Hard West

Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a surprisingly smooth experience in Hard West given the title’s turn-based nature, but the data exposes a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions. The measured frames per second show that this combination is well-suited for high-refresh 1080p play, remains competent at 1440p, and struggles to maintain fluid motion at 4K Ultra settings. The benchmark results, derived from the fact pack, indicate that the bottleneck shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to a definitive GPU limitation as pixel count rises. This analysis examines the measured FPS rows to determine where the hardware excels and where users must compromise settings to achieve playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 109 FPS at 1920x1080 to 69 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction, and then plummets further to 36 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a graphics card hitting its limits with pixel throughput; the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to feed the 4K panel at High preset efficiently.

Low settings illustrate the same trend but with higher absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 173, which drops to 109 at 1440p and then to 57 at 4K. The relative decrease from 1440p to 4K is 48%, nearly identical to the 47% drop seen between High settings at those same resolutions. This consistency suggests that the scaling penalty is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, confirming that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the limiting factor once the resolution increases beyond 1080p.

Medium settings offer the only complete data set with minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 and a maximum of 163. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average drops to 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. Finally, at 4K Medium, the average falls to 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. The spread between minimum and maximum grows from 43 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and then narrows to 14 FPS at 4K, indicating that at lower resolutions the CPU can push frames faster, but at 4K the GPU’s consistent workload creates a tighter, lower frame rate band.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the data shows it is unplayable at 4K. The average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 27, which is below the threshold for smooth motion in most games. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while 1080p Ultra achieves 81 FPS, a solid result. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Ultra is a 36% drop, and from 1440p to 4K Ultra is a 48% drop, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are exhausted at 4K regardless of the preset. The data clearly indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings (57 FPS) or Medium settings (47 FPS), and even then, the margin for error is thin.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a robust foundation for Hard West’s turn-based tactics, which typically rely on single-threaded performance for game logic and AI calculations. The processor’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are more than sufficient for this genre. Benchmark results show a strong single-thread score of 909 in 3dMark single-thread and 3481 in Passmark single-thread, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p where the GPU is not the primary constraint.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a 3dMark max threads score of 5912 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380, ensure that background processes and any parallel game systems do not cause stutters. However, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 173 is significantly higher than at 1440p Low (109 FPS) and 4K Low (57 FPS), indicating that the GPU is already struggling to keep up at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is consistent across these tests, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count, not to CPU workload changes.

The nearest rivals to the i5-12400F, including the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and Intel Core i5-1335U, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (19047 and 18982, respectively), with delta percentages of 0 and 0.3, respectively. This places the i5-12400F in a competitive position, but the data shows that in Hard West, the CPU’s headroom is not fully utilized. The measured FPS at 1080p High (109 FPS) and 1080p Medium (141 FPS) suggests that the processor can handle the game’s logic without bottlenecking, even when the GPU is producing high frame rates. The 3dMark 16-thread score of 5895 and 8-thread score of 4779 further confirm that the CPU has ample processing power for this title’s demands.

The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data, which is beneficial for turn-based games that may load large maps or unit states. The 2.50 GHz base clock ensures consistent performance under load, while the 4.40 GHz boost clock handles spikes in demand. Given the measured results, the i5-12400F is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested; instead, the RTX 2070 SUPER dictates the frame rate ceiling. Users with this CPU can expect stable performance, but the data shows that lowering resolution will yield diminishing returns once the GPU is saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 109 FPS, which indicates a smooth experience for most players.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 57 on Low settings and 36 on High settings. Only Low or Medium (47 FPS) presets approach playability, while Ultra at 27 FPS is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534).

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining over 60 FPS on High settings?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 High achieves an average of 69 FPS, which is above 60, while 1920x1080 High reaches 109 FPS. 4K High falls below 60 FPS at 36 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions?

