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 4080 combination. While the GPU is a high-end part, the game's age and genre mean the CPU often plays a more significant role than in modern action titles. The measured data reveals a configuration that is more than capable of delivering high frame rates across all resolutions, though the scaling between settings tells a nuanced story about where the performance ceiling lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions shows a clear trend of diminishing returns as pixel count increases, which is expected, but the magnitude of the drop is revealing. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 195 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 131 FPS, a reduction of about one-third. The jump to 4K High further reduces the average to 69 FPS. This pattern indicates that the graphics card is becoming the limiting component as resolution climbs, with the CPU's workload remaining relatively static.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. At 1440p Medium, the average is 170 FPS, while 4K Medium drops to 89 FPS. This is a 48% performance hit, which is significantly larger than the 33% drop seen when moving from 1080p High to 1440p High. This suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4080 is being pushed much harder, and the pixel throughput demands of the higher resolution are starting to outweigh the efficiency of the game's engine.

The Low settings preset shows a different scaling pattern. At 1080p, the average is 231 FPS, which drops to 198 FPS at 1440p and then to 109 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is still well above playable thresholds, but the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is 45%, which is comparable to the Medium preset drop. This indicates that even at Low settings, where the CPU has less work to do, the GPU is still the primary constraint at 4K.

The data suggests that for this game, the pairing is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p, where the high core count and boost clock of the Ryzen 5 5600 are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080. At 4K, however, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor, and the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets becomes more pronounced. The 4K Ultra result of 51 FPS is the only average that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this setting is the most demanding on the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this CPU and GPU combination in Hard West?

A: The highest measured average is 231 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 bottleneck the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the data does not suggest a significant CPU bottleneck, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as indicated by the larger performance drops.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra setting compare to the 4K High setting?

A: The 4K Ultra preset has an average FPS of 51, which is 18 FPS lower than the 4K High preset's average of 69 FPS. This is a substantial drop, showing the Ultra preset's higher demand on the GPU.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and Low presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 170 FPS, while the Low preset averages 198 FPS. This is a 28 FPS difference, or roughly a 14% improvement in average frame rate when using Low settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM a factor at 4K in this game?

A: The fact pack does not include data on VRAM usage or limitations. The performance data shows playable frame rates at 4K for all settings except Ultra, so it is not possible to determine if VRAM capacity is a limiting factor.

Q: How does the combo's rank in this game compare to its overall hardware percentile?

A: The combo ranks 428 out of 3722 tested combinations, placing it in the top 11.5% of all tested combos for this game. This is a strong ranking, though it is lower than the individual component percentiles, which are 74 for the CPU and 86 for the GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, the CPU's single-thread performance and clock speed are often more critical than raw multi-core power, as the game logic and AI decisions typically rely on fewer threads.

The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS for High settings is 195, which is a high number that suggests the CPU can handle the game's simulation and rendering calls without issue. The 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2584 indicate strong per-core performance, which is beneficial for this type of game.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is tight. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.1% different. This suggests that in synthetic tests, the Ryzen 5 5600 is competitive with more modern parts, though the game's actual performance may vary. The CPU's percentile of 74 means it outperforms 74% of all tested CPUs, showing it is a solid mid-range option.

For Hard West specifically, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 1440p to 4K are consistent across settings, indicating that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting. The CPU's 12 threads are likely sufficient for the game's AI and turn-based logic, and the high boost clock ensures that the game's main thread is not starved for processing power.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 428 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This puts the combo in the top 11.5% of all tested systems, which is a strong result. However, it is notably the rank is lower than what the individual components' percentiles might suggest, indicating that the game may not fully utilize the strengths of either part.

The GPU's percentile is 86, meaning it is better than 86% of all tested GPUs. The CPU's percentile is 74. If the game were perfectly scaling with both components, one might expect a higher combo rank. The fact that the combo rank is lower suggests that the game is more sensitive to one component over the other, likely the GPU at higher resolutions.

The combo's rank of 428 means there are 427 other combinations that perform better in this game. These could include systems with even higher-end GPUs, such as the RTX 4090, or CPUs with higher single-thread performance. The margin between the combo and the top performers is not detailed, but the rank indicates that while this is a capable system, it is not at the absolute peak for this title.

The data shows that the combo performs admirably, with all but one measured setting combination exceeding 60 FPS on average. The 4K Ultra setting is the exception, with an average of 51 FPS. For a game from 2015, this is a very high level of performance, and the rank reflects that the system is well-suited for the game, even if it is not the absolute best.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card from the GeForce 40-series, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. For Hard West, the GPU's role becomes more significant as the resolution increases.

At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary limiting factor. The average FPS for Ultra settings is 155, which is high, but the difference between Low and Ultra is only 76 FPS (231 vs 155). This suggests that the game's engine is not heavily GPU-bound at this resolution, and the CPU can maintain high frame rates regardless of the graphics settings.

As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows. At 1440p, the Ultra setting drops to 98 FPS, while Low stays at 198 FPS. The gap between settings widens, showing that the GPU is becoming more important. At 4K, the Ultra setting averages 51 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 109 FPS achieved at Low settings. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is being pushed to its limits with the Ultra preset at 4K.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for a game from 2015, and the high bandwidth ensures that texture loading and rendering are not bottlenecks. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile, with its nearest rival being the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% different in average score. This shows that the RTX 4080 is a very capable part, and its performance in Hard West is consistent with its overall standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 231. The Medium preset averages 215 FPS, with a minimum of 183 and a maximum of 247. High settings average 195 FPS, and Ultra averages 155 FPS. All of these results are well above the refresh rates of most monitors, indicating that the system is overkill for 1080p gaming in this title.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 198 FPS. The Medium preset averages 170 FPS, with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195. High settings drop to 131 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. These numbers are still very high, and the system can easily drive a high refresh rate 1440p monitor.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 109 FPS. The Medium preset averages 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. High settings average 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The 4K results show that the system can handle 4K gaming, but the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable to some players.

The Medium preset is the only one that provides both minimum and maximum FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 183 to 247 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 144 to 195 FPS. At 4K, the range is 76 to 103 FPS. This data shows that the frame times are generally stable, with no major stutters, as the minimum FPS is always within a reasonable range of the average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p gaming, the High preset is recommended for a balance of visual quality and performance. It averages 195 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The Ultra preset, at 155 FPS, is also viable and offers the best visual quality, but the performance difference between High and Ultra is not as significant as the jump from Medium to High.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. It averages 131 FPS, which is high enough for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. The Medium preset, at 170 FPS, is also a strong choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset, at 98 FPS, is still playable and offers the best visuals, but it falls short of the 144 Hz threshold.

For 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice. It averages 69 FPS, which provides a smooth experience on a 60 Hz display. The Medium preset, at 89 FPS, is even better for frame rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a turn-based game is often minimal. The Ultra preset, at 51 FPS, is not recommended for 4K, as it dips below the 60 FPS standard and may result in a less fluid experience.

In summary, the data indicates that the High preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions. It provides an average frame rate above 60 FPS at 4K, above 120 FPS at 1440p, and above 180 FPS at 1080p. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p or 1080p is a better choice, as it provides a significant frame rate boost without a major visual sacrifice.