Hard West

# Hard West Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a solid but not overwhelming experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. This mobile CPU-GPU combination ranks 1612th out of 2949 tested combos in this game, placing it in the 55th percentile overall. The data shows that performance is highly resolution-dependent, with the system capable of smooth 1080p play at high settings but struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra. The following analysis breaks down how each component contributes to the results, how resolution scaling affects the experience, and what the measured frame rates mean for practical use.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread mobile processor from the 8000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a Dragon Range codename. It operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts to 5.40 GHz, with a 55 W TDP that classifies it as a high-end mobile part. The processor features a 64 MB L3 cache, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 KB L1 per core, providing substantial on-die storage for game data. It supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, yielding 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The CPU is manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process with 13,140 million transistors across a dual-chip 2x 71 mm² die.

In benchmark tests, the Ryzen 9 8945HX demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score reaches 42,713, while single-core performance hits 6,030. PassMark multi-thread results show 51,405, with single-thread scores at 3,907. These figures place the processor in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating it sits at the top tier for general processing power. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, scores an average of 76,155 compared to the Ryzen's 76,212, a negligible 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D trails by 0.6%, while the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX both come in 0.4% behind.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is less demanding than in real-time strategy or action titles. The game's turn-based nature means that the CPU must handle game logic, unit positioning, and AI decision-making, but these tasks are generally not as frame-rate-sensitive as continuous physics or simulation workloads. The 16-core configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks and future-proofing, though the game itself likely benefits more from strong single-thread performance given its 2015 release date. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded tasks execute quickly, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing during unit actions and camera movements.

The processor's high multi-thread scores, particularly the Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 42,713, suggest that it will not bottleneck the RTX 5070 in this title. The data indicates that at lower resolutions like 1080p Low, where the GPU has less work, the CPU must keep up with frame generation; the 183 FPS average at those settings demonstrates sufficient processing power. The passmark physics score of 2,168 and floating-point math score of 117,453 further indicate robust computational ability, though these are more relevant to general workloads than to this specific game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a GeForce 50-series graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB205 chip. It features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2325 MHz and boosts to 2512 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card includes 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation processors, along with 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. Its compute capabilities include 30.87 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations, with pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s. The GPU has a 250 W TDP and connects via PCIe 5.0 x16.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5070 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 29,137 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 178,923. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score reaches 5,077, while OpenCL performance in Geekbench hits 172,660. These results place the GPU in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, slightly above the midpoint of tested hardware. The nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40,318 on average versus the RTX 5070's 40,377, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 trails by 0.8%, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is 2% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 leads by 1.2%.

For Hard West, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as the game's 2015 release predates the high-VRAM requirements of modern titles. The 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and asset loading are not bottlenecks, even at 4K resolution. The boost clock of 2512 MHz provides adequate processing speed for the game's relatively simple geometry and effects, though the measured frame rates suggest that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the RTX 5070 achieves 183 FPS, indicating that the GPU is far from saturated at these settings. However, moving to 1080p Ultra drops performance to 86 FPS, showing that the card's shading units and ROPs are taxed by the game's maximum quality presets. The turn-based nature of Hard West means that frame rate fluctuations are less critical than in action games, but the GPU's performance at 4K Ultra (29 FPS) falls below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the system achieves 115 FPS, which drops to 73 FPS at 1440p High and further to 38 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 36.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 47.9% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with GPU-bound workloads, where pixel count directly impacts rendering load.

At Low settings, the frame rates are higher across all resolutions: 183 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 36.6%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47.4%, nearly identical to the High settings scaling. This consistency indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck even at Low settings, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed frames at all tested resolutions.

Medium settings show a different pattern, with 150 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The 36.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 47.4% drop from 1440p to 4K align with the other settings, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the system. The Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates: 86 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset's additional effects and higher quality textures amplify the GPU load, resulting in a 36% drop to 1440p and 47.3% drop to 4K.

The consistent percentage reductions across all settings strongly indicate that the RTX 5070 is the limiting component, not the Ryzen 9 8945HX. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate drops would be less pronounced at higher resolutions since the GPU would have less time to complete each frame. The fact that scaling remains uniform suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output demands even at 1080p Low, where the 183 FPS average requires rapid frame generation.

