Hard West

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1802 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places the configuration in the lower-middle portion of the database, meaning roughly 61% of tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this turn-based tactics title. The ranking reflects a pairing where the GPU's modern architecture is partially held back by the CPU's integrated-graphics-oriented design, though the game's modest requirements still allow for playable performance across most settings.

Benchmark results show this combo sits notably below the 50th percentile mark, but the measured FPS data reveals that the actual gameplay experience is far from deficient. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 104 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth turn-based gameplay. The rank of 1802 is influenced by the sheer number of high-end configurations in the database, yet the practical performance in Hard West—a game from 2015 with turn-based mechanics—does not demand the extreme hardware that dominates the top rankings.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 79 against all CPUs indicates it outperforms most processors in general compute tasks, while the GPU's percentile of 66 places it above the median for graphics performance. This combination of above-average components yielding a sub-61st-percentile game ranking suggests that Hard West's performance is more dependent on raw single-thread speed and GPU fill rate than on the multi-threaded capabilities where the Ryzen 7 5700G excels.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the sweet spot, with High settings delivering 104 FPS and Low reaching 165 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings still provide 66 FPS, which remains playable, but 3840x2160 drops to 34 FPS on High, making 4K challenging for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo perform at Ultra settings across resolutions?

A: Ultra settings produce 78 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result is fully playable, while 1440p Ultra sits near the edge of acceptable performance, and 4K Ultra falls below the 30 FPS playability floor.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The gap is substantial: Low settings yield 165 FPS while Ultra produces 78 FPS, a difference of 87 FPS or roughly 2.1 times the performance. This indicates that visual quality settings have a major impact on frame rates for this configuration.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting in this game?

A: The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo achieves 104 FPS on High, but this drops to 66 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K—a scaling pattern that points to GPU-bound behavior as resolution increases.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which scores 20713, and within 1% of the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21237. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile leads this group with 21379, just 1.6% ahead.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5700G hold back the RTX 5050 in Hard West?

A: Given that the CPU's single-thread benchmark score is 899 in 3dmark and 1494 in Cinebench R23, and the game's turn-based nature typically relies on moderate CPU loads, the processor appears sufficient. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K more strongly indicates GPU limitations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G brings 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This 7 nm processor from TSMC features a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, these specifications are more than adequate, as the genre typically does not stress multi-threaded workloads heavily.

The CPU's benchmark results show balanced performance: the 3dmark single-thread score of 899 and multi-thread score of 6627 indicate strong per-core capability, while Cinebench R23 results of 1494 single-core and 12830.5 multi-core reinforce this profile. The PassMark single-thread score of 3283 and multithread score of 24419 place the 5700G in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, suggesting it outperforms most processors in general tasks.

In Hard West specifically, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI pathfinding, and turn-based calculations. The game's 2015 release date means it was designed for far less powerful hardware, so the 5700G's 8-core/16-thread configuration provides substantial headroom. The nearest rival comparisons show the 5700G within 0.6% of the Intel Core i7-1370P and 0.2% of the Intel Core i9-9900K, confirming it competes with previous-generation high-end desktop processors.

The integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics, while not used when the RTX 5050 is installed, means the CPU was designed with iGPU capability in mind. This design choice results in a processor that prioritizes balanced performance rather than extreme multi-threaded throughput, which suits Hard West's requirements well. The 65 W TDP also indicates efficient operation, though this does not directly translate to gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a consistent performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 165 FPS average, which represents the maximum measured frame rate for this configuration. Medium settings at 1080p produce 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and maximum of 155 FPS, showing smooth performance with only minor frame time variance. High settings yield 104 FPS, while Ultra drops to 78 FPS at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. Low settings achieve 104 FPS, matching the 1080p High result, while Medium produces 86 FPS with a range of 73 to 98 FPS. High settings at 1440p deliver 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. The 1440p results show that this combo can handle higher resolutions, but the margin for high-refresh-rate gaming narrows significantly.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings manage 55 FPS, Medium produces 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52 FPS, High drops to 34 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 26 FPS. The 4K results indicate that while 4K is technically achievable, only Low settings provide consistently playable frame rates. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 29 FPS, demonstrating that Hard West's visual settings have a pronounced effect on GPU load.

