Hard West

# Hard West + AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and this combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX mobile processor with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU produces a broad spread of frame rates depending on resolution and quality preset. The data shows a system that can comfortably handle 1080p and 1440p play, while 4K requires dropping settings to maintain playable performance. This pairing ranks 1787th out of 2949 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the field.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only if you lower settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 26 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS, and Low averages 55 FPS. Medium is the highest preset that stays comfortably above 30 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS.

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

A: 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, the average is 66 FPS; Medium averages 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS; Low averages 105 FPS; and even Ultra stays playable at 49 FPS average. All presets are above 45 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 perform at 1080p in this game?

A: Very well. At 1920x1080, Low averages 166 FPS, Medium averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, High averages 104 FPS, and Ultra averages 78 FPS. Every preset is well above 60 FPS, making this resolution largely GPU-bound at higher settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 8945HX strong enough for this game's CPU demands?

A: The CPU is far more capable than needed. The Ryzen 9 8945HX has 16 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 76212, indicating it will not bottleneck the RTX 4060 in a turn-based tactics title.

Q: What is the gaming performance difference between this GPU and its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3% delta). It also edges out the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%) and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%).

Q: Does the RTX 4060 have enough video memory for Hard West?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. Given that this is a 2015 turn-based tactics game with modest texture requirements, 8 GB is more than sufficient even at 4K Ultra, where the bottleneck is raw compute rather than memory capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1787th out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places the system in the 60th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 40% of tested combos deliver higher frame rates in this specific title. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game from 2015, the ranking reflects a system that is positioned well above the median but not at the top tier of tested hardware.

The CPU component of this pairing is exceptionally strong. The Ryzen 9 8945HX sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 76212. Its nearest rivals show how tightly clustered the top-end mobile processors are: the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX scores 76155 (delta of 0.1% behind), the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P scores 76492 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX scores 76513 (0.4% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 75779 (0.6% behind). This means the 8945HX is effectively within 1% of the fastest processors tested, making CPU performance a non-issue for this game.

The GPU tells a different story. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639 and sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all substantially older or lower-tier parts: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 (-0.2%), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (+0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (+0.5%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509 (+0.7%). The RTX 4060 is essentially performance-equivalent to these parts in synthetic benchmarks, which explains why the combo ranking lands in the middle rather than the top. The GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, not the CPU.

The ranking data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the measured frame rates are strong. At 4K, the system drops into the 26-55 FPS range depending on settings, which is playable but not ideal for those who prefer high refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. The chip, designated AD107, contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory sits on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hard West specifically, the RTX 4060's performance profile shows a clear pattern: the GPU handles 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K stresses it heavily. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 88 FPS (166 vs. 78), showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to accommodate significant quality increases. At 2560x1440, the spread narrows to 56 FPS (105 vs. 49), and at 3840x2160, it narrows further to 29 FPS (55 vs. 26). This progressive narrowing indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly pixel-bound as resolution increases.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark results provide context for its gaming performance. It scores 2302 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 95057 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 48643 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark results show 19545 in G3D, 9213 in GPU Compute, and lower scores in API-specific tests: 103 in DirectX 10, 175 in DirectX 11, 76 in DirectX 12, and 236 in DirectX 9. The DirectX 9 score is relevant here because Hard West, as a 2015 game, may rely on older API paths depending on its engine implementation.

The RTX 4060's TDP is 115 W, and it uses a single 12-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The card is dual-slot, measuring 240 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. It connects via PCIe 4.0 x8 and offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. For a turn-based tactics game, this GPU provides more than adequate rasterization performance, with 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates in Hard West show a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the data shows the following averages: Low delivers 166 FPS, Medium delivers 136 FPS with a minimum of 115 and maximum of 156, High delivers 104 FPS, and Ultra delivers 78 FPS. Every preset at 1080p exceeds 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable even at maximum quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but the gap between settings widens. Low averages 105 FPS, Medium averages 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 and maximum of 99, High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 49 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 17 FPS on average, which is a significant drop but still leaves the game playable. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of smoothness and visual quality, with a minimum of 73 FPS ensuring no noticeable stutter.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Ultra averages just 26 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth play. High averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52, and Low averages 55 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is the only quality level that maintains a minimum above 30 FPS, making it the only viable option for 4K gaming.

