Hard West

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers an average of 102.8 FPS. This is the lowest average at this resolution across the four tested settings, showing that Ultra imposes a significant load.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Core i5-12400 scores 19,850 in average benchmark score, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19,831) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19,771). Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15,935, while the single-core score is 2,249.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3070 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Memory clocks run at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed.

Q: At which resolution does the combo achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 214.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution, Medium settings yield 170.3 FPS, and High settings yield 135.1 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 769 out of 1,699 tested combinations in Hard West. This places it in the upper-middle portion of the ranking distribution.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to a rival like the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28,238, which is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT's score of 27,985. The RTX 3070 is also 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27,956).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 operates with a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, built on the GA104 chip using Samsung's 8 nm process. The GPU contains 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, which collectively drive a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. The data shows the card's FP32 performance at 20.31 TFLOPS, with the same figure for FP16 (1:1 ratio). These specifications indicate the GPU is well-suited for rendering the tactical environments in Hard West, where geometric detail and shadow computations can tax the rasterization pipeline.

In the measured results, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the scaling across settings at 4K. At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 produces 47 FPS on High, 54.7 FPS on Medium, and 69 FPS on Low. The drop to 33.8 FPS on Ultra at this resolution suggests the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for most settings, but the Ultra preset likely increases texture streaming and post-processing loads that push the hardware to its limits. The GPU sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, and its nearest rival in average score is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which trails by 0.9%.

The memory subsystem plays a notable role in these results. With 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, the RTX 3070 provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, where scenes may include numerous static objects and detailed terrain, this bandwidth helps maintain consistent frame pacing during camera pans and unit movements. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility mean the card can handle modern rendering paths, even though the game released in 2015.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, has a 163 mm² die size and a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 18 MB shared L3. For a turn-based tactics title, the CPU's role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining consistent logical updates, AI pathfinding, and unit state calculations between turns.

The benchmark data shows the i5-12400 achieving a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,935 and a single-core score of 2,249. In 3DMark tests, it scores 910 in single-thread, 1,692 in 2-threads, 3,012 in 4-threads, 4,745 in 8-threads, 5,873 in 16-threads, and 5,890 in max-threads. These numbers indicate strong scaling up to 8 threads, with diminishing returns beyond that, which aligns with the 6-core/12-thread design. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs suggests it outperforms most processors in the database.

Comparing to rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19,850 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-9700 (19,831, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19,894, delta -0.2%). This positioning means the CPU is not a bottleneck in Hard West, as the game's turn-based nature rarely demands sustained high-frequency multi-core execution. The dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provides flexibility, though the game's performance deltas across settings are more attributable to GPU load than CPU throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the combo scales across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 214.1 FPS, Medium averages 170.3 FPS, High averages 135.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 102.8 FPS. This represents a drop of 43.8 FPS from Low to Medium, 35.2 FPS from Medium to High, and 32.3 FPS from High to Ultra. The trend shows that each settings tier imposes a roughly similar absolute cost at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages shift to 133.6 FPS on Low, 108.4 FPS on Medium, 85.6 FPS on High, and 63.8 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Medium here is 25.2 FPS, while the gap from High to Ultra is 21.8 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces the Low-setting average by 80.5 FPS, indicating that pixel throughput becomes a limiting factor even at lower quality presets.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low averages 69 FPS, Medium averages 54.7 FPS, High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 33.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 14.3 FPS, while the gap from High to Ultra is 13.2 FPS. The 4K resolution shows the RTX 3070's limits: even with Low settings, the card cannot maintain a 60 FPS average, though it comes close at 69 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces a 33.8 FPS average, which is below the 47 FPS seen at High, suggesting that Ultra enables effects that heavily tax the GPU's 20.31 TFLOPS compute capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 769 out of 1,699 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the 45th percentile of all combos. This middle-of-the-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component strengths—the CPU ranks in the 77th percentile and the GPU in the 72nd percentile. The ranking suggests that many other tested combos feature higher-end GPUs or CPUs that push the frame rates higher, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU can play a larger role.

Looking at the measured data, the combo's ranking is likely influenced by the 4K Ultra result of 33.8 FPS, which is the lowest score in the dataset. At 1080p Low, the 214.1 FPS average is competitive, but the ranking considers the overall performance across all tested configurations. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, trails by 0.9% in average score, and the combo's performance at 1440p High (85.6 FPS) and 4K High (47 FPS) shows it can handle mainstream resolutions with playable frame rates, though not at the top tier of the database.

The CPU's nearest rivals—the i7-9700 and i5-11600K—show delta percentages of 0.1% and 0.4% respectively, meaning the i5-12400 is statistically tied with these processors in average score. This explains why the combo's rank does not shift dramatically based on CPU choice; the GPU is the primary driver of the measured FPS in this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 170.3 FPS, which is 35.2 FPS higher than High and 67.3 FPS higher than Ultra. For most users with a 60 Hz or 144 Hz display, Medium provides a comfortable margin above refresh rate while maintaining visual quality. High at 135.1 FPS is also viable for high-refresh displays, but the jump to Ultra costs 32.3 FPS for what may be marginal visual gains in a turn-based tactics game.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 108.4 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS and suitable for most monitors. High at 85.6 FPS is still playable, but Ultra drops to 63.8 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays and insufficient for 144 Hz panels. The Low preset at 133.6 FPS offers the highest frame rate, but the visual compromise may be unnecessary given that Medium maintains a solid average.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, which is the only setting that clears 60 FPS. Medium at 54.7 FPS is below 60 FPS, and High at 47 FPS and Ultra at 33.8 FPS are progressively worse. For 4K users, the data suggests using Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, or accepting Medium if a 60 Hz display with VRR is used. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 14.3 FPS, which is significant, but the visual upgrade may be worth the compromise on a large screen.

The most balanced experience across all resolutions appears to be the Medium preset. At 1080p, it offers 170.3 FPS; at 1440p, 108.4 FPS; and at 4K, 54.7 FPS. The High preset is a reasonable alternative for those prioritizing image quality, providing 135.1 FPS at 1080p and 85.6 FPS at 1440p, though its 4K performance (47 FPS) falls short of a consistent 60 FPS target. Ultra should be reserved for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, as it only exceeds 60 FPS at 1080p (102.8 FPS) and drops below 40 FPS at 4K.