Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, is not the kind of game that typically stresses modern hardware, yet the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination reveal a clear scaling pattern that defines the playable envelope. The data shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions, with the Low preset delivering the highest performance and Ultra the lowest. At 1080p, the spread is substantial, ranging from 183.9 FPS on Low to 87.9 FPS on Ultra, indicating that even at the highest settings, the game remains highly fluid. Moving to 1440p, the average frame rates compress slightly, with Low at 115.5 FPS and Ultra at 57.5 FPS. At 4K, the performance curve steepens dramatically, as High settings drop to 38.6 FPS and Ultra falls to 26.9 FPS, suggesting that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at this resolution. This scaling behavior is typical for a title of this era, where the graphical load increases exponentially with pixel count, and the RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are pushed to their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K illustrates a predictable yet significant drop in frame rates, which points directly to the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 is clearly not the constraint; even the Ultra preset achieves 87.9 FPS, while the Low preset hits 183.9 FPS. This wide margin suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution. When scaling to 2560x1440, the average FPS for High settings drops from 118.4 to 76.9, a reduction of roughly 35%, which aligns with the increase in pixel count. The Low preset still manages 115.5 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom when graphical features are minimized. However, at 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset falls to 38.6 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 26.9 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are saturated, making it the definitive bottleneck. The data suggests that for a smooth 4K experience, only the Low preset (62 FPS) or Medium (49.9 FPS) are viable, whereas 1440p offers a broader range of playable settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is achieved at the Medium preset for most resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 150.3 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display, while High offers 118.4 FPS and Ultra 87.9 FPS; the jump from Medium to High is a 21% performance cost that may not be visually justified in a turn-based game. At 1440p, Medium produces 93.6 FPS, which is smooth, while High at 76.9 FPS remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 1440p (57.5 FPS) is borderline, but for a tactical game where twitch reflexes are not required, it could still be acceptable. For 4K, the recommendation shifts to Low or Medium. Medium at 49.9 FPS is playable, but Low at 62 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. High at 38.6 FPS and Ultra at 26.9 FPS are not recommended for consistent gameplay. The data indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a significant performance headroom over High while still providing a visual upgrade from Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, plays a critical role in Hard West's performance, particularly as resolution increases. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are relatively high, but the memory subsystem is modest by modern standards. This is reflected in the benchmark scores, where the GPU's average benchmark score is 23181, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, has an average score of 23321, a 0.6% difference, indicating that the RTX 4060 is competitive but not class-leading. The data from the measured FPS shows that the GPU's performance degrades significantly at 4K, with the Ultra preset dropping to 26.9 FPS. This is likely due to the 8 GB VRAM capacity being strained by higher resolution textures and effects, and the 128-bit memory bus limiting data throughput. In contrast, at 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 183.9 FPS on Low settings. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 1440p and 4K, where its compute and memory capabilities are fully utilized, making it the primary determinant of frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with the Ultra preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset is 87.9 FPS.

Q: Which preset at 4K provides the highest frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 delivers the highest average FPS of 62, compared to Medium at 49.9 FPS, High at 38.6 FPS, and Ultra at 26.9 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M's score of 23321.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the RTX 4060 among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4060 is in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the average FPS is 76.9, and the scaling from 1080p High (118.4 FPS) suggests the GPU is becoming a limiting factor, though the CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads is still capable of supporting this frame rate.

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i5-12400?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 plays a supporting role in Hard West, providing ample processing power that does not constrain the GPU at lower resolutions. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the CPU is well-suited for the game's turn-based mechanics, which typically rely on single-threaded performance for game logic and AI. The CPU's benchmark scores are solid, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 19850, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, with a deltaPct of 0.1%. This indicates that the i5-12400 is a strong performer for its class. In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is not saturated. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 183.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires the CPU to process frames quickly. However, as resolution increases to 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU's limitations become the dominant factor. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support ensure that data is fed efficiently to the GPU, but the benchmark results indicate that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 183.9 FPS, Medium at 150.3 FPS, High at 118.4 FPS, and Ultra at 87.9 FPS. This shows a clear step-down in performance as settings increase, with a 35% drop from Low to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 115.5 FPS for Low, 93.6 FPS for Medium, 76.9 FPS for High, and 57.5 FPS for Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Ultra narrows to about 50%, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor. At 3840x2160, the results are 62 FPS for Low, 49.9 FPS for Medium, 38.6 FPS for High, and 26.9 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is a substantial 57%, highlighting the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at this resolution with maximum settings. The data also shows that the difference between 1080p and 1440p is consistent, with a roughly 35-40% reduction in FPS for each preset. The jump from 1440p to 4K is even steeper, with a 47-53% reduction, underscoring the pixel count's impact on the RTX 4060. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown demonstrates that Hard West is highly playable at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, while 4K requires lower settings for a smooth experience.