Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p it exposes a significant CPU bottleneck. The measured results indicate that this pairing delivers a wide range of performance, from a highly playable 60 FPS average at 4K High to a blistering 261 FPS average at 1080p Low, making it a versatile option for this title depending on your display and performance targets.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a predictable but steep decline in performance as resolution increases, which is classic behavior for a game that is heavily reliant on the graphics card. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 with High settings, the average frame rate drops from 180 FPS to 114 FPS, a reduction of 66 FPS or roughly 37%. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings is even more punishing, with the average falling to 60 FPS, which is a 54 FPS drop from 1440p and a 120 FPS drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p, demanding significantly more from the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth.

The trend holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 261 FPS at 1080p to 181 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 95 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 64%, which is substantial but slightly less severe than the 67% drop seen at High settings. This indicates that even at Low settings, where the GPU workload is lighter, the resolution increase still dominates performance. The 4K Low result of 95 FPS is still very high, suggesting that the game's engine is not overly complex by modern standards, but the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K is enough to tax the GPU heavily.

Notably, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K. For instance, at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 234 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p (an 86 FPS difference), but then drops to 78 at 4K (a 70 FPS difference). This non-linear scaling is typical for GPUs with a 192-bit memory bus, as the bandwidth demand at 4K becomes a critical constraint. The data shows that 1440p is the "sweet spot" for this combo if you want to push high refresh rates, while 4K is only viable for a solid 60 FPS experience at High settings or above.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER plays the dominant role in determining performance at 4K and, to a lesser extent, at 1440p. Its specifications, including 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, are central to understanding its performance in Hard West. The 12 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for a 2015 tactics game, even at 4K, as the texture and geometry data required is not likely to exceed this capacity. The memory bandwidth, however, is a more critical factor. The substantial frame rate drops when moving from 1440p to 4K, such as the 36 FPS drop at High settings (114 to 60), are consistent with the GPU's memory subsystem struggling to keep up with the increased pixel data.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1980 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, are high for the Ada Lovelace architecture and contribute to the strong raw compute performance. This is reflected in the GPU's benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 and a Passmark G3D score of 29995. In Hard West, this compute power translates to high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average of 234 FPS shows the GPU is barely breaking a sweat, as the CPU is likely the limiting factor. The GPU's percentile rank of 83 vs all GPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (43262 vs 43223), confirming its position in the performance hierarchy.

However, the GPU's role shifts from being the sole bottleneck at 4K to sharing the load at 1440p. The data shows that at 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 85, which is a significant drop from the 148 FPS at Medium. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are both GPU and CPU intensive. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is simply not powerful enough to handle the maximum settings at this resolution without compromises. The data suggests that this GPU is best utilized at 1440p with high refresh rate monitors or at 4K with medium-to-high settings for a stable 60 FPS experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, is a capable modern processor, but the benchmark data indicates it becomes a bottleneck in Hard West at 1080p. The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and 32 MB of shared L3 cache are strong specifications, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and single-core score of 3072 demonstrate solid all-around performance. In Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics game, the CPU is responsible for game logic, AI pathfinding, and draw call submission. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 261 FPS, but this is likely the ceiling that the CPU can feed to the GPU.

The evidence for a CPU bottleneck at 1080p is the relatively small frame rate increase when lowering settings from High to Low. At 1080p, the average FPS goes from 180 at High to 261 at Low, a 45% increase. While this is a significant jump, it is less than the 53% increase seen at 1440p (114 to 181 FPS) and the 58% increase at 4K (60 to 95 FPS). This pattern suggests that as resolution decreases, the GPU has more headroom, but the CPU's ability to process the game's simulation becomes the limiting factor. The CPU is not able to fully utilize the GPU's potential at 1080p, as evidenced by the 261 FPS cap at Low settings.

