Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, is remarkably undemanding by modern standards, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination confirms this. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but at 1080p, the system's performance is exceptional. The analysis shows that the RTX 5050 provides more than enough power to achieve high refresh rates, making the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance a secondary factor in most scenarios. The data suggests that the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with frame rate, and the most efficient way to achieve this is by prioritizing the Medium preset, which offers a substantial performance uplift over High settings without the steep cost of Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this configuration points to a clear hierarchy in settings presets, with Medium providing the most balanced experience. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. This is only 30 FPS below the Low preset's 165 FPS average, but it represents a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset's 104 FPS at 2560x1440. The High preset at 1080p yields an average of 104 FPS, which is still very playable, but the jump from High to Medium is disproportionately large in terms of frame rate gain—a 31 FPS increase—for what is typically a modest visual difference in a game of this era.

For players targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. The data shows an average of 66 FPS at this resolution and settings, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Pushing to Ultra at 1440p drops the average to 49 FPS, which is a noticeable decline and may not be worth the extra graphical fidelity. At 4K, the picture changes completely. The Ultra preset is not viable, with an average of just 26 FPS. High at 4K is also marginal at 34 FPS, while Medium manages a 45 FPS average. The Low preset at 4K is the only one that breaks the 50 FPS barrier, achieving 55 FPS.

The best experience per the measured rows is therefore the Medium preset at 1080p or the High preset at 1440p. The Medium preset at 1080p is the clear champion for high-refresh-rate displays, offering near-maximum performance with a minimal visual compromise. The High preset at 1440p is the optimal choice for those who prioritize resolution and a stable 60 FPS. The data shows that the Ultra preset is a performance trap, with a 33% reduction in average FPS compared to High at 1080p (78 vs 104 FPS), and a 26% reduction at 1440p (49 vs 66 FPS), making it the least efficient setting for this hardware.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and a single-core score of 3218, place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates a strong processor, but its role in Hard West is nuanced. The game is a turn-based tactics title, which typically does not stress multi-core performance as heavily as modern action games. The data reflects this, as the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the CPU's single-threaded performance becomes more relevant. The Ryzen 5 7500F's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 3218 and its 3DMark single-thread score of 974 are substantial, allowing it to feed the RTX 5050 effectively at lower resolutions. The data supports this; at 1080p Low, the system achieves 165 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the CPU's ability to issue draw calls becomes a potential limiting factor. However, even at this level, the system is not bottlenecked, as the GPU is still the primary constraint.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is noteworthy. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (deltaPct -0.2), and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H (deltaPct 0.2) and Intel Core 5 210H (deltaPct 0.4). This parity in average benchmark scores suggests that in a CPU-light title like Hard West, the choice between these processors would have a negligible impact on the final FPS. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support are sufficient for the game's data demands, and the 65W TDP indicates an efficient part that won't create thermal issues.

In summary, the CPU's role is to provide a robust foundation that doesn't hinder the GPU. Its strong single-threaded performance ensures that frame rates at 1080p are not artificially capped, and its multi-core capabilities are more than adequate for any background tasks or game logic. The benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 5 7500F is not the bottleneck in this configuration for Hard West; the GPU is, particularly at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Hard West?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 165 FPS, achieved at the 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the RTX 5050 capable of running Hard West at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the Low preset yields an average of 55 FPS, Medium yields 45 FPS, High yields 34 FPS, and Ultra yields 26 FPS. For a playable experience, the Low or Medium presets are the only viable options at 4K.

Q: How much performance is lost by using the Ultra preset compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset produces an average of 66 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces an average of 49 FPS. This represents a 17 FPS reduction, or a 25.8% decrease in average frame rate.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 7500F bottleneck the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 165 FPS, which is a high frame rate. However, the performance scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K shows a clear GPU limitation, as the FPS drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice at 1920x1080. It achieves an average of 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, which is a 31 FPS improvement over High while still providing a solid visual experience without the steep performance cost of Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 5050's performance compare to its listed rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. It is 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, 1% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, and 1.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile, while being 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination is ranked 1802 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 61st percentile of all configurations. This rank is a measure of the overall performance of the pairing in this specific game. Given that the data shows very high frame rates at 1080p, this ranking might seem lower than expected. However, the ranking is relative to all other tested combinations, which includes more powerful and expensive hardware. The rank of 1802 suggests that while this combo performs well, there are many other systems that deliver higher raw FPS.

The ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions. The RTX 5050's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p, but at 4K, the graphics card struggles to maintain high frame rates, as evidenced by the 34 FPS average on High settings. This limits the combo's overall standing in a benchmark pool that includes systems with more powerful GPUs. The CPU's rank, which is in the 77th percentile, is higher than the combo's rank, indicating that the GPU is the component holding the combination back from a higher overall position.

The combo's rank is not a reflection of poor performance in absolute terms, but rather a measure of its standing in a competitive field. For a player using a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this system is exceptionally capable, as the measured FPS data shows. The rank of 1802 out of 2949 confirms the fact that Hard West is not a demanding title, and even a mid-range GPU like the RTX 5050 is sufficient for a high-quality experience, though the 4K results pull the combo's rank down.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average FPS drops from 104 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, and then to 34 at 4K. This represents a 36.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 48.5% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5050's rendering capabilities, specifically its 2560 shading units and 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are being taxed more heavily as the pixel count increases.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low, the average FPS drops from 165 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p (a 37% decrease), and then to 55 at 4K (a 47% decrease). For Medium, the drop is from 135 at 1080p to 86 at 1440p (a 36.3% decrease), and then to 45 at 4K (a 47.7% decrease). For Ultra, the drop is from 78 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p (a 37.2% decrease), and then to 26 at 4K (a 46.9% decrease). The consistency of these percentages across all settings strongly suggests that the resolution scaling is purely a function of the GPU's pixel throughput.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component at higher resolutions is unequivocally the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050. The CPU's performance, which is unchanged by resolution, is not a factor in the FPS drops. The data shows that the RTX 5050 is well-suited for 1080p and even 1440p gaming, but it lacks the raw power to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The consistent percentage drops across different settings presets further confirm that the bottleneck is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not any other system component. The 8 GB of VRAM, while sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, may also be a contributing factor at 4K, where texture memory demands are higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination in Hard West, organized by resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS of 165. This is the highest performance level recorded for this system.
• Medium: Average FPS of 135, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155. This preset provides a high frame rate with a reasonable visual upgrade over Low.
• High: Average FPS of 104. This is a solid performance level, well-suited for a 60Hz or 100Hz monitor.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 78. This is the lowest performance at 1080p, but still very playable.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS of 104. This matches the High preset performance at 1080p, showing the GPU load doubling.
• Medium: Average FPS of 86, with a minimum of 73 and a maximum of 98. This is a good balance for 1440p.
• High: Average FPS of 66. This is the recommended preset for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1440p.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 49. This is a significant drop and may be noticeable in gameplay.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS of 55. This is the only preset at 4K that provides a frame rate above 50 FPS.
• Medium: Average FPS of 45, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 52. This is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.
• High: Average FPS of 34. This is a marginal experience, bordering on unplayable for some users.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 26. This is the lowest recorded performance and is not recommended.

The data shows that the Medium preset at 1080p, with a 135 FPS average, is the most efficient configuration for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 1440p, with a 66 FPS average, is the best choice for a balance of resolution and smoothness. The 4K resolution is only viable with the Low preset, and even then, the 55 FPS average is not ideal for all users. The min and max FPS data for the Medium presets shows a variance of around 15-18%, indicating a stable frame pacing experience without major stutters.