Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 131.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average drops to 82.2 FPS, a 37.7% reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 47 FPS, which represents a 64.4% decline from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The RTX 3070, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is the primary driver of these frame rate shifts. The CPU, a 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake part with a 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost clock, is sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the gap between settings widens considerably at 4K.

At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is stark: Low produces 72.9 FPS, Medium 57 FPS, High 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31.3 FPS. The 41.6 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is far larger than the 69 FPS gap at 1080p (170.7 vs 101.7). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth become the limiting factor, with the 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units struggling to maintain high frame rates under the most demanding presets.

The data shows that the i5-9400 is not the bottleneck in this configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 170.7 FPS, the CPU maintains playable performance. The CPU's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 1125 and multi-core score of 7969 place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, which is adequate for a turn-based tactics title like Hard West, where the computational load is modest compared to fast-paced shooters.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 802nd out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the middle of the database. This rank reflects the combination's balanced but not exceptional performance profile. The GPU is a strong performer—the RTX 3070 sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs—but the CPU is decidedly mid-pack at the 50th percentile, which drags the overall ranking down.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409) by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28541) by 1.1%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 3070 is tightly clustered with its competitors in synthetic benchmarks, but in Hard West specifically, the measured FPS shows it performs well above the minimum playable threshold at most settings.

On the CPU side, the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2305 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It is 0.2% ahead of both the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299), and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295). The only rival it trails is the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319) by 0.6%. This tight grouping suggests that CPU performance is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU does most of the heavy lifting.

The 802nd rank out of 1699 combos means that roughly 47% of tested configurations perform better in Hard West. This is consistent with the hardware's age—the CPU launched in October 2018 and the GPU in August 2020, both now end-of-life—but the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM and 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute still deliver solid frame rates in this turn-based tactics game, which does not demand the latest hardware.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with High settings provides the best balance, delivering 82.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K High, the average drops to 47 FPS, which may feel less smooth.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It is 0.6% lower than the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409) and 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28541).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 170.7 FPS, and the CPU's single-core score of 1125 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient for Hard West's turn-based mechanics. The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low averages 72.9 FPS, while Ultra averages 31.3 FPS, a difference of 41.6 FPS. This 2.3x gap highlights the significant impact of the Ultra preset on the GPU.

Q: How does this combo's rank in Hard West compare to its overall hardware percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 802nd out of 1699, which is lower than the GPU's 72nd percentile rank but higher than the CPU's 50th percentile. This indicates the GPU contributes more to the game's performance than the CPU.

Q: Can the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with any settings?

A: Yes. At 1440p, all four presets exceed 60 FPS: Low (136.5), Medium (109.2), High (82.2), and Ultra (62.6). Even the most demanding preset stays above the 60 FPS target.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the measured data points to 1440p High as the optimal preset. This configuration yields 82.2 FPS, which is comfortable for a turn-based tactics game where frame pacing matters less than in action titles, but the headroom above 60 FPS ensures no stutter during camera pans or combat animations. At 4K, High drops to 47 FPS, which is playable but not ideal; Medium at 57 FPS is a better choice if resolution fidelity is the priority.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 101.7 FPS, making it the best option for players with 144Hz monitors who want maximum visual quality without sacrificing responsiveness. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 170.7 FPS, but the visual downgrade is unnecessary given the ample headroom at High (131.9 FPS).

For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1440p Low at 136.5 FPS is a viable option, but the difference between Low and Medium at 1440p is only 27.3 FPS (136.5 vs 109.2), making Medium the more balanced choice. At 4K, the data shows that Ultra is not recommended, as the 31.3 FPS average falls below standard refresh rates; Medium or Low provides a much better experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo yields the following average FPS across presets:

• Low: 170.7 FPS
• Medium: 158 FPS
• High: 131.9 FPS
• Ultra: 101.7 FPS

The spread from Low to Ultra is 69 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring from High to Ultra (30.2 FPS). This suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the GPU's 96 ROPs and 184 TMUs.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 136.5 FPS
• Medium: 109.2 FPS
• High: 82.2 FPS
• Ultra: 62.6 FPS

The 1080p to 1440p transition at High settings costs 49.7 FPS (131.9 to 82.2), which is a 37.7% reduction. At Ultra, the transition costs 39.1 FPS (101.7 to 62.6), a 38.5% reduction, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor as pixel count rises.

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 72.9 FPS
• Medium: 57 FPS
• High: 47 FPS
• Ultra: 31.3 FPS

The 1440p to 4K transition at High settings costs 35.2 FPS (82.2 to 47), a 42.8% reduction. At Low, the transition costs 63.6 FPS (136.5 to 72.9), a 46.6% reduction. This shows that at 4K, even Low settings push the RTX 3070 to its limits, with the 8 GB VRAM capacity being a potential constraint given the higher texture memory demands at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 31.3 FPS, is only suitable for turn-based play where frame rate is not critical.