Hard West

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop 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. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F demonstrates solid single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 909, while its 2-thread score reaches 1699. Multi-thread scaling is evident in the 4-thread score of 3067, 8-thread score of 4779, and max-thread score of 5912. Cinebench results reinforce this pattern: R15 multicore scores 1759, R20 multicore scores 6980, and R23 multicore scores 12380, with single-core scores of 244, 985, and 1680 respectively. Geekbench reports a multicore score of 9472 and a single-core score of 1964. PassMark's multithread score is 19433, with a single-thread score of 3481.

The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all tested CPUs indicates it sits above average, and its average benchmark score of 19039 places it in close competition with several rivals. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS averages 19047, a 0% delta; the Intel Core 3 201E averages 19056, a -0.1% delta; the Intel Core i5-1335U averages 18982, a 0.3% delta; and the AMD EPYC 7773X averages 18979, a 0.3% delta. This tight clustering shows the i5-12400F performs on par with these alternatives in general compute workloads.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game logic, unit AI, and turn resolution. The 6-core/12-thread configuration provides ample headroom for such workloads, which are typically not heavily multithreaded but benefit from strong single-thread performance. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures responsive turn processing, while the 12 threads handle background tasks and any additional simulation overhead without bottlenecking. Given the game's age, the i5-12400F's compute capabilities vastly exceed what the title demands, meaning the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any resolution tested.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB207 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, with a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The RTX 5050 includes 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores. Its pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s, texture rate is 205.8 GTexel/s, and it delivers 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance. The GPU has a 130 W TDP, uses a dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector, and requires a 300 W suggested PSU. It connects via PCIe 5.0 x8 and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In GPU benchmarks, the RTX 5050 scores 2502 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 90334 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 89381 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark results show DirectX 10 at 103, DirectX 11 at 150, DirectX 12 at 66, and DirectX 9 at 186, with G2D at 1113, G3D at 17326, and GPU compute at 9184. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (average 21153, -0.6% delta), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (average 21237, -1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (average 20713, 1.6% delta), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (average 21379, -1.6% delta).

For Hard West, the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's modest texture and geometry requirements, even at 4K resolution. The 320.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and frame buffer operations proceed without stutter. The boost clock of 2572 MHz provides the raw shading throughput needed to maintain playable frame rates, though the data shows that at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

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

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 104. Moving to 1440p High drops the average to 66 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36.5%. At 4K High, the average falls to 34 FPS, which is roughly 67.3% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline with resolution indicates that the RTX 5050 is the limiting component at higher pixel counts.

The Low settings data tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 165. At 1440p Low, it drops to 104 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K Low, the average is 55 FPS, which is 66.7% lower than 1080p. The proportional drops across settings suggest that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks, rather than the CPU. The i5-12400F's strong single-thread performance keeps the CPU from becoming a constraint even at 1080p where frame rates are highest.

The Medium settings rows include min and max FPS values, offering additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 135 FPS with a range of 115 to 155 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 86 FPS with a range of 73 to 98 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52 FPS. The consistent frame pacing across resolutions, with min FPS staying proportionally close to the average, indicates stable performance without major spikes or drops, reinforcing that the GPU is delivering predictable output as resolution scales.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic degradation. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 78 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 49 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 26 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is only 33.3% of the 1080p Ultra figure, highlighting how the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at maximum quality and 4K resolution simultaneously. This pattern confirms the GPU as the primary limiting component across all settings at 4K, and increasingly so as settings rise.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 165 FPS. Medium settings average 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. High settings average 104 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 78 FPS. The span from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 87 FPS, showing that settings have a substantial impact on performance even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 104 FPS. Medium settings average 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. High settings average 66 FPS. Ultra settings average 49 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 55 FPS, a narrower gap than at 1080p, indicating that resolution pressure is beginning to compress the settings headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stretched. Low settings average 55 FPS. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 34 FPS. Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 4K is 29 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions, demonstrating that the GPU's throughput limits are being reached regardless of quality level. Even at Low settings, 4K performance is below the 60 FPS target, while at Ultra it is barely playable.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the data shows that 1080p Low (165 FPS) is more than double 4K Ultra (26 FPS), a 6.3x difference. The Medium settings provide the only complete min/max data across all resolutions, making them the most reliable for frame pacing analysis. The 1440p Medium average of 86 FPS with a 73-98 FPS range offers a balanced experience, while 4K Medium at 45 FPS with a 38-52 FPS range shows the GPU's limits at higher pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1802 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the upper-middle portion of the overall ranking, at approximately the 61st percentile of all tested system pairings. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all resolutions and settings measured, weighted by the GPU's role as the primary bottleneck.

