, these resources are not fully taxed at 1080p. The GPU’s pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are more than adequate for the game’s visual complexity, allowing the CPU to become the limiting factor at lower resolutions. This is a classic inversion where a high-end GPU is underutilized at 1080p, leading to the high frame rates observed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly CPU-bound, as even the most demanding settings produce high frame rates. The Low preset yields an average of 207 FPS, which is the highest recorded in this test. Moving to Medium drops the average to 193 FPS, with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS. The High preset averages 176 FPS, and the Ultra preset still manages a very playable 155 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 25.1% reduction in frame rate, which is relatively modest compared to the resolution scaling.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to assert its influence. The Low preset averages 178 FPS, which is a 14.0% drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 166 FPS, with a minimum of 141 and a maximum of 191 FPS. The High preset averages 131 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 98 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 44.9% reduction, showing that the GPU is becoming a more significant factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The Low preset averages 109 FPS, which is a 38.8% drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103 FPS. The High preset averages 69 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 53.2% reduction, demonstrating that the GPU’s workload is dominating the performance equation. The data shows that the 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, while all other settings maintain a playable frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, featuring a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its defining characteristic is the 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is significantly larger than typical processors. This cache is designed to reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial in games that have large, frequently accessed datasets.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully saturated. The high single-thread score of 2,941 in PassMark suggests that the processor can handle the game’s logic and AI calculations without creating a bottleneck. This is reflected in the tight minimum frame rates at 1080p Medium, where the minimum of 164 FPS is only 15.0% below the average of 193 FPS. This indicates that the CPU is maintaining consistent frame delivery, even when the GPU is not under heavy load.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is also noteworthy. Its average benchmark score of 37,018 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% faster) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% faster). This suggests that the 5500X3D does not have a significant raw compute advantage over its peers, but its large L3 cache may provide a specific advantage in cache-sensitive workloads. However, the benchmark results do not show a dramatic advantage in Hard West specifically, as the FPS scaling is more consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s 105W TDP is relatively modest for a desktop part, and its 7nm process node helps with efficiency. The PassMark multithread score of 20,363 is respectable, but the game’s reliance on single-threaded performance is evident from the fact that the 1080p frame rates do not scale dramatically with the CPU’s core count. The data suggests that the 5500X3D provides more than enough processing power for this title, and the primary performance limiter is the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the user’s resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p 144Hz display, the High preset is recommended, as it averages 176 FPS and provides a balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 155 FPS is also viable, but the marginal visual improvement over High may not justify the 11.9% frame rate reduction.

For users with a 1440p 144Hz display, the Medium preset is the best choice, averaging 166 FPS with a minimum of 141 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate stays above the 144Hz refresh rate most of the time. The High preset at 131 FPS is a good alternative if visual fidelity is prioritized, but it will not fully saturate a 144Hz display. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS is not recommended for high-refresh-rate gaming, as it sacrifices too much performance.

For users with a 4K 60Hz display, the Medium preset is the clear winner, averaging 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset at 69 FPS is also acceptable, but the minimum frame rate is not reported, so there is a slight risk of dips below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering. The Low preset at 109 FPS is overkill for a 60Hz display and sacrifices too much visual quality.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the system’s bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average is 207 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 178 FPS, a 14.0% reduction. Moving to 4K Low, the average drops to 109 FPS, a 38.8% reduction from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the frame rate is inversely proportional to the number of pixels rendered.

However, the scaling is not perfectly linear. The jump from 1080p to 1440p represents a 78% increase in pixel count (2,073,600 to 3,686,400), but the FPS only drops by 14.0%. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is limiting the frame rate, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. At 1440p, the GPU becomes more of a factor, but the CPU is still providing a significant contribution.

The jump from 1440p to 4K represents a 125% increase in pixel count (3,686,400 to 8,294,400), and the FPS drops by 38.8% from the 1440p result. This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The Ultra preset scaling is even more pronounced: 155 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p (a 36.8% drop), and 51 FPS at 4K (a 67.1% drop from 1080p). This confirms that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, and the CPU’s influence diminishes as the pixel workload increases.