Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a commanding performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title where frame rates reach exceptionally high levels across all resolutions. The measured data shows this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures no bottleneck even at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, component roles, and exact frame rates from the benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, with the RTX 4080 SUPER being the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 205 at 1920x1080 to 130 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 75 FPS or approximately 36.6% fewer frames. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 68 FPS, representing a 66.8% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline strongly indicates that the GPU’s rendering throughput, rather than the CPU’s processing capability, dictates performance as resolution increases.

The scaling pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 326 at 1080p down to 206 at 1440p (a 36.8% drop) and then to 108 at 4K (a 66.9% drop from 1080p). Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 267 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings, which are the most demanding, produce 154 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across different quality levels confirms that resolution scaling is uniform and independent of the graphics preset.

The data also highlights that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo. At High settings, 130 FPS at 2560x1440 remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, and even Ultra settings at 97 FPS provide a smooth experience. At 4K, however, the Ultra preset dips to 51 FPS, which is below the common 60 FPS target, suggesting that users aiming for 4K Ultra may need to adjust settings or rely on upscaling technologies. The fact that 4K Low (108 FPS) outperforms 1440p Ultra (97 FPS) in raw frame rate underscores the GPU’s dominance in the performance equation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 130 at 2560x1440 with High settings, with no minimum or maximum values recorded for this configuration.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 51, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth. This suggests that 4K Ultra may require lowering settings or enabling upscaling for a consistent experience.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 326 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 154 FPS. This represents a 172 FPS difference, meaning Low is approximately 2.1 times faster in terms of frame rate.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: The only configurations with recorded minimum FPS values are Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 227 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 144 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 75 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, the high frame rates (up to 326 FPS at Low) and the significant drop when moving to 1440p suggest the GPU is the limiting factor, but the Ryzen 9 9900X’s strong single-thread score of 1286 in 3DMark ensures the CPU does not hold back the GPU.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 192 out of 3722 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.2% of all tested systems for Hard West.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Hard West’s textures and geometry. The 10240 shading units and 112 ROPs handle the game’s rendering tasks efficiently, while the boost clock of 2550 MHz ensures high throughput in both rasterization and compute workloads.

The GPU’s VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for this 2015 title, even at 4K Ultra settings, where memory usage is unlikely to approach the limit. The data supports this: the frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings (97 to 51 FPS) is consistent with a GPU compute limitation rather than a memory bandwidth bottleneck. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is a key asset, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to maintain high fill rates without stuttering, as evidenced by the minimum FPS of 75 at 4K Medium, which is still well above playable thresholds.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 54209, with a percentile ranking of 86 among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54247, a delta of -0.1%, indicating near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.7% slower. This places the RTX 4080 SUPER in a performance tier where it delivers 68 FPS at 4K High and 51 FPS at 4K Ultra, numbers that reflect its strong but not unlimited capabilities. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 further confirms its high-end positioning, though Hard West’s modest graphics demands mean the GPU is rarely stressed to its full potential except at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a rank of 192 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This places the system in the top 5.2% of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of setups for this specific game. The ranking reflects the synergy between a high-end CPU and GPU, where neither component bottlenecks the other in typical gameplay scenarios.

The rank is particularly impressive given the game’s age and low system requirements. Hard West, released in 2015, does not push modern hardware to its limits, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to deliver extremely high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The combo’s position in the 192nd spot suggests that only a small fraction of tested systems, likely those with even more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generations, achieve higher performance. The data does not list specific rival combos, but the percentile ranking of 86 for the GPU and 92 for the CPU independently indicates that both components are in the top tier, and their combination amplifies the overall standing.

The measured FPS data supports this high ranking. At 1080p High, the 205 FPS average is nearly 3.4 times the 60 FPS standard, and even at 4K High, the 68 FPS average is above the playable threshold. The rank of 192 out of 3722 means that the combo is in the 94.8th percentile, which is consistent with the GPU’s 86th percentile and CPU’s 92nd percentile rankings. This consistency suggests that the combo performs as expected based on its components’ individual strengths, with no unexpected bottlenecks or driver issues affecting the outcome.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its specifications are crucial for achieving the high frame rates seen at 1080p. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the CPU provides ample multi-threaded capability, though Hard West is unlikely to utilize all cores. The base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are significant for single-threaded performance, which is essential for game logic and AI calculations in turn-based tactics.

The CPU’s single-thread benchmark scores are particularly telling. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2253 indicate strong per-core performance, which ensures that the GPU is not starved of data at high frame rates. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2519 and 4-thread score of 4886 further demonstrate that the CPU can handle the light multi-threading requirements of the game without becoming a bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 326 FPS, the CPU maintains the frame pacing, as evidenced by the lack of a recorded minimum FPS below 227 at Medium settings.

The Ryzen 9 9900X’s average benchmark score is 57498, with a percentile ranking of 92 among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9015, scores 57555, a delta of -0.1%, placing them nearly equal. The AMD EPYC 7313 is 0.2% slower, while the Intel Core i9-14900 is 1.1% faster and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M is 1.4% faster. These close margins indicate that the Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-tier CPU for gaming, though its 12-core/24-thread configuration is overkill for Hard West. The CPU’s 64 MB of L3 cache and DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth further contribute to smooth performance, ensuring that memory latency does not impact frame times.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 326 FPS at Low, 267 FPS at Medium, 205 FPS at High, and 154 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings include a minimum of 227 FPS and maximum of 307 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. These numbers show that 1080p is GPU-bound, with the RTX 4080 SUPER delivering frame rates far beyond the refresh rates of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 206 at Low, 169 at Medium, 130 at High, and 97 at Ultra. The Medium settings record a minimum of 144 FPS and maximum of 194 FPS. The 1440p results are notable for their consistency: even at Ultra, the 97 FPS average is above 60 FPS, making this resolution the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 75 FPS, which is a 36.6% reduction, aligning with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS further declines to 108 at Low, 89 at Medium, 68 at High, and 51 at Ultra. The Medium settings have a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS. The 4K results reveal the GPU’s limits: while Low and Medium settings provide playable frame rates above 60 FPS, High drops to 68 FPS, and Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold at 51 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings is a 62 FPS reduction, a 47.7% drop, which is consistent with the doubling of pixel count. The data shows no recorded minimum or maximum for most configurations, but the Medium settings across all resolutions provide a reliable range, with 4K Medium showing a minimum of 75 FPS, which is still smooth for a turn-based tactics game.