The Medium settings data is the only preset with complete min/max information across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 115-155 FPS range shows tight frame pacing, while 1440p's 73-98 FPS range and 4K's 38-52 FPS range both indicate stable performance without major stutters, suggesting the game engine and driver combination handle frame delivery consistently.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo reveals important insights about the bottleneck distribution. From 1080p to 1440p with High settings, the frame rate drops from 104 FPS to 66 FPS, a reduction of 36.5%. This scaling factor is significant, though expected for a GPU-bound scenario. The pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 77%, and the observed FPS reduction is proportionally smaller, indicating some headroom in the GPU pipeline.

Scaling from 1440p to 4K with High settings shows a more dramatic drop: 66 FPS to 34 FPS, a 48.5% reduction. The pixel count increase from 1440p to 4K is approximately 125%, so the FPS reduction is less than pixel scaling would suggest. This pattern indicates that at 4K, the RTX 5050's 8 GB of VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly stressed, but the game's age means texture and shader complexity is manageable.

The Low settings scaling tells a similar story: 165 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 37% and the 1440p to 4K drop of 47% closely mirror the High settings behavior, suggesting that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of quality preset. This consistency implies the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains adequate performance even at 1080p where it could theoretically become the bottleneck.

Ultra settings show the steepest scaling curve: 78 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p reduction of 37.2% and 1440p to 4K reduction of 46.9% follow the same pattern. The fact that all settings presets exhibit nearly identical scaling percentages strongly suggests that resolution is the dominant performance variable, and the GPU's rendering capabilities dictate the frame rate at each resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, Medium settings offer the best balance: 135 FPS average with a minimum of 115 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during complex turn-based sequences. The jump to High settings at 104 FPS is still perfectly playable, but Medium's higher frame rate with minimal visual difference in a tactics game makes it the recommended choice.

For 2560x1440 users, High settings at 66 FPS provide the best experience. This frame rate is sufficient for turn-based gameplay, and the visual fidelity improvement over Medium's 86 FPS is worth the performance trade-off. Ultra at 1440p drops to 49 FPS, which remains playable but approaches the threshold where fast camera movements might feel less responsive. Low at 1440p delivers 104 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is unnecessary for a game that does not demand high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is more nuanced. Low settings at 55 FPS provide the only consistently playable 4K experience, while Medium at 45 FPS is acceptable but may show occasional frame rate dips to 38 FPS. High at 34 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 26 FPS falls below playability standards. For 4K users, Low settings are recommended to maintain a stable experience, though the visual compromise is notable.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the most consistent frame pacing across all resolutions, as evidenced by the complete min/max data showing tight ranges. This consistency is valuable in turn-based tactics where stable frame delivery contributes to a smoother overall experience. Users prioritizing visual quality should select High at 1080p or 1440p, while those seeking maximum frame rates should choose Low at any resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2500 MHz with a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the RTX 5050 in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035.

In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes increasingly significant at higher resolutions. The 2560 shading units and 80 texture mapping units handle the game's visual effects and texture rendering, while the 32 ROPs manage pixel output. The measured pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s provide substantial throughput for a game from 2015, which explains why the combo achieves high frame rates at 1080p across all settings.

The GPU's nearest rival comparisons show it performing within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is a notable result for a modern entry-level GPU. The 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 ensure compatibility with modern rendering techniques, though Hard West's older engine likely relies on more basic DirectX features.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Hard West's texture requirements, even at 4K, though the 128-bit memory bus may limit performance in memory-intensive scenes. The GPU's power requirements of 130 W TDP with a suggested 300 W PSU are modest, making it accessible for a wide range of systems. The benchmark results show strong DirectX 11 performance with a PassMark score of 150, which is relevant for a game released in 2015 that likely utilizes this API version.