Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting case for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. The measured data shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable at standard resolutions but begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K with maximum settings. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-threaded performance ensures high frame rates at lower settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to illustrate where this combo excels and where users may need to make compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the nature of the workload. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 185.6 FPS, which is an exceptionally high figure for a turn-based game. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings reduces that to 116.6 FPS, a drop of 37.2%. Continuing to 4K Low yields 60.3 FPS, which is a further 48.3% reduction from the 1440p result. This steep scaling curve is a classic sign that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting as resolution increases.

The pattern holds across all settings. With High settings, the system delivers 118.1 FPS at 1080p, 73.3 FPS at 1440p, and 37.9 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 67.9%, which is substantial. For Ultra settings, the numbers are 89.6 FPS at 1080p, 56.3 FPS at 1440p, and 27.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — it falls below 30 FPS, which is often considered the minimum for playable performance in many titles.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor for Low and Medium settings, as the frame rates exceed 150 FPS. At 4K Ultra, however, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to 27.2 FPS. The 1440p results sit in a middle ground where the balance between CPU and GPU load is more even, but the GPU still dominates the scaling. For users targeting 4K, the RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus appear to be insufficient for the highest quality presets in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with 3072 shading units. In the context of Hard West, these specifications translate to strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show clear limitations.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU's percentile rank is 66 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Arc B580, which scores 23021 (0.7% lower). This places the RTX 4060 in a competitive mid-range position, but the 4K Ultra result of 27.2 FPS suggests that the memory subsystem is a limiting factor.

At 4K, the difference between Low (60.3 FPS) and Ultra (27.2 FPS) is 33.1 FPS, a 54.9% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than what is seen at 1440p, where Low produces 116.6 FPS and Ultra produces 56.3 FPS (a 51.7% reduction). The increasing gap at 4K indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are being stressed. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the high-resolution textures and effects at 4K Ultra likely exceed what the 128-bit bus can efficiently deliver.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 118.1 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: At 4K with Low settings, the system achieves 60.3 FPS, but at Ultra settings, it drops to 27.2 FPS. This indicates that 4K is playable only at lower quality presets.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23021, making the RTX 4060 0.7% faster in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best resolution for consistent 60+ FPS across all settings?

A: At 1440p, all settings except Ultra (56.3 FPS) achieve above 60 FPS. At 1080p, all settings including Ultra (89.6 FPS) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 116.6 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 56.3 FPS, a difference of 60.3 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting component, as frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, dropping from 60.3 FPS at Low to 27.2 FPS at Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For users seeking the best experience based on measured data, the choice of settings depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 118.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 153.4 FPS is even faster, but the visual quality difference may not justify the extra 35.3 FPS for most players. The Ultra preset at 89.6 FPS is also viable and offers the highest visual fidelity while remaining above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset produces 73.3 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth as the 1080p results. The Medium preset at 97.6 FPS is a strong choice, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 56.3 FPS dips below the 60 FPS mark, so users with high-refresh-rate monitors may prefer High or Medium. For 4K, the Low preset at 60.3 FPS is the only option that achieves a stable 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 49.8 FPS and High falls to 37.9 FPS.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is at 1440p with Medium settings, which provides 97.6 FPS and likely retains most of the visual enhancements. For users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, 1080p with Low settings at 185.6 FPS is the maximum performance option. In all cases, the Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided, as the 27.2 FPS result is below the threshold for comfortable play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves the following average FPS: Low at 185.6, Medium at 153.4, High at 118.1, and Ultra at 89.6. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 51.7% reduction in frame rate, which is significant but leaves all presets above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 116.6, Medium at 97.6, High at 73.3, and Ultra at 56.3. Here, the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, while the other three remain above that threshold. The drop from Low to Ultra is 51.7%, matching the 1080p scaling percentage. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 60.3, Medium at 49.8, High at 37.9, and Ultra at 27.2. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below 30 FPS, and the Low preset is the only one that achieves 60 FPS.

The data shows that the RTX 4060 and Ryzen 5 5600 combination is well-suited for 1080p gaming across all settings, with headroom for high refresh rates. At 1440p, users must choose between High (73.3 FPS) and Medium (97.6 FPS) for the best balance. At 4K, the system is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 60.3 FPS result leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture processor has a 32 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and 2584 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are strong results for its class.

The CPU's percentile rank is 79 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21765. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-11700F, which scores 21957 (0.9% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9534, which scores 21900 (0.6% higher). This places the Ryzen 5 5600 in a competitive position, with performance that is nearly identical to these alternatives.

In Hard West, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 185.6 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame rate capability. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1737 and single-thread score of 882 indicate strong per-core performance, which is beneficial for a turn-based tactics game that may not utilize all 12 threads effectively. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks and ensures that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at 1080p. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates are determined by GPU performance.