Hard West

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a decisive performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions but provides exceptional headroom at 1080p, making it a formidable pairing for this genre. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings to explain exactly where the bottlenecks lie and how the combo ranks against other tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache.

In benchmark testing, this CPU achieves a single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and 1680 in Cinebench R23, while its multi-threaded results reach 5912 in 3DMark max threads and 12380 in Cinebench R23 multicore. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3481, and the multithread score is 19433. These numbers place the i5-12400F at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039, ranking it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (deltaPct 0.3).

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU demands are modest compared to real-time genres. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 247 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower graphical loads. However, the game's logical operations and AI pathfinding still benefit from the i5-12400F's solid single-core performance, evidenced by its 3DMark 2-thread score of 1699 and 4-thread score of 3067. The 12 threads provide ample parallel processing for background tasks, but the data suggests that the CPU's 6 physical cores are more than sufficient for this title, as the frame rate ceiling at 1080p Low is likely bounded by the GPU rather than the processor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring the AD104 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU clocks run at 1980 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost, with memory at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Its compute capabilities include 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores, achieving 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance.

The RTX 4070 SUPER ranks at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (deltaPct -1). In DirectX benchmarks, it scores 273 in PassMark DX11 and 110 in DX12, while its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 4627.

In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the measured FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 135 FPS, which drops to 45 FPS at 4K Ultra. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's raw rasterization power is the primary driver of performance, especially at higher settings where the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are fully utilized. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 compute is more than adequate for a 2015 title, and the data shows that even at 4K Medium, the system maintains 78 FPS, suggesting the GPU still has headroom to spare.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 247 FPS at 1080p to 181 FPS at 1440p, and then to 95 FPS at 4K. This represents a 23% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

At High settings, the trend continues: 180 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%. For Medium settings, the numbers are 230 FPS, 148 FPS, and 78 FPS respectively, with the 4K figure showing a 47% reduction from 1440p.

The most telling data point is at Ultra settings, where the frame rate falls from 135 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 45 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This consistent 47-48% reduction from 1440p to 4K across all settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the pixel count quadruples but the FPS does not scale proportionally. The CPU, with its strong single-thread performance, appears to keep up even at 1080p Low where the frame rate exceeds 240 FPS, suggesting the i5-12400F is not the constraint in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 595th out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations. This ranking is notable given the game's age and the fact that many newer, more powerful CPUs and GPUs have been tested since its release.

The rank of 595 out of 3722 indicates that this combo performs better than 84% of all tested systems, but it is not among the absolute top performers. Given the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking, the combo's position at the 595th spot suggests that Hard West may be more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance, as the GPU's higher percentile aligns more closely with the combo's overall rank.

The nearest CPU rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (deltaPct 0) and the Intel Core 3 201E (deltaPct -0.1), both of which would likely produce similar results when paired with the same GPU. For the GPU, the closest rivals are the Quadro M6000 24 GB and RTX 5050 Mobile, both within 0.1% of the RTX 4070 SUPER's average score. This suggests that swapping the RTX 4070 SUPER for either of these GPUs would yield nearly identical performance in Hard West, while the CPU choice has minimal impact on the final ranking.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with High settings at 180 FPS providing a smooth experience for most displays. The Ultra preset at 135 FPS is also excellent, but the jump from Medium (230 FPS) to High (180 FPS) represents a 22% reduction, while the jump from High to Ultra (135 FPS) is a 25% reduction.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 148 FPS offers the best balance, as it maintains a high frame rate with a minimum of 126 FPS. High settings at 114 FPS are also viable, but Ultra at 85 FPS may feel less fluid on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, the Medium preset at 78 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the best combination of visual quality and performance, with a minimum of 66 FPS ensuring no major dips. The High preset at 60 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays, while Ultra at 45 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions, as it consistently offers the highest frame rate with acceptable visual fidelity. At 1080p, Medium (230 FPS) is only 7% slower than Low (247 FPS), but the visual upgrade is substantial. At 1440p, Medium (148 FPS) is 18% faster than High (114 FPS) and 74% faster than Ultra (85 FPS). At 4K, Medium (78 FPS) is 30% faster than High (60 FPS) and 73% faster than Ultra (45 FPS).

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1080p is 247 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The Medium preset also performs well at 230 FPS, with a minimum of 196 FPS and a maximum of 265 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, which is identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (deltaPct 0) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core 3 201E (deltaPct -0.1). It is 0.3% ahead of both the Intel Core i5-1335U and the AMD EPYC 7773X.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and how does it affect performance in Hard West?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER ranks at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. In Hard West, this translates to 135 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 45 FPS at 4K Ultra, showing that the GPU is the primary performance driver.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination provides the highest frame rate with a minimum above 60 FPS?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 148 FPS average with a minimum of 126 FPS, making it the highest resolution with a guaranteed minimum above 60 FPS. The 4K Medium preset also qualifies, with an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 66 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Hard West compare to its component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 595th out of 3722 tested combos, placing it in the top 16%. This is between the CPU's 73rd percentile and the GPU's 83rd percentile, suggesting the game is more dependent on GPU performance than CPU performance.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 45 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 60 FPS. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, the GPU does not appear to be VRAM-limited in Hard West, as the frame rates scale consistently with settings rather than showing sudden drops indicative of memory capacity issues.