Hard West

# Hard West — AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The data shows this combination delivers a thoroughly playable experience across all tested settings at 1440p and 1080p, with 4K requiring a settings trade-off to stay smooth. At 1080p High, the combo averages 206 FPS, which jumps to 328 FPS at Low settings, indicating the CPU is fully capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The pairing ranks 165th out of 3722 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 4.5% of all configurations — a strong result for a turn-based tactics title where frame rates are typically not the primary concern, but nonetheless shows the hardware is well-matched.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the average frame rate drops significantly, but the game remains highly playable even at 4K with the right settings. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees the average FPS fall from 206 to 131 — a 36% reduction that reflects the increased pixel workload on the GPU. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings further drops performance to 69 FPS, another 47% decrease. This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting factor, with the CPU having ample headroom to push frames higher if the GPU could keep up.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 155 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 98 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 51 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the game's most demanding visual settings are too heavy for this GPU at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra at each resolution is substantial — at 4K, High delivers 69 FPS versus Ultra's 51 FPS, a 35% improvement simply by dropping one preset level.

Examining the Low and Medium presets provides additional context on the scaling trend. At 4K Low, the combo reaches 109 FPS, which is 58% higher than 4K High. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 89 FPS with a measured minimum of 76 FPS and maximum of 103 FPS, showing that even mid-tier settings can produce a smooth experience at 4K. The minimum frame rate data at Medium settings is particularly informative: at 1080p, the minimum is 228 FPS; at 1440p, it is 144 FPS; and at 4K, it is 76 FPS. These minimums indicate that the frame pacing remains consistent, with no dramatic drops that would cause stuttering.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, which is expected given the pixel count increase of 2.25x for 4K versus 1.78x for 1440p relative to 1080p. At Low settings, 1080p yields 328 FPS, 1440p yields 207 FPS, and 4K yields 109 FPS — the 4K result is exactly one-third of the 1080p figure, suggesting that at these very high frame rates, the GPU is fully saturated at 4K while the CPU becomes increasingly relevant at lower resolutions. The data strongly indicates that for 4K play, High or Medium settings are the sensible ceiling for this pairing, while 1440p Ultra remains viable at 98 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This processor sits in the 86th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E at 37911 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 37904 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core 5 211E at 37829 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 37804 (0.4% behind). These extremely tight margins — all within 0.4% — indicate that the 9700X is positioned at a performance plateau where several competing processors deliver nearly identical aggregate scores.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics title, the CPU's role is less about pushing maximum frame rates and more about maintaining consistent performance during complex turn calculations and AI pathfinding. The benchmark results show strong single-threaded capability: a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211, and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023. These single-thread figures are relevant because turn-based games often rely heavily on a single primary thread for game logic, with additional threads handling rendering and auxiliary systems. The 9700X's 5.50 GHz boost clock provides substantial headroom for such workloads.

Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with Cinebench R23 multicore scoring 20485 and Geekbench multicore at 17906. The 3DMark results show scaling from 2525 at 2 threads to 9771 at max threads, indicating good thread scaling up to the 16 available threads. For Hard West, this means the CPU can handle the game's logic demands without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 328 FPS — a frame rate that would typically be constrained by CPU performance in many titles. The fact that the combo achieves this figure suggests the 9700X is not limiting the RTX 4080 at lower resolutions.

The CPU's cache hierarchy — 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3 — provides adequate capacity for the game's data sets. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth over a dual-channel DDR5 interface further supports smooth operation. The processor's 65 W TDP and TSMC 4 nm process node contribute to efficiency, though the game's performance is not thermally constrained in these measurements. The 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die indicate a dense design that delivers high performance per watt, which is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions where the CPU may be under continuous load during turn calculations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset delivers the best experience at each resolution. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset achieves 155 FPS, so users with 60 Hz or 144 Hz displays can comfortably select Ultra without concern. The High preset at 206 FPS and Medium at 269 FPS offer additional headroom for higher refresh rate monitors, though the visual differences between High and Ultra in a turn-based tactics game are likely minimal given the genre's typically static scenes. The Low preset at 328 FPS is excessive for any current display and would only be relevant for competitive play, which is not applicable to this genre.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 98 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but may not fully saturate a 144 Hz display. High settings at 131 FPS provide a better balance, offering a 34% improvement over Ultra while presumably retaining most visual quality. Medium at 170 FPS is another strong option for high refresh rate displays, and its measured minimum of 144 FPS means even the slowest frames stay above typical 144 Hz refresh rates. For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, High is the recommended preset at 1440p; for those with 60 Hz displays, Ultra is viable.

