Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a playable experience across most settings in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the Ultra preset demands the most from the hardware, while Medium offers a balanced compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four quality settings, interpreting what the numbers mean for this specific pairing.

Settings Recommendations

For this combination, the Medium preset provides the most consistent and fluid experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium yields an average of 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 FPS and a maximum of 162 FPS, offering a smooth margin above typical refresh rates. At 2560x1440, Medium drops to 89 FPS average (76-103 FPS range), which remains comfortable for most displays. Even at 3840x2160, Medium maintains a 47 FPS average with a 40-54 FPS range, which is borderline but acceptable for a turn-based game where precise timing is less critical.

The High preset is a reasonable alternative if visual quality takes priority. It delivers 109 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is notably lower than Medium, suggesting that High pushes the GPU harder without a proportional visual gain in this title. The Low preset pushes frame rates much higher—172 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K—but the visual compromise is substantial for a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow detail.

Ultra is not recommended for this combo. It produces the lowest scores in every resolution: 81 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for acceptable motion, even in a slower-paced genre. Given that Medium outperforms Ultra by 75% at 1080p (141 vs. 81 FPS) and by 74% at 4K (47 vs. 27 FPS), the performance cost of Ultra is steep. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot, delivering the best balance of frame rate and graphical quality for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 7600 and RX 9060 ranks 1706 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, roughly in the 42nd percentile of all tested pairings. The rank reflects that while this is a modern CPU and a current-generation GPU, Hard West is an older title that does not heavily stress either component, and many older or mid-range combinations can achieve similar or better results.

The CPU itself sits in the 78th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 26324. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (26274, 0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS (26402, 0.3% ahead), Intel Core i9-11900KF (26212, 0.4% behind), and AMD Ryzen 5 8540U (26187, 0.5% behind). These are all tightly grouped within one percent, indicating that the 7600 is a solid mid-range performer but not exceptional. The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 59th percentile with an average score of 16014. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, 0.7% ahead), AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, 1% behind), AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, 1% behind), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, 2.1% behind).

The combo rank of 1706 is lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest. This is because Hard West is likely CPU-bound at lower resolutions and GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but neither component is pushed to its limits. The game’s turn-based nature means that high frame rates are not as critical as in action titles, so the combination’s raw power is underutilized. The ranking indicates that many other pairings—including those with older or weaker parts—achieve comparable frame rates, making this combo’s position more a reflection of the game’s modest requirements than any deficiency in the hardware.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hard West, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly significant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (81-172 FPS depending on settings) that the CPU likely plays a larger role in limiting performance. At 1440p, the GPU starts to assert itself more, with frame rates dropping to 51-109 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as evidenced by the steep drop to 27-57 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this 2015 title, as the game’s textures and assets are modest by modern standards.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3322, and its PassMark G3D score is 17631. These place it roughly on par with the RTX 3060 Ti, which is notable because the RX 9060 is a newer architecture. However, in Hard West, the actual frame rates are more telling. The GPU’s texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s are more than adequate for this game’s demands. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the GPU sustains 47 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 57 FPS, indicating that the card can handle 4K if settings are moderated.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: Medium provides the best experience, with an average of 141 FPS (120-162 FPS range). High delivers 109 FPS, Low reaches 172 FPS, and Ultra drops to 81 FPS. Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?*

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. At 4K Low, it achieves 57 FPS average; at 4K Medium, it drops to 47 FPS (40-54 FPS range). High falls to 36 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 27 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, putting the 3060 Ti 0.7% ahead. In Hard West specifically, the RX 9060’s performance is not directly compared, but its overall standing suggests near-parity.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7600 a bottleneck for the RX 9060?

A: The data does not indicate a bottleneck. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and it ranks in the 78th percentile. At 1080p, frame rates are high (up to 172 FPS), suggesting the CPU keeps up. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 141 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 47 FPS. This represents a 67% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the Ultra preset offer any benefit in this game?

A: Ultra provides the highest visual quality but the lowest performance. At 1080p, it averages 81 FPS; at 1440p, 51 FPS; and at 4K, 27 FPS. The performance cost is severe, and Medium offers a better experience for most users.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates the GPU’s increasing workload at higher resolutions. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1080p to 89 at 1440p, then to 47 at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is roughly linear with the pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the progression is 109 FPS (1080p) → 69 FPS (1440p) → 36 FPS (4K). The percentage drops are similar: 37% from 1080p to 1440p, and 48% from 1440p to 4K. At Low settings, the numbers are 172 FPS (1080p) → 109 FPS (1440p) → 57 FPS (4K), with drops of 37% and 48% respectively. This consistent scaling pattern across all settings suggests that the game’s rendering load scales predictably with resolution, and the RX 9060’s performance is the dominant factor.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 27 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS playability threshold. At 4K High, it reaches 36 FPS, which is borderline. Only at 4K Medium (47 FPS) and 4K Low (57 FPS) does the combo provide a comfortable experience. This indicates that 4K gaming in Hard West is possible, but requires significant settings compromises. The data suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K in this title, but the raw compute power (21.43 TFLOPS FP32) limits high-settings performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael). It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 32 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is more prominent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully taxed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 172 FPS, which is likely near the game’s engine limit or the CPU’s single-thread capability. The CPU’s single-thread benchmark scores support this: 999 in 3DMark single-thread, 1852 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 2521 in Geekbench single-core. These scores are strong, indicating the 7600 can handle the game’s logic and AI calculations without issue.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU becomes less of a factor as the GPU takes over the rendering workload. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities (12735 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 13413 in Geekbench multi-core) are more than sufficient for a turn-based tactics game, which typically does not heavily utilize multiple cores. The 12 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and occasional AI spikes.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all within 0.5% of its average of 26324, including the Ryzen 9 6900HX (26274) and the Intel Core i9-11900KF (26212). This indicates that the 7600 is a well-rounded performer, but its exact performance in Hard West is more dependent on the game’s engine than on raw benchmark numbers. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title, as even at 1080p High (109 FPS), the frame rates are high enough to suggest the GPU is still the primary limiter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the results are: Low averages 172 FPS, Medium averages 141 FPS (120-162 range), High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 91 FPS, with Ultra delivering only 47% of Low’s performance.

At 1440p, the averages are: Low 109 FPS, Medium 89 FPS (76-103 range), High 69 FPS, and Ultra 51 FPS. The spread narrows to 58 FPS, with Ultra at 47% of Low. At 4K, the averages are: Low 57 FPS, Medium 47 FPS (40-54 range), High 36 FPS, and Ultra 27 FPS. The spread is 30 FPS, and Ultra falls below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

The Medium settings provide the only complete FPS range data (min and max) across all resolutions: 120-162 at 1080p, 76-103 at 1440p, and 40-54 at 4K. This consistency suggests that Medium is the most stable preset, with predictable frame pacing. The Low and High presets do not have min/max data, but their averages are consistent with a linear scaling pattern.

Comparing the settings at each resolution, the data shows that dropping from High to Medium yields a 29% performance increase at 1080p (109 to 141 FPS), 29% at 1440p (69 to 89 FPS), and 31% at 4K (36 to 47 FPS). Dropping from Medium to Low yields a 22% increase at 1080p (141 to 172 FPS), 22% at 1440p (89 to 109 FPS), and 21% at 4K (47 to 57 FPS). The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, and the data suggests that it is not well optimized for this game’s engine.

The overall pattern is clear: Medium is the recommended preset for this combo, providing the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. Low is viable for competitive play or maximum smoothness, while High and Ultra are best reserved for users who prioritize graphics over frame rate.