Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a broad performance envelope in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the scaling behavior reveals where the system's limits lie. This analysis examines the FPS measurements, component roles, and ranking data to characterize the combo's performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a clear and consistent drop as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 293 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces that to 207 FPS, a decline of 86 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 109 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p represents a 29.4% performance loss, while the step from 1440p to 4K represents a 47.3% loss. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as resolution increases, which is typical for a modern high-end card running an older title.

The High settings row tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the combo hits 206 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 131 FPS, a 36.4% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 69 FPS, a 47.3% reduction from 1440p. The scaling factor between 1080p and 1440p High is slightly steeper than the Low preset, suggesting that the higher settings amplify the GPU load more than the resolution increase alone would dictate.

The Medium preset shows a comparable trend with a narrower spread. At 1080p Medium, the average is 269 FPS with a minimum of 228 FPS and maximum of 309 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 170 FPS, with minimum 144 FPS and maximum 195 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS, with minimum 76 FPS and maximum 103 FPS. The measured minimum and maximum values at Medium provide a useful range: at 1080p, the spread is 81 FPS, while at 4K it narrows to 27 FPS. This tightening of the frame time distribution at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck, reducing the variance that comes from CPU-driven scenes.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 155 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 98 FPS, a 36.8% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average is 51 FPS, a 47.9% reduction from 1440p. The gap between 1080p and 4K Ultra is substantial: 155 FPS down to 51 FPS, a 67.1% loss. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a heavy GPU load that scales almost linearly with pixel count, with the 4K Ultra result dipping below the 60 FPS threshold that is often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates (293 FPS Low, 269 FPS Medium, 206 FPS High, 155 FPS Ultra) suggest that the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more relevant for achieving those triple-digit numbers. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates compress into a narrower band (109 FPS Low, 89 FPS Medium, 69 FPS High, 51 FPS Ultra) that reflects the GPU's raw throughput rather than the CPU's ability to feed frames.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is ample for a game from 2015 that was designed around much lower memory requirements. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed. These specifications are not directly cited in the FPS measurements, but they inform the GPU's ability to handle the resolution scaling observed.

At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4080 produces 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many users. This result is notable because the GPU's raw specs — 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance — are far above what Hard West would need to run at maximum settings on a modern display. The fact that the combo falls short of 60 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that the Ultra preset in this game is particularly demanding, possibly due to effects that stress the GPU's compute or memory subsystems disproportionately.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with a score of 54209 (deltaPct 0.1), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X with 54828 (deltaPct -1.1), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB with 55698 (deltaPct -2.6), and the AMD Radeon 8060S with 55757 (deltaPct -2.7). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 4080 sits in a tight performance cluster with those cards, though the measured FPS in Hard West is what matters for this analysis.

The 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution, as the game's memory footprint from 2015 is unlikely to approach that capacity. The GPU's role is more about raw rasterization throughput, which is why the 4K Ultra result (51 FPS) is the only row that falls below 60 FPS. At 4K High, the 69 FPS result shows that dropping from Ultra to High recovers 18 FPS, a 35.3% improvement, which is significant for achieving a smoother experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 234th out of 3722 combos for Hard West. This places it in the top 6.3% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing for a CPU that was released in 2022 and a GPU that is now end-of-life. The rank reflects the combo's overall FPS performance across the measured rows, weighted by the resolutions and settings tested.

The CPU's percentile rank versus all CPUs is 79, meaning it outperforms 79% of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 27636. The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X with an average score of 27578 (deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core i5-12600K with 27578 (deltaPct 0.2), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE with 27712 (deltaPct -0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 with 27535 (deltaPct 0.4). These deltas are within 0.4% of the 7600X, indicating that the CPU's performance is comparable to several other mid-range options, but the combo's rank in Hard West is driven primarily by the GPU's ability to push frames at high resolutions.

The GPU's percentile rank versus all GPUs is 86, placing it above 86% of graphics cards. Its average benchmark score is 54247. The nearest rivals for the GPU are the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta), the Radeon Pro W5700X (-1.1% delta), the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (-2.6% delta), and the Radeon 8060S (-2.7% delta). The combo rank of 234 out of 3722 suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the CPU does not hold it back in most scenarios, allowing the pair to achieve high frame rates across the board.

