Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a fascinating performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data reveals a system where the GPU is overwhelmingly dominant, yet the combination still produces a ranking that might surprise given the hardware's pedigree. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second across resolutions and settings, interprets the system's standing among 3,722 tested combinations, and examines the distinct roles played by the processor and graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop tells a specific story about which component is the limiting factor. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 195 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average drops to 148 FPS, a reduction of 47 FPS or roughly 24%. Scaling further to 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 78 FPS, a substantial 70 FPS decrease from the 1440p result and a 60% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling behavior strongly indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 5090, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, is being tasked with rendering an increasing number of pixels, and the frame rate responds accordingly. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the leap to 4K is punishing, underscoring the sheer pixel throughput required at 3840x2160.

Interestingly, the pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the system goes from 231 FPS at 1080p to 198 FPS at 1440p to 123 FPS at 4K. The relative percentage drops are similar, though the absolute values are higher. At Ultra settings, the system starts at 175 FPS (1080p), falls to 111 FPS (1440p), and plummets to 58 FPS (4K). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is only 123 FPS suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck; if it were, we would expect to see a much smaller delta between 1080p and 4K due to the CPU's ability to feed frames regardless of resolution.

The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is the dominant constraint in this pairing. The Ryzen 5 5600, with its six cores and 12 threads, is evidently capable of keeping up with the GPU's output at 1080p, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth become the sole arbiters of performance. For a 2015 turn-based game, this level of scaling is remarkable, showing that the engine's rendering load scales almost linearly with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3,722 tested CPU-GPU combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 secures the 255th position in Hard West. This rank places it in the top 6.9% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing but not the top-tier placement one might expect given the RTX 5090's standing as the highest-performing consumer GPU.

The combo's rank of 255 suggests that while the GPU is exceptionally powerful, the CPU's mid-range positioning holds the system back from competing with the absolute best combinations. The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20,468 and sits in the 74th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a solid but not elite processor. In contrast, the RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842 and sits in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs, showing its near-flagship status.

The discrepancy between the GPU's percentile (92) and the combo's rank (255 of 3722) reveals a subtle imbalance. If the CPU were fully capable of feeding the GPU in all scenarios, a 92nd-percentile GPU paired with a 74th-percentile CPU would likely rank higher than 255th. The data suggests that in Hard West, the Ryzen 5 5600's single-threaded and multi-threaded performance, while adequate, cannot fully unlock the RTX 5090's potential in every frame. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (0.1% ahead), AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (0.2% ahead), and AMD EPYC 9454P (0.2% ahead), which all have nearly identical average scores, indicating that this CPU is firmly in a performance plateau.

The ranking also implies that many other combinations with more balanced pairings, such as a high-end CPU with a high-end GPU, outperform this rig. The 255th position is respectable, but it underscores that the RTX 5090 is underutilized when paired with a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series in this particular game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear performance driver in this configuration. The GPU's specifications are formidable: it features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with a base clock of 2017 MHz, allows for substantial compute throughput. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, which is a massive amount of raw processing power for any game, let alone a turn-based tactics title from 2015.

The GPU's memory subsystem is equally impressive. It comes equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This immense memory bandwidth is likely a key factor in the high frame rates observed at 4K resolution. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the system manages 58 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for a turn-based game, though not ideal for fast-paced action. The memory clock is rated at 1750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective, which further supports the high-bandwidth demands of 4K rendering.

The GPU's performance in the benchmark database is stellar. It scores 39,650 in Passmark G3D and 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% behind) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (1.4% ahead), which are professional-grade cards, highlighting the RTX 5090's dominance in the consumer space.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU's power is not fully harnessed at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 231 FPS, which is high but likely limited by the CPU's frame generation capability rather than the GPU's rendering ability. The GPU's true potential is only visible when the resolution increases, where the frame rate drops are attributable to the GPU's workload. The data shows that at 4K Low, the system still produces 123 FPS, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to handle less demanding settings even at high pixel counts.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 provides an optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance. At High settings, the system achieves 148 FPS, which is well above the 4K High result of 78 FPS. The 1440p resolution also offers a 74% higher frame rate than 4K High, making it the sweet spot for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 58 FPS. This is the lowest measured frame rate in the dataset, but it remains playable for a turn-based tactics game where reaction time is less critical. The 58 FPS result is 20 FPS lower than the 4K High setting, showing a significant performance cost for the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 overkill for this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is heavily underutilized at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system achieves 195 FPS, but the CPU's 6-core, 12-thread configuration likely prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential. The GPU's power is more evident at 4K, where it still manages 123 FPS at Low settings, indicating it can handle the most demanding resolutions.