Given the CPU's 73rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 66th percentile ranking among their respective components, the combo's overall position is consistent with expectations. The i5-12400F is a capable mid-range processor that does not hold back the RTX 5050, as evidenced by the smooth scaling patterns discussed earlier. The GPU's mid-range standing, however, limits the combo to moderate frame rates at higher resolutions.

The rank of 1802 out of 2949 indicates that a significant number of combos outperform this pairing, particularly those with higher-tier GPUs. However, the data also shows that many combos rank below this pairing, confirming that the i5-12400F + RTX 5050 is a viable mid-range setup. The combo's performance is strongest at 1080p, where it achieves high frame rates even at Ultra settings, and weakest at 4K Ultra, where it falls below 30 FPS. This ranking position suggests that users prioritizing 1080p or 1440p gaming will find this combo well-suited, while 4K enthusiasts may need to consider more powerful GPU options.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?

A: The data shows 1080p provides the smoothest experience, with High settings averaging 104 FPS and Ultra averaging 78 FPS. At 1440p, High averages 66 FPS and Ultra drops to 49 FPS, while 4K High averages only 34 FPS and Ultra falls to 26 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21035, which is within 1.6% of its nearest rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% lower, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% lower.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: No. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (909 in 3DMark single-thread, 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core) and the game's turn-based nature mean the GPU is the limiting factor. This is confirmed by the steep FPS drops as resolution increases, which are characteristic of GPU-bound workloads.

Q: What are the FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 165 FPS and Ultra averages 78 FPS, a difference of 87 FPS. At 1440p, Low averages 104 FPS and Ultra averages 49 FPS, a difference of 55 FPS. At 4K, Low averages 55 FPS and Ultra averages 26 FPS, a difference of 29 FPS.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Hard West?

A: No. At 4K, even Low settings only average 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for consistent 60 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its nearest rival CPUs?

A: The i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19039 is nearly identical to its rivals. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS shows a 0% delta, the Intel Core 3 201E shows -0.1%, the Intel Core i5-1335U shows 0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 7773X shows 0.3%, all within a 0.4% range.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p, High settings provide an average of 104 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. Ultra at 1080p still delivers 78 FPS, so users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity can select Ultra without sacrificing playability. Medium at 1080p averages 135 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays, though the visual trade-off may not be worth it given the High settings headroom.

For 1440p, High settings average 66 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target and represents the best quality-to-performance ratio. Medium averages 86 FPS, providing additional headroom for smoother gameplay, while Ultra drops to 49 FPS, which may be acceptable for turn-based tactics where frame rate dips are less disruptive than in action games. Low at 1440p averages 104 FPS but sacrifices too much visual quality for the modest gain over Medium.

For 4K, the data suggests Low settings are the only viable option, averaging 55 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, while High at 34 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS fall below comfortable thresholds for most users. Given the turn-based nature of Hard West, 4K Medium at 45 FPS may still be acceptable for users prioritizing resolution over smoothness, but 4K Low offers the best experience in terms of frame rate consistency.

Across all resolutions, Medium settings provide the most complete data with min/max FPS values, indicating stable frame pacing. For users seeking a consistent experience, Medium at 1440p (86 FPS average, 73-98 FPS range) offers the best overall balance of resolution, quality, and smoothness. The RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's assets at all settings, so the primary constraint is raw throughput rather than memory capacity, which is why Lower settings at 4K yield the most satisfactory results.