Hard West

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a very strong experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows this combination is capable of high frame rates even at demanding resolutions, with the RTX 5070 providing a significant performance uplift across all tested presets. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title, allowing the GPU to fully stretch its legs.

FAQ

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

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 279.5 FPS on Low settings and 172.5 FPS on High. At 2560x1440, it still delivers 174.8 FPS on Low and 112.2 FPS on High. Even at 3840x2160, the average frame rate remains above 57 FPS on High settings, making it playable at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 perform compared to the GeForce RTX 3090?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 3090's average score of 41441, according to the nearestRivals data. This indicates they are very closely matched in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the CPU's multithreaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827. This is effectively identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K, which scores 27829, and it is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700H, which scores 27716.

Q: What is the impact of changing settings from Low to Ultra at 1440p?

A: The data shows a substantial performance cost for higher fidelity. At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 174.8 FPS on Low to 145.8 FPS on Medium, then to 112.2 FPS on High, and finally to 80.9 FPS on Ultra settings.

Q: How much memory does the GPU have, and what type is it?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus. This provides a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s.

Q: Is this CPU capable of handling the game's logic at high frame rates?

A: Yes, the data suggests it is. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 279.5 FPS, which is the highest frame rate measured in the dataset. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU effectively in this scenario.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear picture of the performance trade-offs for this combo in Hard West. For players targeting the highest refresh rate displays, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering an average of 279.5 FPS. This setting ensures the frame rate is high enough to take full advantage of any 240Hz or higher monitor.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is a compelling option. It provides a solid average of 112.2 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay and a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs about 33 FPS but likely offers noticeable improvements to shadows and textures.

If 4K is the target resolution, the High preset at 3840x2160 is the recommended choice, with an average of 57.4 FPS. While not high-refresh territory, this is perfectly playable for a turn-based tactics game. The Ultra preset should generally be avoided, as it reduces the average frame rate to 42.9 FPS at 4K and 80.9 FPS at 1440p, a significant drop for what is likely a marginal visual gain in this 2015 title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware configurations, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks at 300 out of 1699 combos for Hard West. This places it in the top 18% of all tested pairings, indicating a high level of performance. The ranking suggests that this system is more powerful than the vast majority of setups used for this game.

This high rank is a product of the GPU's strong compute performance. The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 41687 places it in the 83rd percentile of all tested GPUs. The CPU also contributes, with the i5-12600KF sitting in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, but the data implies that the graphics card is the primary driver of this game's frame rates, given the high scores achieved even at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally fast, with an average of 279.5 FPS on Low, 225.1 FPS on Medium, 172.5 FPS on High, and 131.9 FPS on Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. The average frame rates are 174.8 FPS on Low, 145.8 FPS on Medium, 112.2 FPS on High, and 80.9 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a predictable drop in performance, but the system remains highly capable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed harder. The average frame rates are 90.6 FPS on Low, 76.8 FPS on Medium, 57.4 FPS on High, and 42.9 FPS on Ultra. This shows that even at 4K, the combination can produce playable frame rates, though the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is significant, with a difference of 47.7 FPS, showing the heavy load of the highest visual settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Hard West. Its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory, running on a 192-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for this game's textures and assets. The GPU's architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring broad compatibility with modern APIs.

The GPU's performance is anchored by its 6144 shading units and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. This configuration results in a FP32 compute throughput of 30.87 TFLOPS, which explains its ability to generate very high frame rates. The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance; at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 279.5 FPS, a figure that drops to 42.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, demonstrating that the load scales directly with the GPU's processing requirements.

The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 29137 in Passmark G3D places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, scores 41441, making the RTX 5070 0.6% faster in aggregate benchmarks. This aligns with the measured FPS data, which shows the card providing ample headroom for this older title. The GPU's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized by Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics game without demanding ray-traced effects. The card's 250 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this performance class, and its 16-pin power connector indicates it is a modern, high-power component.