The rank is particularly meaningful because Hard West is a turn-based tactics game, which typically has lower frame rate demands than fast-paced shooters. The fact that this combo still ranks in the top 6.3% indicates that the hardware is well-suited to the game's engine, even though the game is over a decade old. The data shows that the combo's performance is not just adequate but exceptional for this title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Hard West?*

A: The highest average FPS is 293, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K across all settings?

A: No. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 51, which is below 60. At 4K High, Medium, and Low, the averages are 69, 89, and 109 FPS respectively, all above 60.

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

A: The combo ranks 234th out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the top 6.3%.

Q: What is the FPS range at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 170, with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM is a limiting factor. The 16 GB capacity is well above what a 2015 game would require, and the FPS scaling follows a predictable GPU-bound pattern.

Q: What is the difference between 1080p High and 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings produce 206 FPS, while Ultra produces 155 FPS, a difference of 51 FPS or 24.8%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 269 FPS with a minimum of 228 FPS, which is far above any display refresh rate likely to be used. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, still well above 60 FPS and suitable for high-refresh monitors. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. At 4K High, the average is 69 FPS, which is above 60 but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. At 1440p High, the average of 131 FPS is excellent for most displays, and at 1080p High, 206 FPS is more than sufficient. The Ultra preset, however, is not recommended at 4K because the 51 FPS average falls below 60, which could result in noticeable stuttering in a tactical game where camera pans and effects can cause frame drops.

For users with a 1440p or 1080p display, the Low preset is unnecessary because the Medium and High presets already deliver frame rates far above what the eye can discern in terms of smoothness. The Low preset's 293 FPS at 1080p is a benchmark curiosity but not a practical recommendation. The Medium preset at 4K is the sweet spot, as it provides 89 FPS average and 76 FPS minimum, ensuring a consistent experience without the visual compromises of Low settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process node. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and it has a 32 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance: 3dmark_single_thread scores 1060, cinebench_r15_singlecore scores 314, cinebench_r23_singlecore scores 1965, and geekbench_singlecore scores 2603. These numbers are relevant because Hard West, as a turn-based tactics game, likely relies on single-thread performance for game logic, AI, and input handling.

The CPU's role in the measured FPS is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 293 FPS, which is a frame time of approximately 3.4 milliseconds. This is a demanding target for any CPU to maintain, and the 7600X's single-thread performance (4135 passmark_single_thread) appears sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output at that resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 155 FPS, which still requires a CPU capable of delivering frames at a 6.5 millisecond interval.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is less critical for this game, but its benchmark scores indicate it is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15236 and geekbench_multicore score of 13858 show that the 6-core processor can handle background tasks without impacting game performance. The CPU's 105 W TDP and 5 nm process node suggest it runs efficiently, though the data does not include power draw measurements in-game.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores — the Ryzen 7 5700X, Core i5-12600K, Ryzen 5 8500GE, and Ryzen 7 5800 — all have average scores within 0.4% of the 7600X. This indicates that the CPU's performance is typical for its class, and the high frame rates in Hard West are not due to an exceptional CPU but rather a balanced pairing with the RTX 4080. The CPU's role is to avoid limiting the GPU, and the data shows it succeeds at all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 293 FPS. Medium settings average 269 FPS, with a minimum of 228 FPS and maximum of 309 FPS. High settings average 206 FPS. Ultra settings average 155 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47.1% reduction in average FPS (293 to 155), with each settings tier costing roughly 20-30% performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings average 207 FPS. Medium settings average 170 FPS, with a minimum of 144 FPS and maximum of 195 FPS. High settings average 131 FPS. Ultra settings average 98 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 109 FPS (207 to 98), a 52.7% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 144 FPS is notable because it exactly matches the refresh rate of many high-end monitors, ensuring a consistent experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop to levels that are still playable but reveal the GPU's limits. Low settings average 109 FPS. Medium settings average 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 69 FPS. Ultra settings average 51 FPS. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 58 FPS (109 to 51), a 53.2% reduction. The Medium preset at 4K is the only row where the minimum FPS (76) stays above 60, providing a comfortable margin for gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below 60 FPS, which is the only measured row that does so across all resolutions and settings.