Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents a fascinating case study in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The benchmark data reveals a configuration where the GPU is the primary performance arbiter across most settings, though the CPU’s headroom becomes evident at lower presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, contextualizes the combo’s standing among tested systems, and offers practical guidance based strictly on the observed figures.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable and steep decline in average frame rates as resolution increases, confirming the RTX 2060 as the limiting component in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 144.6 FPS, which drops to 91.8 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 45.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 68.7% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at Low, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput dictates the frame rate.

The scaling becomes more aggressive at higher presets. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (90.4 FPS) to 1440p (55.4 FPS) incurs a 38.7% drop, while moving to 4K (27.6 FPS) yields a 69.5% reduction from the 1080p baseline. The Ultra preset exhibits the most brutal scaling: 66.4 FPS at 1080p falls to 41.1 FPS at 1440p (a 38.1% decrease) and then to 23.5 FPS at 4K, a staggering 64.6% drop from the 1080p figure. These numbers indicate that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions, regardless of the modest graphical demands of a 2015 turn-based title.

Notably, the gap between Low and Medium settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Medium (117.9 FPS) is 18.5% slower than Low (144.6 FPS), but at 4K, Medium (41.2 FPS) is only 9.1% slower than Low (45.3 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that the incremental load from Medium over Low has diminishing absolute impact. The CPU, a 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 5900X, is never the bottleneck; even the lowest FPS recorded (23.5 FPS at 4K Ultra) is far above any threshold where the processor’s single-thread performance would matter. Data indicates the CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 941 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 4680 are more than sufficient for this genre.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hard West, this pairing sits at rank 1401 out of 1699 combos. That places it in the bottom 17.5% of all tested systems, a surprisingly low standing given the hardware’s capabilities. The percentileVsAllCpus for the Ryzen 9 5900X is 90, and the percentileVsAllGpus for the RTX 2060 is 58, yet the combination ranks poorly due to the game’s age and the fact that many tested combos likely feature newer or higher-end GPUs.

The combo rank is more a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range status than the CPU’s. The RTX 2060, with an avgBenchmarkScore of 16074, sits close to rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (avgScore 15996, deltaPct 0.5) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (avgScore 16351, deltaPct -1.7). Its performance is within 1.8% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (avgScore 15786). In contrast, the Ryzen 9 5900X (avgBenchmarkScore 39453) is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 4245P (avgScore 39383, deltaPct 0.2) and within 1% of the Intel Core i7-13700 (avgScore 39857, deltaPct -1). The CPU is a top-tier part; the GPU is not.

For a turn-based tactics game where frame rates above 60 FPS are largely irrelevant to gameplay smoothness, this low rank is misleading. The measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p are more than playable. The rank simply reflects that other combos with faster GPUs achieve higher raw FPS, but the experience here is not compromised. The data shows that at 1440p High, the combo delivers 55.4 FPS, which is adequate for the genre, and at 1080p High it hits 90.4 FPS, which is excellent.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Hard West?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 144.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 23.5 FPS, while the CPU’s strong single-thread scores (941 in 3dmark_single_thread) suggest it has ample headroom. The FPS scaling across resolutions is consistent with GPU-bound behavior.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Hard West?*

A: It ranks 1401 out of 1699 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of all configurations.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 91.8 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 41.1 FPS. This represents a 55.2% performance drop when moving from Low to Ultra.

*Q: Can this setup handle 4K resolution in Hard West?*

A: It can run at 4K, but only at Low settings (45.3 FPS) or Medium settings (41.2 FPS) for playable frame rates. High (27.6 FPS) and Ultra (23.5 FPS) are below 30 FPS.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 90.4.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 144.6 FPS
• Medium: 117.9 FPS
• High: 90.4 FPS
• Ultra: 66.4 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 91.8 FPS
• Medium: 75.8 FPS
• High: 55.4 FPS
• Ultra: 41.1 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 45.3 FPS
• Medium: 41.2 FPS
• High: 27.6 FPS
• Ultra: 23.5 FPS

The pattern is consistent: each resolution step halves the pixel count demands, and the FPS scales accordingly. At 1080p, even Ultra (66.4 FPS) is comfortably above 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (91.8) and Medium (75.8) exceed the 60 FPS threshold, while High (55.4) is close but slightly under. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, and only Low (45.3) and Medium (41.2) maintain playable frame rates above 40 FPS. The delta between Medium and High is consistently around 10-14 FPS across all resolutions, suggesting a fixed cost for the graphical features that toggle between those presets.

Settings Recommendations

For the optimal experience on this hardware, the data strongly suggests prioritizing 1920x1080 as the primary resolution. At 1080p, all four presets deliver average FPS above 66, meaning the user can select Ultra without sacrificing smoothness. The 66.4 FPS at Ultra is well within the playable range for a turn-based tactics game, where quick camera pans are less demanding than in action titles.

If the user prefers 2560x1440 for a sharper image, the data recommends Medium settings, which deliver 75.8 FPS. This is a 33.5% improvement over High (55.4 FPS), and the visual difference between Medium and High in a game from 2015 is likely minimal. Low at 1440p (91.8 FPS) is also an option, but Medium offers a better balance of fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only Low (45.3 FPS) and Medium (41.2 FPS) are viable. High (27.6 FPS) and Ultra (23.5 FPS) fall below 30 FPS, which would result in stuttery camera movement. Given the modest visual uplift of High over Medium in this title, Medium is the recommended choice for 4K, as it retains a playable frame rate while offering better visual quality than Low.

In summary, the best experience is at 1080p Ultra (66.4 FPS) for maximum fidelity, or 1440p Medium (75.8 FPS) for a higher resolution with still-smooth performance. For 4K, Medium (41.2 FPS) is the highest preset that avoids dipping into unplayable territory. The data shows no scenario where High or Ultra at 4K is advisable.