Hard West

Resolution Scaling

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows how this older engine scales with modern hardware. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this configuration.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 267 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 207 FPS, a 22.5% reduction. At 4K, the Low preset yields 109 FPS, which is 59.2% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, which is expected given the rendering load that 4K places on the rasterizer and pixel throughput.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern. At 1080p, the average is 248 FPS with a minimum of 211 FPS and a maximum of 285 FPS. At 1440p, the average falls to 170 FPS with a tighter min/max range of 144 to 195 FPS. The 4K Medium result is 89 FPS with a 76 to 103 FPS window. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 64.1%, which is even steeper than the Low preset's drop, reinforcing that the higher fidelity settings amplify the GPU's workload disproportionately.

The High preset follows the same trajectory: 206 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. That is a 66.5% reduction from the 1080p figure to the 4K figure. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding row in the dataset, shows 155 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and just 51 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is 67.1% below the 1080p Ultra result.

What the data reveals is that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at 1080p, where the frame rates are extremely high across all presets. The 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7980 indicate strong CPU throughput that does not become a limiting factor until the GPU is overwhelmed. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra, show that the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are what ultimately cap performance in this title.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate than the scaling from 1440p to 4K. For instance, the High preset drops 36.4% from 1080p to 1440p, but then drops 47.3% from 1440p to 4K. This non-linear behavior is characteristic of a game engine that was designed for the hardware of its era, where 4K resolution was not a consideration. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s on the RTX 4080 are high, but the game's rendering pipeline does not appear to be optimized for the massive fill-rate demands of 4K Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its role becomes more pronounced as the resolution and settings increase. The GPU's architecture is Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed. These clocks are not the highest available on the market, but the sheer number of shading units (9728) and texture mapping units (304) provide substantial raw compute capacity.

The memory subsystem is a key factor in the 4K results. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the game drops to 51 FPS average, which suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are being stressed. The 4K Medium result of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS shows that the game can still maintain playable frame rates, but the gap between Medium and Ultra at 4K is 38 FPS, a 42.7% reduction. This indicates that the Ultra preset likely enables effects that require more memory traffic, which the RTX 4080 cannot fully sustain at 4K.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32, are more than adequate for a turn-based tactics game. Hard West does not rely on real-time physics or complex particle systems that would tax the tensor cores or RT cores. The passmark G3D score of 34457 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779 show strong general-purpose GPU performance, but the game's engine appears to be limited by its draw call overhead and shader complexity rather than raw compute.

The RTX 4080's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the RTX 4080 SUPER with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X with a delta of -1.1%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB with a delta of -2.6%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 sits in a competitive position, but the measured FPS in Hard West shows that even a 1-2% difference in synthetic benchmarks can translate to several frames per second at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's end-of-life production status does not diminish its performance in this title. The 4K Low result of 109 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the 1440p High result of 131 FPS is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The bottleneck analysis from the resolution scaling data points clearly to the GPU as the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache and high single-thread performance keep frame rates high at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p provides the best balance of image quality and performance. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 131, which is well above the 60 FPS target. At 4K High, the average drops to 69 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth. The 1080p results are very high, with 206 FPS at High, but the visual fidelity at 1440p is superior for a turn-based tactic game.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at each resolution?

A: The Ultra preset consistently delivers lower performance than High. At 1080p, Ultra averages 155 FPS versus 206 FPS for High, a 24.8% reduction. At 1440p, Ultra averages 98 FPS versus 131 FPS for High, a 25.2% reduction. At 4K, Ultra averages 51 FPS versus 69 FPS for High, a 26.1% reduction. The performance penalty is consistent across resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 the bottleneck at any resolution?

A: Yes, the resolution scaling data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate drops from 206 FPS at 1080p High to 69 FPS at 4K High, a 66.5% reduction. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor because the frame rates are extremely high, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering load dominates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one in the dataset with reported minimum FPS values. At 1080p, the minimum is 211 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 144 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 76 FPS. These minimums show that the game maintains consistent frame pacing without severe drops.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 268 out of 3722 tested combinations. This places it in the top 7.2% of all combos in the database, which is a strong result. The rank reflects the overall performance across all resolutions and settings, but the specific FPS numbers show that the game is not optimized for the latest hardware.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 109, which is smooth. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, which is also smooth. At 4K High, the average is 69 FPS, which is playable. Only at 4K Ultra does the average drop to 51 FPS, which may be too low for some players.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across four presets and three resolutions provides a clear picture of which settings offer the best experience. The High preset emerges as the recommended choice for most scenarios because it delivers a significant performance headroom over Ultra while maintaining visual quality that is close to the maximum.

