Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 reveals a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings. The dataset shows a clear hierarchy, with the combo ranking 384th out of 1699 tested combinations, placing it in the upper quartile of tested systems. The benchmark results indicate that this hardware pairing is capable of delivering smooth frame rates across most configurations, but the margins between settings and resolutions tell a nuanced story about where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the data is how average frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 255.6 FPS, which drops to 162.4 FPS at 1440p and further to 83.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a reduction of approximately 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 48% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, and the steep decline at 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting component at higher pixel counts.

At High settings, the same trend is visible: 162.7 FPS at 1080p, 103.9 FPS at 1440p, and 55.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar, indicating that the GPU workload scales predictably with resolution regardless of the quality preset. What is particularly telling is the Ultra preset, which at 4K yields only 41.8 FPS — a figure that dips below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth. The data implies that while the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, the RTX 4070's rendering load becomes the dominant factor as pixel count rises, with the 4K Ultra result standing as the clearest example of GPU-bound performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1920 MHz. These specifications are relevant because the measured results show that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where even Ultra settings produce 121.9 FPS. However, the VRAM capacity and bandwidth become increasingly important as resolution scales, and the 4K Ultra result of 41.8 FPS suggests that the memory subsystem and shading units are being pushed to their limits.

The GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs is 81, and its average benchmark score of 37283 places it near rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 with a delta of -0.6%. This close proximity in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to identical gaming performance, but it does indicate that the RTX 4070 is a mid-to-high-tier part. In Hard West, the data shows that the GPU can handle 1440p High at 103.9 FPS with ease, but the jump to 4K reveals a significant performance penalty, particularly with higher quality presets that increase shader and memory pressure.

Settings Recommendations

Looking at the measured rows, the most balanced experience appears to be at 1440p with High settings, which delivers 103.9 FPS. This configuration offers a substantial improvement over the 4K High result of 55.7 FPS while still maintaining visual fidelity. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Medium at 211 FPS is an excellent choice, as it nearly doubles the 4K High result. The data shows that Ultra settings at 4K are not viable for smooth gameplay, with 41.8 FPS falling below acceptable thresholds.

At 1080p, the jump from Medium to High costs roughly 48.3 FPS (from 211 to 162.7), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 40.8 FPS (down to 121.9). This suggests diminishing returns at the highest preset, where the visual gains are modest relative to the performance hit. For 1440p, the recommended path is to stick with High, as the Ultra preset at 75.9 FPS is playable but the 28 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the quality increase. At 4K, the data indicates that Low (83.8 FPS) or Medium (69.7 FPS) are the only viable options, with High dipping below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average is 55.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a slightly less smooth experience.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 211 FPS, while at 4K Medium it drops to 69.7 FPS, representing a roughly 67% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1440p?

A: Yes, the measured average is 75.9 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best settings combination for the highest frame rate?

A: The highest measured average is 255.6 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, which is the fastest configuration in the dataset.

Q: Does the GPU become the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data suggests yes, as the frame rate drops significantly from 1440p to 4K, indicating the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increased pixel count.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra result compare to 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 41.8 FPS, which is over six times slower than the 255.6 FPS at 1080p Low, showing a massive performance gap.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 384th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 23% of all systems. This is a strong showing for a game released in 2015, which is likely not heavily optimized for modern multi-core processors. The rank suggests that while the hardware is powerful, it is not the absolute top-tier pairing, as other combinations with higher-end GPUs or CPUs may achieve better frame rates.

The CPU's percentile ranking is 89, which is higher than the GPU's 81, indicating that the processor has more relative headroom compared to other CPUs than the GPU does compared to other GPUs. This aligns with the resolution scaling data, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The combo's rank of 384 out of 1699 indicates that there are 383 other combinations that perform better, but it still represents a capable system for this title, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 30325 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4281 in single-core, with a percentile ranking of 89. Its average benchmark score of 34313 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13500, which scores 34175 with a delta of 0.4%.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is less pronounced than the GPU's, as evidenced by the frame rates at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system hits 255.6 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game, given its turn-based nature and relatively simple AI calculations. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the 4K results indicate that the GPU takes over as the primary constraint. The high single-thread performance of 4281 in Cinebench R23 is likely beneficial for this genre, which may not scale well across multiple cores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are as follows: Low settings deliver 255.6 FPS, Medium delivers 211 FPS, High delivers 162.7 FPS, and Ultra delivers 121.9 FPS. The progression shows a steady decline of roughly 20-25% with each settings tier, with the largest absolute drop between Medium and High at 48.3 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 162.4 FPS for Low, 135.2 FPS for Medium, 103.9 FPS for High, and 75.9 FPS for Ultra. The percentage drops from 1080p are consistent, ranging from 36% for Low to 38% for Ultra, indicating a uniform scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 83.8 FPS for Low, 69.7 FPS for Medium, 55.7 FPS for High, and 41.8 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1440p is more severe, with Low falling by 48%, Medium by 48%, High by 46%, and Ultra by 45%. This reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rate penalty becomes disproportionately large compared to the resolution increase.