Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the shape of that decline varies significantly by settings preset. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 152 FPS at 1920x1080 to 109 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 43 FPS, and then further to 57 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62.5% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count rises.

The Low preset shows a different scaling pattern. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 180, which drops to 155 at 2560x1440 and then to 91 at 3840x2160. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 49.4%, which is notably smaller than the High preset's drop. This suggests that at Low settings, the workload is less GPU-bound, allowing the CPU to maintain a relatively higher proportion of its performance ceiling across resolutions.

Medium settings present the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded at all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average is 168 FPS with a range from 143 to 193. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 142 FPS with a range from 121 to 163. At 3840x2160, the average is 74 FPS with a range from 63 to 86. The 1080p to 4K drop here is 56.0%, sitting between the Low and High presets.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling curve. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 129, dropping to 82 at 2560x1440 and then to 43 at 3840x2160. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 66.7%, the largest percentage drop among all presets. This indicates that Ultra settings push the GPU hard enough that resolution scaling becomes the dominant factor in performance degradation.

The data collectively shows that Hard West's performance scaling is primarily GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 51 FPS (180 vs 129), but at 4K that gap widens to 48 FPS (91 vs 43) in absolute terms, though the proportional difference grows. The RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient to avoid memory bottlenecks even at 4K, as the frame rates remain playable across most presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings substantial specifications to this turn-based tactics title. Its Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, includes 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 12 GB GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a game released in 2015.

The RTX 5070's compute capabilities are considerable: 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. It achieves 30.87 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and the same for FP16 (1:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 201.0 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 482.3 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the GPU can deliver 180 FPS at 1080p Low settings, a scenario where the workload is light enough to expose the CPU's limitations.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 5070 scores 29137 in PassMark G3D and 15787 in PassMark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 5077. The GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 82, meaning it outperforms 82% of tested graphics cards. The average benchmark score of 40377 places it in a tight cluster with rivals: the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318 (0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063 (0.8% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870 (-1.2% delta), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568 (2% delta). These deltas are all within 2%, indicating the RTX 5070's performance class is closely matched by several other cards.

For Hard West specifically, the GPU's role is most evident at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 43. This is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and it represents the GPU's limit when pushed with maximum settings at the highest resolution. The fact that the same GPU achieves 180 FPS at 1080p Low shows that Hard West is not a demanding title by modern standards, but the RTX 5070 still becomes the limiting component at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1112 out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, at roughly the 70th percentile of combinations. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 14185, which sits among rivals including the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% delta), Intel Core 7 160UL (14232, -0.3% delta), AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% delta), and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, -0.6% delta). These deltas are all under 1%, meaning the i5-10400F's general processing performance is essentially equivalent to these other CPUs.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 40377 is similarly close to its nearest rivals, with all deltas within 2%. This clustering suggests that the combo's rank of 1112 is not driven by any single component being exceptionally strong or weak, but rather by how the two components interact in this specific game.

Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the game's engine likely doesn't scale perfectly with modern hardware. The measured FPS data confirms this: even at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 180 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit or the point where CPU single-thread performance becomes the constraint. The i5-10400F's single-thread score in 3DMark is 688, which is modest by current standards, and its PassMark single-thread score is 2541. These figures suggest the CPU can handle the game's logic without major issues, but it may cap frame rates in less demanding scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: At 2560x1440 High settings, the combo delivers 109 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. At 1080p, all settings exceed 129 FPS, making it a strong choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: Yes, at 4K Medium settings the average FPS is 74 with a min of 63 and max of 86. At 4K High, the average drops to 57 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K average 43 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS standard.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F's average benchmark score is 14185, which is 0.2% above the Intel Xeon 6756E, 0.3% below the Intel Core 7 160UL, 0.5% above the AMD EPYC 7552, and 0.6% below the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. All deltas are under 1%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377. Its closest rival in average score is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 40870, which is 1.2% higher.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 1080p Low is 180, while at 1080p Ultra it is 129. The 51 FPS difference represents a 39.5% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the combo's rank change with settings?

