Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination reveal a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. The data indicates a wide performance envelope, from highly playable triple-digit frame rates at 1080p to sub-60 FPS territory at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, component roles, and overall ranking of this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 133.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 81.6 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 51.8 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 43 FPS, which is a 90.4 FPS decline from the 1080p baseline. This represents a 67.8% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a pattern that strongly indicates the renderer is becoming increasingly burdened by pixel count.

The scaling trend is even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system delivers an average of 211.5 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain a very high output. However, doubling the resolution to 1440p results in a significant drop to 135 FPS, and at 4K, the average plummets to 72.3 FPS. The frame rate at 4K Low is nearly identical to the frame rate at 1440p High, which underscores that the GPU's workload, not the CPU, is the determining factor in these scenarios.

At the most demanding settings, the scaling behavior shows the GPU hitting a performance wall. With the Ultra preset, the system averages 100.6 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 63.4 FPS at 1440p and then to a playable-but-strained 34.5 FPS at 4K. The difference between the 1440p and 4K results is 28.9 FPS, a substantial drop that highlights the exponential cost of rendering four times the pixels. The data collectively shows that for smooth 4K gameplay, even at Medium settings (57.3 FPS), the GPU is working near its limit, whereas 1080p and 1440p offer much more headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the central component in this configuration, and its memory and clock specifications directly correlate with the observed frame rates. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game's data requirements at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the strong average frame rates above 60 FPS at High settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the combination of higher resolution textures and increased pixel workload likely saturates the memory bandwidth and capacity, contributing to the sub-40 FPS average.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz, are typical for the Ampere architecture. The performance difference between the Low and Medium presets at 4K is telling: the system jumps from 72.3 FPS to 57.3 FPS, a 15 FPS penalty for the additional visual effects. This indicates that the GPU's compute units and shading processors are being tasked more heavily as settings increase. The RTX 3070's raw compute capability, rated at 20.31 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, is substantial, but the data shows that it is not enough to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, where it averages 34.5 FPS.

The benchmark scores for the GPU place it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238. Its closest rival in the data is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which has a score of 27985 and a deltaPct of 0.9, indicating the RTX 3070 is slightly ahead. This competitive positioning is reflected in the gameplay results, where the card exhibits a strong balance of speed and memory that handles 1440p High with ease (81.6 FPS) but struggles with the demands of 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X provides the processing foundation for this system, and its specifications suggest it is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU in this title. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, the CPU has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high clock speed is crucial for a turn-based tactics game, which often relies on single-threaded performance for game logic and AI calculations. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1060 and Passmark single-thread score of 4135 are strong indicators of its ability to handle these tasks efficiently.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24128. However, the frame rate data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p Low, where the GPU load is lightest, the system achieves 211.5 FPS. This high frame rate demonstrates that the CPU can process and submit frames at a very rapid rate. The fact that the frame rate drops so significantly when resolution increases points directly to the GPU as the limiting factor, not the CPU.

The Ryzen 5 7600X has a large 32 MB shared L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency and is beneficial for gaming. Its memory support for DDR5 with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s provides a fast data path for the CPU to access game assets. The CPU's overall performance, with an average benchmark score of 26272 and a percentile ranking of 83 versus all CPUs, places it in the upper echelon of processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, has a deltaPct of 0.2, meaning the 7600X is essentially on par, confirming that its processing power is more than sufficient for Hard West.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a specific position. The combination ranks 772nd out of 1699 total combos for this game. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it is a solidly performing combination. The rank suggests that a significant number of other CPU and GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in Hard West, but this combo is far from being a low performer.

The ranking is a holistic measure that likely accounts for performance across all tested resolutions and settings. Given the data, this rank seems appropriate. The system demonstrates excellent performance at 1080p and good performance at 1440p, but its 4K performance is a limiting factor that prevents it from ranking higher. The GPU's 72nd percentile standing and the CPU's 83rd percentile standing suggest that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, which is a common dynamic in gaming systems.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show negligible differences, with a 0% delta to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U and a -0.1% delta to the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U. This indicates that the CPU's performance is very consistent with its peers. The GPU's comparison to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, with a deltaPct of 0.9, shows that the RTX 3070 is a slightly stronger performer. This combination of a very strong CPU and a strong, but not flagship, GPU results in a balanced system that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not for maxing out 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 133.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate is 43 FPS on High settings and 34.5 FPS on Ultra. It can run, but it will not consistently hit 60 FPS at higher settings.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate at 1080p Low is 211.5 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it is 34.5 FPS. This represents a 177 FPS difference, showing a massive performance gap.

Q: Which component is more responsible for limiting performance at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops significantly with resolution increases while the CPU performance, indicated by high 1080p Low frame rates, appears sufficient.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread score in 3DMark?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X has a 3DMark single-thread score of 1060.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28238, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has a score of 27985. This gives the RTX 3070 a deltaPct of 0.9, meaning it is slightly ahead.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 100.6 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. If a player prefers maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 211.5 FPS is an option, but the visual trade-off is significant for a turn-based game.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering an average of 81.6 FPS. This balances visual fidelity with performance, staying comfortably within the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 63.4 FPS is also viable for those who want maximum details, as it remains playable. The Medium preset at 110.9 FPS is also a strong option, but High provides a better visual experience for a minor performance cost.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Low preset, with an average of 72.3 FPS, is the only setting that guarantees a smooth 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 57.3 FPS is playable but may have occasional dips. The High preset at 43 FPS and Ultra at 34.5 FPS are less desirable for consistent gameplay. Therefore, for 4K, prioritizing the Low preset offers the best performance, while Medium is the highest setting that remains reasonably playable.