Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination reveals a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. The measured frames per second (FPS) show a wide performance envelope, from highly playable at 1080p to borderline at 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the measured results to show where this pairing excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and clearly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 117.2 at 1920x1080 to 76.3 at 2560x1440, a significant reduction of roughly 35%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 36.7, which is less than one-third of the 1080p figure. This steep decline is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering, where the graphics card’s processing capacity dictates the frame rate.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 188.8 at 1080p to 119.2 at 1440p, and then to 61.7 at 4K. The 4K result is still playable, but it shows that even with the lowest graphical load, the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are taxed by the sheer pixel count. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, users must rely on the Low preset, as the Medium and High presets fall short of that target, and Ultra is far below it.

The relationship between resolution and settings is telling. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is a factor of over 2x (188.8 vs 89.3). At 4K, that same difference is a smaller factor (61.7 vs 29.7). This compression of the performance gap at higher resolutions reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck; when the pixel workload is immense, the relative cost of turning up specific settings like shadows or textures has less impact on the overall frame rate than the cost of rendering those extra pixels.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and utilizes the AD107 chip. Its performance profile in this game is defined by its memory configuration and clock speeds. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the bandwidth is listed at 272.0 GB/s. This is a modest amount by modern standards, but for a game from 2015 like Hard West, it proves sufficient, especially at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show no signs of stuttering or texture pop-in that would indicate VRAM capacity issues, even at 4K.

The GPU’s boost clock is rated at 2460 MHz, and the base clock is 1830 MHz. These high frequencies contribute to the card’s ability to push high frame rates at 1080p. The card’s 3072 shading units and 96 texture mapping units work together to deliver the raw compute throughput, with a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. In a turn-based strategy game, where scenes are often static or slow-moving, the GPU’s raw fillrate is less critical than in fast-paced shooters, but it still dictates the ceiling for frame rates.

The RTX 4060 sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, which is a 0.6% difference. The data shows that the RTX 4060 is positioned slightly below the RX 6600M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti in average score, but it is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580. In this specific game, the GPU’s performance is the deciding factor at 4K, where even the High preset only yields 36.7 FPS, suggesting that the card is not powerful enough to maintain high visual fidelity at that resolution without compromising the experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 8000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is often less about raw multi-threaded throughput and more about single-thread performance for game logic, AI pathfinding, and unit actions. The 8400F’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, is more than adequate for this title.

The processor’s 16 MB of shared L3 cache is another important factor. Hard West’s world and unit data can be substantial, and having this cache available helps reduce latency when the CPU is fetching instructions and data. The benchmark data shows that this CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 188.8 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that most monitors cannot even display. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at a certain level regardless of resolution, but the data shows a clear and steady decline as resolution increases, which is the signature of GPU limitation.

The Ryzen 5 8400F’s average benchmark score is 25064, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which has an average score of 25057, a 0% difference. The data confirms that this processor provides ample headroom for the RTX 4060 in this game. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 89.3 FPS average is likely still limited by the GPU’s rendering capabilities rather than the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls and process game state.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across different resolutions and quality presets.

1920x1080 (1080p): This is the resolution where the RTX 4060 shines. The Low preset yields an average of 188.8 FPS, which is exceptionally high. Medium settings produce 149.5 FPS, and High settings result in 117.2 FPS. Even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, maintains an average of 89.3 FPS. All presets at 1080p are highly playable, and users have the freedom to choose between maximum visual quality and maximized frame rates.

2560x1440 (1440p): At this resolution, the performance is still strong. The Low preset delivers 119.2 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings follow with 98.4 FPS, and High settings provide 76.3 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below the 60 FPS mark, with an average of 55.9 FPS. For a smooth experience at 1440p, High settings are the practical ceiling, offering a good balance of visual fidelity and performance.

3840x2160 (4K): This resolution is a challenge for the RTX 4060. The Low preset is the only option that remains above 60 FPS, with an average of 61.7 FPS. Medium settings drop to 53.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 36.7 FPS. Ultra is the least playable, with an average of 29.7 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming on this hardware requires significant compromises in visual quality to maintain a playable frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 36.7, which is below the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Low preset is required for a playable 61.7 FPS at that resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game at?

A: 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution for this hardware. At this resolution, every preset, including Ultra, maintains an average FPS above 89, ensuring a very smooth experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. Frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to not be a limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score is 23181. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, which is 0.6% higher. It is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580, which scores 23021.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 188.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 89.3 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the higher visual quality.

Q: Is the 8 GB of VRAM on the RTX 4060 enough for this game?

A: The benchmark data shows no negative impact from VRAM capacity. The game runs at all tested settings and resolutions without evidence of VRAM-related issues, suggesting 8 GB is sufficient for this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s target resolution and preference for visual fidelity.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. With an average of 89.3 FPS, users can enjoy the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. If a user has a high refresh rate monitor (144Hz or above), the High preset at 117.2 FPS or Medium at 149.5 FPS would be better options to push frame rates higher.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 76.3 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a good balance between visual detail and performance. The Ultra preset can be used if the user is willing to accept an average of 55.9 FPS, which may be playable for a turn-based game but is not ideal.

At 4K, users must make significant compromises. The Low preset is the only option that achieves a 60 FPS average (61.7 FPS). The Medium preset will result in a playable, but less smooth, experience at 53.1 FPS. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for 4K due to their low average frame rates of 36.7 and 29.7 FPS, respectively, which could detract from the experience in a game that relies on visual feedback for its atmospheric tone.