The CPU's performance in the context of its rivals is also notable. Its average benchmark score of 32750 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and it trades blows with the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32812, -0.2% delta). This indicates that it is a well-balanced processor. In Hard West, its 6 cores and 12 threads are likely sufficient for the game's demands, but the lack of more cores or higher single-thread performance prevents it from pushing frame rates beyond the 260 FPS mark at 1080p. For a game from 2015, the Ryzen 5 7400F is more than adequate, but it is the limiting factor at lower resolutions, meaning that users with 360Hz monitors might not see frame rates above the 261 FPS average at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 425th out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 14.4% of all systems benchmarked. This is a strong ranking, but it is not at the very top, which makes sense given the CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. The ranking suggests that while this is a high-performance pairing, there are many other combinations that can achieve higher frame rates in this specific game. The rank is a composite of all measured resolutions and settings, and it is likely held back by the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many enthusiasts consider the minimum for a smooth experience.

In the context of the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5050 Mobile (43268 avg score) and the RTX 4090 Mobile (43667 avg score), the RTX 4070 SUPER is competitive in raw compute. However, the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER's performance in Hard West is influenced by the CPU pairing. If paired with a stronger CPU, the combo rank might be higher, as the 1080p frame rates would likely increase. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, but it is underutilized at 1080p. The 425th rank out of 2949 confirms the overall capability of the system, but it also highlights that for a game like Hard West, which is not graphically demanding, a more powerful CPU could yield better results at lower resolutions.

The ranking also implies that the system is in the upper echelon of performance for this title, as it is ahead of the vast majority of the 2949 combos. This is a positive sign for users who own this hardware, as it confirms that the system is capable of running Hard West at high settings with good frame rates at most resolutions. The only area where it falls short is at 4K Ultra, where the 45 FPS average is below the playable threshold for many. Overall, the combo rank indicates a solid, high-performing system that is well-suited for this game, but with the understanding that its performance is not class-leading at every resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 4K display, the High preset is the clear choice, as it delivers an average of 60 FPS, which is the standard for console-like smoothness. The Medium preset at 4K offers a higher 78 FPS average with a minimum of 66 FPS, which is also excellent and provides more headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 45 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target and would result in a less fluid experience. The Low preset at 4K, while achieving 95 FPS, sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that is not graphically intensive.

At 1440p, the choice is more straightforward. The High preset at 114 FPS is ideal for 144Hz monitors, and the Medium preset at 148 FPS is perfect for 165Hz displays. The Low preset at 181 FPS is overkill for most monitors and offers diminishing returns in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is also viable, especially for users who prioritize image quality over maximum frame rates, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 135 FPS is the best option for high-refresh-rate displays (144Hz), providing a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. The High preset at 180 FPS is suitable for 180Hz or 240Hz monitors, but the Medium preset at 234 FPS is only beneficial for those with 240Hz+ displays.

The data suggests that the "best experience" is achieved by matching the preset to the display's refresh rate. For 4K, High is the sweet spot. For 1440p, Medium or High are excellent, with Ultra being a viable option for those who prefer visuals. For 1080p, Ultra or High are recommended, as the lower settings do not provide enough of a frame rate increase to justify the visual downgrade. The only setting to avoid is 4K Ultra, which falls below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that this combo is versatile enough to handle any preset at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, users must be willing to compromise with High or Medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo in Hard West is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. The High preset averages 180 FPS. The Medium preset averages 234 FPS, with a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 269 FPS. The Low preset averages 261 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with each step down in settings yielding a significant frame rate increase. The 26 FPS gap between Ultra and High is smaller than the 54 FPS gap between High and Medium, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 85 FPS. The High preset averages 114 FPS. The Medium preset averages 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS. The Low preset averages 181 FPS. The performance at 1440p is more balanced, with the gap between Medium and High being 34 FPS and the gap between High and Ultra being 29 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a factor, but the CPU is still providing enough headroom for the settings to matter.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. The High preset averages 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS. The Low preset averages 95 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, and the frame rate differences between presets are more pronounced. The 33 FPS drop from Medium to High (78 to 60) and the 15 FPS drop from High to Ultra (60 to 45) show that the RTX 4070 SUPER is struggling to maintain high performance at this resolution.

The data points, particularly the Medium preset results which have min and max FPS values, provide insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 66 FPS is close to the average of 78 FPS, indicating a stable experience. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 126 FPS is also relatively close to the average of 148 FPS, suggesting good frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 199 FPS and maximum of 269 FPS show a wider variance, which is typical for CPU-bound scenarios. Overall, the measured FPS data confirms that this combo is capable of delivering a smooth experience at most settings, with the only notable exception being 4K Ultra.