Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for this pairing of an Intel Core i5-11400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 shows a system that delivers extremely high frame rates across all tested configurations, with the primary bottleneck shifting decisively toward the CPU's single-thread performance at lower resolutions. The measured results place this combination at rank 404 out of 3722 tested combos, putting it in the top 10.9 percent of all systems in the database for this specific game. The data indicates that while the GPU is vastly overqualified for this title, the combination yields playable-to-excellent performance at every preset, with the most demanding Ultra setting at 4K still maintaining an average of 58 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Hard West?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 148 FPS average, which balances visual quality with a frame rate well above display refresh rates. For maximum smoothness, 1920x1080 with Low settings reaches 211 FPS, while 3840x2160 with Ultra settings drops to 58 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM factor into Hard West performance?

A: The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on the RTX 5090 is far beyond what a 2015 turn-based tactics game requires. The measured frame rates show no indication of memory capacity limitations at any resolution, with the largest performance deltas between settings being attributable to rendering load rather than VRAM constraints.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests CPU limitations emerge at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low (211 FPS) and Ultra (161 FPS) is 50 FPS, whereas at 4K, the same settings span 123 to 58 FPS, a 65 FPS difference. The 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.40 GHz boost clock appears to cap performance around 211 FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: What is the most demanding preset, and is it playable?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 is the most demanding configuration tested, yielding an average of 58 FPS. This is playable for a turn-based game where reaction time is less critical, but it is the only tested setting that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination holds rank 404 out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the 89th percentile of all systems in the benchmark database for this game.

Q: What are the 1440p Medium settings results?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system averages 169 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 194 FPS. This represents a solid middle ground between the 148 FPS High and 181 FPS Low results at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz define its operational range, and its 12 MB of shared L3 cache supports the 80 KB per-core L1 and 512 KB per-core L2 caches. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 71, with an average benchmark score of 17177, placing it near the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher) and Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower) in synthetic tests.

In Hard West, the CPU's influence is most apparent in the 1080p results. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1920x1080 only reduces frame rates from 211 to 161 FPS, whereas at 4K the same settings span a wider relative range (123 to 58 FPS). This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024, becomes a limiting factor. The game's turn-based mechanics likely rely on discrete simulation steps rather than continuous multi-threaded workloads, which explains why the processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Passmark single-thread score of 2981 are more relevant than its multi-core capabilities.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for this title. The 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 versus the 2-thread score of 1691 shows that scaling beyond a few threads offers diminishing returns, consistent with a game that doesn't heavily utilize the 12 available threads. The processor's 65 W TDP and end-of-life production status suggest it is a mid-range part from 2021, but the data shows it still delivers 211 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that Hard West's CPU demands are modest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. Its 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide substantial raw compute, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The GPU's percentile ranking against all GPUs is 92, with an average benchmark score of 79842, placing it within 0.3% of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.4% below the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X in the database's aggregate scores.

For Hard West, the RTX 5090's capabilities are overwhelmingly sufficient. The measured frame rates at 4K High (78 FPS) and 4K Medium (101 FPS) demonstrate that even at the highest resolution, the GPU is not stressed. The 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate are far beyond what a 2015 turn-based tactics game can utilize. The GPU's 575 W TDP and dual-slot design with a 16-pin power connector are notable, but the game's rendering demands are minimal.

The performance scaling across settings at 4K reveals the GPU's headroom: Low settings produce 123 FPS, Medium 101 FPS, High 78 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. This 65 FPS spread at 4K contrasts with the 50 FPS spread at 1080p, showing that the GPU is the primary differentiator at higher resolutions. The RTX 5090's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 18355 and Passmark G3D score of 39650 confirm its high-end positioning, but for this game, even a significantly less powerful GPU would likely achieve similar results at lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 404th out of 3722 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the top 10.9 percent of all systems benchmarked in this database. The rank reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across all tested configurations, though the CPU's mid-range positioning prevents it from achieving the very top scores.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show a tight cluster: the AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 0.3% higher, the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 0.4% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 0.6% lower. These small deltas indicate that the i5-11400F's performance is consistent with other mid-range parts, but none of these rivals would significantly alter the Hard West results given the game's modest CPU demands.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% higher) and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.1% lower), but these comparisons are based on aggregate benchmarks rather than Hard West-specific results. The rank of 404 suggests that many systems with faster CPUs achieve higher frame rates in this game, likely due to the CPU bottleneck observed at 1080p. The data shows that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, the i5-11400F's single-thread performance caps the system's potential in this particular title.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings for this system depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers 179 FPS average, which is only 32 FPS below the Low preset's 211 FPS but provides significantly better visual quality. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 197 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS, making it a strong choice for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p still achieves 161 FPS, so there is no reason to avoid the highest settings at this resolution unless aiming for the absolute maximum frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset's 148 FPS average is the best balance for most users, offering a comfortable margin above 120 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 169 FPS with a minimum of 143 FPS, which is ideal for 144 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 111 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 25% reduction from High. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 181 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given the High preset's performance.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides 101 FPS average with a minimum of 86 FPS and maximum of 116 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays with 100 Hz+ refresh rates. The High preset at 4K delivers 78 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced turn-based gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and should only be used if visual fidelity is prioritized over smoothness. The Low preset at 4K reaches 123 FPS, but the visual degradation is severe for marginal frame rate gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates show a clear progression: Low settings average 211 FPS, Medium averages 197 FPS with a minimum of 167 and maximum of 226, High averages 179 FPS, and Ultra averages 161 FPS. The 50 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU should handle this workload with ease.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low averages 181 FPS, Medium averages 169 FPS with a minimum of 143 and maximum of 194, High averages 148 FPS, and Ultra averages 111 FPS. The 70 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p shows a wider performance range than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU begins to contribute more to the performance difference at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows: Low averages 123 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 58 FPS. The 65 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is the largest absolute spread across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant factor at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K is the only configuration with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 86 to 116 FPS, which indicates reasonable frame time consistency for a turn-based game.

The aggregate data across all resolutions shows that the system maintains above 58 FPS in every tested configuration, with the lowest result being the 4K Ultra preset. The highest frame rate recorded is 211 FPS at 1080p Low, and the highest minimum FPS is 167 at 1080p Medium. These numbers confirm that this combination is more than capable of running Hard West smoothly at any settings, with the only caveat being the 4K Ultra preset's sub-60 FPS average.