Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting scenario for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system where the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, even at 4K, indicating that this older game is heavily reliant on the CPU's single-thread performance. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of a bottleneck that shifts depending on the graphical load.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but with a twist. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 171.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 148.6 FPS, a reduction of roughly 13%. The jump to 4K brings the average down to 104.5 FPS, which is a 30% decrease from the 1440p result. This indicates that while the GPU is starting to work harder at 4K, the CPU is still the primary constraint, as the performance loss is not as steep as one would expect if the GPU were fully saturated.

The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the game's frame rate is largely pinned by the CPU's capability to process the game's logic and draw calls. The RTX 5070 Ti, with its high performance metrics, is effectively waiting for the i5-9400 to feed it data. This is particularly evident in the Ultra preset, where the 1080p score of 133.8 FPS is actually lower than the High preset at 1440p (125.5 FPS), showing that the Ultra settings introduce additional CPU overhead that negates the resolution advantage. The 4K Ultra result of 48.6 FPS is the only point where the GPU's workload becomes significant, but even then, the 66.4 FPS at 4K High suggests the CPU is still holding back the full potential of the graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a modern powerhouse with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 2295 MHz, boosting to 2452 MHz. In a modern game, this hardware would dominate, but in Hard West, its role is diminished. The benchmark results show that the GPU's headroom is only truly tested at 4K with the Ultra preset, where it manages 48.6 FPS. The relatively small performance gap between Low and High settings at 1080p (171.5 vs 142.9 FPS) suggests that the GPU is not being pushed to its limits by the game's visual effects.

The GPU's memory and bandwidth are largely irrelevant in this title, as the game's assets are not demanding enough to stress the 16 GB frame buffer. The data implies that the RTX 5070 Ti is operating well below its potential, acting more as a passive observer than an active contributor. The only setting where the GPU's raw compute power seems to matter is at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 48.6 FPS, still a playable number, but a far cry from what the card could achieve in a more modern, GPU-bound title. The 4K Low result of 104.5 FPS versus the 4K Ultra's 48.6 FPS shows the GPU is doing more work, but the scaling is not linear, pointing to other system limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hard West, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti holds a rank of 487 out of 1699 combos. This places it in the upper 28th percentile of all tested systems, which is a respectable position for a game of this age. The rank reflects the overall average performance across all tested settings and resolutions, and it reflects the CPU's adequate single-core speed for a 2015 title.

The GPU's high benchmark scores, such as its 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 52086, suggest that it is a top-tier component. However, its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list, like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 with a deltaPct of 0, show that there is a cluster of similarly performing cards. The fact that this combo only achieves a rank of 487 indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor, dragging down what could otherwise be a top-tier performance. If paired with a stronger CPU, the same GPU would likely rank much higher, but the data shows that the i5-9400's 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs is the bottleneck holding this combo back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's capabilities across different configurations. At 1080p, the frame rates are consistently high, ranging from 133.8 FPS on Ultra to 171.5 FPS on Low. The Medium preset achieves 161.2 FPS, while High comes in at 142.9 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, but the differences between Low and Medium are smaller than the gap between Medium and High, suggesting that the High preset introduces a significant graphical load that impacts the CPU's performance.

Moving to 1440p, the scores remain robust. The Low preset delivers 148.6 FPS, Medium 137.5 FPS, High 125.5 FPS, and Ultra 91.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is not uniform; the Low preset drops by 22.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops by 42.4 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects are more taxing on both the CPU and GPU as resolution increases. At 4K, the results show a significant drop, with Low at 104.5 FPS, Medium at 87.5 FPS, High at 66.4 FPS, and Ultra at 48.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that dips below 60 FPS, making it the only configuration that would struggle on a standard 60 Hz display.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for most users would be the Medium preset at 1440p. This configuration delivers 137.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 12 FPS, which might not be worth the visual gain, given that the Medium preset already provides a smooth experience. For users with 4K displays, the Low preset at 104.5 FPS is the most sensible choice, as it offers a high frame rate without the significant performance penalty of higher settings.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo. At 1440p, it delivers 91.4 FPS, which is still playable, but at 4K, it drops to 48.6 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the High preset at 1080p (142.9 FPS) is a solid choice for those prioritizing visual quality without sacrificing performance, but the Medium preset at 1440p offers a better overall experience due to the higher resolution. The 4K High preset at 66.4 FPS is a viable option for those who value resolution over frame rate, but it is not as fluid as the 1440p options.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Hard West?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 171.5, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti the main bottleneck in this system for Hard West?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor. This is evidenced by the small performance gap between Low and High settings at 1080p, which suggests the GPU is not being fully utilized.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The 4K Low preset achieves 104.5 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset drops to 48.6 FPS. The High and Medium presets at 4K yield 66.4 and 87.5 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does this system rank against other tested combinations for Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 487 out of 1699 tested combinations, placing it in the upper 28% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 148.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 91.4 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 57.2 FPS when switching to the highest settings.

Q: Which settings provide the smoothest experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p provides 137.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 125.5 FPS is also a strong option, but Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125, place it in the 50th percentile among all CPUs. In Hard West, this CPU is the primary driver of performance, as the game's turn-based nature and age make it more dependent on single-thread speed than multi-core scaling.

The data shows that the CPU's limitations become apparent at higher settings. The difference between 1080p Low (171.5 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (133.8 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset's additional AI and physics calculations burden the CPU's cores. The i5-9400's 6 threads are sufficient for the game, but the lack of hyper-threading means that the processor can be saturated by the game's logic. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps, but the processor's 50th percentile ranking indicates it is a mid-tier chip that struggles to keep up with the RTX 5070 Ti's capabilities. The nearest rival to the i5-9400, the Intel Core i3-10305, has a similar average benchmark score of 2300, a deltaPct of 0.2, which confirms that this CPU is not a top performer, and its age is a key factor in the overall combo's rank of 487. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the saving grace, allowing the CPU to deliver adequate single-core performance, but it is not enough to fully unlock the GPU's potential.