Hard West

# Hard West with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 places 178th out of 3,722 tested combos for Hard West, putting it in the top 4.8% of all systems evaluated. The pairing demonstrates a strong balance for a turn-based tactics title, with the RTX 4080's rasterization prowess and the Ultra 5 245's high single-thread performance combining to deliver frame rates well above playable thresholds at every tested resolution. Hard West, released in late 2015, is not a particularly demanding title by modern standards, which allows this hardware to stretch its legs considerably, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes the primary determinant of peak performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The 178th position out of 3,722 combos represents a top-tier result, placing this system in the 95.2nd percentile of all tested configurations for Hard West. This ranking reflects the substantial headroom both components possess relative to the game's requirements. The RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the Core Ultra 5 245 ranks at the 90th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48,995.

What makes this ranking particularly notable is the consistency across resolutions. A combo that ranks 178th overall suggests it handles both CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p and GPU-bound scenarios at 4K without significant bottlenecks. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209 (a 0.1% delta), indicating the two cards are effectively interchangeable in synthetic benchmarks. Meanwhile, the CPU's closest competitor, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, averages 49,196 (a -0.4% delta), showing the Ultra 5 245 sits in a tightly contested performance band. The 14-core, 14-thread Arrow Lake processor delivers strong multicore throughput with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,924 and a single-core score of 4,648, both of which contribute to the system's ability to feed the GPU effectively even at high frame rates.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080's specifications are substantial for this game. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Hard West's modest texture and geometry demands. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2,205 MHz with a boost clock of 2,505 MHz, while memory runs at 22.4 Gbps effective. The card's 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is primarily to render the isometric, stylized environments efficiently. The 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provides ample headroom for the game's visual effects, which include dynamic lighting and particle effects typical of the genre. At 4K Ultra settings, the game still achieves 51 FPS average, which is playable but shows the GPU is being pushed. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, shows a 0.1% performance delta, confirming that within the same family, the standard 4080 is essentially matching its successor in this title.

The GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for Hard West, which does not utilize ray tracing, but they contribute to the card's overall benchmark standing. The 16 GB VRAM capacity far exceeds what this game requires, even at 4K Ultra, meaning memory capacity is never a limiting factor. The card's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs reinforces that this is a high-end part, though not the absolute fastest available.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 206 FPS at 1920x1080 to 131 FPS at 2560x1440 to 69 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where pixel throughput becomes the dominant factor.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 325 FPS at 1080p drops to 207 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 109 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). The fact that Low settings at 1080p achieve 325 FPS indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at that resolution and settings combination, since the GPU has abundant headroom. The 14-core Ultra 5 245 with a 5.10 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread performance necessary to drive such high frame rates.

The Medium settings rows include minimum and maximum FPS values that are particularly informative. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 269 FPS average with a minimum of 228 FPS and maximum of 309 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 170 FPS with a 144 FPS minimum and 195 FPS maximum. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a 76 FPS minimum and 103 FPS maximum. The minimum frame rates stay consistently above 60 FPS even at 4K, indicating smooth gameplay without significant stutters.

The scaling behavior suggests that between 1080p and 1440p, the system transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound territory. At 1080p Low, the 325 FPS ceiling is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls, while at 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS result clearly reflects GPU limitations. The Ultra preset at each resolution shows the steepest drops: 155 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K, representing a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings in Hard West?

A: The measured average is 131 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold for turn-based tactics.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 or the Core Ultra 5 245 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 325 FPS average, which strongly suggests the CPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU has significant headroom remaining.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a 0.1% delta. This puts the two cards within statistical noise of each other.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings preset?

A: Yes. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. Even at 4K High, the average is 69 FPS. Only at 4K Ultra does the system drop to 51 FPS average.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors in the database?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 ranks at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low average of 325 FPS is 6.4 times higher than the 4K Ultra average of 51 FPS, illustrating the substantial performance range across resolution and settings combinations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 325 FPS, Medium settings yield 269 FPS (with a range of 228 to 309 FPS), High settings achieve 206 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 155 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 52% reduction in frame rate, which is expected given the increased visual fidelity demands.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 207 FPS, Medium settings average 170 FPS (with a minimum of 144 FPS and maximum of 195 FPS), High settings average 131 FPS, and Ultra settings average 98 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each settings level is approximately 36%, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count from roughly 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limitations under the heaviest loads. Low settings still manage an average of 109 FPS, Medium settings produce 89 FPS (with a minimum of 76 FPS and maximum of 103 FPS), High settings average 69 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 51 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only tested configuration that falls below 60 FPS average, making it the only scenario where frame pacing might be noticeable in a game that benefits from smooth cursor movement and camera panning.

The Medium settings rows provide the only complete min/max data, which allows for an assessment of consistency. At 1080p, the spread between minimum and maximum is 81 FPS (228 to 309), at 1440p it is 51 FPS (144 to 195), and at 4K it is 27 FPS (76 to 103). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently utilized, reducing frame time variance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for gaming workloads.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is primarily in processing game logic, unit pathfinding, and AI decision-making between turns. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4,394, ensures that the game's primary thread runs efficiently. The processor's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995, places it slightly below the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49,228, -0.5% delta) and slightly above the Intel Core i5-14600K (48,618, 0.8% delta).

The CPU's 14 threads are more than sufficient for Hard West, which likely utilizes only a few cores due to its 2015 release date and turn-based nature. The PassMark multithread score of 38,706 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,924 indicate strong parallel processing capability, but the game's performance is more dependent on single-thread speed. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz provides the raw speed needed to drive high frame rates at 1080p, where the measured 325 FPS at Low settings demonstrates the CPU's capability to feed the GPU efficiently. The processor's 65 W TDP also indicates efficient operation, though power consumption is secondary to performance in this analysis.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this system is the High preset at 2560x1440. This configuration delivers an average of 131 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a 37% improvement over the Ultra preset at the same resolution (98 FPS). The visual difference between High and Ultra in a turn-based tactics game with stylized graphics is typically subtle, making the frame rate advantage worthwhile.

For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is the recommended choice, offering 89 FPS average with a minimum of 76 FPS. This ensures consistent frame delivery above 60 FPS while maintaining respectable visual fidelity. The 4K High preset at 69 FPS is also viable, but the 22% improvement from dropping to Medium (from 69 to 89 FPS) makes Medium the safer choice for maintaining smooth camera movements and responsiveness.

At 1080p, the High preset at 206 FPS is the sensible recommendation, as the Ultra preset's 155 FPS does not provide a meaningful gameplay advantage in a turn-based title, and the difference between High and Ultra is unlikely to be perceptible on most displays. The Medium preset at 269 FPS could be considered for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, but for a game like Hard West, the visual improvements from High settings are worth the 63 FPS reduction.

The Ultra preset should be reserved for players who prioritize maximum visual quality and have displays with lower refresh rates. At 1440p Ultra, the 98 FPS average is still smooth, and at 1080p Ultra, 155 FPS is more than sufficient. The 4K Ultra result of 51 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it the sole scenario where performance might feel compromised. Given the game's genre, where precise clicking and camera control matter more than twitch reflexes, even 51 FPS could be acceptable, but the Medium preset at 4K offers a safer margin.