Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a decisive performance tier for Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data places this pairing at rank 453 out of 1,699 tested combos, putting it in the 73rd percentile overall. This is a strong result, though the game’s age and genre mean the hardware is rarely taxed to its limits. The combo demonstrates a clear ability to run the game at high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the limiting factor shifting from the GPU at 4K to the CPU’s single-thread performance at lower resolutions. The following analysis breaks down the ranking, the roles of each component, and how the system scales across settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 453 out of 1,699 tested configurations places it comfortably in the upper quartile of all tested systems. This is a notable achievement given the hardware’s mid-to-high-end positioning in their respective product stacks. The rank reflects not just raw component strength, but how well the pairing avoids bottlenecks in this specific title. Hard West is a turn-based tactics game, which typically relies more on consistent frame pacing than brute-force GPU throughput, and this system delivers that in spades.

Benchmark results indicate the GPU holds the 81st percentile against all tested GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 83rd percentile against all CPUs. When combined, the system’s in-game rank is slightly lower than either component’s individual percentile, suggesting a minor inefficiency in how the two interact under Hard West’s workload. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 37,283 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37,507, a delta of -0.6%. The CPU’s average score of 26,214 is also tightly clustered with its rivals; the Intel Core i9-11900KF scores 26,196 (0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X scores 26,272 (-0.2% delta). This shows the combo is built from components that are each at the top of their respective performance tiers.

The ranking suggests that for Hard West, this system punches above its weight in absolute terms but is not an outlier. Many higher-ranked combos feature newer, more powerful GPUs, but the data shows this pair achieves its rank through balanced performance rather than a single standout component. The 453rd position out of 1,699 is a solid, repeatable result that indicates no severe pairing bottleneck, making it a dependable choice for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of frame rate in Hard West, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a game of this era. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz, paired with 5,888 shading units, allows it to handle the game’s sprite-based and 2D-heavy visuals with ease. The measured frame rates show the GPU’s headroom: at 1080p Low, it produces 242.1 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it still manages 121.3 FPS.

The GPU’s role becomes more defined as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 42.7, which is the only tested configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold. This indicates that while the RTX 4070 is powerful, Hard West’s ultra settings at 4K push it to its limits. The GPU’s 81st percentile ranking against all GPUs is reflected in these results, showing it is a capable but not top-tier part. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507 avg score), are all within a 2.5% delta, confirming the RTX 4070’s position in the mid-to-high range.

The memory configuration is also relevant. With 12 GB of VRAM, there is no risk of capacity-related stuttering in this title, even at 4K. The memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) ensures the bandwidth is not a limiting factor. The data shows that at 4K High, the system achieves 51.6 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for a turn-based game, but the low preset at the same resolution yields 83.8 FPS, suggesting the GPU has spare capacity that the settings simply don’t utilize efficiently. The GPU’s performance is consistent with its Passmark G3D score of 26,927, which is a strong result but not exceptional.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X plays a supporting role in Hard West, but its single-thread performance is critical for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions. The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its Zen 3 architecture and 32 MB of shared L3 cache are well-suited for gaming workloads. The CPU’s single-thread benchmark scores are particularly telling: a Passmark single-thread score of 3,385 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,193. These are strong numbers that prevent the CPU from bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios.

The CPU’s role is most evident when comparing frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Low, the system hits 242.1 FPS, which is a frame rate that is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. The CPU’s multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,620, ensures that background tasks and game logic are handled smoothly. However, Hard West’s turn-based nature means it does not heavily tax all 8 cores; the 3dmark_2_threads score of 1,821 is more indicative of how the game uses the CPU.

The CPU’s 83rd percentile ranking against all CPUs is slightly higher than the GPU’s 81st percentile, which gives the system a slight CPU bias. This is not a problem for Hard West, as the game’s frame rates at 1080p High (163.3 FPS) and 1440p High (100.5 FPS) show that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to keep frame rates high. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-11900KF (26,196 avg score), are nearly identical in performance, with a delta of just 0.1%. This means the CPU is not a distinguishing factor in the combo’s rank; the GPU’s scaling with settings is the more significant variable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for this system?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides a balanced experience at 100.5 FPS, while 1080p Ultra achieves 121.3 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience, 1440p High is recommended, as it is above 100 FPS without the GPU strain of 4K.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K High, the system averages 51.6 FPS, which is playable for a turn-based game, but 4K Ultra drops to 42.7 FPS. Lowering to 4K Medium yields 71.3 FPS, which is a better target for 4K play.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate at Low (242.1 FPS) is likely capped by single-thread performance. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limit, with the frame rate dropping from 163.3 FPS (1080p High) to 51.6 FPS (4K High).

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: It ranks 453rd out of 1,699 tested combos, placing it in the 73rd percentile. This is a strong result, though not top-tier, reflecting the mid-to-high-end nature of both components.

Q: What are the GPU’s closest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070’s average score of 37,283 is within 2.5% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507), NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,008), and AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36,371). These are all comparable in raw performance.

Q: Does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance matter for this game?

A: Not significantly. Hard West is a turn-based tactics game, so its workload is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU’s 3dmark_2_threads score of 1,821 is more relevant than its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,620 for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the shifting bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 242.1 FPS, which drops to 163.5 FPS at 1440p Low and 83.8 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 65.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 65.4% drop from 1440p to 4K, indicating that even at low settings, the GPU is being progressively more taxed as resolution increases. The trend is consistent across all settings, but the magnitude of the drop varies.

At High settings, the frame rates are 163.3 FPS (1080p), 100.5 FPS (1440p), and 51.6 FPS (4K). This shows a 38.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 48.7% drop from 1440p to 4K. The larger drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. This is expected, as the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit bus are sufficient for 1440p but are pushed harder at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples.

The Ultra settings show the most extreme scaling: 121.3 FPS at 1080p, 73.7 FPS at 1440p, and 42.7 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 39.2%, and from 1440p to 4K is 42.1%. This consistent reduction suggests that the GPU is the limiting component across the board at Ultra, but the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid causing additional frame drops. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rates are high enough that any further GPU work is not the bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop proportionally with the increased pixel load. This scaling behavior confirms that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it delivers over 100 FPS at High settings, and is still playable at 4K with reduced settings.