The scaling between resolutions shows the GPU's performance curve. At Low settings, 1080p yields 166 FPS, 1440p yields 105 FPS (a 37% reduction), and 4K yields 55 FPS (a 67% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 78 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction), and 26 FPS at 4K (67% reduction). This consistent scaling indicates that the RTX 4060 is purely pixel-bound in this game, with no unusual bottlenecks.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 78 FPS average is the best choice if you want maximum visual quality while staying above 60 FPS. If you have a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate display, the High preset at 104 FPS or Medium at 136 FPS will better utilize that capability. The Low preset at 166 FPS is unnecessary unless you are chasing extremely high frame rates for competitive play, which is not typical for a turn-based tactics game.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 86 FPS average with a 73 FPS minimum provides the best balance. It keeps frame rates well above 60 FPS while still offering solid visual quality. The High preset at 66 FPS is also viable if you prefer better visuals and can tolerate the lower average. Ultra at 49 FPS is borderline; it is playable but the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, which may cause noticeable smoothness issues on some displays. Low at 105 FPS is overkill for this genre and sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 45 FPS average with a 38 FPS minimum is the recommended choice. It is the only preset that maintains a minimum above 30 FPS, ensuring the game remains responsive during turn-based combat. Low at 55 FPS is smoother but reduces visual quality substantially. High at 35 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are not recommended because the frame rate drops to levels where even turn-based gameplay feels sluggish.

For most players, 2560x1440 at Medium or High settings will provide the best experience. The game's turn-based nature means that frame rates above 60 FPS are not strictly necessary, but they do make camera movement and transitions smoother. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a strong combination of visual quality and performance, with the 73 FPS minimum ensuring consistent smoothness.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor from the 8000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture with the Dragon Range codename. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The CPU features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, and uses the AMD Socket FL1.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is minimal due to the game's turn-based tactical nature. The game does not require high thread counts or extremely fast single-core performance to maintain frame rates. However, the Ryzen 9 8945HX's capabilities ensure that there is no CPU bottleneck at any resolution or setting. The CPU's benchmark results confirm its strength: it scores 4305 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 607 in singlecore, 17939 in Cinebench R20 multicore and 2532 in singlecore, and 42713 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 6030 in singlecore. Passmark results show 51405 in multithread, 3907 in singlethread, and 195180 in integer math.

The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals are all high-end parts: the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155, 0.1% behind), AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76492, 0.4% ahead), AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76513, 0.4% ahead), and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779, 0.6% behind). This clustering shows that the 8945HX is among the fastest mobile processors available.

For Hard West specifically, the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads are far more than the game requires. The game's turn-based mechanics mean that CPU load is typically low, even during complex combat scenarios with multiple units on screen. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that any single-threaded tasks, such as game logic or UI updates, are handled quickly. The L3 cache of 64 MB helps with data locality, though this is unlikely to matter much for a game of this era.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, though Hard West's modest memory requirements mean this is not a limiting factor. The integrated Radeon 610M graphics are present but irrelevant for gaming when the discrete RTX 4060 is installed. The CPU uses PCIe Gen 5 with 28 lanes, which provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.

In summary, the Ryzen 9 8945HX is overkill for Hard West, but its performance headroom means that the GPU is always the limiting factor in this system. The measured frame rates are entirely consistent with GPU-bound behavior, and there is no scenario in the data where CPU performance would constrain the experience. Players can expect the frame rates listed in the measured FPS section to be representative of real-world performance, as the CPU will not introduce any dips or stutters in this title.