Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting profile for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combo. The benchmark data shows this pairing delivers exceptional performance, ranking 41st out of 2949 tested combinations. This places it in the top 1.4% of all systems tested, a commanding position that indicates the hardware is far more capable than the game demands. The measured frame rates across all resolutions confirm that this setup provides a flawless experience, making it an overkill solution for a game of this era, yet one that guarantees maximum smoothness and visual fidelity without compromise.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combination for Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 41st out of 2949 tested combinations. This places it in the top 1.4% of all systems benchmarked with this game, indicating elite-level performance.

Q: Can this system handle Hard West at 4K resolution with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows it achieves an average of 58 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. While this is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo, it still meets the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, and the High preset pushes this to 78 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. This is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, 0.1% slower), showing it is a top-tier performer. It is also slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970) and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960).

Q: What are the key specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?

A: The RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. It has a boost clock of 2407 MHz and a TDP of 575 W.

Q: Is there a scenario where the RTX 5090's frame rate drops below 60 FPS in Hard West?

A: The only measured scenario below 60 FPS is at 4K Ultra settings, with an average of 58 FPS. All other measured settings and resolutions, including 4K High (78 FPS), comfortably exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What does the CPU's single-threaded performance look like in comparison to its multi-threaded?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 scores 2085 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 14769 in multi-core. It also scores 4516 in Passmark single-thread tests and 37816 in Passmark multithread tests, showing a strong balance suitable for both gaming and productivity.

How This Combo Ranks

The performance of this hardware configuration in Hard West is exceptional. With a rank of 41 out of 2949 tested combos, it sits in the 98.6th percentile of all systems. This is a signal that the hardware is not just sufficient but massively oversupplied for the game's requirements. The ranking reflects a system that will not only max out Hard West but will do so with immense headroom, making it a future-proofing powerhouse for any other, more demanding titles.

This high rank is a direct result of the pairing of a top-tier GPU and a very capable CPU. The RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396), which it outperforms by 0.3% and 0.6% respectively. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 46062. This places it on par with, or slightly ahead of, other high-end mobile and desktop processors like the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX.

The combination of these two high-percentile components results in a system that is overkill for Hard West, a game from 2015. The data indicates that the bottleneck is almost certainly the game engine itself, not the hardware. The frame rates are so high that they are likely limited by game logic or draw call processing rather than GPU or CPU compute limits. This is the kind of performance profile you expect from a flagship setup running on a legacy title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this system, and its specifications suggest it is designed for the most demanding modern workloads. The GPU is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is far beyond what a turn-based tactics game like Hard West could ever utilize.

The GPU's clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The sheer number of compute units—21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs—means the card is capable of massive parallel processing. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that a game like Hard West will never approach.

In the context of Hard West, the RTX 5090's role is to provide an absolutely fluid experience at any resolution. The measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080, the GPU is pushing frame rates from 175 FPS on Ultra to 320 FPS on Low, which are well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. Even at 4K, the card manages 58 FPS on Ultra and 123 FPS on Low. This performance indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor in this game; the CPU or game engine is likely the primary constraint at lower resolutions, while the GPU starts to become more relevant at 4K Ultra where the workload is highest.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how settings impact performance. For an optimal experience that balances visual quality with frame rate, the High preset is the recommended choice. At 4K, High settings deliver an average of 78 FPS, which is a solid, smooth experience. While Ultra settings look better, they bring the average down to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for a consistently fluid experience on standard displays.

At lower resolutions, the choice is less critical. At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 148 FPS, and Ultra yields 111 FPS, both of which are excellent. The Medium preset offers a middle ground with 192 FPS, but given the high frame rates, there is no need to compromise. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset delivers 175 FPS, so users can max out the settings without any concern for performance.

Given the enormous headroom, the recommendation is straightforward: use High settings at 4K to ensure a stable 78 FPS. If a user has a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, they can comfortably select Ultra to get 111 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra is the only sensible choice, as it still provides 175 FPS. The Low and Medium presets are only useful for players who are trying to push frame rates to their absolute maximum, but they do not provide a better experience than High or Ultra given the game's nature.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a linear scaling of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 320 FPS on Low, 298 FPS on Medium, 234 FPS on High, and 175 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded min of 253 FPS and max of 343 FPS, showing some variance but nothing that would cause a perceptible stutter.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains exceptionally high. The average frame rates are 235 FPS on Low, 192 FPS on Medium, 148 FPS on High, and 111 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset here has a min of 163 FPS and max of 221 FPS, which is still a rock-solid performance range.

At 3840x2160, the resolution begins to stress the GPU more significantly. The average frame rates are 123 FPS on Low, 101 FPS on Medium, 78 FPS on High, and 58 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a min of 86 FPS and max of 116 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS mark, making the High preset the best option for 4K gaming.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step down in settings provides a significant boost in frame rate. The jump from Ultra to High at 4K is a 34% improvement in average FPS (from 58 to 78). At 1440p, the jump from Ultra to High is 33% (from 111 to 148). This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces a heavy load, likely from enhanced shadows, effects, and draw distances, which can be turned down for a large performance gain with minimal visual impact in a game like Hard West.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-S architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide a solid foundation for gaming. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-threaded power and more about single-threaded performance and frame pacing. The game's logic and AI calculations are often single-threaded, which is why the Core Ultra 5 235's strong single-core score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 is critical. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz helps ensure that these calculations are handled quickly, minimizing turn times and ensuring smooth frame delivery.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 score of 14769, are not heavily utilized by this game. However, they provide headroom for any background tasks and ensure that the system remains responsive. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are so high that the game is likely limited by the engine's frame logic, which is a software constraint, not a hardware one. The CPU is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5090 with draw calls and game state updates, and its performance is on par with or better than its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data.