Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured performance data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but exceptionally capable at 1080p. The data indicates that this combo delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, with the most significant performance headroom appearing at 1440p and 1080p, where the RTX 5070’s raw throughput is the primary driver of the high scores.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU limitation at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 172 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset drops the average to 109 FPS, a reduction of 63 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 at High yields an average of 57 FPS, which is 52 FPS lower than the 1440p result and 115 FPS lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline—from 172 to 57 FPS across the three resolutions—demonstrates that the rendering load scales aggressively with pixel count, placing the RTX 5070’s 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 compute under increasing strain.

The scaling behavior at Ultra settings is even more telling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 129 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 82 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 48%. This nonlinear degradation strongly suggests that the limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU’s pixel throughput (201.0 GPixel/s) and texture fill rate (482.3 GTexel/s), rather than the CPU. The Ryzen 5 7500F’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, where the 271 FPS Low setting result indicates no meaningful CPU bottleneck.

At 4K Low, the system still manages 91 FPS, which is 34 FPS higher than 4K High. This gap shows that reducing settings can substantially offset the resolution penalty, but the ceiling at 4K Ultra (43 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal. The data makes it clear that for 4K gaming, users must dial back to Medium or High to maintain smooth gameplay, while 1440p and 1080p offer much more headroom for maxing out settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU pairing at rank 686 out of 3,722 tested combos for Hard West. This top-18% placement (686/3722) reflects a system that is well above average for this game, though not at the absolute top tier. The rank is influenced by the combination of the RTX 5070’s strong compute performance and the Ryzen 5 7500F’s solid single-thread capabilities. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 82, meaning it outperforms 82% of tested graphics cards, while the CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 77. The combo rank of 686 suggests that the pairing works harmoniously, with neither component dragging the other down significantly.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F shows a near-tie with the Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning the AMD is 0.1% faster in average benchmark score). It is also 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H and 0.4% faster than the Intel Core 5 210H, while being 0.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F. These sub-1% differences indicate that the CPU’s performance class is tightly clustered, and the ranking in Hard West is unlikely to shift dramatically based on these marginal differences.

For the GPU, the RTX 5070’s nearest rivals are all professional or mobile-class cards, with the AMD Radeon Pro 580 being 0.1% slower, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 being 0.8% slower, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile being 2% slower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 1.2% faster. These comparisons place the RTX 5070 in a performance band where its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 192-bit bus provide a significant advantage in gaming workloads, but the rank of 686 out of 3,722 combos suggests that many higher-end pairings (e.g., with more powerful CPUs or multiple GPUs) still outperform it in this specific title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it features a 32 MB shared L3 cache. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle game logic, unit AI, and frame pacing, which are largely single-threaded tasks. The benchmark results reflect this: the 3dmark single-thread score is 974, and the passmark single-thread score is 3,841, both of which are strong for a desktop processor.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system hits 271 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would test even the most capable CPUs. The fact that the combo achieves this suggests that the Ryzen 5 7500F’s single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,218) is more than adequate for Hard West’s engine. Moving to 1440p and 4K, the FPS drops are attributable to GPU load, not CPU limitations, as evidenced by the consistent scaling pattern.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,799 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 12,362. In a game like Hard West, which likely does not utilize all 12 threads heavily, the CPU’s 6 physical cores with SMT (12 threads) provide ample headroom for background tasks and future-proofing. The 65W TDP and active production status indicate an efficient, modern part that pairs well with the RTX 5070’s 250W TDP without creating a major power imbalance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Hard West?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 271, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest measured average is 43 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Medium, the average is 74 FPS, and at 4K Low, it is 91 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 57 FPS, which is below 60 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 43 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5070’s average benchmark score is 40,377. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, has an average score of 40,318, making the RTX 5070 0.1% faster. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is 2% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is 0.8% slower.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance in this game at any resolution?

A: The data suggests no CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 271 FPS, indicating that the Ryzen 5 7500F’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, are sufficient. The FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairings for Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 686 out of 3,722 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18.4% of all pairings tested for this game.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. This represents a 60 FPS difference, or a 42% reduction in average FPS when moving from Medium to Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance characteristics observed in Hard West. The GPU features 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. Its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which is crucial for feeding the high pixel rates at 4K resolution. The data shows that the GPU’s compute capabilities (30.87 TFLOPS FP32) are more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the combo achieves 129 FPS and 82 FPS at Ultra, respectively.

The GPU’s role becomes more critical at 4K, where the pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s are taxed heavily. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, which is below the 60 FPS target. However, the 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this title, as Hard West’s 2015 release likely has modest VRAM requirements. The memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s appears sufficient, as the FPS drop from 1440p High (109 FPS) to 4K High (57 FPS) is more attributable to raw pixel fill than memory throughput.

The RTX 5070’s percentile ranking of 82 vs all GPUs indicates it is a high-end part, and its nearest rivals (AMD Radeon Pro 580, etc.) are not gaming-focused cards. This suggests that for gaming, the RTX 5070 punches above its weight, delivering strong results in Hard West. The GPU’s 250W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its performance class, and the 1x 16-pin power connector with a suggested 600W PSU indicates it requires a robust power supply, but the benchmark data does not show any thermal or power-related throttling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice for maximum visual quality, as the combo still averages 129 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 224 FPS (minimum 191 FPS), which is beneficial for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual fidelity loss may not be justified given the headroom at Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, which is playable but leaves little margin for dips. The High preset at 1440p averages 109 FPS, offering a better balance of quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1440p provides 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS, making it the best option for users prioritizing smoothness and high refresh rates over maximum eye candy. Given that the Ultra preset is only 27 FPS slower than High at this resolution, High is the recommended sweet spot for most users.

For 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The Ultra preset averages 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may feel stuttery in fast-paced sequences. The High preset averages 57 FPS, which is borderline but closer to playable. The Medium preset at 4K averages 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS, making it the recommended preset for 4K gaming. The Low preset at 4K averages 91 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe. Therefore, for 4K, Medium is the best compromise, delivering a smooth experience (minimum 63 FPS) while retaining moderate visual quality. At 1440p and 1080p, High or Ultra are recommended, with Medium serving as a high-refresh-rate option.