Hard West

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 lands at rank 1,574 out of 2,949 tested combinations for Hard West. That places this combo in the 47th percentile of all systems tested, meaning slightly more than half of the recorded configurations deliver higher average frame rates in this title. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all measured resolution and settings combinations, and it shows a system that is competent but not elite for this particular turn-based tactics game.

The CPU itself sits in the 95th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 76,212. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX at 76,155 (0.1% slower), the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at 76,492 (0.4% faster), the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX at 76,513 (0.4% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D at 75,779 (0.6% slower). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the 8945HX sits firmly in a cluster of very high-end processors where synthetic differences do not translate into meaningful gameplay gaps.

The GPU, meanwhile, holds the 81st percentile against all graphics cards with an average benchmark score of 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37,628 (0.1% slower), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37,507 (0.4% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38,135 (1.3% faster), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37,157 (1.3% slower). The RTX 4070 sits within a tight band of desktop and mobile parts, with the gap to the RTX 4080 Mobile being the largest at just over one percent.

The rank of 1,574 out of 2,949 makes sense given the combination of a high-end mobile CPU and a mid-high desktop GPU. Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and its rendering demands are modest by modern standards, so the limiting factor in most configurations will be the GPU rather than the CPU. The data shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates across most settings, but it does not reach the top tier of results because other tested combos pair even stronger graphics hardware with similarly capable processors.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the AD104 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, produced on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a die size of 294 mm², with a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1,920 MHz and a boost clock of 2,475 MHz, while memory runs at 1,313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective throughput. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory sits on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hard West, the GPU's memory configuration is sufficient for all tested resolutions, including 4K. The game does not appear to be memory-constrained, as evidenced by the frame rate progression across settings at each resolution. The GPU has 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. It also includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, though Hard West, being a 2015 title, does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS features.

The pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 29.15 TFLOPS. These specifications indicate a GPU that is well above the requirements for a turn-based tactics game with static or semi-static scenes. The measured frame rates confirm that the RTX 4070 provides headroom even at higher resolutions, though the margins shrink as settings increase.

The GPU's production status is listed as end-of-life, with a predecessor in the GeForce 30 series and a successor in the GeForce 50 series. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers all rendering APIs that Hard West might use. The power draw is rated at 200 W TDP, with a suggested power supply of 550 W, and it connects via PCIe 4.0 x16.

# Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combo shows clear resolution scaling behavior that identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 186. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 118 FPS, a reduction of 36.6%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 62 FPS, which is a further 47.5% drop from 1440p. The pattern is consistent with GPU-bound scaling, where pixel count increases drive proportional frame rate decreases.

At High settings, the progression is 117 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p (a 36.8% drop), and 39 FPS at 4K (a 47.3% drop from 1440p). Medium settings show 152 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p (36.8% drop), and 51 FPS at 4K (46.9% drop). Ultra settings follow the same trend: 88 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p (37.5% drop), and 29 FPS at 4K (47.3% drop).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets is striking. In every case, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 37% of the frame rate, and moving from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 47%. This uniformity indicates that the scaling is purely resolution-driven, with no sudden change in the limiting factor. The CPU is not becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p frame rates are high but not unbounded — they scale down in a predictable manner as resolution increases.

The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is the limiting component at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the average drops to 29 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU still has enough headroom to maintain playable frame rates even at Ultra, though 4K Ultra is the only combination that falls below the generally accepted 30 FPS threshold for playability.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest measured average is 88 FPS at Ultra settings. Medium settings deliver 152 FPS on average, with a minimum of 129 and a maximum of 175. High settings produce 117 FPS average, and Low settings reach 186 FPS average. These numbers indicate that even at the most demanding settings, the combo maintains well above 60 FPS, and at Low settings it approaches 200 FPS, which is far beyond what a turn-based tactics game requires for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS, which is still above the 30 FPS playability floor but noticeably lower than the 1080p result. Medium settings average 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 and a maximum of 111, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings average 74 FPS, and Low settings average 118 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GPU begins to feel the load at Ultra, but the Medium and High presets remain smooth.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra settings average just 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable playability. High settings average 39 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings average 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58, offering a stable experience above 40 FPS. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

The minimum and maximum values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 129 to 175 FPS, a spread of 46 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 82 to 111 FPS, a spread of 29 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 43 to 58 FPS, a spread of 15 FPS. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working closer to its limits, reducing the variance between frames.

# 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 operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 55 W TDP. The CPU is manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, containing 13,140 million transistors across a dual-die design with each die measuring 71 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3 total.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 8945HX achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42,713 and a single-core score of 6,030. The R20 results are 17,939 multicore and 2,532 single-core, while R15 scores are 4,305 multicore and 607 single-core. Passmark results show a multithread score of 51,405, a single-thread score of 3,907, and a physics score of 2,168. The processor also posts strong results in specialized tests: 677,755 in data compression, 40,836 in data encryption, 49,823 in extended instructions, 262 in find prime numbers, 117,453 in floating point math, 195,180 in integer math, and 78,781 in random string sorting.

For Hard West, the CPU role is secondary to the GPU. The game is turn-based tactics, which typically involves low entity counts and simple physics, so the massive thread count of the 8945HX is largely unused. The single-thread performance is what matters most for game logic, and the 6,030 R23 single-core score is more than adequate. The data supports this interpretation: the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, and there is no evidence of CPU limitation even at 1080p Low where the average hits 186 FPS.

The CPU's memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. The processor connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 28 lanes and includes integrated Radeon 610M graphics, though the discrete RTX 4070 handles all rendering in this configuration. The 8945HX has an unlocked multiplier, indicating overclocking potential, though in a mobile context this is typically limited by thermal constraints.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate floor. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable results, but Ultra at 88 FPS average is the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The 117 FPS High preset is also excellent, and the gap between High and Ultra is only 29 FPS, so players who prioritize image quality should select Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS average, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame pacing issues might become noticeable in fast-moving scenes. The Medium preset at 96 FPS average offers the best balance, with a minimum of 82 FPS that never dips below a smooth experience. High at 74 FPS is also a strong choice, but Medium provides the largest margin of safety.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is clear: use Medium settings. The 51 FPS average with a minimum of 43 FPS is the only preset that maintains playability without dipping below 30 FPS. High at 39 FPS is acceptable, but the minimum is not recorded, so there is no guarantee of consistency. Ultra at 29 FPS is below the playability threshold, and Low at 62 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a turn-based game where scenes are often static.

The overall best experience across all resolutions is Medium settings at 1440p, which delivers 96 FPS average with tight frame pacing. For users with 1080p displays, Ultra is the recommended preset since the GPU has ample headroom. For 4K users, Medium is the only sensible choice given the measured data.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Hard West at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or lower. The measured data shows 51 FPS average at 4K Medium, 62 FPS at 4K Low, and 39 FPS at 4K High. The 4K Ultra preset averages 29 FPS, which falls below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 averages 37,648 in benchmark scores, sitting 0.1% above the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37,628, 0.4% above the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37,507, and 1.3% above the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37,157. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38,135 by 1.3%.

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

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 96 FPS average with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 111 FPS. This offers the best combination of visual quality and frame rate stability, as the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS average.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings presets, with roughly 37% drops from 1080p to 1440p and 47% drops from 1440p to 4K. This pattern indicates GPU-bound performance, and the CPU's 6,030 single-core R23 score is more than sufficient for turn-based tactics.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX rank against other processors?

A: The CPU holds the 95th percentile against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 76,212. It is within 0.6% of its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX at 76,155, the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at 76,492, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX at 76,513.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 88 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum is not recorded, but the average suggests consistent performance for this turn-based tactics title.