Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Hard West with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 show a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases, though the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 98.8 FPS, but stepping up to 1440p Ultra drops that to 63.4 FPS — a 35.8% reduction. Moving to 4K Ultra yields 34.1 FPS, which is a further 46.2% decline from the 1440p result. This steep scaling curve at Ultra indicates the GPU is the dominant limiting component at high resolutions.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system produces 214.1 FPS, which is more than double the Ultra result at the same resolution. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 135.2 FPS, and 4K Low still manages 68.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low is a 36.9% drop, while the 1440p-to-4K transition costs another 49.6%. These percentages are broadly similar to the Ultra preset, confirming that the RTX 3070’s rendering load scales consistently with pixel count regardless of quality level.

At Medium settings, the frame rates sit between Low and High at every resolution: 172.5 FPS at 1080p, 106.9 FPS at 1440p, and 54.8 FPS at 4K. The High preset delivers 135.2 FPS at 1080p, 82.6 FPS at 1440p, and 47.1 FPS at 4K. Notably, the 1080p High result (135.2 FPS) exactly matches the 1440p Low result (135.2 FPS), suggesting that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly the same performance as moving from Low to High at a fixed resolution.

The data indicates that at 1080p, even the heaviest Ultra preset remains well above 60 FPS, while at 4K, only the Low preset clears that threshold. The 4K Ultra result of 34.1 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS, highlighting that this combo is not suited for maximum-quality 4K gaming in Hard West. The overall pattern strongly suggests that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB memory and Ampere architecture become progressively more strained as resolution climbs, with the CPU’s role diminishing at higher pixel counts.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F brings six cores and twelve threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. For a turn-based tactics title like Hard West, the game’s computational demands are modest, and the benchmark results show that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck — except perhaps at the lowest resolution and settings where frame rates reach very high levels.

At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 214.1 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU even at this elevated frame rate. The single-thread performance of the 7500F is strong, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218. These metrics indicate that the processor’s high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is well-suited to games that rely on a few fast cores, which is typical for turn-based strategy titles.

The multi-threaded results are also respectable: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 22799, and Geekbench multicore scores 12686. The 3DMark results show a scaling pattern from 1902 (2 threads) to 3621 (4 threads) to 5372 (8 threads) and 6376 (16 threads), with the max-thread score of 6379 nearly identical to the 16-thread result. This modest scaling beyond 8 threads suggests that Hard West likely does not utilize all twelve threads efficiently, but the 7500F’s raw single-core strength compensates for any lack of parallel scaling.

The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample memory bandwidth for a game of this era. The processor’s 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24993, places it close to rivals like the Intel Core i7-11850H (24974, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (24897, 0.4% delta). These near-identical scores indicate that the 7500F’s performance headroom is sufficient for Hard West, and the observed frame rates are not CPU-limited in any meaningful way.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 98.8 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p yields 135.2 FPS, offering a 36.8% improvement over Ultra while likely retaining most visual quality. For players with 60 Hz displays, either preset works, but High provides a substantial safety margin.

At 1440p, the High preset produces 82.6 FPS, which is still well above 60 FPS and represents the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 63.4 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 1440p (106.9 FPS) offers a smoother experience if the visual downgrade from High is acceptable. The Low preset at 1440p (135.2 FPS) is overkill for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset manages 47.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for a turn-based game where precise timing is not critical. The Medium preset (54.8 FPS) is the closest to 60 FPS among the higher quality settings. The Low preset (68.1 FPS) is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, but it likely compromises the atmospheric lighting and shadow quality that Hard West’s art style benefits from. The Ultra preset at 4K (34.1 FPS) is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

The best experience per the measured rows is the High preset at 1440p, which delivers 82.6 FPS — a strong balance between resolution and quality. For 1080p users, High at 135.2 FPS is the standout choice. The data shows diminishing returns from Medium to Ultra at every resolution, with the largest performance gap occurring between High and Ultra at 4K (34.1 vs 47.1 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 781st out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This places the pairing in the 46th percentile of all tested system configurations, indicating that it performs slightly below the median of the database’s tested combos for this specific game.

This ranking is notable given the hardware’s individual performance. The RTX 3070 sits in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 28238, while the 7500F ranks in the 82nd percentile among CPUs. The discrepancy between the individual component rankings and the combo’s mid-pack placement suggests that Hard West’s performance profile does not heavily favor this particular pairing. The game’s turn-based nature may not stress the GPU as much as other titles, allowing lower-tier GPUs to achieve similar frame rates.

The combo’s rank of 781 out of 1699 means that roughly 54% of tested configurations outperform it in this game. This is likely because many higher-ranked combos feature more powerful GPUs, which would see larger gains in the GPU-bound higher resolutions. The RTX 3070’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1% delta), indicating that the GPU is solidly mid-range in the current benchmark hierarchy. The CPU’s nearest rivals are similarly close in performance, with all four listed rivals within 0.4% of the 7500F’s average score.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, featuring 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical specification for Hard West’s rendering at high resolutions. The measured frame rates show that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are the primary determinants of performance at 1440p and 4K.

The GPU’s base clock of 1500 MHz boosts to 1725 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These clock speeds, combined with the 184 tensor cores and 46 ray tracing cores, define the card’s overall capability. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the 214.1 FPS at Low settings — a frame rate that approaches the CPU’s limit. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with the scaling patterns discussed earlier confirming this.

The RTX 3070’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238, places it in the upper mid-range. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, is only 0.9% behind, while the AMD FirePro S7150 is 0.6% ahead. This tight grouping suggests that the RTX 3070 is well-positioned among its peers for this generation. The GPU’s 8 GB memory capacity is sufficient for Hard West at all tested settings, as the game’s 2015 release date predates the heavy VRAM demands of modern titles. The 4K Ultra result of 34.1 FPS suggests that the GPU’s compute throughput, rather than memory capacity, is the limiting factor at maximum quality.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where the measured average FPS is 68.1. At Medium, the average drops to 54.8 FPS, and at High it falls to 47.1 FPS. Ultra yields 34.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides 82.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS target with headroom. At 1080p, High delivers 135.2 FPS, and at 4K, no preset above Medium reaches 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p Low (214.1 FPS), the CPU may be limiting. At 1440p and above, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as demonstrated by the consistent frame rate drops when increasing resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3070’s average benchmark score is 28238, placing it 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti. It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 by 0.6%.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Ultra and Low at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 98.8 FPS, while Low averages 214.1 FPS — a difference of 115.3 FPS, or roughly 117% higher performance at Low settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 781st out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 214.1 FPS
• Medium: 172.5 FPS
• High: 135.2 FPS
• Ultra: 98.8 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 135.2 FPS
• Medium: 106.9 FPS
• High: 82.6 FPS
• Ultra: 63.4 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 68.1 FPS
• Medium: 54.8 FPS
• High: 47.1 FPS
• Ultra: 34.1 FPS

The data reveals that the Low-to-Ultra performance gap widens with resolution: at 1080p, Ultra delivers 46.2% of Low’s frame rate; at 1440p, that ratio drops to 46.9%; and at 4K, Ultra achieves exactly half of Low’s performance (34.1 vs 68.1 FPS). The High preset consistently maintains a roughly 60-63% ratio of the Low preset’s performance across all three resolutions, indicating that the High quality tier scales predictably with resolution. The Medium preset holds a slightly higher ratio of 80-81% of Low’s performance at every resolution, making it the most consistent quality level in terms of relative performance.