Hard West

The data shows the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. Across the measured resolutions, this combo produces frame rates that range from highly playable at 4K to extraordinarily high at 1080p, with the CPU and GPU each taking distinct roles depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 325 FPS, which drops to 229 FPS at 1440p and 120 FPS at 4K. This represents a 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count rises. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings shows a 48% drop, from 229 FPS to 120 FPS, which is a substantial hit but still leaves the game running far above typical display refresh rates.

At High settings, the resolution scaling is somewhat less dramatic. The combo produces 228 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This suggests that at High settings, the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at 4K, as the frame rate falls to a level where the CPU's high single-thread performance is no longer the bottleneck. The 4K High result of 76 FPS is still well within smooth gameplay territory for a turn-based tactics game.

Medium settings show similar scaling trends. At 1080p, the combo hits 297 FPS, dropping to 188 FPS at 1440p and 99 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 37%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 47%, mirroring the High settings pattern almost exactly. This consistency suggests that the rendering load scales predictably with resolution, regardless of the preset. The Medium settings also provide the only min and max FPS measurements in the data, with 4K showing a range from 84 FPS to 113 FPS, 1440p ranging from 160 to 216 FPS, and 1080p ranging from 252 to 341 FPS. The tight min-max spreads indicate stable frame pacing without significant hitches.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across all resolutions. The combo achieves 171 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%, again following the same proportional pattern. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is the only measured frame rate below 60 FPS, which indicates that this is the most demanding configuration in the test set. The consistent 37% and 47% drops across all presets strongly suggest that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds up well at 1080p where frame rates exceed 300 FPS on Low settings.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 plays the dominant role in determining frame rates at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K. The GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Hard West's modest texture and geometry requirements. The card's boost clock of 2520 MHz, up from a base of 2235 MHz, helps maintain high throughput across the 16384 shading units. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key factor in the high frame rates observed, especially at 1080p where the card is not fully taxed.

The GPU's 176 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s, which becomes increasingly important as resolution increases. At 4K, the card must fill over 8 million pixels per frame, and the data shows it handles this capably, with 76 FPS on High settings. The texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s ensures that the 512 TMUs are never starved for work, even in scenes with complex surfaces. The GPU's memory clock of 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective, provides the raw bandwidth needed to feed the Ada Lovelace architecture at 4K resolutions.

The RTX 4090's benchmarks place it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60326, a delta of 0%, indicating that the RTX 4090's performance profile is closely matched by that workstation card in synthetic tests. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, 2.9% lower. These comparisons are interesting because they show that in general compute benchmarks, the RTX 4090 does not always lead, yet in Hard West's measured frame rates, it delivers exceptional performance due to game-specific optimizations and driver maturity.

At 1080p Low settings, the 325 FPS result suggests the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more relevant at such high frame rates. However, as resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rates drop proportionally, confirming that the RTX 4090 is the limiting factor at 4K across all settings presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the RTX 4090 ranks 57th out of 2949 combos for Hard West. This places the combo in the top 2% of all tested configurations, which is an outstanding result for a turn-based tactics game that is not typically considered a GPU stress test. The rank of 57 indicates that while there are 56 other combos that produce higher frame rates in this game, the vast majority of systems—over 98%—deliver lower performance.

The high rank is attributable to both components. The CPU's placement in the 90th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48995, ensures that it does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (0.5% higher). These close margins indicate that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive with much more expensive processors in general compute tasks, which translates to strong gaming performance.

The GPU's 88th percentile ranking and average score of 60347 further contribute to the combo's high position. While the RTX 4090 is technically end-of-life in its production status, its raw performance remains among the best available. The combo's rank of 57 out of 2949 suggests that only systems with even more powerful CPUs or more game-specific optimizations outperform it in Hard West. The fact that this 2015 title still shows such high frame rates with this modern hardware indicates that the game is not particularly demanding, but the combo's rank still reflects its ability to maximize the game's engine limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Hard West?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 325 FPS, achieved at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. All other settings at 4K, including High at 76 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS, and Low at 120 FPS, exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 60347 on average, while the Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, which is 2.9% lower.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination produces the lowest frame rate?

A: The lowest measured average frame rate is 57 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Is there a significant difference between 1440p and 4K performance at High settings?

A: Yes, the frame rate drops from 144 FPS at 1440p to 76 FPS at 4K, a 47% reduction, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a crucial role in achieving the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. With 14 cores and 14 threads, this Arrow Lake-S processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability, though its 3.50 GHz base clock and 5.10 GHz boost clock are more relevant for gaming performance. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, ensures that data is readily available for processing, reducing latency in game logic and AI calculations typical of turn-based tactics.

The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and PassMark single-thread score of 4394. These scores place the Ultra 5 245 in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. In Hard West, where turn-based gameplay relies heavily on CPU calculations for unit actions and pathfinding, this single-thread strength is essential. The 1080p Low result of 325 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can drive frame rates well beyond what most displays can show, and even at 1440p Low, the 229 FPS result suggests the CPU is not severely limiting.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and PassMark multi-thread score of 38706, ensures that background tasks and game overhead do not interfere with frame delivery. The PassMark physics score of 2569 and data compression score of 400942 further indicate that the CPU handles complex calculations efficiently. The Ultra 5 245's nearest rival in the CPU benchmark database is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (0.5% higher). These close margins show that the Intel chip is highly competitive despite its lower price point.

At 4K resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but the frame rates still remain high, with 76 FPS on High settings. This indicates that the CPU does not introduce stutters or frame drops even when the GPU is heavily loaded. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node from TSMC contribute to efficient operation, allowing sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling, which is important for maintaining consistent frame rates over long gaming sessions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, all settings presets produce frame rates well above 144 Hz, making them suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 171 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth, while the High preset at 228 FPS offers a balance between visual fidelity and performance. For users with 1080p 144 Hz displays, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it provides the best visual quality without dropping below 165 FPS, ensuring no frame rate loss.

At 1440p, the situation is similar, with all presets exceeding 100 FPS. The Ultra preset produces 108 FPS, which is above 100 FPS and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 144 FPS is ideal for 144 Hz monitors, while the Medium preset at 188 FPS provides a significant margin for those with 165 Hz or 240 Hz panels. The Low preset at 229 FPS offers the highest frame rate but sacrifices visual quality, which is likely unnecessary given the strong performance of the High and Ultra presets.

At 4K, the recommendations change based on the target frame rate. The Ultra preset produces 57 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may result in noticeable frame pacing issues on some displays. The High preset at 76 FPS is the recommended choice for 60 Hz displays, as it provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate while maintaining high visual quality. The Medium preset at 99 FPS is suitable for 4K 120 Hz displays, offering a good balance between performance and visual fidelity. The Low preset at 120 FPS is ideal for 4K 120 Hz panels, though it requires significant visual compromises.

For the best experience on a 4K 60 Hz display, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers 76 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without the visual degradation of Medium or Low settings. For 4K 120 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 99 FPS is the optimal choice, as it stays close to the 120 FPS target while offering better visuals than Low. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K due to its sub-60 FPS performance, unless the user prioritizes maximum visual quality over frame rate smoothness. Across all resolutions, the data indicates that the High preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality, with frame rates that exceed 75 FPS even at 4K.