For practical purposes, this scaling analysis indicates that players should target 1080p or 1440p for smooth gameplay. At 4K, the system only achieves playable frame rates at Low settings (61 FPS), while Medium settings drop to 50 FPS and High to 38 FPS. The 4K Ultra setting at 29 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable turn-based play, as camera pans and unit animations may appear choppy.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1612th out of 2,949 tested combos in Hard West. This places the system in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning slightly more than half of the tested combos perform better in this game. The ranking reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and mid-range GPU, with the GPU being the weaker link for this particular title.

The CPU's 95th percentile standing among all processors contrasts sharply with the combo's 55th percentile ranking in-game. This discrepancy highlights that Hard West is more dependent on GPU performance than CPU capability, and the RTX 5070's 82nd percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo down. The GPU's average benchmark score of 40,377 is relatively modest compared to top-tier cards, which is reflected in the in-game performance.

The combo's rank suggests that while this system handles most games well, Hard West's specific rendering requirements favor configurations with stronger GPUs relative to their CPUs. Turn-based tactics games often have simpler CPU demands, so pairing a 16-core processor with a mid-range GPU may not be optimal for maximizing frame rates in this genre. However, the rank also indicates that the system is far from the bottom, and the measured frame rates at 1080p and 1440p are perfectly playable for the game's style.

When considering the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX performs within 0.1% of the Ryzen 9 8945HX on average, suggesting that swapping between these processors would yield nearly identical results in Hard West. The GPU's closest competitors, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 580, also perform within 0.1%, meaning that the RTX 5070's in-game results are representative of its performance class. The combo ranking therefore reflects the mid-tier GPU positioning rather than any unusual pairing issue.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: The data shows 4K performance varies by settings. At Low settings, the average FPS is 61, which is playable. Medium settings drop to 50 FPS, High to 38 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. For smooth 4K play, Low or Medium settings are recommended.

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p offers the most consistent experience, with 183 FPS at Low, 150 FPS at Medium, 115 FPS at High, and 86 FPS at Ultra. 1440p also provides playable frame rates, ranging from 116 FPS at Low to 55 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76,212, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX scores 76,155. The difference is only 0.1%, meaning they perform essentially identically in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Hard West?

A: Yes, the 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than adequate for Hard West, a game from 2015. The memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution or settings combination.

Q: Why does performance drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate drops consistently by about 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K across all settings. This uniform scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed frames at all resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Hard West?

A: This CPU-GPU combination ranks 1612th out of 2,949 tested combos, placing it in the 55th percentile. This means slightly more than half of all tested configurations perform better in this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080

At 1080p, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 183 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience with no perceptible stutter. Medium settings average 150 FPS, with minimum frame rates of 127 FPS and maximums of 172 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. High settings average 115 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for fluid gameplay. Ultra settings reduce the average to 86 FPS, still comfortably playable and suitable for the game's turn-based mechanics. The range from 86 to 183 FPS across settings shows that 1080p gives players full flexibility to prioritize visual quality or frame rate.

2560x1440

At 1440p, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction from 1080p. Low settings average 116 FPS, maintaining a high refresh rate experience. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with minimums of 81 FPS and maximums of 109 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay during complex scenes. High settings average 73 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and provides smooth play with enhanced visuals. Ultra settings drop to 55 FPS, which is playable for turn-based tactics but may show minor frame pacing issues during camera movements. The 1440p results indicate that this resolution is a good middle ground for players seeking higher visual fidelity without sacrificing too much performance.

3840x2160

At 4K, the system shows its limitations, particularly at higher settings. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS marker and provides a playable experience. Medium settings average 50 FPS, with minimums of 42 FPS and maximums of 57 FPS, which may cause occasional noticeable slowdowns. High settings average 38 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth play but may be acceptable for turn-based gameplay. Ultra settings average 29 FPS, which is below 30 FPS and likely to feel choppy, especially when scrolling across the map or during visual effects. The 4K results show a clear trade-off between resolution and quality, with only Low settings offering consistently smooth performance.