Hard West

The data for Hard West with the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a clear progression in performance as resolution increases, with the most substantial frame rate drops occurring between 1440p and 4K. This pattern indicates a shift in the primary performance limiter as the pixel count grows.

Resolution Scaling

At 1080p, the combination demonstrates exceptional headroom, with average frame rates ranging from 99 FPS at Ultra settings to 180 FPS at Low settings. The gap between Low and Ultra presets at this resolution is substantial, representing an 81 FPS difference. When moving to 1440p, the averages decrease proportionally: the Low preset drops to 133 FPS, and the High preset settles at 84 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 26-35% across matching presets, which is consistent with the increased pixel throughput required.

The most dramatic shift occurs when transitioning from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160). At 4K High, the average frame rate falls to 44 FPS, a 48% reduction from the 84 FPS seen at 1440p High. The Low preset at 4K achieves 70 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to just 33 FPS. This steep decline indicates that at 4K, the RTX 3070's rendering capabilities become the dominant constraint, whereas at lower resolutions, the CPU and game engine overhead play a more significant role. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 57 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS, shows the first signs of potential stutter, suggesting that 4K gaming on this combination requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay.

The data reveals that the scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is not linear. For the High preset, the 1080p score of 133 FPS drops to 44 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. This disproportionate decline underscores the GPU's workload increase, as the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are pushed to their limits at higher resolutions. The game's turn-based tactics genre typically does not demand high frame rates, but the consistency of the frame pacing at 4K Medium (with a 49 FPS minimum) suggests that this resolution is playable but not ideal for the Ultra preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 99 FPS. This is the lowest average among the 1080p presets, with Low achieving 180 FPS, Medium at 168 FPS, and High at 133 FPS.

Q: Does the combination maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (70 FPS average) exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, High averages 44 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 49 FPS indicates occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5%, which scores 17468.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F achieves a 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1451. Its PassMark single-thread score is 2541.

Q: What is the combination's rank among all tested combos for Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 1640 out of 3722 total combinations tested for this game. This places it in the 44th percentile of tested systems.

Q: Is the CPU's performance closer to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163) and 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115). It trails the Intel Core 7 160UL by 0.3% (14232) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C by 0.6% (14277).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides six cores and twelve threads, operating at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake architecture chip, built on a 14 nm process, has 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-threaded throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing for game logic and AI calculations.

Benchmark results indicate the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are moderate. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and Geekbench multicore score of 6257 place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 1350 (2 threads) to 4748 (16 threads), demonstrating that the processor benefits from additional threads but plateaus around the 8-thread mark, where it scores 3929. This suggests that the six physical cores are sufficient for most gaming workloads, but the lack of additional cores beyond twelve threads limits extreme multi-threaded scaling.

The CPU's single-threaded performance, critical for turn-based game logic, is respectable. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and PassMark single-thread score of 2541 indicate that the 4.30 GHz boost clock is effectively utilized. In Hard West, where each turn involves numerous unit calculations, this single-threaded strength helps prevent AI decision-making from becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher average score), are all within a narrow margin, confirming that the i5-10400F holds its own in this performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a rank of 1640 out of 3722 tested combinations for Hard West. This places the combo in the upper half of all tested systems, specifically in the 56th percentile when considering that a lower rank number indicates better performance. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 68th percentile standing and the GPU's 61st percentile standing among their respective components.

This rank suggests that while the individual components are above average, the combination does not reach the top echelons of performance for this specific game. The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 places it close to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT just 0.7% behind and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 1% behind. Interestingly, the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 22214 is notably higher than its average, indicating strong DirectX 11 performance, which is relevant for a 2015 game like Hard West.

The combo's rank of 1640 implies that many other GPU and CPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this title, likely due to the game's age and its relative insensitivity to modern multi-core processors. The data shows that the CPU's performance is competitive with its nearest rivals, all within 0.6% of its average score, but the GPU's position relative to its peers (with the Tesla K40c being 1.5% faster) suggests that the graphics card is the more significant factor in this ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, is the primary driver of frame rates in Hard West, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 14 Gbps effective, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 256-bit bus. The GPU's boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units deliver an FP32 throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS.

The GPU's performance in this game is heavily influenced by resolution. At 1080p, the RTX 3070 is not the limiting factor, as frame rates exceed 130 FPS on all presets except Ultra. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant constraint. The 4K Ultra average of 33 FPS suggests that the game's highest settings, which likely include advanced lighting and shadow effects, overwhelm the GPU's capabilities at this resolution. The 4K Medium preset, with a 57 FPS average and 49 FPS minimum, represents the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 22214 is its strongest result, while its DirectX 12 score of 85 and DirectX 11 score of 182 indicate that it handles the game's API efficiently. The GPU's percentile ranking of 61 places it above the median but not among the top performers. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3070 is 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, but 1.5% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c. This tight clustering suggests that for Hard West, the GPU's specific architecture does not provide a significant advantage over similarly priced alternatives.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are consistently high across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 180 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combination. The Medium preset averages 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS, demonstrating excellent frame pacing. The High preset drops to 133 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 99 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combination has substantial headroom, and even the most demanding settings remain comfortably above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 133 FPS, a 26% reduction from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 109 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. The High preset averages 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first configuration where the average drops below 100 FPS, but it still maintains a playable experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates decline significantly. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS, indicating occasional stutters. The High preset averages 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 53% reduction in average frame rate, highlighting the GPU's struggle with the highest settings at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is viable, with an average of 99 FPS. However, the High preset at 133 FPS provides a smoother experience with a 34% performance increase over Ultra, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize frame rate consistency over maximum visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 168 FPS is suitable for competitive play, though the game's turn-based nature does not require such high frame rates.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 84 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 109 FPS is the recommended choice for a consistently smooth experience, as its minimum of 93 FPS ensures no noticeable dips. The Low preset at 133 FPS is excessive for this game genre and sacrifices visual quality without providing tangible benefits.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 55 FPS, with its 57 FPS average and 49 FPS minimum. The High preset at 44 FPS is borderline playable for turn-based tactics, but the frame drops may become noticeable during camera panning. The Ultra preset at 33 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 70 FPS provides the most stable 4K experience, but players must accept reduced visual details. For most users, the 4K Medium preset represents the best compromise, delivering adequate performance while preserving a reasonable level of graphical quality.