Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination delivers playable frame rates in Hard West, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling tied to the GPU. At 1080p, this pairing produces strong triple-digit averages on lower settings, yet the demanding Ultra preset exposes the RTX 2060 SUPER’s limits, with the CPU still holding significant headroom. The measured results indicate a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1080p gaming but falls short of smooth 4K performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 99 FPS at 1920x1080 to 62 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 37%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 33 FPS, which is exactly one-third of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count while the CPU’s contribution remains relatively static.

The Low settings preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p, the system achieves 157 FPS, which drops to 99 FPS at 1440p and then to 52 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K here is 105 FPS, or a 67% reduction. This larger proportional drop at Low settings suggests that even when the GPU has less work to do per frame, the sheer pixel throughput at 4K overwhelms the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 256-bit memory bus and 8 GB of GDDR6 provide adequate capacity, but the raw fill rate cannot keep pace with 8.3 million pixels at 4K.

Notably, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is slightly less punishing at Medium settings, where the average drops from 81 FPS to 43 FPS (47% reduction) compared to the 1080p-to-1440p drop from 128 FPS to 81 FPS (37% reduction). This suggests that at Medium settings, the game’s visual complexity begins to equalize the workload across resolutions, but the overall trend remains clear: 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 52 FPS average is borderline. The data shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p, with 1440p as a viable secondary target for High and Medium presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER’s specifications directly explain its performance profile in Hard West. With a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, the GPU operates within a narrow frequency range, which limits its ability to dynamically scale under load. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth—sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but strained at 4K, where the game’s textures and post-processing effects demand more data throughput. The 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs provide solid rasterization power, evidenced by the 157 FPS average at 1080p Low, but the 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes a bottleneck as resolution climbs.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 16462 places it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 18093 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159 (a 0.4% difference). This proximity to a mobile part highlights the RTX 2060 SUPER’s age and its relative weakness against newer desktop offerings. In Hard West, this translates to a GPU that can handle 1080p Ultra at 74 FPS but cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Medium (43 FPS) or 4K High (33 FPS). The 8 GB VRAM is never fully saturated at any tested setting, so capacity is not the issue—compute and bandwidth are.

The measured FPS at Medium settings includes minimum and maximum values, offering insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 109 and the max is 148, a spread that indicates consistent performance with no severe stutters. At 1440p Medium, the min drops to 69 and the max to 93, showing a narrower but still stable range. At 4K Medium, the min FPS is 36 and the max is 49, which means the GPU occasionally dips below 40 FPS—noticeable in a turn-based tactics game but not game-breaking. These figures suggest the RTX 2060 SUPER handles the game’s static scenes well but struggles when multiple effects or unit animations are on screen.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hard West, this pairing ranks 2632 out of 3722 total combos. This places it in the 29th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 71% of combinations deliver higher average frame rates. This ranking is underwhelming given the CPU’s strong synthetic performance, but it aligns with the GPU’s mid-range standing. The Ryzen 5 8400F outperforms its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks—scoring 25005 on average versus 24964 for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (a 0.2% difference) and 24935 for the Intel Core i7-11850H (a 0.3% difference)—yet the RTX 2060 SUPER drags the overall combo down relative to systems with faster GPUs.

The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s 62nd percentile standing among all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU’s 77th percentile. This mismatch means the CPU is capable of feeding more frames than the GPU can render, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 157 FPS average suggests the GPU is working near its limit, while the CPU’s 12 threads and 4.70 GHz boost clock are underutilized. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and multi-thread score of 6165 indicate strong single-core and multi-core performance, but Hard West’s turn-based nature likely does not stress all 12 threads equally.

The rank of 2632 out of 3722 is a stark reminder that this GPU is end-of-life, having been released in 2019 and succeeded by the GeForce 30 series. While the RTX 2060 SUPER still holds its own in synthetic tests—its PassMark G3D score of 16462 is within 1.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373) and 1.6% of the Intel Arc A770M (18383)—these rivals are either older or less efficient. The data shows that for Hard West, the combo’s performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the ranking reflects the GPU’s inability to push beyond that.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings yield 157 FPS average, Medium 128 FPS (with min 109 and max 148), High 99 FPS, and Ultra 74 FPS. All presets exceed 60 FPS, making 1080p the sweet spot for this combo. The drop from Low to Ultra is 83 FPS, a 53% reduction, which is substantial but leaves the system firmly in playable territory. For a turn-based tactics game, even the 74 FPS at Ultra is more than sufficient for smooth camera panning and unit animations.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains solid but the gap between presets widens. Low settings achieve 99 FPS, Medium 81 FPS (min 69, max 93), High 62 FPS, and Ultra 47 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which may cause slight judder on high-refresh monitors. The 1440p results show a 52 FPS spread between Low and Ultra, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the CPU’s headroom cannot compensate for the added pixel workload.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce 52 FPS, Medium 43 FPS (min 36, max 49), High 33 FPS, and Ultra 25 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches playability, and even then, the average is below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 25 FPS is effectively unplayable, as the frame rate drops to a slideshow-like pace. The data shows a consistent 9-10 FPS drop between each settings tier at 4K, which is a more linear degradation than at lower resolutions, further confirming that the GPU’s compute and bandwidth are fully saturated.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Hard West at 4K?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 52 FPS. Medium drops to 43 FPS, High to 33 FPS, and Ultra to 25 FPS. For a stable 60 FPS experience at 4K, the GPU would need to be significantly faster.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings pairing for this system?

A: The data shows 1080p at Ultra provides 74 FPS and 1440p at High provides 62 FPS. Both are playable, but 1080p at Medium (128 FPS) or High (99 FPS) offers the smoothest experience without sacrificing visual fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its closest GPU rivals in raw performance?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER scores 18093 on average, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159), 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189), and 1.5% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373). Its PassMark G3D score of 16462 places it in the 62nd percentile.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 8400F’s 77th percentile ranking and 25005 average benchmark score far exceed the GPU’s 62nd percentile, indicating the CPU has ample headroom. The FPS drops at higher resolutions are entirely attributable to the GPU’s limits.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 128, with a minimum of 109 and a maximum of 148. This provides a consistently high frame rate with minimal variation, suitable for any display.

*Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Hard West?*

A: Yes. The game’s highest tested preset (Ultra) at 4K averages 25 FPS, but this is due to compute and bandwidth limits, not VRAM capacity. No test in the data indicates VRAM exhaustion.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Phoenix) and manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth) ensure the CPU can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it an efficient and overclockable part, though its integrated graphics are listed as N/A, meaning a discrete GPU is mandatory.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is largely secondary due to the game’s turn-based nature, which relies more on GPU rendering than complex CPU simulations. The 3DMark multi-thread score of 6165 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 demonstrate robust parallel performance, but the game likely uses only a fraction of the available threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3685 and multi-thread score of 24389 confirm that the CPU is well above average, ranking in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, scores 24964 (0.2% lower), while the Intel Core i7-13620H scores 24911 (0.4% lower), showing the 8400F is competitive with modern mid-range parts.

The CPU’s benchmark results indicate it is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 157 FPS, which is likely near the GPU’s maximum output for that setting. The CPU’s high boost clock ensures that even at 1080p, where frame rates are highest, it can maintain frame pacing without stutters. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the CPU is largely idle, as the GPU’s 25 FPS average leaves ample CPU headroom. This asymmetry means that upgrading the GPU would yield significant FPS gains across all resolutions, while upgrading the CPU would provide negligible improvements in Hard West. The data ultimately shows a CPU that is more capable than the GPU, making this a GPU-limited pairing for this specific title.