A: The combo's rank of 1112 out of 3722 is a single overall ranking for Hard West. The measured FPS data shows that the combo's relative performance varies by resolution and settings, with the largest gap between presets occurring at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured results across all four settings presets are as follows. Low settings produce an average of 180 FPS with no min or max recorded. High settings produce an average of 152 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 and a maximum of 193. Ultra settings produce an average of 129 FPS. The ordering from highest to lowest average FPS is Low (180), Medium (168), High (152), and Ultra (129).

At 2560x1440 resolution, the performance hierarchy remains consistent. Low settings average 155 FPS. High settings average 109 FPS. Medium settings average 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 and a maximum of 163. Ultra settings average 82 FPS. The ordering is Low (155), Medium (142), High (109), and Ultra (82).

At 3840x2160 resolution, the results show more pronounced differences between settings. Low settings average 91 FPS. High settings average 57 FPS. Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 86. Ultra settings average 43 FPS. The ordering is Low (91), Medium (74), High (57), and Ultra (43).

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the only complete min/max data. The minimum FPS values recorded are 143 at 1080p, 121 at 1440p, and 63 at 4K. The maximum FPS values are 193 at 1080p, 163 at 1440p, and 86 at 4K. These ranges suggest that Medium settings produce the most stable frame delivery, with narrower spreads relative to their averages compared to other presets.

The delta between Low and Ultra grows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 51 FPS. At 1440p, it is 73 FPS. At 4K, it is 48 FPS. The proportional difference, however, shrinks at 4K because the absolute frame rates are lower for all presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 10th Gen series, built on the Comet Lake architecture using Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 12 MB L3 shared. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and uses PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

The CPU's benchmark results show a clear multi-threaded capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10283 in multi-core and 1451 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, the scores are 4318 multi-core and 609 single-core. Geekbench scores are 6257 multi-core and 1420 single-core. The 3DMark tests show scaling from 1350 in 2-thread to 4748 in 16-thread, with 3929 in 8-thread and 4735 in max-thread. This scaling pattern indicates the CPU benefits from additional threads, though the gains diminish beyond 8 threads.

PassMark results reinforce this picture. The multi-thread score is 12115, while the single-thread score is 2541. The integer math score is 41471, floating point math is 25956, and extended instructions is 12500. The data compression score is 185944, and data encryption is 4100. The find prime numbers score is 35, which is notably low and reflects the CPU's performance on that specific workload.

For Hard West, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 180 FPS, which may be limited by the CPU's single-thread performance in game logic. The CPU's percentile ranking of 68 among all CPUs suggests it is above average but not exceptional. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 0.6% of its 14185 average, so the CPU's performance class is consistent across similar processors.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process are modest by current standards, but they are sufficient for a turn-based tactics game that does not demand heavy parallel processing. The 12 threads and 4.30 GHz boost clock provide enough headroom for the game's AI and simulation tasks, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1920x1080 displays, the Medium preset is a strong recommendation because it offers 168 FPS average with a minimum of 143 FPSestr, ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The High preset at 152 FPS is also excellent, but Medium's min FPS of 143 provides a more consistent floor. Ultra at 129 FPS remains playable but offers diminishing returns over High.

For 2560x1440 displays, the Medium preset again stands out with an average of 142 FPS and a minimum of 121 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a stable experience. High settings at 109 FPS are also viable, but the 33 FPS gap between High and Medium at this resolution suggests Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 82 FPS is playable but may exhibit more noticeable frame drops.

For 3840x2160 displays, the Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, at 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. High settings average 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra averages 43 FPS, which is significantly lower. Low settings average 91 FPS but at a substantial visual quality cost. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset for 4K, as it is the only preset that combines an average above 60 FPS with a minimum FPS above 60.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most complete data with min and max FPS recorded, indicating consistent frame delivery. The data suggests that Hard West's engine responds well to the Medium preset, which likely balances GPU load and visual fidelity effectively. Users with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p may prefer Low settings for the 180 FPS average, but the visual trade-off is significant. For most users, Medium settings at 1440p or 4K offer the best combination of smoothness and image quality based on the measured results.