Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a compelling, high-refresh-rate experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures no bottleneck at 1080p. With a combo rank of 277 out of 1699 tested configurations, this system sits comfortably in the top tier for this game, offering smooth gameplay even at demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 133.0 at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth turn-based play.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its nearest CPU rival in overall benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores an average benchmark of 25064, which is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, deltaPct 0). It is also 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993).

Q: What is the RTX 4070 SUPER’s memory bandwidth, and how does it relate to 4K performance?

A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s across a 192-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR6X. This bandwidth supports the 4K High average of 60.3 FPS, though the Ultra preset drops to 47.9 FPS, suggesting memory capacity or bandwidth limits at the highest settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale almost linearly with settings (Low 182.3, Medium 148.2, High 113.2, Ultra 84.8), indicating the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 4070 SUPER?

A: The launch MSRP is 599 USD.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER rank against the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, deltaPct -0.3).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Hard West. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are the key resources for rendering this game’s detailed environments. The GPU’s base clock of 1980 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz, combined with 7168 shading units, provide the raw compute power observed in the measured FPS. The data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (261.2 FPS) and Ultra (133.0 FPS) is a 49% reduction, showing that the GPU is handling the increased shading and texture loads without issue. At 4K, the High preset (60.3 FPS) is playable, but Ultra (47.9 FPS) falls below the smooth threshold, indicating that the GPU’s memory subsystem is being saturated by the highest-quality textures and effects. The GPU’s percentile rank of 84 vs all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576, confirms it is a high-end part, but the 4K Ultra result suggests it is not over-provisioned for this game’s maximum settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F plays a supporting role, but its architecture is well-suited to Hard West’s turn-based logic. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 4 (Phoenix), the CPU’s single-thread performance is critical for game logic and AI calculations. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, combined with a 16 MB L3 cache, deliver a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 and a multi-core score of 20851. The benchmark data shows the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in this game. At 1080p Low settings, the system hits 261.2 FPS, which is near the practical limit for many displays, and the CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 951 supports its ability to feed the GPU efficiently. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 25064 places it at the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, has an identical average score (25057). This suggests that even older high-end CPUs can match it, but the 8400F’s modern architecture ensures consistent frame pacing. The CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution tested, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is entirely attributable to GPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast: Low settings yield 261.2 FPS, Medium drops to 233.5 FPS, High delivers 177.6 FPS, and Ultra maintains 133.0 FPS. All of these are far above the refresh rate of most monitors, making the game feel incredibly responsive. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU working harder: Low produces 182.3 FPS, Medium 148.2 FPS, High 113.2 FPS, and Ultra 84.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is still smooth, but the margin over 60 FPS has narrowed significantly. At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent: Low runs at 92.7 FPS, Medium at 75.6 FPS, High at 60.3 FPS, and Ultra at 47.9 FPS. The High preset is just playable, while Ultra requires a compromise. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so the averages represent sustained performance, which is consistent with a turn-based game where frame spikes are less critical than in action titles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 177.6 at 1080p to 113.2 at 1440p (a 36% reduction), and then to 60.3 at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is non-linear, with the 4K jump being particularly steep due to the quadrupling of pixel count from 1080p. At Low settings, the drop is from 261.2 at 1080p to 182.3 at 1440p (30% less) and then to 92.7 at 4K (49% less from 1440p). The consistent pattern across all settings indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher resolutions. The CPU’s role is static; its performance does not degrade with resolution, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 261.2 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s ceiling. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the user must choose between High settings (60.3 FPS) for a playable experience or dial down to Medium (75.6 FPS) for more headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with frame rate stability. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset at 133.0 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still delivering a frame rate that exceeds most high-refresh displays. At 1440p, the High preset at 113.2 FPS offers an excellent middle ground, but Ultra at 84.8 FPS is also viable for users with 60-75 Hz monitors who prioritize image quality. The data shows that Medium at 148.2 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 144 Hz display and wants maximum smoothness. For 4K users, the High preset at 60.3 FPS is the recommended default, as it hits the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 47.9 FPS is not recommended for consistent play, as the frame rate dips below the smooth threshold; Medium at 75.6 FPS is a better alternative for users who want a higher margin. The Low presets are only useful for competitive play or extremely high refresh rates, but they sacrifice too much visual quality for a turn-based title.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 277th out of 1699 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the top 16% of all systems. This is a strong result, given that the game is older and likely optimized for lower-end hardware. The rank reflects the GPU’s high percentile (84th vs all GPUs) and the CPU’s solid 82nd percentile. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 42576 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, deltaPct -0.2), which is a professional-grade card, indicating the consumer GPU is punching above its weight. The CPU’s benchmark score of 25064 is also on par with the AMD EPYC 9474F (25103, deltaPct -0.2), a server processor, showing that the 8400F’s gaming performance is not compromised by its lower core count. The combo’s rank suggests that while there are 276 faster systems, they likely use more expensive GPUs or CPUs with higher multi-threaded performance that this game does not utilize. For the price point, this system is clearly optimized for high-refresh 1440p and entry-level 4K gaming, as evidenced by the measured FPS data.