Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting scenario for a modern high-end pairing. The combination of an Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers frame rates that range from highly playable to exceptionally high, depending on the resolution and settings selected. The data shows a system capable of handling the game with ease at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra settings still produce a smooth experience, though the performance scaling reveals the game's age and its interaction with this powerful hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for GPU-bound workloads. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 246.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops this to 210.8 FPS, a reduction of about 14.4%. The jump to 4K Low further reduces the average to 127.7 FPS, which is a significant 39.4% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5090 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload on the GPU increases substantially with pixel count.

The scaling behavior changes when examining higher settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate goes from 211 FPS at 1080p to 152 FPS at 1440p, a 28% decrease, and then to 79.2 FPS at 4K, another 47.9% reduction. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 175 FPS at 1080p, 111.3 FPS at 1440p, and 57.8 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern of larger percentage drops when moving from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p suggests that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the pixel throughput demands of 4K proving particularly taxing for this title's engine.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (246.3 FPS) and Ultra (175 FPS) is 71.3 FPS, or roughly 29%. At 4K, this difference shrinks to 69.9 FPS between Low (127.7 FPS) and Ultra (57.8 FPS), but the percentage gap widens to over 54%. This indicates that while the RTX 5090 can brute-force its way through lower settings at high resolutions, the Ultra preset introduces enough additional rendering complexity to cause a more substantial frame rate penalty.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Hard West, this specific pairing of the Core i5-12400 and RTX 5090 holds a rank of 50 out of 1699 combos. This places it in the top 3% of all system configurations tested for this game, indicating that it is a very high-performing setup relative to the broader database. The percentile ranking for the CPU alone is 77, meaning it outperforms 77% of all CPUs in the database, while the GPU sits at the 94th percentile, outperforming 94% of all GPUs.

The rank of 50 out of 1699 combos suggests that the limiting factor in this pairing is likely the CPU, as the GPU is ranked higher in its own percentile than the CPU is in its respective category. The data implies that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier graphics card, the Core i5-12400, while competent, does not allow the system to reach the absolute highest echelons of performance for this title. The combination still achieves an excellent overall position, demonstrating that the hardware is more than sufficient for Hard West, but it is not the single most powerful configuration possible.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a strong single-threaded performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2249. These figures suggest that the CPU is well-equipped to handle the logical and AI-driven tasks that are common in turn-based tactics games like Hard West, which often rely more on single-core performance than heavily threaded workloads.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also respectable, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15935 and a passmark_multithread score of 18747. However, the performance difference between the single and multi-threaded scores is not as pronounced as it might be in other games, which aligns with the turn-based genre's tendency to favor single-threaded operations for game logic and unit pathfinding. The data suggests that the i5-12400 provides a solid foundation for this game, but its role in the measured frame rates becomes less critical as resolution increases, where the GPU takes over as the dominant factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p resolution, the system demonstrates outstanding performance across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 246.3 FPS, while Medium reaches 230.4 FPS. High settings produce 211 FPS, and Ultra, while still very high, drops to 175 FPS. These numbers indicate that at this resolution, the game is largely CPU-bound at the lower settings, as the frame rates exceed what is typically needed for smooth gameplay, and the GPU is not being fully utilized.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain excellent. The Low preset achieves 210.8 FPS, Medium hits 195 FPS, and High drops to 152 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 111.3 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. The progression from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a clear performance cost for higher visual fidelity, but all settings remain playable.

At 4K resolution, the frame rates become more moderate. The Low preset delivers 127.7 FPS, Medium drops to 104.5 FPS, and High falls to 79.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K yields 57.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still arguably playable for a turn-based game where precise frame timing is not critical. The data shows that this combination is capable of running the game at maximum settings in 4K, but users seeking a consistently smooth experience may prefer the High preset, which offers a significant performance improvement over Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a powerful graphics card with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its core clocks are 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, and it features 21,760 shading units. The card's benchmark scores are impressive, with a passmark_g3d score of 39650 and a geekbench_opencl score of 380114. These figures place it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its status as a high-end component.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra preset, which produces 57.8 FPS, is clearly the most demanding scenario, and the result suggests that the game's rendering engine is being pushed to its limits by this combination of resolution and settings. The GPU's large memory pool and high bandwidth are not necessarily fully utilized by a game from 2015, but they ensure that the system can handle the title with no memory-related bottlenecks at any resolution. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is more than capable for this game, with its performance only becoming a constraint at the most extreme settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the user's display resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 175 FPS offers the best visual experience without sacrificing playability, as the frame rate is still exceptionally high. The High preset at 211 FPS is also a strong choice if users want to maximize frame rate, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be less noticeable in a turn-based game.

For 1440p, the High preset at 152 FPS provides an excellent balance, offering high visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that is well above what is needed for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 111.3 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity, as the frame rate remains highly playable. The Low and Medium presets at this resolution are unnecessary given the hardware's capability, but they do provide even higher frame rates for users with high refresh rate monitors.

At 4K, the High preset at 79.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers a smooth experience while retaining a high level of visual detail. The Ultra preset at 57.8 FPS is playable but may not feel as smooth to some users, and the performance cost of Ultra over High is substantial. The Medium preset at 104.5 FPS is also worth considering for users who want a high frame rate at 4K, but the visual downgrade from High may be apparent. The Low preset at 127.7 FPS offers the highest frame rate but sacrifices significant visual quality, making it less appealing for a game that is not graphically demanding.