Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 shows a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. The data indicates that this combination is capable of delivering smooth frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K with maximum quality. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of where this combo excels and where its limitations lie.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. This CPU features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a defining characteristic of the X3D series and is particularly beneficial in gaming workloads that rely on large data sets. The processor's benchmark scores place it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26574. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 8024P and Intel Core i9-11900K, both of which have nearly identical average scores, with delta percentages of 0.1 percent. The Ryzen 5 7600 trails by 0.2 percent, while the Intel Core i9-12900HK is 0.4 percent ahead.

In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is less about raw frame rate generation and more about maintaining consistent logic and AI calculations. The 5800X3D's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 24063, ensures that the game's underlying systems run without bottlenecking the GPU. The single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 3397, is also adequate for the game's main thread. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 187.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower graphical loads. The massive L3 cache helps with data retrieval, which can be a benefit in scenarios with many on-screen entities, but the primary constraint in this game's performance is clearly the graphical workload.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and operates with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. It comes equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23181. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which is 0.6 percent faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, which is 0.7 percent faster. The Intel Arc B580 is 0.7 percent slower, and the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.8 percent slower.

The RTX 4060's performance in Hard West is the primary driver of the measured FPS variations. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this older title, even at higher resolutions, but the processing power dictates the frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 90.5 FPS, which drops to 40.6 FPS at 4K High. The substantial drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the limiting component when resolution increases. The GPU's FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS is moderate, and the data reflects that while it can handle the game at 1440p with decent settings, pushing to 4K with Ultra settings overwhelms it, resulting in an average of just 26.4 FPS.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 187.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. Moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 120.7, and at 4K Low, it falls to 63.1 FPS. This represents a drop of approximately 35.7 percent from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47.7 percent drop from 1440p to 4K. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to handle the increased pixel count.

The trend is similar across other settings. At High settings, the FPS goes from 118.9 at 1080p, to 73 at 1440p, and then to 40.6 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 38.6 percent, and from 1440p to 4K is 44.4 percent. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the RTX 4060's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant, and the data shows that the frame rate is directly tied to the GPU's workload. For a turn-based strategy game, the absolute frame rate is less critical than consistency, but the data shows that 4K Ultra is not a playable option for this combo, while 1080p and 1440p offer viable experiences.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination holds the 948th rank out of 1699 tested combos in this game. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. The rank is a holistic measure that likely factors in performance across all resolutions and settings, giving a balanced view of the combo's capabilities. Being in the 948th position out of 1699 means that roughly 56 percent of tested combos perform better, while 44 percent perform worse.

This ranking is consistent with the component's individual percentiles. The CPU is in the 83rd percentile, which is strong, but the GPU is in the 66th percentile, which is more moderate. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system that is not at the top of the charts but is also far from the bottom. The ranking suggests that this combo is a balanced pairing for most games, but in Hard West, the GPU is the limiting factor, and a more powerful GPU would likely push this combo much higher in the rankings. The data indicates that this is a competent mid-range setup that can handle the game well at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not built for 4K Ultra.

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

The measured performance data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. The following breakdown details the exact average FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 187.8. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 154.1 FPS. High settings yield an average of 118.9 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 90.5 FPS. This shows a performance scaling factor of roughly 2.07 times from Ultra to Low, indicating that the GPU has a significant impact even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease noticeably. Low settings average 120.7 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings drop to 95.7 FPS, and High settings average 73 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 57.4 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as even Ultra settings remain above 57 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 63.1 FPS, which is acceptable but not high refresh rate territory. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS, and High settings average 40.6 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of just 26.4 FPS, which is not a playable experience for most users. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings for this combo.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High settings preset is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 118.9 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. Ultra settings at 1080p still deliver 90.5 FPS, which is also excellent, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 23.9 percent performance drop for some users.

For 1440p, the Medium settings preset offers the best experience. The 95.7 FPS average is very smooth, and the visual quality is good. High settings at 73 FPS are also viable, and for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate, this is a solid choice. Ultra settings at 57.4 FPS are borderline, but for a turn-based game, this may be acceptable. Low settings at 120.7 FPS are unnecessary unless chasing extremely high refresh rates.

For 4K, the options are limited. Low settings average 63.1 FPS, which is playable, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. Medium settings at 54 FPS are a compromise, but High and Ultra settings are not recommended for a consistent experience. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactical game, a stable frame rate is more important than extremely high FPS. The data suggests that 1080p High or 1440p Medium are the best presets for this combo, as they provide a balance of smooth performance and acceptable visual quality without pushing the GPU to its limits.