A: No, the Intel Core i5-12400F’s single-thread score of 909 in 3dMark suggests sufficient performance. The FPS increases from 1440p High (69 FPS) to 1080p High (109 FPS) indicate the GPU is the primary limiter.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 120. At 2560x1440 Medium, it is 76, and at 3840x2160 Medium, it is 40.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers excellent results: Low settings average 173 FPS, Medium averages 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 and maximum of 163, High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, as even the Ultra preset maintains an average above 80 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains respectable but starts to show strain. Low settings average 109 FPS, Medium averages 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 and maximum of 103, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 52 FPS. The High preset at 1440p is the lowest setting that still achieves an average above 60 FPS, making it the minimum for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is borderline, and users may notice frame drops during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations are evident. Low settings average 57 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. Only the Low preset provides an average above 60 FPS, and even that is close to the threshold. Medium settings at 47 FPS are playable but not ideal, while High and Ultra are below the playable threshold for most users. The complete data set shows a clear pattern: each step up in resolution halves the frame rate at equivalent settings, with the drop from 1080p to 1440p being less severe than from 1440p to 4K.

The minimum FPS values at Medium settings highlight potential stutters. At 1080p, the minimum of 120 FPS is well above any concern. At 1440p, the minimum of 76 FPS is still smooth. At 4K, the minimum of 40 FPS indicates that frame pacing may become inconsistent, which could affect the turn-based gameplay experience. The maximum FPS values, 163 at 1080p, 103 at 1440p, and 54 at 4K, show the upper bounds of the GPU’s capability at each resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant factor in Hard West’s performance, as the measured FPS scales directly with resolution and settings. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a constraint at 4K. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s, which explains the high frame rates at lower resolutions but the significant drop at 4K where pixel fill rate demands increase exponentially.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1770 MHz and base clock of 1605 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the Turing architecture’s efficiency allows for strong performance in this older title. The FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS is more than enough for Hard West’s graphics, which are not particularly demanding compared to modern AAA games. The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning: a Passmark G3D score of 18169 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The nearest rivals to the RTX 2070 SUPER include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480 average score, -1% delta) and the Intel Arc B570 (20556 average score, -1.3% delta). These close scores indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitively positioned, but the measured FPS in Hard West shows that its 8 GB memory capacity is a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s and 160 TMUs ensure that texture-heavy scenes are handled well, but the bandwidth bottleneck at 4K Ultra (27 FPS) is clear.

The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are underutilized in this non-ray-traced game, but they contribute to the overall compute capability. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support is not a factor here, as Hard West likely uses older APIs. The 12 nm process node and 13,600 million transistors result in a die size of 545 mm², which is large but manageable. The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but 4K gaming requires significant settings reductions to achieve playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and frame rate target. For 1080p, the High preset at 109 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it provides a smooth experience without the need for Ultra settings, which drop to 81 FPS. The Medium preset at 141 FPS is also excellent for high-refresh monitors, but High offers a better visual experience with only a 23% frame rate penalty.

For 1440p, the High preset at 69 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS while delivering good visuals. The Medium preset at 90 FPS is a viable alternative for users who prioritize frame rate over quality, but the data shows that High is the sweet spot for this resolution. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may introduce noticeable stutter.

For 4K, the Low preset at 57 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, but the Medium preset at 47 FPS offers a better visual experience at a marginal frame rate cost. The data shows that High (36 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are not viable for 4K gaming on this hardware. Users who insist on 4K should accept the Low preset, while those who prioritize visual fidelity should consider dropping to 1440p High for a superior experience.

The measured rows indicate that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame times, as it is the only setting with minimum and maximum FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 120 FPS ensures no drops below 120, while at 1440p Medium, the minimum of 76 FPS is still smooth. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 40 FPS is borderline, but the 47 FPS average is only achievable with this preset. For the best experience per the measured data, users at 1080p should use High, at 1440p should use High, and at 4K should use Low or Medium depending on their tolerance for visual fidelity.