Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable experience in Hard West, though the data reveals a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS across resolutions shows a clear hierarchy: the CPU provides ample headroom for this turn-based tactics title, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count and graphical fidelity increase. This pairing sits at rank 2950 out of 3722 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all possible configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a desktop processor from the 3000 series, built on the Zen 2 (Matisse) architecture using a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB L3 cache. This is a 65 W TDP part that supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are respectable: a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and a single-core score of 1593, with a Passmark multithread score of 22458 and a Passmark single-thread score of 2656. The CPU sits at the 84th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 34260.

The nearest rivals in benchmark terms provide context for this performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 34222, a delta of just 0.1% lower. The AMD EPYC 4244P is nearly identical at 34220, also 0.1% behind. The Intel Core i5-13450HX leads slightly with 34333, putting the 3700X at -0.2% behind. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H trails at 34083, meaning the 3700X is 0.5% ahead. These deltas are negligible in real-world terms, indicating the 3700X is squarely in the middle of its performance class.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU demands are modest. The 8-core/16-thread configuration provides substantial multi-threaded capacity, but the game's mechanics do not stress all cores heavily. The single-core performance, measured at 2656 in Passmark, is more relevant for game logic and AI pathfinding. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically be most stressed, the average FPS reaches 143, suggesting the processor is never the primary bottleneck. The high L3 cache of 32 MB likely aids in keeping game assets readily accessible, reducing stutter in a genre where frame pacing matters for readability of the battlefield.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process, featuring the TU106 chip with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. It has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The clock speeds are 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU delivers 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s. Its Passmark G3D score is 14111, with a DirectX 12 score of 53 and a DirectX 11 score of 110. The GPU is at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290.

The nearest GPU rivals show how tight the competition is at this tier. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a delta of 0.0%. The AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind at 15270. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, putting it 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 trails at 15171, a 0.8% deficit. The RTX 2060 leads all of these by a slim margin, confirming it is a mid-range card that performs adequately but not spectacularly.

In Hard West, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's art style, which features detailed but not overly texture-heavy environments. The measured FPS scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 67, a significant reduction from the 90 FPS at High. This 25% performance hit from High to Ultra indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the RTX 2060's 1920 shading units. The 48 ROPs are also a factor at higher resolutions, as pixel throughput becomes more critical. The boost clock of 1680 MHz is modest by modern standards, but it is sufficient for a game of this era, which was released in 2015 and does not leverage the RT or tensor cores in any meaningful way.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination if aiming for 60 FPS average?

A: The data shows that at 1440p High, the average FPS is 57, which is just below 60. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 90, providing a comfortable margin. For a solid 60 FPS experience, 1080p with High settings is the safe choice, while 1440p High is borderline.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 90 at High to 67 at Ultra, a reduction of 23 FPS. At 1440p, it falls from 57 at High to 43 at Ultra, a drop of 14 FPS. At 4K, it goes from 30 at High to 22 at Ultra, an 8 FPS decrease. The relative penalty is similar across resolutions, around 25-27%.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 or the Ryzen 7 3700X the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 47, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 22. The CPU's strong multi-threaded score of 8899 in Geekbench suggests it can handle game logic, but the GPU's limited pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s struggles with the 3840x2160 resolution.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce an average of 90 FPS, while Medium settings produce 74 FPS. This is a 16 FPS difference, indicating that Medium settings add noticeable visual effects that cost about 18% performance.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rival, the GTX 580, in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, while the GTX 580 scores 15283. This is a delta of 0.0%, meaning they are statistically identical in average performance. However, the RTX 2060 supports modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which the GTX 580 does not.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM cause issues at any settings in this game?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related stuttering or crashes. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 33, which is above zero and indicates the VRAM is sufficient. The game's assets fit within 6 GB even at Ultra settings across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 143 FPS, Medium yields 117 FPS (with a minimum of 99 and maximum of 135), High yields 90 FPS, and Ultra drops to 67 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each settings tier costs roughly 20-25% performance. The 1080p results are all above 60 FPS except for Ultra, which is still playable at 67 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 90 FPS, which is exactly half of the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 74 FPS (minimum 63, maximum 85), High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. At this resolution, High and Ultra dip below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium the highest preset that maintains a smooth framerate. The minimum FPS of 63 at Medium indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the system stays above 60.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low settings average 47 FPS, Medium averages 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 45), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these reach 60 FPS, and even Low is below the 50 FPS mark. The 4K Medium minimum of 33 FPS shows that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution, with frame times likely becoming inconsistent. The data indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings for a playable experience, and even then, it is not smooth by modern standards.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low to Medium costs about 18-20% performance, Medium to High costs another 20-25%, and High to Ultra costs another 25-30%. This scaling suggests that each preset tier adds progressively more demanding effects, with Ultra being particularly punishing on the RTX 2060's 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling reveals a textbook GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 143 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p to 47 at 4K. This is a reduction of 37% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 48% from 1440p to 4K. The pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p, and the FPS drop of 37% is less than proportional, suggesting some headroom in the GPU. However, from 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 125%, and the FPS drops by 48%, which is closer to proportional scaling.

At High settings, the same pattern holds: 90 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This consistency across settings indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as the CPU's workload does not change with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain flat or drop less at higher resolutions, as the CPU would be saturated at 1080p. Instead, the FPS scales with pixel count, confirming the RTX 2060 is the constraint.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 67 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% and 49%, respectively, similar to other presets. This suggests that Ultra does not change the balance between CPU and GPU load; it simply increases the overall GPU workload. The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 16 threads and high Passmark multithread score of 22458, is never stressed in this game, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low (143 FPS), the CPU could theoretically push higher if the GPU allowed.

The data also shows diminishing returns at higher resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the FPS loss is roughly 35-37% across all presets. From 1440p to 4K, the loss is 47-49%. This steeper drop at 4K aligns with the GPU's 192-bit memory bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, which becomes a limiting factor as the data throughput requirement grows exponentially with resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired framerate. At 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers 90 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is also viable, but the 23 FPS loss from High to Ultra is steep for what is likely a marginal visual improvement. For players who prioritize maximum fidelity and can tolerate occasional dips, Ultra is acceptable, but High offers the best balance of smoothness and quality.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63, ensuring that the framerate never drops below 60. High averages 57 FPS, which is slightly below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stutter on displays with a 60 Hz refresh rate. Ultra at 43 FPS is not recommended, as it falls into the range where turn-based animations may appear less fluid. Low at 90 FPS is smooth but sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that benefits from clear environmental readability.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. Low settings average 47 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Medium averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33, which is below the threshold for comfortable long sessions. High and Ultra at 30 and 22 FPS respectively are not recommended, as they approach the territory where the game becomes a slideshow during camera pans. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable choice if the player insists on native resolution, but the data suggests that dropping to 1440p with High settings (57 FPS) provides a far better experience than 4K Low (47 FPS).

The overall best experience in this dataset is 1080p High at 90 FPS. This configuration provides a high framerate that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors, ensuring no frame drops below 60. The 16-thread CPU ensures that game logic and AI processing never introduce hitches, and the GPU's 6 GB VRAM is sufficient at this resolution. For players with 1440p displays, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the recommended compromise, as it maintains a 60+ FPS minimum while offering improved detail over Low. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as the measured data shows it consistently costs 25-30% performance over High with no evidence of proportional visual gains.