Hard West

# Hard West — Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and this combination of Intel's Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2060 produces a wide spread of performance across resolutions and settings. The measured data shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth play at 1080p and 1440p, but one that begins to strain at 4K, particularly when settings are pushed to their maximum. The Core Ultra 5 225, a 10-core Arrow Lake-S desktop part, and the RTX 2060, a Turing-based GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, deliver results that rank in the 78.7th percentile of all tested combos for this game. This places the pairing in the upper quintile of systems, though well short of the top tier, and the scaling patterns across resolutions reveal a GPU-bound workload at higher settings with CPU headroom remaining at lower presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, though the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 143 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of 37.1%, and then to 47 FPS at 3840x2160, which represents a 67.1% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that at Low settings, the workload is progressively shifting from CPU-bound at 1080p to increasingly GPU-bound as pixel count rises, though even at 4K Low the system maintains a playable 47 FPS average.

The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory, with average FPS at 1920x1080 of 117, dropping to 74 at 2560x1440 (a 36.8% decline) and then to 39 at 3840x2160 (a 66.7% decline from 1080p). The High preset shows slightly gentler scaling in percentage terms: from 90 FPS at 1080p to 57 at 1440p (36.7% drop) and 30 at 4K (66.7% drop). The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe absolute performance, starting at 67 FPS at 1080p, falling to 43 at 1440p (35.8% drop), and reaching just 22 FPS at 4K (67.2% drop).

What this scaling reveals is that the RTX 2060 becomes the limiting component well before 4K, regardless of settings. The consistent percentage drops of roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and another 47% from 1440p to 4K across all presets indicate a GPU that is saturated by pixel throughput demands. The fact that Low settings at 4K (47 FPS) still outperform Ultra at 1440p (43 FPS) suggests that the pixel-count penalty is significant but not insurmountable, and that settings reductions can effectively offset resolution increases. The 143 FPS at 1080p Low is more than double the 67 FPS at 1080p Ultra, demonstrating a 53.1% performance swing purely from settings changes at the same resolution.

The limiting component analysis points squarely at the GPU for 4K workloads. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus provide 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and the measured frame rates at 4K suggest the card's compute resources are the binding constraint. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 20 MB of L3 cache, shows no evidence of bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the system reaches 143 FPS. The scaling curve is smooth and monotonic, with no anomalous plateaus that would indicate a CPU ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2324 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 78.7th percentile of all systems evaluated for this game. This is a respectable position, indicating that the pairing outperforms roughly four out of five tested configurations, though it sits well below the top-tier systems that likely pair newer GPUs with high-end CPUs.

The GPU's benchmark standing provides context for this ranking. The RTX 2060 achieves a 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (avgScore 15283, deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon 680M (avgScore 15270, deltaPct 0.1), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (avgScore 15199, deltaPct 0.6), and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (avgScore 15171, deltaPct 0.8). The RTX 2060 effectively matches these alternatives in aggregate GPU performance, with deltas of less than 1% in all cases, yet its in-game ranking for this combo is substantially higher than its raw GPU percentile would suggest.

The CPU's benchmark profile is comparatively stronger. The Core Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (avgScore 36945, deltaPct 0), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (avgScore 37018, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (avgScore 37093, deltaPct -0.4), and Intel Core i9-12900T (avgScore 37112, deltaPct -0.5). The CPU's stronger relative standing likely contributes to the combo's better-than-expected game ranking, as Hard West's turn-based tactical gameplay may not heavily stress the GPU in all scenarios.

The gap between the combo's 78.7th percentile ranking and the GPU's 58th percentile suggests that the CPU is doing meaningful work to boost the overall experience. In a game that is not graphically demanding by modern standards, the Core Ultra 5 225's high single-thread performance — evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 — helps maintain frame rates even when the GPU is the nominal bottleneck. The data indicates that this combo outperforms what the GPU alone would predict, making the CPU a valuable contributor to the final result.

FAQ

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

A: At 4K, the system achieves 30 FPS on High, 39 FPS on Medium, and 47 FPS on Low settings. Only the Low preset provides a consistently playable experience above 40 FPS, while Ultra drops to 22 FPS, which is below typical playability thresholds.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The measured data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance of quality and performance. At this resolution, the system maintains 57 FPS on High, 74 FPS on Medium, and 90 FPS on Low, with Ultra hitting 43 FPS. All presets are playable at 1440p, unlike 4K where only Low exceeds 40 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 is nearly identical to its nearest competitors: the GTX 580 (15283, 0% delta), Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% delta), RTX 3050 OEM (15199, 0.6% delta), and RX 7600 (15171, 0.8% delta). These differences are negligible in synthetic testing.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 225 a strong CPU for gaming?

A: The CPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945 in the aggregate benchmark, a 0% delta, indicating comparable overall performance.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the system delivers 143 FPS on Low, 117 FPS on Medium, 90 FPS on High, and 67 FPS on Ultra. Even the most demanding preset remains well above 60 FPS, making 1080p a comfortable environment for this combo.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM limit performance in Hard West?

