Hard West

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable experience in Hard West, but the data reveals a clear hierarchy: this combo is strictly a 1080p and 1440p performer. At 4K, the frame rates collapse, indicating that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become the primary constraints. The measured results show a 185.2 FPS average at 1080p Low, which drops to 27.8 FPS at 4K Ultra—a 6.7x reduction in performance that underscores how quickly the graphics card becomes the limiting factor as resolution scales.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 185.2 FPS, but at 4K Low, that figure falls to 63.7 FPS—a 65% drop. The pattern continues across settings: 1080p Medium runs at 152.8 FPS while 4K Medium drops to 49.5 FPS, and 1080p High runs at 119.1 FPS while 4K High falls to 40.6 FPS. The most dramatic decline occurs at Ultra settings, where the 1080p score of 87.6 FPS plummets to 27.8 FPS at 4K, a 68% reduction.

These numbers indicate that the RTX 4060 is the dominant limiting component at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 128-bit bus width and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for the pixel throughput demanded by 4K, particularly with the memory-intensive Ultra preset. The data suggests that the CPU has headroom at 1080p—the 185.2 FPS Low result is well above what most 60 Hz displays can use—but the GPU saturates quickly as resolution increases. For players targeting 4K, the measured frame rates at Medium (49.5 FPS) and High (40.6 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making this combo unsuitable for 4K gaming in Hard West.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz provide the raw compute power for the 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, but the memory subsystem is the weak link in this game. The measured results show that at 1440p Ultra, the combo manages 55.2 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 27.8 FPS—a 50% reduction that aligns with the doubling of pixel count from 1440p to 4K.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in Hard West, as the frame rates remain high even at Ultra settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 27.8 FPS suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are both strained. The RTX 4060’s 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs also limit pixel and texture fill rates at higher resolutions, which explains why the 4K Medium result (49.5 FPS) is only 32% of the 1080p Medium result (152.8 FPS). The GPU’s 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 23181 place it in the mid-range, which is consistent with these measured results in a turn-based tactics game that does not heavily stress modern hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this Intel Core i5-11400F + RTX 4060 combination ranks 981st out of 1699 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the lower-middle tier of the database, which is surprising given the hardware’s performance in other workloads. The CPU alone sits at the 75th percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 17181, while the GPU sits at the 66th percentile with an average score of 23181. The combo’s rank suggests that Hard West is not a demanding title, and the hardware’s relative position is determined more by the performance of other, higher-end combos in the database.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a deltaPct of 0, the Intel Core i7-1260P at -0.2, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at -0.2. These competitors all score within 0.2% of the i5-11400F, indicating that the CPU is solidly mid-range. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at -0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti at -0.7%, while the Intel Arc B580 is 0.7% ahead. This tight clustering means the RTX 4060’s performance is well-matched to its peers, but the combo’s overall rank of 981/1699 reflects that many other combinations with stronger GPUs or CPUs achieve higher frame rates in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance: Low runs at 185.2 FPS, Medium at 152.8 FPS, High at 119.1 FPS, and Ultra at 87.6 FPS. All four presets comfortably exceed the 60 FPS standard, and even Ultra maintains a high frame rate that would be smooth on most displays. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 53% reduction in performance (185.2 to 87.6 FPS), which is expected given the increased visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but with more variation. Low runs at 119.8 FPS, Medium at 95.8 FPS, High at 73.9 FPS, and Ultra at 55.2 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, indicating that players seeking a locked 60 FPS experience should use High settings at this resolution. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings is roughly 35-37% across all presets, which is consistent with the resolution’s pixel count increase.

At 3840x2160, the performance degrades significantly. Low runs at 63.7 FPS, Medium at 49.5 FPS, High at 40.6 FPS, and Ultra at 27.8 FPS. Only the Low preset achieves a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable target for this combo in Hard West, as the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity cannot sustain high frame rates at this resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the best resolution, with all four settings presets achieving at least 87.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low, Medium, and High presets exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra falls to 55.2 FPS.

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

A: No. The measured results show 4K Low at 63.7 FPS, but Medium drops to 49.5 FPS, High to 40.6 FPS, and Ultra to 27.8 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches 60 FPS, making 4K unsuitable for most players.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 perform relative to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 23181 places it 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, while the Intel Arc B580 is 0.7% ahead. This indicates near-identical performance among these GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU’s multithreaded performance like?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F scores 14372 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 6036 in Cinebench R20 multicore, with a 3DMark max threads score of 5652. This places it at the 75th percentile among all CPUs.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues in Hard West?*

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the 8 GB VRAM appears sufficient, as frame rates remain high even at Ultra settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 27.8 FPS suggests that the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are strained at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in the database?

A: This combo ranks 981st out of 1699 tested combinations for Hard West, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide solid performance for gaming workloads. The CPU’s benchmark results are consistent: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 14372, Cinebench R20 multicore scores 6036, and Geekbench multicore scores 7579. Single-threaded performance is also strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and a Passmark single-thread score of 2981.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is less demanding than in action titles. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low (185.2 FPS) suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings. However, the combo’s rank of 981/1699 indicates that many other CPUs in the database outperform the i5-11400F in this game. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, all score within 0.2% of the i5-11400F’s average benchmark score of 17181, confirming that it is a mid-range processor. For Hard West, the CPU provides ample processing power, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gamers, the Ultra preset at 87.6 FPS is the best choice, as it delivers the highest visual quality while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. Players who prefer maximum smoothness can use High at 119.1 FPS, but the visual gains from Ultra are likely worth the 27% frame rate reduction. At 1440p, the High preset at 73.9 FPS offers the best balance, as it stays above 60 FPS while providing good visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 55.2 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making High the recommended choice for this resolution.

For 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset at 63.7 FPS is playable, and even that is marginal. Players with 4K displays should either reduce the resolution to 1440p or accept the visual compromises of Low settings. The Medium preset at 49.5 FPS and High at 40.6 FPS are below the 60 FPS standard, and Ultra at 27.8 FPS is not a viable option. Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Ultra or 1440p High, both of which provide high frame rates with strong visual quality.