Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a robust experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows that this pairing is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, though the performance scaling reveals a system that is heavily influenced by graphical load rather than CPU throughput. The benchmark results place this combo in the top quarter of all tested configurations, indicating a strong, balanced platform for this specific game.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, paired with a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. This high core count and large cache are typical of modern high-end desktop parts, but for a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, the workload is generally not heavily threaded. The game’s logic, unit actions, and AI decision-making typically rely more on single-thread performance and memory latency than on raw multi-core throughput.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores exceptionally well on single-thread tests, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 3041 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739. The multi-core scores are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 47737 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. The processor’s PassMark multithread score is 56154, and its average benchmark score is 54762, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. This level of performance means that the CPU is unlikely to be a bottleneck in Hard West, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less pressured.

The benchmark data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 256 FPS. This very high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain such a high output, even if the game is not fully utilizing all 12 cores. The CPU’s strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4646, is likely the key factor here, as turn-based tactics games often have a primary simulation thread. The 24 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks, but the game’s performance is more dependent on the speed of individual cores rather than the total thread count.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is nearly identical in average score to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, with a delta of -0.6%. It is 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P. The margins are extremely small, indicating that in a game like Hard West, any of these processors would deliver similar framerates, reinforcing that the CPU is not the primary differentiator in this specific combo.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. With 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs, it is a capable mid-to-high-range card from the GeForce 40-series. For a game like Hard West, which is not visually demanding by modern standards, the RTX 4070 has more than enough raw power and memory capacity. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures and assets, and the high memory bandwidth ensures that there is no bottleneck when loading high-resolution assets.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark scores reflect its capability. It achieves a PassMark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152. In terms of its position relative to other GPUs, it sits in the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, is virtually identical in score with a delta of just 0.1%. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% ahead. These small deltas show that the RTX 4070 is in a tightly contested performance tier.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as the resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 256 FPS, which is likely limited by the game’s engine or the CPU’s single-thread speed. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 40, indicating that the GPU is now the limiting factor, struggling to maintain high frame rates with the maximum graphical workload. The data shows a clear transition where the CPU handles the low-resolution, low-detail scenarios with ease, but the GPU’s workload scales significantly with resolution and settings, dictating the final performance in the most demanding configurations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 621st out of 2949 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the 79th percentile of all configurations, indicating that it outperforms the majority of systems tested with this game. Given the age of the game, this high ranking is expected for a modern high-end CPU and a solid mid-range GPU. The rank suggests that this combo is not top-tier, but it is significantly above average, offering a smooth experience for most players.

The rank of 621 means there are 620 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs that produce higher average frame rates in this specific game. These would likely include pairings with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, or perhaps combinations with extreme high-refresh-rate CPUs. However, the 79th percentile ranking is a strong result, confirming that this pairing is well-suited for Hard West and will not leave users wanting for performance at typical gaming resolutions. The data shows that the bottleneck is almost certainly the GPU, as the CPU’s raw scores are high enough to pair with more powerful graphics cards without issue.

The ranking also implies that the system is overqualified for this title if played at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the 256 FPS average would likely place the combo much higher in the rankings, but the average across all settings and resolutions brings it down to 621st. This highlights that the ranking is a holistic measure and that the specific settings and resolution chosen by the user will have a massive impact on the actual experience.

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

The measured frame rates provide a detailed look at the performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 121 at Ultra settings to 256 at Low settings. The Medium setting yields an average of 210 FPS, with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 241. High settings produce an average of 161 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains very playable. The Low setting averages 162 FPS, while High averages 102 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 133 FPS, with a minimum of 113 and a maximum of 153. Ultra settings drop to an average of 76 FPS. The data shows a consistent decrease from Low to Ultra, with the gap between High and Ultra being particularly notable, a 26 FPS drop.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system begins to show its limits. The Low setting averages 85 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 and a maximum of 80. High settings average 54 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40 FPS. The scaling is steep at this resolution, with the jump from Low to Ultra representing a 45 FPS loss. The minimum FPS of 59 at 4K Medium indicates that the system can maintain a playable frame rate, but the 40 FPS average at Ultra will be noticeable to users seeking a fluid experience.

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

The resolution scaling data clearly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component in this configuration. From 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops are substantial across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 256 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 171 FPS or approximately 67%. At High settings, the drop is from 161 FPS to 54 FPS, a 107 FPS reduction. The Ultra setting shows the most severe scaling, dropping from 121 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 4K, a 81 FPS loss.

This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. When the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render multiplies, and the workload on the GPU increases accordingly. The CPU’s workload does not scale in the same way with resolution, so the frame rate drop is directly attributable to the GPU’s rendering capabilities. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU quickly enough to achieve 256 FPS, but at 4K, the GPU cannot keep up, and the frame rate falls to a level where the GPU is saturated.

The fact that the CPU’s performance is not the bottleneck is further supported by the high frame rates at 1080p. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be similar across resolutions, as the CPU would cap the performance. Instead, we see a clear inverse relationship between resolution and FPS, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. The RTX 4070, while capable, is not a top-tier 4K card, and the data shows that for Hard West, it is best suited for 1440p or 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates with ease.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 161 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

*Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings in Hard West?*

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 40 FPS, indicating a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU’s strong single-thread scores suggest it is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum frame rate recorded is 59 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF in average CPU benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF’s average score of 55093.

*Q: What is the ranking of this CPU and GPU combo among all tested configurations for Hard West?*

A: This specific combo ranks 621st out of 2949 tested combinations for the game.