A: The measured data does not indicate VRAM-related stutters or anomalies. The 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for this game at all tested resolutions and settings, as frame rates scale predictably without sudden drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance across all presets. The Low setting produces an average of 143 FPS, which is the single highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium reaches 117 FPS with a minimum of 99 and maximum of 135, indicating consistent frame pacing. High drops to 90 FPS, still comfortably above 60. Ultra is the most demanding 1080p preset at 67 FPS, which remains smooth for a turn-based tactics game. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 76 FPS, or a 53.1% performance reduction at the highest quality preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low delivers 90 FPS, which matches the 1080p High result. Medium achieves 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85, keeping the experience above 60 FPS for the majority of the time. High comes in at 57 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable. Ultra reaches 43 FPS, which is the lowest 1440p result but remains functional for this genre. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 47 FPS, representing a 52.2% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. Low is the only preset to exceed 40 FPS, with an average of 47. Medium produces 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 45, showing some variance. High falls to 30 FPS, which is borderline for playability. Ultra bottoms out at 22 FPS, which would likely be a poor experience even for a turn-based game. The performance range at 4K spans from 47 FPS at Low to 22 FPS at Ultra, a 53.2% reduction.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the only data rows with minimum and maximum FPS values, suggesting it was the focus of more detailed measurement. At 1080p Medium, the 99-135 FPS range shows a 36 FPS swing. At 1440p Medium, the range is 63-85, a 22 FPS swing. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 33-45, a 12 FPS swing. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that frame times become more consistent when the GPU is fully saturated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary graphics processor in this configuration, built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is arranged on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's compute resources include 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. It also features 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be heavily utilized in Hard West, a 2015 turn-based tactics title that predates ray tracing and DLSS. The pixel rate is 80.64 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 201.6 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and FP16 of 12.90 TFLOPS (2:1).

The measured FPS data indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The consistent percentage drops across settings presets — roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and another 47% from 1440p to 4K — are characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The RTX 2060's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290, places it in the mid-range of graphics cards, and the game results align with this positioning.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to create a bottleneck in Hard West, as frame rates scale smoothly without evidence of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters. The 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game's demands at all tested resolutions, and the absence of minimum FPS data for most presets suggests stable performance rather than occasional severe drops.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture (Arrow Lake-S) with a 3 nm process at TSMC. It features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 25891 and single-core score is 3655. In PassMark testing, it achieves 30459 in multi-thread, 4412 in single-thread, 92038 in floating-point math, and 65345 in integer math. The average benchmark score is 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945 (0% delta), while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2% delta), indicating these processors perform nearly identically in aggregate.

In the context of Hard West, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic, AI, and turn-based calculations. The game's 2015 release date means it was designed for far less powerful CPUs, and the Core Ultra 5 225's modern architecture with high single-thread performance is more than sufficient. The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 143 FPS suggests the CPU can push frame rates well beyond what the GPU can render, indicating CPU headroom exists even at the lowest settings.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10-core configuration provide ample computational capacity for this title. The single-thread score of 4412 in PassMark and 3655 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong per-core performance, which is important for games that rely on a primary render thread. The 20 MB of L3 cache helps maintain low latency access to frequently used data, and the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures the CPU can quickly access game assets stored in system memory.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution priority. At 1920x1080, all presets produce playable frame rates, with Ultra achieving 67 FPS. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game where quick reaction times are not critical, the Ultra preset at 1080p offers the best visual experience while maintaining a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. The jump from High (90 FPS) to Ultra (67 FPS) represents a 25.6% performance cost for the highest quality settings, which is a reasonable trade-off at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 57 FPS is the recommended choice for the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. Medium at 74 FPS offers a higher safety margin at the cost of some visual quality, while Ultra at 43 FPS remains playable but may show more noticeable frame pacing issues. The data indicates that High at 1440p provides a 31.6% performance improvement over Ultra, with likely minimal visual differences in a game of this era.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 47 FPS is the only reliably smooth option, with Medium at 39 FPS being borderline and High at 30 FPS dipping below ideal playability. The Ultra preset at 22 FPS is not recommended for 4K. For users prioritizing 4K, the Low preset is the clear choice, as the 47 FPS average is sufficient for turn-based gameplay and the visual downgrade is acceptable at this resolution.

For users who value consistent frame pacing, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions, indicating it may be the most thoroughly optimized. At 1080p Medium, the 99-135 FPS range ensures no drops below 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the 63-85 FPS range stays above 60 FPS. At 4K Medium, the 33-45 FPS range shows tighter consistency than the average might suggest.

Overall, the recommended configurations are: 1080p Ultra for maximum visual quality, 1440p High for balanced performance, and 4K Low for playability. Users with 1440p or 1080p displays will get the best experience, while 4K users should accept lower settings for this older title.