Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a solid, playable experience in Hard West, though the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions. The combination ranks 1270th out of 1699 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of possibilities. Benchmark results show that the CPU’s substantial multi-threaded capacity is rarely the limiting factor, with performance scaling almost entirely with the graphics card’s workload. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, the role each component plays, and what the scaling patterns indicate about the system’s bottlenecks.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average is 97.2 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This indicates a smooth experience for most gameplay scenarios.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT has an average benchmark score of 29774. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, scores 29740, making the 5800XT just 0.1% faster. It is also 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 2060 SUPER and the RTX 2070 in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 scores 19680. This makes the 2060 SUPER 0.5% faster in these aggregate tests.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 22.8. This is below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for playability.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM a likely constraint at 4K?

A: The data shows a significant performance drop at 4K, with the average FPS falling from 45.9 at 1440p Ultra to 22.8 at 4K Ultra. This steep decline suggests the GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and processing power are heavily taxed at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of being a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s scores, such as 23794 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, are far beyond what a turn-based tactics title requires. The FPS scaling across resolutions points to the GPU as the sole limiting factor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a desktop processor built on the Zen 3 architecture with the codename Vermeer. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This configuration is more than sufficient for the computational demands of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that does not rely on high-frequency, single-threaded performance or massive multi-threading. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory further ensure that it can feed the GPU without creating a data bottleneck.

Synthetic benchmark data reinforces this assessment. The CPU scores 3359 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23794 in multi-core, placing it at the 86th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 29774 is virtually identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS which is only 0.3% faster. In the context of Hard West, this level of processing power is effectively idle headroom. The measured FPS at 1080p with Low settings is 155.5, which is a high ceiling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see this number cap out regardless of resolution or settings. However, the data shows a clear and consistent decline in FPS as resolution and settings increase, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s role here is to maintain a stable frame delivery, which it does without issue, ensuring that the graphics card is the primary determinant of performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. It operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. This configuration is the core of the system’s visual output in Hard West. The GPU’s benchmark scores show it is a mid-range performer, sitting at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average score of 19774 is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070 and 0.3% higher than the GTX TITAN, indicating it performs at the upper edge of its class.

In Hard West, the GPU’s capabilities are the deciding factor for playability. The game’s turn-based nature means that action is not as frantic as in real-time strategy or shooters, but the rendering workload is still substantial, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM is a critical resource; at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 22.8, which is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed. The data shows a consistent pattern: for every resolution, moving from Low to Ultra settings results in a significant FPS drop. For instance, at 2560x1440, the average FPS goes from 96.6 on Low to 45.9 on Ultra. This demonstrates that the RTX 2060 SUPER has enough power for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it struggles to maintain acceptable frame rates at 4K, particularly with the highest visual fidelity settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system’s performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the system is very capable, delivering an average of 155.5 FPS on Low settings. This drops to 128.7 FPS on Medium, 97.2 FPS on High, and 76.3 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p results show that the system can easily handle high refresh rate monitors, even with the most demanding settings, as the 76.3 FPS at Ultra is still smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, there is a noticeable step down in performance. The average FPS on Low settings is 96.6, which is still very playable. Medium settings yield 83.3 FPS, while High settings produce 59.4 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p results in an average of 45.9 FPS, which is a playable but not perfectly smooth experience. This resolution is where the RTX 2060 SUPER begins to show its limits, as the gap between Low and Ultra becomes more pronounced.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. The average FPS on Low settings is 54.5, which is acceptable, but Medium settings drop to 43.5 FPS. High settings yield 31.8 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, and Ultra settings plummet to 22.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable with reduced settings. The drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra is particularly severe, falling from 45.9 FPS to 22.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 50%. This data clearly shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of FPS from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the average is 76.3 FPS. This drops to 45.9 FPS at 1440p and then to 22.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 40%, and from 1440p to 4K it is another 50%. This pattern is consistent across all settings, though the absolute values differ. For example, at Low settings, the FPS goes from 155.5 at 1080p, to 96.6 at 1440p, and then to 54.5 at 4K.

This scaling behavior is a classic indicator of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s performance is constant across these resolutions, as its workload does not change with the number of pixels being rendered. The RTX 2060 SUPER, however, has to work significantly harder at higher resolutions, filling more pixels and managing more memory. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor at 4K, as the game’s assets and textures may exceed this capacity, leading to performance degradation. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the system is best suited for 1080p with Ultra settings or 1440p with Medium or High settings. The 4K resolution is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the 54.5 FPS average is not ideal for all users. The limiting component is unambiguously the GPU, as the Ryzen 7 5800XT provides more than enough headroom to support any of the measured configurations.