Hard West

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 lands at rank 1581 out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West. That places this pairing in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested, comfortably ahead of the median but not among the elite performers. The percentile positioning reflects a balanced combination: the CPU sits at the 86th percentile against all processors, while the GPU holds the 61st percentile against all graphics cards. This asymmetry suggests the RTX 3070 is the more limiting component in this pairing, though the Ryzen 7 9700X provides ample headroom.

What stands out in the ranking data is how close the competition is at this level. The Ryzen 7 9700X's average benchmark score of 37943 puts it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904). The Intel Core 5 211E trails by 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 sits 0.4% behind. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the CPU choice among these rivals would not meaningfully shift Hard West frame rates. The GPU side tells a similar story: the RTX 3070's average score of 17208 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037), while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c actually sits 1.5% higher at 17468.

For a turn-based tactics title like Hard West, the rank of 1581 indicates this combo will handle the game's demands without strain at most settings. The data shows the bottleneck shifts based on resolution, which is typical for a pairing where the GPU's 61st percentile lags the CPU's 86th percentile. At 1080p the CPU can push frame rates very high, but at 4K the GPU becomes the constraint. This is not a top-tier combination for Hard West, but it is a solidly capable one that delivers playable performance across the board.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 4K with Medium settings the combo averages 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 44 FPS average, which is still playable for a turn-based tactics game where reaction time matters less than in action genres. Ultra settings at 4K fall to 33 FPS average, which may feel sluggish.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU performance?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 places it 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037). The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% higher. These differences are minor and unlikely to produce noticeable frame rate gaps in Hard West.

Q: What CPU performance level does the Ryzen 7 9700X offer relative to its peers?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X achieves an average benchmark score of 37943, ranking at the 86th percentile among all CPUs. It is 0.1% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904), and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37829). The AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 trails by 0.4% at 37804.

Q: Does Hard West benefit more from the CPU or the GPU in this pairing?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 211 FPS average, which suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond what the GPU can render at higher loads. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 33 FPS, clearly showing the RTX 3070's constraints. The CPU's 86th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 61st percentile supports this interpretation.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X's multi-threaded performance relevant for Hard West?

A: Hard West is a turn-based tactics game that does not heavily utilize many threads. The CPU's 16-thread 3DMark score of 9824 and max-thread score of 9771 show strong multi-core capability, but single-thread performance (1280 in 3DMark single-thread, 2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is what matters more for this genre. The 5.50 GHz boost clock helps ensure responsive turn processing.

Q: What are the FPS differences between settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 133 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS (minimum 93, maximum 126), High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 70 FPS, representing a 53% drop. This shows diminishing returns as you push settings higher, with High being a reasonable middle ground.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. From 1080p to 1440p to 4K, the frame rates drop consistently across all settings, but the magnitude of the drop tells an important story about where the system's limits lie.

Starting with High settings, the combo delivers 133 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 84 FPS at 1440p — a 37% reduction — and then to 44 FPS at 4K, a further 48% reduction from 1440p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: the CPU is capable of delivering well over 200 FPS at lower resolutions (as evidenced by the 211 FPS at 1080p Low), so the RTX 3070's rendering capacity is what sets the ceiling.

The Low settings row shows the most dramatic scaling: 211 FPS at 1080p, 133 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K frame rate drops to 70 FPS, indicating that pixel throughput alone taxes the GPU heavily. The jump from 1440p to 4K represents a 47% performance loss, which is close to the pixel count increase of 2.25x but not linear — suggesting some CPU involvement remains even at 4K.

Medium settings provide the most complete picture with minimum and maximum values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the range is 147 to 198 FPS with an average of 173. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 93 to 126 FPS with an average of 109. At 4K Medium, the range becomes 49 to 66 FPS with an average of 57. The narrowing min-max spread as resolution increases indicates the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, reducing frame time variance.

Ultra settings show the steepest degradation: 99 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra figure of 99 FPS is still smooth, but the 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for fluid gameplay. This confirms the RTX 3070's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but strained at 4K with maximum settings.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X's 8 cores and 16 threads with a 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for Hard West's turn-based logic, and the CPU's benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 20485, single-core of 2211) indicate it can handle the game's processing demands without becoming a constraint. The consistent FPS drops across all settings as resolution increases point directly at the RTX 3070's rendering limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its peak performance potential. Low settings produce an average of 211 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates the CPU can drive the game well beyond typical display refresh rates. Medium settings average 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 and maximum of 198, showing smooth frame delivery with minimal variance. High settings average 133 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 99 FPS, which remains fluid and playable. The 1080p results show a spread of 112 FPS from Low to Ultra, with the performance cost of each settings tier being roughly consistent: Low to Medium drops 38 FPS, Medium to High drops 40 FPS, and High to Ultra drops 34 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 133 FPS, which is still excellent for most displays. Medium settings average 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 and maximum of 126, keeping frame times tight. High settings average 84 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Ultra settings average 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS line and represents the edge of comfortable playability. The 1440p results show a spread of 70 FPS from Low to Ultra, with the settings tiers costing 24 FPS (Low to Medium), 25 FPS (Medium to High), and 21 FPS (High to Ultra). The more uniform drops suggest the GPU is becoming the consistent limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is playable but no longer overwhelmingly smooth. Medium settings average 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66, dipping below 60 FPS on average. High settings average 44 FPS, which is borderline for a turn-based tactics game. Ultra settings average 33 FPS, which will feel noticeably stuttery even in a slower-paced genre. The 4K results show a spread of 37 FPS from Low to Ultra, with settings costing 13 FPS (Low to Medium), 13 FPS (Medium to High), and 11 FPS (High to Ultra). The smaller absolute drops at 4K reflect the GPU operating near its maximum capacity regardless of settings.