At 3840x2160, the settings recommendation becomes more critical. Ultra at 51 FPS is below the 60 FPS standard and may feel sluggish, particularly during camera pans or effect-heavy turns. High at 69 FPS provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and is the recommended preset for 4K gaming with this combo. Medium at 89 FPS offers even more headroom, with a minimum of 76 FPS ensuring no drops below the 60 FPS threshold. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game where frame rate spikes are less impactful than in action titles, High settings at 4K deliver the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 4K (109 FPS) is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes maximum frame rate over all visual considerations.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance penalty: at 1080p, Ultra is 53% slower than Low; at 1440p, it is 53% slower; and at 4K, it is 53% slower. This uniform scaling suggests the settings presets affect the GPU workload proportionally, with no single setting causing a disproportionate performance hit. The Medium preset at each resolution provides a middle ground, though the data indicates High is the sweet spot for 4K, delivering 69 FPS versus Medium's 89 FPS — the 29% improvement in frame rate from High to Medium may be worth the visual trade-off for users who prioritize smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 165th out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 4.4% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong synergy between the two components: the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for the game's textures and effects, while the 9700X's high single-thread performance ensures the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions. The GPU itself sits in the 86th percentile versus all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 54247, with nearest rivals including the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (2.6% ahead), and the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 (2.7% ahead). These margins are small, indicating the RTX 4080 is closely matched with several other high-end GPUs in synthetic benchmarks.

The rank of 165 out of 3722 means there are 164 combinations that perform better in this game, which is a relatively small number given the vast array of possible CPU-GPU pairings. This places the combo in the upper echelon of tested configurations, appropriate for a high-end pairing. The CPU's percentile of 86 and the GPU's percentile of 86 are identical, suggesting a balanced pairing where neither component significantly outclasses the other. This balance is reflected in the measured FPS data: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 328 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output in this game, while at 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS result indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

The rank should be interpreted in the context of Hard West's genre. As a turn-based tactics game, the performance demands are lower than in fast-paced shooters or open-world action titles, meaning that even mid-range hardware can achieve playable frame rates. The fact that this high-end combo ranks 165th suggests the game is not particularly demanding, and the primary benefit of the RTX 4080 in this title is the ability to run at 4K with high settings — a capability that lower-tier GPUs may lack. The data shows that the combo's 4K High result of 69 FPS is a solid outcome for a game released in 2015, indicating that modern high-end hardware has ample headroom for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160, High settings deliver 69 FPS average, which is the recommended configuration for 4K. At 2560x1440, High settings achieve 131 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra settings reach 155 FPS, all of which are excellent results.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 51, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Dropping to High settings raises the average to 69 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54247 on average. The RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% ahead at 54209, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead at 54828, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% ahead at 55698.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 328 FPS, and at 1080p High, it reaches 206 FPS. These high frame rates indicate the Ryzen 7 9700X is not limiting performance at lower resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 228. At 2560x1440 Medium, it is 144. At 3840x2160 Medium, it is 76. These minimums demonstrate consistent frame pacing without major drops.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested configurations?

A: This pairing ranks 165th out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 4.4% of all configurations tested for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates span a wide range depending on settings. Low settings produce 328 FPS, which is the highest measured result for this combo. Medium settings deliver 269 FPS with a minimum of 228 FPS and a maximum of 309 FPS. High settings achieve 206 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 155 FPS. All 1080p results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the lowest measured value — the Ultra preset — provides sufficient performance for any standard display.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings yield 207 FPS, Medium settings produce 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS, High settings reach 131 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 98 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 144 FPS is notable because it matches the refresh rate of many high-end monitors, ensuring no frame drops below that level. All 1440p results remain above 60 FPS, with Ultra being the only preset that dips below 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results become more varied and highlight the GPU's limits. Low settings produce 109 FPS, which is still a strong result for 4K. Medium settings deliver 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings achieve 69 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 51 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 76 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: High settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 4K High at 69 FPS being the recommended configuration for users with 4K displays.