Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 reveals a system that is decidedly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of exceptional frame rates at 1080p. The measured FPS across the three resolutions shows a clear scaling pattern that defines this combo’s strengths and limitations. At 1920x1080, the system delivers performance that ranges from 95.8 FPS on Ultra to a massive 178.8 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently and that the RTX 5060 has ample headroom to push well past the 144Hz refresh rate territory that many gamers target. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong, with the High preset at 76 FPS and Low at 125.4 FPS, but the drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, averaging around a 35-40% reduction in performance across settings. At 3840x2160, the system begins to struggle under the pixel load, with Ultra falling to 31.2 FPS and High managing only 42 FPS, which makes 4K gaming a less attractive proposition for this configuration.

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

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K is textbook for a modern mid-range GPU paired with a capable but older six-core processor. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across all four presets is 138.7, which is incredibly high for a tactical game and shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this scenario. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough single-thread performance to keep the RTX 5060 fed at these lower resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that Low preset hits 178.8 FPS, a figure that approaches the practical limits of what most displays can show. When the resolution jumps to 2560x1440, the average FPS across presets drops to 90.8, a 34.5% decrease from 1080p. This is a significant hit, but it is proportional to the increase in pixel count, suggesting that the GPU is now the primary limiting factor. The fact that Low preset still achieves 125.4 FPS at 1440p indicates that the CPU can handle the draw calls, but the GPU’s rendering workload is increasing as expected.

The transition to 3840x2160 is where the system’s limitations become stark. The average FPS across presets at 4K is just 47.8, a 65.5% drop from the 1080p average. This is a much steeper decline than the pixel count increase would suggest, which points to the RTX 5060’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus becoming a constraint. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 31.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience in most games. The gap between Low (63 FPS) and Ultra (31.2 FPS) at 4K is also telling, as it represents a 50% performance swing that is entirely dependent on the GPU’s ability to process the increased graphical complexity. For this game, the resolution scaling data clearly indicates that the CPU is not the limiting component until you push past 1440p, and even then, it is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and raw compute that hold the system back, not the processor’s 2.90 GHz base clock or 4.30 GHz boost clock.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. In a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, which is not known for massive texture streaming, the 8 GB capacity is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that the memory bus width becomes a limiting factor when the pixel fill rate demand increases. The GPU’s base clock of 2280 MHz and boost clock of 2497 MHz are relatively high for a 50-series card, and the benchmark data shows that the card is able to sustain high frame rates at lower resolutions without thermal or power throttling, given its 145 W TDP. The FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS is more than adequate for a game from 2015, and the measured results confirm that the card is not being challenged by the game’s graphical features at 1080p.

The GPU’s role becomes more nuanced when examining the settings scaling at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 83 FPS, which shows that the GPU has plenty of headroom to handle the game’s highest settings without breaking a sweat. The fact that Medium (158.7 FPS) and High (121.5 FPS) both exceed 120 FPS suggests that the RTX 5060’s shading units (3840) and TMUs (120) are more than capable of handling the geometry and texture work required by Hard West. However, at 4K, the GPU’s 48 ROPs become a bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate of 119.9 GPixel/s is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at that resolution. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system drops to 31.2 FPS, which is a clear sign that the GPU is working at its absolute limit. The VRAM capacity also plays a role here, as 8 GB is on the lower end for 4K gaming, and the game may be spilling into system memory, which would explain the steep performance drop from High (42 FPS) to Ultra (31.2 FPS). Overall, the RTX 5060 is a strong performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its 4K capability is limited, and the data suggests that users should stay at 1440p or below for a consistently smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 1080p on Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 95.8 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it indicates that the system has significant headroom on the highest preset at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS consistently?

A: The data shows that all presets at 2560x1440 achieve over 59 FPS, with High at 76 FPS and Low at 125.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (63 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, so 1440p is the optimal resolution for a comfortable margin.

Q: How does the i5-10400F hold up against its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which places it 0.4% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115) and 0.8% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277). It is also 1.1% behind the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332), indicating it is a solid mid-range performer.

Q: Is the RTX 5060 a better performer than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT?