Q: What is the CPU's role in this system's performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600, with its 6 cores, 12 threads, and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provides adequate processing power for Hard West. Its performance in multi-threaded benchmarks, such as 18,309 in Cinebench R23 multicore, ensures it does not bottleneck the system at lower resolutions, but the ranking of 255th suggests it limits the overall combo's potential compared to higher-end CPUs.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 255th out of 3,722 tested CPU-GPU combinations, placing it in the top 6.9% of all configurations. This is a strong result, but it is lower than the GPU's individual 92nd percentile ranking, indicating the CPU prevents the system from reaching the top 100.

Q: What is the difference between the Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS. The High preset averages 148 FPS. The Medium settings offer a 25% higher average frame rate, making it a viable option for users seeking higher refresh rates without a significant visual downgrade.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, it averages 231 FPS, while Medium settings produce 215 FPS (with a minimum of 183 FPS and a maximum of 247 FPS). High settings yield 195 FPS, and Ultra settings reduce the average to 175 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 56 FPS, showing that even the most demanding preset remains above 170 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced drop. Low settings average 198 FPS, while Medium settings average 185 FPS (minimum 157 FPS, maximum 212 FPS). High settings drop to 148 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 111 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 87 FPS, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the strain of higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the performance scales down significantly. Low settings still manage an average of 123 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 101 FPS (minimum 86 FPS, maximum 116 FPS), while High settings drop to 78 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding only 58 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 65 FPS, and the Ultra result is the only measured average below 60 FPS in the entire dataset.

The data also reveals the consistency of the Medium preset, which is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the Medium preset ranges from 183 to 247 FPS; at 1440p, it ranges from 157 to 212 FPS; and at 4K, it ranges from 86 to 116 FPS. These ranges show that the system maintains reasonable frame time stability, with the 4K minimum of 86 FPS still being above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600, a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, plays a supporting but crucial role in this system. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide solid single-threaded performance, which is important for a game like Hard West that may rely on game logic and AI calculations. The CPU's benchmark scores show a capable mid-range processor: it achieves 2,584 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 18,309 in multi-core, and it scores 1,937 in Geekbench single-core.

The CPU's performance in the database places it in the 74th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,468. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating a tight cluster of similar-performing processors. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, such as 5,659 in 3DMark max threads and 21,541 in Passmark multithread, are sufficient for a turn-based game that may not heavily utilize more than a few cores.

However, the data suggests that the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing. The combo's rank of 255th out of 3,722, despite the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking, points to the CPU limiting overall performance. In Hard West, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are likely adequate for the game's logic, but the RTX 5090 is capable of generating frames faster than the CPU can process game state changes. This is evidenced by the relatively high frame rates at 1080p (231 FPS at Low), which are likely capped by the CPU's frame rate limit rather than the GPU's rendering speed.

The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB (shared) and its support for DDR4 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are standard for its class. The processor's 65W TDP and active production status indicate it is a mainstream part, not a high-end enthusiast chip. For a game released in 2015, the Ryzen 5 5600 is more than capable, but the pairing with the RTX 5090 creates an imbalance where the GPU is often waiting for the CPU to provide instructions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra settings averaging 175 FPS. However, the difference between High (195 FPS) and Ultra (175 FPS) is only 20 FPS, suggesting that Ultra is a reasonable choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 231 FPS offers the highest frame rate but comes with the visual compromises expected from lower-quality textures and effects.

At 2560x1440, the High preset stands out as the optimal choice. It averages 148 FPS, which is 37 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 111 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra in a turn-based game may be marginal, but the performance gap is substantial. The Medium preset offers even higher frame rates at 185 FPS, but the step down from High to Medium may reduce visual quality noticeably. For a balanced experience, High at 1440p provides the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages 58 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for some users. The High preset at 78 FPS is a better option, offering a 34% improvement over Ultra while likely maintaining most visual features. The Medium preset at 101 FPS is the recommended setting for 4K gaming, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still delivering a high-quality image. The Low preset at 123 FPS is also viable, but it may sacrifice too many visual details for a game that benefits from atmospheric graphics.

Given the data, the best overall experience is achieved at 2560x1440 with High settings, which delivers 148 FPS. This resolution and preset combination maximizes the GPU's potential without pushing the CPU into a bottleneck. For users prioritizing 4K, the Medium preset at 101 FPS offers the best balance, ensuring smooth gameplay in a genre where strategy and careful observation are more important than raw frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K is playable at 58 FPS, but the performance cost is steep, and the High preset provides a better margin for stability.