Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a configuration that is overwhelmingly powerful for this genre. The measured results indicate that this combination sits at the 99th percentile out of 3722 tested combos in this game, placing it near the very top of the performance hierarchy. The data reveals a system that delivers exceptional frame rates across all resolutions, though the scaling patterns provide clear insights into where the bottlenecks lie and how to optimize the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates how this hardware handles increasing pixel counts. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 228. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops that to 144 FPS, a 36.8% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 76 FPS, which is 47.2% lower than the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a high-end GPU where the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor as resolution increases, but here the absolute numbers remain so high that even the 4K figure is far beyond what a turn-based tactics game requires.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (293 FPS) and Ultra (171 FPS) is 122 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 121 FPS (229 vs 108). At 4K, the delta is 63 FPS (120 vs 57). This compression at 4K suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as the pixel fill rate demands start to outweigh the settings-driven workload differences. The RTX 4090's pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are being pushed harder at 4K, yet the lowest average still clears 57 FPS on Ultra.

Interestingly, the 1080p Low result of 293 FPS versus the 4K Low result of 120 FPS shows a 59% performance drop purely from resolution scaling. This indicates that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU's memory bandwidth—rated at 1.01 TB/s—and its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory are being utilized more heavily at higher resolutions. The benchmark results imply that for this game, 1440p is the sweet spot where the system delivers both high frame rates (144 FPS on High) and visual fidelity without the steep 4K penalty.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the high frame rates. With a boost clock of 2520 MHz and 16,384 shading units, the card processes geometry and pixel data at a rate that makes Hard West's relatively modest graphical demands trivial. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a game originally released in 2015. The benchmark scores reflect this: the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs place it well ahead of typical gaming hardware.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance headroom is vast. At 1080p Medium, the system hits 273 FPS average with a minimum of 232 FPS, suggesting that the card is never struggling to feed frames. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is the only point where the GPU appears to be working hard, and even that is playable. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database—such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at -2.5%—are not close in gaming performance, as those are professional workstation cards, but the numeric data confirms the RTX 4090's dominance.

The card's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are irrelevant for a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, but they contribute to the overall chip design. The 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance means the GPU can handle any visual effect this title throws at it. The benchmark results show that the limiting factor at 4K is raw pixel throughput, not memory capacity—the 24 GB frame buffer is never close to being exhausted, even at Ultra settings with 3840x2160 resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. Dropping to High settings raises the average to 76 FPS, providing a better balance.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best mix of performance and visual quality. At High settings, the system delivers 144 FPS average, which is more than enough for any gameplay, while 4K High drops to 76 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The benchmark data lists the RTX 4090's average score as 60,347, with its closest rival being the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 61,896 (-2.5% delta). These are synthetic scores, not game-specific, but they indicate the 4090's high standing.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X has a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,236 and a single-core score of 1,965. Given that Hard West is turn-based and not heavily threaded, the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck at any resolution, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 228 FPS. This is well above any display refresh rate, meaning the system is effectively overkill for 1080p gaming in this title.

Q: Why is the 4K Ultra frame rate so much lower than 4K Low?

A: The difference is 63 FPS (120 vs 57). This is due to the increased GPU workload from Ultra settings, which likely includes higher shadow resolution, texture filtering, and post-processing effects that tax the pixel shaders.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 293 FPS. Medium averages 273 FPS with a minimum of 232 and a maximum of 314. High averages 228 FPS. Ultra averages 171 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 41.6% performance drop, which is substantial but leaves even the worst-case scenario far above playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 229 FPS. Medium averages 188 FPS with a minimum of 160 and a maximum of 216. High averages 144 FPS. Ultra averages 108 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 52.8%, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 120 FPS. Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 113. High averages 76 FPS. Ultra averages 57 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 52.5%, and the minimum FPS of 84 on Medium suggests that even during intense scenes, performance remains stable.

The Medium settings are the only ones with min/max FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 232 FPS indicates no frame drops. At 1440p, the minimum of 160 FPS is still high. At 4K, the minimum of 84 FPS shows that even the weakest frames are playable. This consistency suggests that the RTX 4090 maintains a stable frame delivery, likely due to its large frame buffer and high bandwidth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, which is what most games rely on. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,965 and multicore score of 15,236 place it in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X at a 0.2% delta. For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that likely does not use more than a few threads, the CPU's 6 cores are more than adequate.

The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game logic. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s on a dual-channel DDR5 setup is sufficient for feeding the GPU at high frame rates. The PassMark multithread score of 28,390 and single-thread score of 4,135 confirm that this processor excels at the type of workload Hard West presents—mostly game state calculations and AI pathfinding rather than physics-heavy simulation.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 293 FPS, which is far beyond what even the fastest CPUs could bottleneck. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1,060 and 2-thread score of 2,028 show that it has strong per-core performance. Even if Hard West were poorly optimized for multi-threading, the high boost clock would carry it through. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 7600X provides ample headroom for this game, and the bottleneck at 4K Ultra is entirely on the GPU side.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset (273 FPS average) is the best choice because it offers a significant improvement over High (228 FPS) with likely minimal visual differences, while Ultra (171 FPS) provides diminishing returns. The minimum FPS of 232 on Medium ensures no stutters, making it the most stable option.

At 1440p, the High preset (144 FPS) is the recommended starting point. It delivers a frame rate that matches most high-refresh monitors, and the jump to Ultra (108 FPS) may not be worth the 25% performance hit unless visual fidelity is paramount. The Medium preset (188 FPS) is also viable for those who prefer maximum smoothness, as it provides a 30% boost over High with the minimum FPS still at 160.

At 4K, the Medium preset (99 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum) is the clear winner. It offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, with the minimum FPS staying above the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for playability. The High preset (76 FPS) is acceptable for those who want better visuals, but the Ultra preset (57 FPS) dips below 60 FPS and should be avoided unless the game is played at a slower pace where frame rate is less critical.

For players with a 60 Hz display at any resolution, the High preset is sufficient—it delivers 228 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is so powerful for Hard West that even the most demanding settings at 4K remain playable, but the Medium preset at 4K provides the most consistent experience with a minimum FPS of 84. Ultimately, the measured results indicate that this hardware combination offers an embarrassment of riches for a turn-based tactics game, and players should prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, as even the lowest recorded minimum FPS (57 at 4K Ultra) is above what the game's genre requires.