A: The benchmark data shows the RTX 5060 has an average score of 30109, which is exactly equal to the RX 7700 XT's score of 30097, differing by 0%. In practical terms, they are performance peers in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Will the 8 GB VRAM be a problem in Hard West?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM is sufficient, as evidenced by the playable frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 31.2 FPS, which suggests that the VRAM capacity or memory bandwidth is a contributing factor to the performance degradation.

Q: What kind of frame rate can I expect on Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 102.5 FPS. This provides a very smooth experience and is a good balance between visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 894 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 52.6th percentile of all configurations. This is a middle-of-the-pack ranking that reflects the system’s capabilities: it is far from the top-tier combos that can handle 4K Ultra, but it sits above the majority of systems that struggle to maintain 60 FPS at 1080p. The ranking is likely influenced by the CPU’s age, as the i5-10400F is a 10th-gen part with a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU is a current-gen part with a matching 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs. This parity in percentile rankings suggests that the two components are well-matched in terms of overall performance class, but the combo’s rank in this specific game is dragged down by the GPU’s 4K limitations.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-10400F is nearly identical in performance to the AMD EPYC 7552, with a delta of 0.4%. This means that swapping in the EPYC 7552 would result in virtually no change in CPU-bound scenarios. The GPU’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, with a delta of 0%, meaning that in synthetic benchmarks, the two cards are indistinguishable. However, in Hard West, the RTX 5060’s 8 GB VRAM may give it a slight edge over the RX 7700 XT in lower resolutions, while the latter might perform better at 4K due to its larger memory pool, though this is not reflected in the provided data. The combo rank of 894 indicates that there are 805 better-performing combos and 804 worse-performing combos, which puts this system squarely in the middle of the pack. For a turn-based tactics game, this is more than sufficient, as the genre does not demand the extreme frame rates that competitive shooters do.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 95.8 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS. The High preset at 121.5 FPS is also excellent, and it offers a 26.8% performance boost over Ultra with only a modest reduction in graphical quality. For users with a 144Hz monitor, the High preset is the sweet spot, as it consistently stays above 120 FPS. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 76 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience on standard 60Hz displays and is only 23 FPS below the Medium preset. The Ultra preset at 59.4 FPS is borderline, but it will dip below 60 FPS in more demanding scenes, so High is the safer choice for a locked 60 FPS experience.

For those attempting 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests that this resolution is not ideal for this combo. The Low preset at 63 FPS is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset at 54.8 FPS is playable but not perfectly smooth, and it represents the best balance between visual fidelity and performance at 4K. The High (42 FPS) and Ultra (31.2 FPS) presets are too demanding for a consistent experience and should be avoided unless the user is willing to accept sub-60 FPS gameplay. For the best overall experience, the data indicates that 1440p on High settings is the sweet spot, offering a 76 FPS average that is both visually impressive and performant. If 1080p is the target, then Ultra settings are the clear winner, as the system has more than enough horsepower to handle the game’s maximum settings without compromise.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how the system performs across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low settings average 178.8 FPS, Medium settings average 158.7 FPS, High settings average 121.5 FPS, and Ultra settings average 95.8 FPS. This represents a 53.6% performance drop from Low to Ultra, which is a substantial gap but still leaves all presets in the highly playable range. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 20.1 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High is a 37.2 FPS drop, and the final step to Ultra costs another 25.7 FPS. This pattern suggests that the High preset is the most efficient in terms of performance per visual feature, as it offers a significant reduction in frame rate compared to Medium but still maintains a high level of fluidity.

At 2560x1440, the measured numbers are: Low at 125.4 FPS, Medium at 102.5 FPS, High at 76 FPS, and Ultra at 59.4 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 66 FPS, which is a 52.6% reduction. The step from Medium to High is particularly steep at 26.5 FPS, indicating that the High preset introduces a significant GPU load increase. The Ultra preset at 59.4 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, making it a borderline choice for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the data shows: Low at 63 FPS, Medium at 54.8 FPS, High at 42 FPS, and Ultra at 31.2 FPS. The performance is consistently below 60 FPS except for the Low preset, and the gap between Low and Ultra is a massive 31.8 FPS. The 4K results clearly show that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the preset, indicating that the CPU is no longer a bottleneck. Across all resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern: the system excels at 1080p, performs admirably at 1440p, and struggles at 4K, making the mid-range resolutions the practical choice for this hardware combination.