Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination provides a clear picture of its performance envelope. The measured results show a system capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p, but one that begins to struggle significantly as resolution increases, particularly at the highest graphical presets. This analysis breaks down the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, offers settings recommendations, and contextualizes the system's standing against other tested configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The processor supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In the context of a 2015 turn-based tactics game like Hard West, the CPU's role is less about brute-force multi-threaded throughput and more about single-core performance and consistent frame pacing.

Benchmark data indicates the Ultra 5 245 scores 4,648 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 32,924 points in the multi-core test. This places the processor in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49,196 (a 0.4% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49,228 (a 0.5% difference). The Intel Core i5-14600K is also close, with a score of 48,618, putting the Ultra 5 245 0.8% ahead. This strong performance in synthetic benchmarks suggests that the processor is more than capable of feeding the GPU in a game with the computational demands of Hard West.

The measured frame rates in this game reinforce the notion that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 143 FPS. This high frame rate, which far exceeds the refresh rate of typical monitors, indicates that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without bottlenecking. The fact that the frame rate scales down predictably as resolution and settings increase points to the GPU becoming the bottleneck at higher loads. However, the CPU's single-threaded strength, evidenced by its 4,648 Cinebench R23 score, ensures that even in complex turn-based scenarios with many units on screen, the game logic is processed quickly. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache also contribute to responsive performance. Ultimately, the data shows that the Core Ultra 5 245 provides a robust foundation for this title, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of visual performance.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with a 12 nm process node and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1365 MHz, with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The GPU features 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output processors. It also includes 30 ray tracing cores and 240 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be heavily utilized in a 2015 title. The GPU's performance percentile is 58, with an average benchmark score of 15,290. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (score 15,283, a 0% difference) and the AMD Radeon 680M (score 15,270, a 0.1% difference). The RTX 3050 OEM and AMD Radeon RX 7600 are also close, with scores of 15,199 and 15,171, respectively, putting the RTX 2060 0.6% and 0.8% ahead of them.

In Hard West, the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM is a critical factor. The game's demands on VRAM increase with resolution and texture quality settings. At 4K with Ultra settings, the system averages 22 FPS, a very low frame rate that suggests the GPU is heavily strained, likely due to both compute and memory bandwidth limits. The 6 GB capacity may also be a limiting factor at high resolutions, as the game may struggle to fit all necessary assets. However, the GPU shows its capability at lower resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the average frame rate is 90 FPS, which is a smooth experience. With Medium settings at 1080p, the average is 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 135 FPS, indicating good frame consistency.

The performance scaling across resolutions is telling. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 143 FPS. This drops to 90 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 47 FPS at 4K Low. This significant drop-off highlights the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts. The RTX 2060's 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is sufficient for 1080p gaming in this title, but the 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6 GB VRAM become bottlenecks at 4K. The results show that the GPU is the main factor limiting performance in Hard West, particularly at resolutions above 1080p and with higher preset levels.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best performance you can expect from this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate measured at 1920x1080 is 143 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset. With High settings, the average drops to 90 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 67 FPS.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 47 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, while High and Ultra settings yield 30 FPS and 22 FPS, respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 143 FPS, which is very high. As resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops significantly, a pattern typical of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high single-core and multi-core benchmark scores suggest it is not the limiting component.

Q: What are the frame times like at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 74 FPS. The measured minimum is 63 FPS, and the maximum is 85 FPS, showing a fairly consistent frame delivery with a 22 FPS spread between the minimum and maximum.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: In the database of tested hardware combinations for Hard West, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2324th out of 2949 tested combos. This places it in the lower middle portion of the performance distribution.

Q: Does lowering the settings from High to Low provide a significant performance boost at 4K?

A: Yes, the performance gain is substantial. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate increases from 30 FPS on High settings to 47 FPS on Low settings, a 17 FPS improvement that makes the game significantly more playable.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured frame rate data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice, delivering an average of 90 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, allowing for slight dips without becoming noticeable. For players with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p offers 143 FPS, which is ideal for maximizing smoothness, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended option, as it provides an average of 74 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at this resolution drops to 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for those sensitive to frame rate drops. The Low preset at 1440p offers 90 FPS, but again, it requires a significant reduction in visual quality.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a playable experience, with an average of 47 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, which may be acceptable for a turn-based game where precise timing is not critical, but it is below the standard for smooth action. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as they produce 30 FPS and 22 FPS averages, respectively, which are too low for a responsive experience. Therefore, the best experience per the data is achieved by using the Low preset at 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 2560x1440, and the High preset at 1920x1080.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination holds a rank of 2324 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This ranking places the system in the 21st percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that roughly 79% of the tested combos performed better. This is a relatively low ranking, which is expected given the age of the GPU and its position in the performance hierarchy. The CPU, however, is a high-end modern part, ranking in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This creates an interesting dynamic where a very capable processor is paired with a mid-range GPU from a previous generation.

The data shows that the RTX 2060's performance, as measured by its average benchmark score of 15,290, is very close to its rivals, such as the GTX 580 and the Radeon 680M. The 0% and 0.1% differences in performance are negligible. This suggests that in a CPU-light game like Hard West, the GPU's raw compute power is the determining factor for the combo's rank. The high rank of the CPU in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to a high rank in this game, confirming that the GPU is the performance limiter. The system's rank of 2324 indicates that while it can run the game, it is not competitive with higher-end GPU configurations, especially at higher resolutions. For the best experience, users should target 1080p or 1440p, where the GPU's limitations are less pronounced.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rates provide a detailed view of the system's performance across different settings and resolutions.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 143 FPS.
• Medium: Average 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 135 FPS.
• High: Average 90 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 67 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 90 FPS.
• Medium: Average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS.
• High: Average 57 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 43 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 47 FPS.
• Medium: Average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS.
• High: Average 30 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 22 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is also consistent, with Ultra typically delivering roughly half the frame rate of Low at the same resolution. The minimum and maximum FPS data for Medium settings at all resolutions shows the frame time variance is manageable, with a spread of around 12-22 FPS. This suggests that the game's performance is stable, with no major hitches, even when the average frame rate is low.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling of frame rates from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this system. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 143 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 47 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 48% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar at High settings, where the frame rate goes from 90 FPS at 1080p to 57 FPS at 1440p and 30 FPS at 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is around 67% for both Low and High settings.

This steep decline in performance is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's performance remains constant across resolutions, but the GPU must render exponentially more pixels at 4K (3840x2160) compared to 1080p (1920x1080). The RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is not equipped to handle the pixel throughput required at 4K in this game. The fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with the pixel count (a 4x increase in pixels results in roughly a 3x drop in FPS) suggests that other factors, such as memory bandwidth and fill rate, are also limiting. The GPU's 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate are insufficient for 4K. The data indicates that for this game, the RTX 2060 is best utilized at 1080p, where it can deliver high frame rates, and is only marginally acceptable at 1440p with lower settings. The 4K resolution is not a viable option for a smooth experience with this hardware.