Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second for Hard West with the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 reveal a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 172 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 109 FPS — a 63 FPS reduction, or roughly 37% lower. The jump to 3840x2160 pushes the average down to 57 FPS, which is about 67% below the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5070 is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K quadruples the workload, and the GPU's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 192-bit bus width are being taxed accordingly.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with more headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 261 FPS. At 1440p Low, it manages 173 FPS. At 4K Low, it still achieves 91 FPS. The delta from 1080p to 4K at Low is 170 FPS, which is a 65% drop — consistent with the High preset's scaling. This consistency suggests the game's rendering load scales predictably with resolution, and the RTX 5070's boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz are being utilized fully as resolution increases. The CPU's role appears secondary here; the Ryzen 5 7400F's 6 cores and 12 threads at a 4.70 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but once the pixel throughput demands exceed what the GPU can deliver, the frame rate falls in line with GPU-bound behavior.

Ultra settings amplify this effect. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 129 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 82 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it falls to 43 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 67% reduction, nearly identical to High and Low. This uniformity across presets indicates that Hard West's Ultra preset does not introduce a disproportionate resolution penalty — the limiting component is consistently the GPU at 4K, not the CPU or memory bandwidth. The data implies that for 4K gaming, this combo sits at the edge of playability on High, with 57 FPS being borderline for smooth gameplay, while Medium at 4K offers 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is more comfortable.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 109 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K High drops to 57 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset hits 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS, offering both smoothness and visual fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU produces 57 FPS on High and 74 FPS on Medium. The 12 GB GDDR7 memory with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for this game's textures at these settings, as the frame rate drops follow a consistent pattern across presets rather than showing sudden stutters or crashes that would indicate VRAM exhaustion. The minimum frame rate recorded at 4K Medium is 63 FPS, suggesting memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7400F holding back the RTX 5070?

A: The evidence indicates no. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 261 FPS, which is extremely high and suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and single-core score of 3072 place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, is only 0.1% different in average benchmark score. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows GPU-bound behavior, not CPU limitations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low produces 173 FPS while Ultra produces 82 FPS. That is a 91 FPS difference, meaning Ultra is roughly 53% slower than Low. The Medium preset sits between at 142 FPS. This spread gives players a wide range of choices depending on whether they prioritize frame rate or visual quality.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 516th out of 2949 tested combinations for this game. That places it in the top 17.5% of all combos tested in Hard West, which aligns with the RTX 5070's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 7400F's 83rd percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows 43 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. If 4K is the target, the Medium preset at 74 FPS or High at 57 FPS are the measured options, with Ultra being playable only if the user accepts a lower frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a combo rank of 516 out of 2949 tested combinations in Hard West. This places the pairing in the upper tier of all systems benchmarked for this game, which is consistent with the individual component rankings: the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU sits in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The rank of 516 out of 2949 means roughly 83% of tested combos perform worse, which is a strong result for a turn-based tactics title that may not be heavily optimized for high-end hardware.

The ranking suggests this combo is well-balanced for Hard West. The CPU's average benchmark score of 32750 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals — the Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32707 (0.1% difference), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scores 32812 (-0.2% difference), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 (0.3% difference). The GPU's average benchmark score of 40377 similarly matches its nearest competitors, with the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40318 (0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40063 (0.8% difference). These near-identical scores indicate the combo's rank is not due to any single exceptional component but rather the synergy of a strong CPU and GPU working together.

Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game, the frame rate headroom at lower resolutions is notable. The 1080p Low result of 261 FPS suggests the game is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, and the combo's rank reflects that it can push well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS, however, shows that even high-end components face limits at maximum settings and resolution. This rank of 516 out of 2949 is a data point that indicates the combo is capable, but not at the very top tier — the top 15% of combos likely include higher-end GPUs with more VRAM or faster CPUs with higher clock speeds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates span a wide range depending on settings. Low settings produce 261 FPS average, Medium produces 224 FPS with a minimum of 191 and maximum of 258, High produces 172 FPS, and Ultra produces 129 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 132 FPS, which gives players substantial control over performance versus visual quality. The Medium preset's minimum of 191 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the combo stays well above the 144 Hz refresh rate, making 1080p gaming exceptionally smooth regardless of settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings yield 173 FPS, Medium yields 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 and maximum of 163, High yields 109 FPS, and Ultra yields 82 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium — 121 FPS — is still above the 120 Hz threshold, suggesting that 1440p Medium is a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 109 FPS is also playable on 100 Hz displays, while Ultra at 82 FPS is acceptable for 75 Hz monitors. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 33-37% lower across all settings, which is expected given the pixel count increase of 78%.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop more significantly. Low settings produce 91 FPS, Medium produces 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 86, High produces 57 FPS, and Ultra produces 43 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 4K setting that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, which is important for consistent gameplay. High at 57 FPS is close but may dip below 60 in heavier scenes, and Ultra at 43 FPS is likely too choppy for most players. The 4K results show a clear recommendation: Medium is the highest playable preset at this resolution, with High being a compromise for those who prioritize visuals over smoothness.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB205 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It contains 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die, with 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. The GPU has 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, which are not heavily utilized in Hard West given its turn-based nature, but the raw rasterization performance is what drives the measured frame rates. The boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz are relatively close, indicating the GPU maintains high clocks under load.

The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration appears adequate for Hard West at all tested settings, as the frame rates scale consistently without sudden drops that would indicate memory capacity issues. The pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums, and the measured 4K High result of 57 FPS suggests the GPU is being pushed to its limits at that resolution. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29137 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, which is reflected in its ability to handle this game at high settings across most resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all professional or mobile cards — the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40318 (0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40063 (0.8% difference), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39568 (2% difference). This indicates the RTX 5070's raw compute is competitive with workstation-class hardware, though its gaming-specific features like the 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are likely more relevant for modern titles. In Hard West, the GPU's role is primarily pixel pushing, and the data shows it performs this task admirably up to 1440p, with 4K being the boundary where frame rates fall below 60 FPS on higher presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael codename) manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and single-core score of 3072 are strong, and its PassMark single-thread score of 3689 indicates solid per-core performance.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI calculations, and scene management, which are typical for turn-based tactics. The measured frame rates at 1080p — up to 261 FPS on Low — suggest the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows frame rate drops that align with GPU-bound behavior: 172 to 109 to 57 FPS at High settings, which is a consistent reduction as resolution increases. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates to plateau at higher resolutions rather than continue dropping. The fact that they drop proportionally to pixel count indicates the GPU is the primary constraint.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T with an average benchmark score of 32707 (0.1% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H at 32812 (-0.2% difference). These close scores suggest the Ryzen 5 7400F is well-matched to its competition in general compute tasks. In Hard West specifically, the 6 cores and 12 threads are likely sufficient, as the game's turn-based mechanics do not typically require massive multi-threading. The 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance, which is more important for this genre than raw multi-core throughput. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is a capable processor that does not hold back the RTX 5070 in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the optimal settings in Hard West with this combo. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, but the Medium preset at 224 FPS with a minimum of 191 FPS offers the best balance — it provides a high frame rate with headroom for demanding scenes, and the visual quality improvement over Low is likely noticeable. The Ultra preset at 129 FPS is also excellent for players with 120 Hz displays, but the 95 FPS difference between Low and Ultra suggests diminishing returns; the Medium preset captures most of the visual benefit without the performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS is the recommended choice. It delivers frame rates that exceed 120 Hz, ensuring smooth gameplay even in the most demanding moments. The High preset at 109 FPS is a viable alternative for those with 100 Hz monitors, and the Ultra preset at 82 FPS works for 75 Hz displays. However, the 60 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra at this resolution — 142 versus 82 — is substantial, and the visual upgrade may not justify the performance loss for a turn-based game where precise timing is less critical.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The High preset at 57 FPS is borderline and may experience dips below 60, while the Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 91 FPS is an option for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual quality reduction is significant. For the best 4K experience, the data points to Medium as the sweet spot, offering 74 FPS average with a minimum that stays above the critical 60 FPS threshold. This recommendation is based purely on the measured frame rates, which show Medium as the highest preset that maintains playable performance at 4K.