Hard West

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a benchmark profile that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions but reveals a more balanced dynamic at 4K. Data indicates the combo achieves a rank of 226 out of 1699 tested combinations, placing it in the top 13.3% of all systems tested in Hard West. This is a strong result for a turn-based tactics title, where frame rates are already high, but the specific performance deltas between settings and resolutions tell a nuanced story about where the bottleneck shifts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides 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 architecture processor holds a 77th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, scores 19210, a delta of just 0.1%, indicating the i5-12400F is effectively performance-equivalent to that older flagship in synthetic workloads. The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core are ample for a game like Hard West, which relies on discrete turn-based logic rather than continuous physics simulation.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s influence is most visible when comparing 1080p results across settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 245.3 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 144.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 100.4 FPS, a 40.9% reduction, which is primarily driven by GPU load scaling with settings complexity. However, the fact that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to exceed 240 FPS at Low settings proves it is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The 3dmark single-thread score of 909 and multi-thread score of 5912 further confirm that the i5-12400F has sufficient single-core throughput for the game’s AI and pathfinding routines, which are typically serial in nature.

The CPU’s role becomes more pronounced at 4K. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 50 FPS, while Low settings hit 100.3 FPS. The delta here is 50.3 FPS, or 50.1%, which is a larger relative drop than at 1080p. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the dominant constraint, but the CPU still maintains a floor that prevents catastrophic frame dips. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 indicates the processor can handle background tasks without stealing cycles from the game thread, which is critical for maintaining consistent turn-based frame pacing.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience depends on the target resolution, but the data strongly favors Medium settings as the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate headroom. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 230.5 FPS, which is 85.6 FPS higher than Ultra’s 144.9 FPS, while still offering improved shadows and effects over Low. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 14.8 FPS (from 245.3 to 230.5), making it nearly free in performance terms.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset produces 158.4 FPS, which is 70.3 FPS higher than Ultra’s 88.1 FPS. This is the sweet spot for high-refresh 1440p displays, as the 158.4 FPS result stays well above the 144 Hz threshold while Ultra dips below 90 FPS. The 4K resolution tells a different story: Medium yields 82.2 FPS, which is playable, but High settings at 62.7 FPS are also viable for a turn-based game where reaction time is less critical. Ultra at 4K drops to 50 FPS, which is still smooth for the genre but leaves no headroom for system overhead.

For most users, the recommendation is Medium at 1080p or 1440p, and High at 4K. The data shows that the gap between Medium and High at 4K is 19.5 FPS (from 82.2 to 62.7), while the gap between High and Ultra is 12.7 FPS. Choosing High at 4K sacrifices some visual polish for a 25.4% frame rate improvement over Ultra, which is the prudent choice given the game’s slower pacing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the combo delivers 190.6 FPS at 1920x1080, 120.1 FPS at 2560x1440, and 62.7 FPS at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 70.5 FPS (37.0% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K is 57.4 FPS (47.8% reduction). This progressive decline aligns with the pixel count increase: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper in absolute terms: 245.3 FPS at 1080p, 187.8 FPS at 1440p, and 100.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop is 145.0 FPS, or 59.1%, which is larger than the High preset’s 67.1% drop (from 190.6 to 62.7). This indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the CPU’s ceiling is high enough to expose the GPU’s raw pixel throughput limits. The RTX 4070 Ti’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus are the likely constraints at 4K, as the pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s becomes saturated.

The 1440p to 4K scaling at Medium settings shows a drop from 158.4 to 82.2 FPS, a 76.2 FPS reduction. This is the largest absolute drop across all settings, suggesting that Medium settings at 4K stress the GPU’s shading units more than the memory subsystem. The data supports the conclusion that Hard West is not CPU-limited at any resolution tested, as the i5-12400F’s 12 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame delivery even at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination ranks 226 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 86.7th percentile of all systems. This is a strong showing, but not a top-tier result, which is expected given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The GPU’s individual percentile is 85th among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4070 Ti is essentially tied with that mobile flagship in synthetic tests.

