Hard West

The Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination lands at rank 1157 out of 1699 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific title. That rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance ceiling in this game, rather than the CPU holding things back. The data shows a pairing that can handle 1080p and 1440p play comfortably, but it stumbles at 4K, where the GPU’s memory bandwidth and raw throughput become limiting factors. For a turn-based tactics game, the measured results indicate that smooth, high-refresh gameplay is achievable at standard resolutions, but only if you are willing to adjust settings downward at higher pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1699 tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pair sits at position 1157. That places it in the 68th percentile of all combos tested for Hard West, meaning roughly a third of the tested systems perform better in this specific workload. The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU’s general capability—the i5-13400F scores at the 82nd percentile against all CPUs in the database—but rather how the RX 7600 interacts with this older title’s engine.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show how competitive it is: the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D is 0.5% slower, and the AMD EPYC 9474F trails by 0.5%. These deltas are negligible in real-world terms, confirming the i5-13400F is not the bottleneck here. Instead, the GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking against all GPUs suggests that the combo’s overall position is dragged down by the graphics card’s mid-tier standing. The RX 7600’s nearest rivals reinforce this: the RX 7600 XT is 0.6% faster, while the RX 460 is 0.8% faster in the database’s aggregate score, which is an anomaly given the architectural gap but still indicates the performance tier this card occupies.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. It ships with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz with an effective data rate of 18 Gbps. The GPU’s base clock is 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz, so the card can sustain high frequencies under load.

In Hard West, these specifications translate into a clear pattern: the card performs admirably at 1080p and 1440p, but the 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit bus become strained at 4K. The game is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, so it is not particularly demanding by modern standards, yet the 4K Ultra result of 26.4 FPS shows the GPU hitting a hard wall. The 4K Low result of 53.4 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is massive—a 27 FPS swing—which indicates the GPU’s shading and memory resources are the deciding factor. The card’s 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs are sufficient for lighter loads, but the pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s is not enough to push 4K with high detail.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 77.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops that to 49.4 FPS, a 36.6% reduction. Going to 4K Ultra further drops to 26.4 FPS, another 46.6% reduction from the 1440p figure. These drops are steep, suggesting the GPU is the primary limiting component rather than the CPU.

Compare that to the Low settings: 1080p Low hits 159.7 FPS, 1440p Low falls to 101.7 FPS (a 36.3% drop), and 4K Low reaches 53.4 FPS (a 47.5% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings points to a purely GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see smaller differences at higher resolutions where the GPU is more stressed, but the data shows uniform scaling. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU in this game; its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and single-core score of 3004 are far beyond what Hard West requires.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p offer the sweet spot for this combo. At 1440p Medium, the combo produces 79.5 FPS, which is smooth and only 22 FPS below the 1080p Medium result of 128.9 FPS. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 15.3 FPS (from 79.5 to 64.2), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 14.8 FPS (from 64.2 to 49.4). The Medium preset provides a 60% performance uplift over Ultra at the same resolution, which is a worthwhile trade for a turn-based game where frame pacing matters less than in fast-action titles.

At 1080p, High settings at 102.2 FPS are the recommended pick, as they deliver a fully smooth experience while preserving visual fidelity. Ultra at 1080p drops to 77.9 FPS, which is still playable but not worth the 24.3 FPS loss over High. For 4K, the data shows no settings preset achieves a comfortable 60 FPS threshold—the best is Low at 53.4 FPS, so it is better to drop to 1440p and raise the preset rather than forcing 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the resolution where this combo is most comfortable, the settings ladder shows consistent scaling. Low produces 159.7 FPS, Medium 128.9 FPS, High 102.2 FPS, and Ultra 77.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 81.8 FPS, meaning the highest preset costs roughly half the performance of the lowest.

At 1440p, the numbers compress but remain playable. Low hits 101.7 FPS, Medium 79.5 FPS, High 64.2 FPS, and Ultra 49.4 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 52.3 FPS, and notably, 1440p Ultra is the first setting that dips below 50 FPS, which may be noticeable in a game with animated scenes.

At 4K, the combo falls apart. Low manages 53.4 FPS, Medium 40.9 FPS, High 32.3 FPS, and Ultra 26.4 FPS. Every preset at 4K is below the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra result is barely playable. The 4K Low result is still 27 FPS faster than 4K Ultra, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle high detail at this resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p or 1440p with the right settings. At 1080p, all presets from Low to High exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra at 77.9 FPS. At 1440p, Low through High exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra drops to 49.4 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the best is Low at 53.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: The data shows 1440p as the optimal resolution. At Medium settings, it delivers 79.5 FPS, which is close to the 1080p High result of 102.2 FPS but with more pixels on screen. The 1080p resolution offers higher frame rates, but 1440p remains smooth without pushing the GPU to its limits.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its immediate rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F is effectively tied with its nearest competitors. It is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H, 0.5% faster than the AMD EPYC 9474F, and 0.5% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340. It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D by 0.5%. These differences are within noise and do not affect gaming performance.

Q: Is the RX 7600 a bottleneck in this game?

A: Yes, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is ranked at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 63rd percentile. The FPS scaling across resolutions and settings shows a GPU-bound pattern, with performance dropping consistently as pixel count increases.

Q: What settings should I avoid at 1440p?

A: The data suggests avoiding Ultra at 1440p, as it drops to 49.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High at 64.2 FPS is acceptable, but Medium at 79.5 FPS provides a 15.3 FPS advantage over High with only a minor visual trade-off.

Q: Is 4K viable on this combo?

A: Not in any meaningful sense. The best 4K result is Low at 53.4 FPS, and every other preset falls below 41 FPS. The 8 GB memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K in this title, so it is better to use a lower resolution and higher settings.