Hard West

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1581 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. That places this configuration in the upper-middle portion of the database, roughly the 57th percentile of all tested combinations. The combo is not a top-tier outlier, but it sits comfortably ahead of more than 2100 other pairings tested for this title.

This ranking reflects a balanced pairing. The Ryzen 5 8400F delivers strong single-thread performance for a turn-based tactics game, where AI calculations and unit action resolution often hinge on CPU responsiveness. The RTX 3070 provides enough graphics horsepower to push high framerates at mainstream resolutionsorting, but the ranking shows it is not an extreme overachiever. The data indicates that this combo lands in a zone where most players would find the experience entirely playable, with room to spare at 1080p and 1440p.

Relative to other CPU options, the Ryzen 5 8400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.2% higher, making these two effectively interchangeable in practical terms. The Intel Core i7-11850H and Core i7-13620H are also within 0.4% of the 8400F's average score, meaning the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo's ranking. On the GPU side, the RTX 3070 ranks at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, just 0.7% ahead. This suggests the graphics card is the more average component in the pairing, and the combination's overall rank is largely constrained by GPU performance rather than CPU capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its boost clock runs at 1725 MHz, with a base clock of 1500 MHz. These specifications are fully utilized in Hard West, a game that does not demand extreme VRAM capacities but does benefit from consistent memory throughput during turn-based map transitions and lighting calculations.

The data shows a clear scaling pattern tied to this GPU's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the RTX 3070 pushes an average of 211 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 99 FPS on Ultra. This 112 FPS swing between the lowest and highest quality presets indicates that the GPU has ample headroom at 1080p, but the Ultra preset still demands significant rendering work. The 8 GB VRAM buffer is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution; even at 3840x2160 Ultra, the card manages 33 FPS average, though this is below the 60 FPS threshold most players would consider smooth.

The RTX 3070's Compute performance, measured at 11195 in Passmark GPU Compute, supports Hard West's shader-heavy effects without issue. The GPU's pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s provide plenty of fill rate for a game of this visual complexity. The architecture uses 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs, which aligns with the measured results showing strong performance at lower resolutions and a predictable falloff as resolution increases.

Benchmark results place the RTX 3070 at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 17208. Its nearest rival, the RX 7600 XT, scores 17083, a 0.7% difference that would be imperceptible in real-world gameplay. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M are also within 1.1% of the 3070's score, though those older cards lack the modern feature set of Ampere. For Hard West specifically, the GPU's DirectX 12 score of 85 in Passmark is modest, but the game's turn-based nature means the framerate impact is less critical than in fast-paced genres.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 3070 sufficient for 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: The data shows 33 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra and 44 FPS at High. These numbers indicate 4K is only playable at Low settings, where the card reaches 70 FPS. For a smooth 4K experience, you would need to stick to Low or Medium presets.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25005. The Ryzen 5 7500F scores 24964, just 0.2% lower, while the Core i7-11850H (24935) and Core i7-13620H (24911) are 0.3% and 0.4% behind, respectively. The AMD EPYC 9474F is 0.4% ahead at 25103.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo achieves 133 FPS on Low and 84 FPS on High, with 63 FPS on Ultra. This resolution offers a good balance between visual quality and framerate. At 1920x1080, every preset exceeds 99 FPS, making it the safest choice for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does 8 GB of VRAM cause any issues in Hard West?

A: No. The measured framerates show no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or performance collapse. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for this game's textures and effects at all tested settings.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 133 at 1920x1080 to 84 at 2560x1440, then to 44 at 3840x2160. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 a better choice than the RX 7600 XT for this game?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 17083, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3070's 17208. In Hard West specifically, the measured results show the RTX 3070 handles all presets adequately, so either card would perform similarly.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the 2560x1440 High preset is the sweet spot. The data shows 84 FPS average at that setting, which provides smooth gameplay while maintaining visual fidelity. If you prefer maximum quality, the 1440p Ultra preset delivers 63 FPS, which is acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where reaction time is less critical. The 1080p High preset at 133 FPS is ideal for players with high refresh rate monitors who want to maximize responsiveness.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth play, hitting 70 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, which could cause noticeable stuttering during heavy action sequences. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided, as 33 FPS average falls below the playability threshold for most users.

The Medium presets across all resolutions show the most balanced performance. At 1080p Medium, the combo hits 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 FPS, ensuring no drops below 144 Hz. At 1440p Medium, 109 FPS average with a 93 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid. The Medium preset also provides a measurable improvement over Low settings without the steep performance cost of Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3070 paired with the Ryzen 5 8400F delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 211 FPS average, Medium hits 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 FPS and maximum of 198 FPS, High reaches 133 FPS, and Ultra manages 99 FPS. This resolution shows the GPU has significant headroom, with even the Ultra preset staying above 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. Low settings yield 133 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS and maximum of 126 FPS, High reaches 84 FPS, and Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 70 FPS, a 53% reduction in performance when maximizing quality.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 begins to struggle with higher presets. Low settings still manage 70 FPS, which is playable. Medium averages 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 66 FPS, putting it borderline for smooth gameplay. High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable with the Low preset for this combination.

The Medium preset is the only one where minimum FPS data was recorded across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 147 FPS ensures no frame drops below 144 Hz. At 1440p, the 93 FPS minimum still provides smooth gameplay. At 4K, the 49 FPS minimum could cause occasional hitches, but for a turn-based tactics game, this remains acceptable.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix. It runs at a base clock of 4.20 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and its 16 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4 nm process node from TSMC make it an efficient choice, though its 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die indicate a dense design.

In Hard West, the CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant. The 8400F scores 951 in 3DMark single-thread and 2943 in Cinebench R23 single-core, placing it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs. Turn-based tactics games often rely on single-threaded AI decision-making, and the data shows this CPU has the headroom to handle those calculations without bottlenecking the RTX 3070.

Multi-threaded performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a Passmark multithread score of 24389. The 8400F's 12 threads allow for efficient background processing, but Hard West's engine does not appear to scale heavily with core count based on the measured results. The CPU's 16 MB L3 cache, while modest by modern standards, is sufficient for this game's data requirements.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F, scores only 0.2% higher on average, making the 8400F essentially equivalent in gaming workloads. The Intel Core i7-13620H, a mobile chip, is 0.4% behind, which is remarkable given its different platform. The 8400F's DDR5 memory support and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation for the RTX 3070, though the GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more critical figure for game rendering.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that single-threaded workloads in Hard West are handled with minimal latency. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1874 indicates strong dual-core performance, which is relevant for games that primarily use two threads for main game logic and rendering. The Passmark single-thread score of 3685 further confirms that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo's measured framerates.