Hard West

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination delivers a playable experience in Hard West, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The pairing ranks in the 32nd percentile of all tested combos, placing it at position 1153 out of 1699 in the database. This is a mid-pack result for a turn-based tactics title, where frame rates are less critical than in action genres, yet the scaling pattern shows where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component as pixel count rises. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo averages 77.3 FPS, which falls to 48.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 23.3 FPS at 4K. That represents a 69.8% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at the highest preset, a severe decline that points to the RX 7600's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus struggling with the pixel throughput demanded by 3840x2160.

The scaling pattern is more moderate between 1080p and 1440p. At High settings, the average drops from 101.9 FPS to 61.9 FPS, a 39.3% reduction. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is even harsher, falling to 35.8 FPS, a 42.2% further decline. Low settings show the same trend: 157.2 FPS at 1080p, 98.1 FPS at 1440p, and 56.1 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the frame rate barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold, while 1440p and 1080p offer much more headroom across all presets.

The resolution scaling also reveals a CPU effect at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 157.2 FPS, but the gap between Low and Medium at that resolution is 24.5 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 30.8 FPS. This compression at higher frame rates suggests the i5-11400F's six cores and twelve threads are keeping pace, but the GPU is not fully saturated until the resolution climbs. At 4K, the difference between Low and Medium shrinks to 14.7 FPS, confirming that the GPU is the dominant constraint at that resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the decisive factor in this combination's 4K performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is insufficient for the Ultra preset at 3840x2160, where the average FPS collapses to 23.3. The card's boost clock of 2655 MHz and 2048 shading units deliver strong raw compute, evidenced by its 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, but memory bandwidth becomes the wall at high pixel counts.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 16634. Its average benchmark score of 20258 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 20146, a delta of just 0.6%. The RX 7600 also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.3% and the Intel Arc B570 by 1.5% in average score, showing it sits in a tight competitive cluster. However, these near-identical synthetic scores do not translate to equal game performance, as the measured FPS in Hard West shows the card's real-world limits.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 32 ray accelerators are irrelevant for this title, as Hard West is a turn-based tactics game with modest graphical demands. The card's pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are more relevant, but the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card simply runs out of memory bandwidth. The 18 Gbps effective memory clock is a bright spot, but it cannot compensate for the narrow 128-bit interface when pushing 8.3 million pixels per frame.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides ample processing power for Hard West, a game that does not stress multi-threaded workloads heavily. Its six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, deliver a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for turn-based tactics, where AI calculations and game logic often run on fewer threads.

The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 17181, places it just behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which scores 17189 with a 0% delta. It also matches the Intel Core i7-1260P and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, both scoring 17212 and 17215 with -0.2% deltas, and edges the Intel Core i5-1240U by 0.2%. This tight grouping means the i5-11400F is not a performance outlier in either direction.

In Hard West, the CPU role is best observed at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 157.2 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions, as the GPU can push frames well above display refresh rates. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s dual-channel memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's data demands. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node are irrelevant to game performance here, but the data shows no CPU bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rate scales consistently with GPU load.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 23.3, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The GPU's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors at this resolution.

Q: Is the RX 7600 a strong match for the i5-11400F in this game?

A: The data shows a balanced pairing. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo delivers strong frame rates, with 101.9 FPS at 1080p High and 61.9 FPS at 1440p High. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, dropping below 60 FPS at all settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination?

A: 1440p at High settings offers a solid 61.9 FPS average, while 1080p at Ultra hits 77.3 FPS. For a turn-based game, 1440p High provides a good balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 17181 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212). It trails the Intel Core i5-1240U by 0.2% and matches the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U with a -0.2% delta.

Q: Is the RX 7600 significantly better than the RX 7600 XT?

A: No, the data shows the RX 7600 scores 20258 on average, while the RX 7600 XT scores 20146, making the RX 7600 0.6% faster in synthetic benchmarks. In Hard West, the measured FPS reflects this close performance.

Q: What settings should be avoided at 4K?

A: Ultra at 4K averages 23.3 FPS, and High at 4K averages 35.8 FPS, both below 60 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K, with 56.1 FPS, approach a playable frame rate for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1153 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 32nd percentile. This is a below-average ranking, but the game's turn-based nature means the absolute frame rates are less impactful than in fast-paced genres. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at 4K, where the combo falls behind many others that feature higher-end graphics cards.

The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all processors is not reflected in the combo's overall rank, indicating that the GPU drags the pair down. The RX 7600's 63rd percentile GPU ranking is the weaker link, and this is evident in the 4K results. At 1080p, the combo would likely rank much higher, but the database records only the aggregate performance across all resolutions.

The combo's position is also influenced by the fact that Hard West is an older title from 2015, which may not scale perfectly with newer hardware. The 1699 tested combos include many with more powerful GPUs, such as those with higher memory bandwidth or larger VRAM pools, which pull ahead at 4K. The i5-11400F and RX 7600 pairing is a competent mid-range setup, but it does not excel in this specific title's most demanding settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 77.3 at Ultra to 157.2 at Low. The Medium preset averages 132.7 FPS, while High averages 101.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is fully playable at every preset, with even Ultra clearing the 60 FPS threshold comfortably.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain playable. Low settings hit 98.1 FPS, Medium reaches 83.2 FPS, High achieves 61.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48.9 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is below 60 FPS, but for a turn-based tactics game, 48.9 FPS is still a smooth experience. The 1440p High setting is the sweet spot, offering near-60 FPS performance with higher visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the averages are marginal. Low settings produce 56.1 FPS, Medium drops to 41.4 FPS, High falls to 35.8 FPS, and Ultra collapses to 23.3 FPS. The 4K results show a clear pattern: only Low settings approach playable frame rates, and even then, the average is below 60 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at 4K costs 14.7 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 5.6 FPS, showing diminishing returns at higher presets.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it delivers 77.3 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold for turn-based tactics. The High preset at 1080p offers 101.9 FPS, but the visual gains from Ultra are worth the 24.6 FPS drop, given the genre's slower pacing.

At 1440p, the High preset is the best choice, averaging 61.9 FPS. This provides a solid balance between visual quality and performance, staying above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p, with 83.2 FPS, is a viable alternative for players who prioritize frame rate stability, but High offers the best visual experience without dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, with 56.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 41.4 FPS is playable for turn-based tactics, but the visual improvements are minimal compared to the 14.7 FPS loss. The Ultra preset at 4K, with 23.3 FPS, should be avoided entirely, as the frame rate is too low for a smooth experience, even in a slow-paced game. For users with 4K displays, the data suggests either dropping to 1440p or accepting Low settings for playable performance.