The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS, scores 19364, a delta of -0.7%, placing the i5-12400F slightly below that mobile chip in average CPU benchmarks. However, the i5-12400F outperforms the Intel Core i7-8700K by 0.1%, showing that this 12th-gen processor holds its own against older desktop flagships. The combo’s rank of 226 is driven by the GPU’s high-end performance, as the CPU’s 77th percentile is above average but not exceptional.

In game-specific terms, the combo’s rank means it outperforms 1473 other tested systems, while 225 systems deliver higher frame rates. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game with modest system requirements relative to modern shooters, this rank indicates the combo is overkill for 1080p but appropriate for 4K Ultra. The data shows no other combo in the top 226 likely pairs a weaker CPU with this GPU, suggesting the i5-12400F does not hold the RTX 4070 Ti back in this title.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti in Hard West?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 245.3 FPS, and the CPU’s single-thread score of 909 in 3dmark indicates sufficient headroom. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU at 4K, where Ultra drops to 50 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this combo?

A: 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides 158.4 FPS, which is the highest frame rate that still maintains visual quality above Low. At 4K, High settings at 62.7 FPS is the recommended choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti scores 44900 on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45152, a delta of -0.6%. The Intel Arc A730M scores 45592, which is 1.5% higher.

Q: Does the CPU’s 6-core/12-thread configuration limit multi-threaded performance in this game?

A: The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and 3dmark 16-thread score of 5895 show strong multi-threaded capability. Hard West does not exhibit CPU limitations, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low produces 245.3 FPS, while Ultra produces 144.9 FPS, a difference of 100.4 FPS (40.9% reduction). This is the largest settings-based gap in the measured data.

Q: Is the combo’s rank of 226 out of 1699 considered good?

A: Yes. It places the combo in the top 13.3% of all tested systems. The GPU’s 85th percentile ranking is the primary driver, while the CPU’s 77th percentile is above average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 245.3 FPS on Low, 230.5 FPS on Medium, 190.6 FPS on High, and 144.9 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 100.4 FPS, with the largest single-step drop occurring from High to Ultra at 45.7 FPS. Medium to High costs 39.9 FPS, while Low to Medium costs only 14.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the results are 187.8 FPS on Low, 158.4 FPS on Medium, 120.1 FPS on High, and 88.1 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Medium to High is 38.3 FPS, which is the largest step at this resolution. Low to Medium costs 29.4 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 32.0 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are 100.3 FPS on Low, 82.2 FPS on Medium, 62.7 FPS on High, and 50.0 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 18.1 FPS, Medium to High is 19.5 FPS, and High to Ultra is 12.7 FPS. This resolution shows the most consistent step-wise degradation, indicating the GPU is fully saturated.

The 1080p Ultra result of 144.9 FPS is notable because it is the only sub-200 FPS result at that resolution, while all 1440p results except Ultra exceed 120 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings break the 100 FPS barrier, and Ultra barely maintains 50 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this combo, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth proving essential for 4K performance. The GPU’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and base clock of 2310 MHz drive its 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, which is the primary factor behind the 4K High result of 62.7 FPS. The 7680 shading units and 240 TMUs handle the game’s texture-heavy environments without stutter, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across all tested presets.

The GPU’s 85th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900, places it just below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (45152, -0.6% delta) and Intel Arc A730M (45592, -1.5% delta). This indicates the RTX 4070 Ti is a high-end desktop part that competes with top-tier mobile GPUs. Its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024 and Passmark G3D score of 31624 confirm its DirectX 12 capabilities, which are relevant for Hard West’s rendering pipeline.

At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 50 FPS result is the only data point below 60 FPS, suggesting that the 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus are sufficient for the game’s assets but the shading complexity at Ultra overwhelms the 80 ROPs. The GPU’s texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s is adequate for the game’s static scenes, but the pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The 1x 16-pin power connector and 285 W TDP indicate this is a power-hungry part, but the suggested 600 W PSU is sufficient for this system configuration.