Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a decisive performance curve in Hard West, where the 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that strains the system. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are so high that the game’s turn-based tactical nature means the experience is effectively silky-smooth across all presets. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s substantial core count providing ample headroom even at the lowest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 179 FPS at 1920x1080 to 115.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 35.5%. Moving to 3840x2160, the score drops further to 59.1 FPS, which represents a 67% decline from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern is typical for a graphics-card-bound scenario. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at 4K, where the spread is 45.3 FPS (from 93.3 to 48 FPS), compared to a 116.5 FPS spread at 1080p (from 248 to 131.5 FPS). The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU’s performance is closer to being a co-limiting factor, as the frame rates exceed 200 FPS in the Medium and Low presets. At 4K, however, the GPU’s rendering workload dominates, and the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the graphics card’s capabilities.

The 1440p results show the system’s sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. With a 184.1 FPS average at Low settings and 82.5 FPS at Ultra, the RTX 4070 SUPER provides a wide range of options for competitive or visually demanding play. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is the most punishing, halving the frame rate from 82.5 FPS to 48 FPS, which confirms that 4K Ultra is the boundary of this combo’s comfortable performance envelope.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivers a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. In Hard West, this bandwidth appears sufficient, as the performance scaling between settings is not irregular. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units provide the raw compute power needed to push the High preset past 115 FPS at 1440p.

The GPU’s role becomes more apparent when examining the 4K results. The High preset achieves 59.1 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while Medium reaches 80.6 FPS. This indicates that the card’s 80 ROPs and 554.4 GTexel/s texture rate are being fully utilized at this resolution. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Ultra is the most demanding, with a 48 FPS average, while dropping to Medium provides a 67.9% performance uplift over Ultra at 4K.

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the engine behind these numbers. In a turn-based title like Hard West, the GPU is less about raw frame rate and more about maintaining consistent rendering of the game’s environments. The measured results show that the card has ample headroom at 1080p, where even the Ultra preset hits 131.5 FPS, allowing for significant future-proofing or the use of higher refresh rate displays.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. The data shows an 80.6 FPS average, which is a 67.9% improvement over the Ultra setting’s 48 FPS. The High preset at 59.1 FPS is playable but sits on the edge of the 60 FPS target, making Medium the safer recommendation for a consistent experience. The Low preset at 93.3 FPS offers a substantial performance buffer, but the visual compromise is likely unnecessary given the Medium preset’s strong result.

At 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner. The 115.4 FPS average is well above the 100 FPS mark, providing a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset’s 82.5 FPS is also viable, but the 28.5% performance hit from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains in a game where tactical clarity is paramount. The Medium preset at 148 FPS is an excellent option for those seeking maximum frame rates without dropping to the Low preset’s 184.1 FPS.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is recommended. The 131.5 FPS average is exceptionally high, and the system’s performance headroom means there is no reason to compromise on visual quality. The Low preset’s 248 FPS is only relevant for extreme refresh rate displays, but the Ultra settings will provide a superior visual experience without any perceptible slowdown.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K with the Ultra preset?*

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The measured average frame rate is 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. It is playable, but the Medium preset at 80.6 FPS or High at 59.1 FPS provides a better balance.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset, with an average of 115.4 FPS, is the best choice. It offers a robust frame rate that takes advantage of high refresh rates while maintaining visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 82.5 FPS is also viable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the system is less GPU-bound than at higher resolutions. The Low preset’s 248 FPS average suggests the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are sufficient to push very high frame rates, but the GPU’s workload is still significant.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in this game’s context?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 42576, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A6000’s 42653, with the RTX 4070 SUPER trailing by only 0.2%. This indicates comparable raw compute performance in synthetic tests.

*Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Hard West?*

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance drops. The frame rate scaling between settings is consistent, suggesting that the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is not a limiting factor at any of the tested resolutions.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: The Low preset averages 93.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. This represents a 45.3 FPS difference, or a 94.4% performance advantage for the Low preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 280th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 16.5% of all configurations. This is a strong result, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game’s demands. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU’s high multi-threaded capability and the GPU’s robust 4K performance.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 49062 places it just 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF. This means the 5950X is competitive with modern mid-range processors, and its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its high-tier status. The GPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it is a solid upper-mid-range card, with its score of 42576 being almost exactly matched by the NVIDIA RTX A6000.

The combination’s rank of 280 suggests that a significant number of other pairings offer higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs. However, the 5950X’s 16 cores and 32 threads provide a strong foundation that will not hold back the RTX 4070 SUPER in this turn-based title. The data shows that the combo is not at the top of the charts, but it is comfortably in the upper quartile, making it a reliable choice for Hard West.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X’s 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Hard West’s workload. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.90 GHz and its 64 MB of L3 cache provide strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic in turn-based tactics. The synthetic benchmarks support this: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5450 and a multi-core score of 38607 show a balanced processor.

In the measured frame rates, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the system hits 248 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as even the most demanding single-threaded game logic is being processed quickly. The 5950X’s 3.40 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock allow it to scale performance dynamically, ensuring that the GPU is fed with data efficiently.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show a tight cluster of performance. The 5950X’s average score of 49062 is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600KF. This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, these processors are nearly interchangeable. However, the 5950X’s higher core count provides additional headroom for background tasks, which is a benefit in a game that may not fully utilize all 32 threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 248 FPS, followed by Medium at 230.3 FPS, High at 179 FPS, and Ultra at 131.5 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 116.5 FPS, showing the significant impact of graphical settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 184.1 FPS, Medium drops to 148 FPS, High reaches 115.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 82.5 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 101.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s workload is increasing.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limits are tested. The Low preset averages 93.3 FPS, Medium drops to 80.6 FPS, High comes in at 59.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 45.3 FPS, which is the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated at 4K. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly costly, with an 18.8% performance drop from 59.1 FPS to 48 FPS.