The Medium settings row is the only one with complete minimum and maximum data across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 147 minimum ensures no frame drops below playable levels. At 1440p Medium, the 93 minimum keeps things smooth. At 4K Medium, the 49 minimum is the first sign of potential stutter, though still acceptable for turn-based gameplay. The min-max spread at each resolution (51 at 1080p, 33 at 1440p, 17 at 4K) shows that frame time consistency actually improves as resolution increases, because the GPU is more uniformly saturated.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). The base clock of 3.80 GHz boosts up to 5.50 GHz, providing strong single-threaded performance that matters for turn-based tactics games where game logic, pathfinding, and AI decisions are computed on the CPU. The 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node from TSMC make this an efficient processor, but efficiency is secondary to the raw throughput it delivers.

Benchmark results show the Ryzen 7 9700X excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211 indicate strong per-core performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 3023 reinforces this. For Hard West, where the game's turn-based mechanics likely rely on a few threads handling game state updates and AI calculations, this single-thread strength ensures minimal CPU-induced frame time spikes.

Multi-threaded performance is equally robust. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 and max-thread score of 9771 show that all 16 threads scale effectively. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and Geekbench multi-core score of 17906 place the CPU in the 86th percentile overall. The PassMark multi-thread score of 37161 and integer math score of 120142 further demonstrate the CPU's capability, though Hard West is unlikely to stress all cores simultaneously.

The CPU's cache hierarchy — 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3 — provides adequate data locality for game logic. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth over dual-channel DDR5 ensures the CPU can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The PCIe Gen 5 support with 24 lanes (CPU only) offers ample bandwidth for the RTX 3070's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

In the context of Hard West's measured results, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the combo achieves 211 FPS. This high frame rate indicates the CPU can process game logic fast enough to support frame delivery well beyond the GPU's rendering capacity at higher settings. The fact that 4K Ultra drops to 33 FPS while 1080p Low reaches 211 FPS shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor — the GPU saturates long before the CPU runs out of headroom. The CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Core i9-14901E, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Intel Core 5 211E, and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 — all score within 0.4% of each other, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical Hard West performance when paired with the RTX 3070.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear framework for choosing the optimal settings preset based on resolution and performance priorities.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver 99 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The 1080p Ultra experience is the sweet spot for this combo: you get the full visual fidelity of the game with nearly 100 FPS, leaving plenty of headroom for any scene complexity or action sequences. If you prefer maximum frame rates for competitive or high-refresh displays, Low settings at 211 FPS will push beyond 200 FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial. Medium at 173 FPS and High at 133 FPS are both excellent options, but Ultra's 99 FPS is still smooth enough that the visual upgrade is worthwhile.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to High settings, which average 84 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining strong visual quality. Ultra at 63 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, and the drop from High to Ultra costs 21 FPS (25%) for what is likely a modest visual improvement. Medium at 109 FPS is also viable if you prefer higher frame rates, but High offers a better balance of image quality and performance. Low at 133 FPS is unnecessarily sacrificing visual fidelity when High achieves 84 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings are the recommended choice, averaging 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS. This is the highest settings tier that stays near the 60 FPS target for a turn-based tactics game, where the slower pace makes slightly sub-60 FPS performance acceptable. High at 44 FPS will be noticeably less smooth, and Ultra at 33 FPS risks feeling sluggish even in a tactical game. Low at 70 FPS is the only settings tier at 4K that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is significant. Medium represents the best compromise: it maintains playable frame rates while preserving a reasonable level of graphical detail.

For players using displays with variable refresh rates, the 1440p High setting at 84 FPS and the 1080p Ultra setting at 99 FPS are particularly well-suited, as they stay within typical VRR ranges (40-144 Hz) with enough headroom to avoid drops below the minimum threshold. The 4K Medium setting at 57 FPS average with a 49 FPS minimum is also VRR-compatible on displays with a 40 Hz floor, but it comes closer to the edge. Overall, the data supports prioritizing settings that keep average FPS above 60 while maintaining minimums above 45 FPS, which points to 1080p Ultra, 1440p High, and 4K Medium as the optimal presets for this pairing.