Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo shows it is a mid-pack performer for this specific game, ranking 2013 out of 3722 tested combinations. This placement is heavily influenced by the game's age and its engine, which does not scale as efficiently with modern hardware as it does with contemporary titles. The measured frame rates, however, tell a more nuanced story, revealing that this system is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience at mainstream resolutions, with the primary bottleneck appearing at 4K Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 lands at rank 2013 out of 3722 in Hard West, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems. While this ranking might seem underwhelming at first glance, it is crucial to contextualize it within the game's specific demands. The data indicates that the game is not particularly taxing on modern CPUs, meaning the overall ranking is often dictated by GPU performance at higher resolutions and settings. This system's rank suggests that while it is far from the top-tier configurations that can brute-force maximum settings at 4K, it is not a weak performer either; it sits in a large, crowded field of capable systems.

The CPU itself, the Core i5-13400F, holds a percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs, indicating it is more powerful than the majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, with performance deltas of 0%, -0.3%, and -0.3% respectively. This shows the i5-13400F is a very strong CPU, and its performance is not the limiting factor in this combo. The GPU, the RTX 4060, has a lower percentile rank of 61 against all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and the AMD Radeon 780M, with performance deltas of -0.2% and 0.3% respectively. This suggests the GPU is a more average performer relative to the entire spectrum of graphics cards, which aligns with the system's overall mid-pack ranking in Hard West.

The synthetic benchmark scores for the CPU are particularly high, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11068. These numbers indicate a substantial amount of processing power that is largely underutilized in a turn-based strategy game like Hard West, which is not known for complex physics or AI simulations that demand high thread counts. Therefore, the system's rank is not a reflection of a weak CPU, but rather a symptom of the game's engine not being able to leverage the available horsepower effectively, especially when paired with a mid-range GPU that must handle the rendering workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Hard West, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for the game's textures and assets at most settings. The GPU's architecture is Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process, and it features a base clock of 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The memory operates at an effective speed of 17 Gbps. These specifications are more than enough to handle a 2015 title, and the benchmark results confirm this, showing high average frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The RTX 4060's performance in Hard West is best understood by its measured results. At 1920x1080, it achieves an average of 117 FPS on High settings and 88 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the average on High is 74 FPS, and on Ultra it drops to 55 FPS. The most demanding scenario is 3840x2160, where the card averages 39 FPS on High and only 29 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and its overall compute power are pushed to their limits at 4K resolution. The data shows a clear trend: the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutionschers, while at 1080p and 1440p it provides a very playable experience.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks further illustrate its position. Its Passmark G3D score is 19545, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2302. These scores place it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, meaning it is a solidly mid-range part. The fact that its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 780M, an integrated graphics solution, is telling; while the RTX 4060 is certainly faster in absolute terms, the performance delta is not as large as one might expect in synthetic tests. However, in a game like Hard West, the RTX 4060's dedicated memory and drivers provide a significant advantage, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 1440p, which would be challenging for an iGPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F plays a secondary, but still important, role in Hard West. With 10 cores and 16 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture and a 10 nm process, it provides a massive amount of computational headroom. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, which can boost up to 4.60 GHz. The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB of L3 cache. For a turn-based tactics game, the primary CPU tasks involve game logic, unit pathfinding, and AI decisions, which are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded. The i5-13400F's single-core performance is robust, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 and Geekbench single-core score of 1996.

In the context of Hard West, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient. The game was released in 2015, and its engine is not designed to take advantage of many threads. The benchmark data supports this, as the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p are consistently high, suggesting that the CPU is not a bottleneck at these resolutions. The CPU's high multi-threaded scores, like the Passmark multithread score of 25032 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604, are largely irrelevant for this title because the game cannot utilize all 16 threads effectively. The limiting factor at 4K is clearly the GPU, as the frame rates drop significantly regardless of the CPU's capability.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is also noteworthy. It is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D in average benchmark score, with deltas of 0%, -0.3%, and -0.3% respectively. This means that for Hard West, swapping the i5-13400F for any of these CPUs would likely yield nearly identical frame rates, as the game is not CPU-bound. The data indicates that the i5-13400F is a high-performance part, but its full potential is untapped in this specific game, making its role in the combo more about ensuring there are no stutters or frame drops than about maximizing the average FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a clear picture of its performance across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system excels. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 186 FPS, which is exceptionally high. On Medium, the average is 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS. High settings yield an average of 117 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain a smooth 88 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is vastly overqualified for Hard West, providing a buttery-smooth experience even at the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected impact of the increased resolution. Low settings produce an average of 118 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 111 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 74 FPS, which is still well within the range of smooth gameplay for a turn-based title. Ultra settings bring the average down to 55 FPS, which is playable but less fluid. The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a great balance between visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is just about playable. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 39 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 29 FPS. These figures clearly indicate that 4K is too demanding for the RTX 4060 in this game, especially on higher presets. The frame rate drops below 30 FPS on Ultra, which would result in a noticeably choppy experience. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the user would need to significantly lower settings to achieve a consistent frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 on High settings offers an excellent balance, with an average of 74 FPS. The system can also handle 1920x1080 on Ultra at 88 FPS, but 2560x1440 provides a sharper image without sacrificing playability.

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K smoothly?

A: The data shows that 4K is challenging for this combo. While it achieves 62 FPS on Low, it drops to 39 FPS on High and 29 FPS on Ultra. For a consistently smooth experience, it is not recommended to play at 4K on higher settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor, particularly at higher resolutions. The CPU is very powerful, ranking in the 77th percentile, but the game is not CPU-intensive. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has no trouble keeping up, but at 4K, the GPU's performance drops significantly.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, has a score of 17666, a delta of -0.2%, meaning they are effectively tied. The AMD Radeon 780M is also close, with a delta of 0.3%.

Q: What is the highest preset that can maintain a 60 FPS average at 1440p?

A: According to the data, the High preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 74 FPS, which is above 60. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 55 FPS, so High is the highest preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the i5-13400F's performance adequate for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU's performance is more than adequate. Its single-thread and multi-thread scores are very high, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 1996 and multi-core of 11068. In Hard West, the CPU is never the bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience with the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the data points to 2560x1440 with the High preset as the optimal configuration. This setting yields an average frame rate of 74 FPS, which is smooth and responsive for a turn-based tactics game. The visual quality at High is significantly better than Low or Medium, and the performance is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. While Ultra at 1440p offers more visual fidelity, the drop to 55 FPS average is noticeable from a smoothness standpoint, but not unplayable. Therefore, for a flawless experience, High is the recommended preset.

If the user prioritizes maximum visual quality over frame rate, 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset is a viable option, as it maintains an average of 88 FPS. This provides the highest level of graphical detail while still ensuring smooth gameplay. For users with 4K displays, the system can only handle the Low or Medium presets, with averages of 62 and 51 FPS respectively. However, given the game's age, the visual difference between 1440p High and 4K Medium may not be substantial enough to justify the performance trade-off. The data clearly suggests that 1080p Ultra and 1440p High are the sweet spots for this combo, and playing at 4K should be avoided for a consistent experience. The Medium preset at 1440p is also a strong choice if the user wants to ensure no frame drops, as it has a minimum of 82 FPS.