At 1080p, the High preset delivers 206 FPS average, which is more than enough for any display. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 155 FPS, which is still excellent but represents a 24.8% performance loss for what is likely a marginal visual improvement. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 248 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is noticeable in a game like Hard West where lighting and shadow quality matter for atmosphere.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 131 FPS average, which is ideal for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset delivers 170 FPS, but the High preset's visual fidelity is worth the 39 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 98 FPS, which is above 60 FPS but below the refresh rate of many high-end monitors. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1440p.

At 4K, the High preset delivers 69 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset delivers 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, which is arguably the best 4K experience because it provides a safety margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers 51 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may result in noticeable stuttering. The Low preset at 4K delivers 109 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly reduced.

The recommended settings depend on the target display. For 1080p, the High preset is recommended because the frame rates are so high that there is no reason to compromise visual quality. For 1440p, the High preset is also recommended because it provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. For 4K, the Medium preset is recommended because it provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 89 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS.

The data shows that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost in this game. The performance penalty from High to Ultra is consistent at around 25% across all resolutions, but the visual difference is unlikely to be substantial in a turn-based tactics game where the camera is often static. The Medium preset provides solid performance at 4K but may sacrifice too much visual quality at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 268 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This places the combo in the 92.8th percentile, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of other pairings in the database. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all measured resolutions and settings, and it is a strong result for a game that was released in 2015.

The CPU component of this combo, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, has an average benchmark score of 33079 and sits in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and the Intel Core i7-13650HX, both with average scores of 33089, and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H with a score of 33201, which is 0.4% higher. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1713, which are strong for gaming workloads.

The GPU component, the RTX 4080, has an average benchmark score of 54247 and sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER with a score of 54209, which is only 0.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.6% higher. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 is well-positioned in the GPU hierarchy.

The combo rank of 268 out of 3722 is notable because it places this pairing in the top 7.2% of all tested combinations. This confirms the synergy between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 96 MB of shared L3 cache provides excellent game-level cache locality, which helps feed the RTX 4080's massive compute resources. The CPU's 3DMark 8-thread score of 6539 and 16-thread score of 7980 show that it can handle the game's threading model efficiently.

The rank also indicates that while this combo is strong, there are 267 other combinations that perform better in Hard West. The data does not specify which combos rank higher, but the percentile scores of the individual components suggest that higher-performing GPUs like the RTX 4080 SUPER (which is 0.1% faster in synthetic benchmarks) might push the combo higher in the rankings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 covers three resolutions and four settings presets. The data is presented as average FPS, with minimum and maximum FPS available only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 267 FPS average
• Medium: 248 FPS average, with a minimum of 211 FPS and a maximum of 285 FPS
• High: 206 FPS average
• Ultra: 155 FPS average

The 1080p results show that the combo is extremely capable at this resolution. Even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, produces 155 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Low preset's 267 FPS indicates that the CPU and GPU are not being stressed at all, and the game is likely bound by the engine's frame rate limiter or the CPU's single-thread performance.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 207 FPS average
• Medium: 170 FPS average, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS
• High: 131 FPS average
• Ultra: 98 FPS average

The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p. The Low preset drops from 267 FPS to 207 FPS, a 22.5% reduction. The High preset drops from 206 FPS to 131 FPS, a 36.4% reduction. The Ultra preset drops from 155 FPS to 98 FPS, a 36.8% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 144 FPS is still above 60 FPS, indicating smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 109 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS
• High: 69 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

The 4K results show the most significant performance impact. The Low preset drops from 207 FPS at 1440p to 109 FPS at 4K, a 47.3% reduction. The High preset drops from 131 FPS to 69 FPS, a 47.3% reduction. The Ultra preset drops from 98 FPS to 51 FPS, a 48.0% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 76 FPS is the only setting at 4K that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the High preset is roughly 25% slower than the Medium preset, and the Ultra preset is roughly 25% slower than the High preset, across all resolutions. The Low preset is significantly faster than Medium, with an average improvement of 23% at 1080p, 21.8% at 1440p, and 22.5% at 4K. This consistency suggests that the game's rendering pipeline scales linearly with the graphics settings, and the RTX 4080's performance is predictable across the resolution range.