Hard West

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It runs at a 3.70 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.80 GHz, which places it in the top tier of consumer CPUs for raw frequency-driven work. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside 3 MB of L2 cache per core and 192 KB of L1 cache per core, provides a substantial memory hierarchy for feeding data to the cores. The processor supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and it includes ECC memory support, a feature typically associated with workstation-class reliability.

For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, CPU demands are generally modest compared to real-time strategy or simulation titles. The game’s logic — turn resolution, pathfinding, and AI decision-making — is single-threaded in nature, though modern engines can offload some tasks to multiple cores. In this context, the Ultra 9 290K Plus's single-core performance is particularly relevant. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 points, and R20 single-core score of 3067 points, indicate exceptional per-thread throughput. This translates directly to snappy turn processing and minimal wait times between actions, even when the battlefield is crowded with units and environmental effects.

The multi-core results are equally impressive, though less critical for this genre. The processor scores 51731 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 21727 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, showing that it can handle background tasks, streaming, or recording without competing with the game for resources. In PassMark, the multi-thread score of 60860 and integer math score of 166194 reinforce this capability. The processor's average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of installed processors. Compared to its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, it is 0.2% ahead in average score, which is a negligible margin — effectively a tie in real-world terms. Against the AMD EPYC 4584PX, it leads by 1.1%, and against the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, though those are server-class chips with different design goals. The only rival ahead is the AMD EPYC 7F72, which is 1.3% faster in average score, but that processor is a high-end server part, not a direct desktop competitor.

For Hard West specifically, the 24 threads are more than sufficient to handle any background simulation the game might run. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded game logic executes with minimal latency. The data shows that at 1080p, where CPU overhead is most visible, the combo achieves average frame rates well above 200 FPS across most settings, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title. The processor's TDP of 125 W is modest for its performance class, and it uses an Intel Socket 1851, which is the current mainstream platform. Overall, the CPU's role here is to provide headroom — it is unlikely to ever be the limiting factor in a turn-based title, and its strong single-core results ensure smooth, consistent turn processing.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC, with the GB203 chip housing 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1875 MHz, translating to 30 Gbps effective speed. This memory configuration is generous for a game like Hard West, which is a 2015 title with relatively simple textures and geometry by modern standards. The 16 GB VRAM capacity means the GPU will never be constrained by memory capacity at any resolution or setting in this game, and the high bandwidth ensures texture streaming is instantaneous.

The GPU's compute specifications are substantial: 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. It also includes 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be utilized heavily in a turn-based tactics game from 2015. The base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and the pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 56.28 TFLOPS, which is more than enough to push high frame rates in older titles. The GPU's average benchmark score is 56083, placing it in the 87th percentile among all GPUs.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5080 is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, while being 2.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. The only rival ahead is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which is 2.2% faster in average score. These margins are small, indicating the RTX 5080 sits in a competitive performance band, but its actual in-game performance for Hard West is what matters here.

For Hard West, the GPU's role is to render the 2D and 3D elements of the tactical battlefield, including character models, environmental props, and lighting effects. The game's art style is stylized, and the GPU's raw power means it can push extremely high frame rates even at 4K. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 340 FPS average, which is far beyond any display's refresh rate. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 53, which is playable but indicates the GPU is being pushed at the highest settings. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960 GB/s bandwidth ensure that even at 4K, texture loads are instant and there is no stuttering from memory bottlenecks. The GPU's power draw is 360 W, with a suggested PSU of 750 W, and it uses a dual-slot cooling solution with a 16-pin power connector.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 340 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 215 FPS, a reduction of 36.8%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 113 FPS, which is 66.8% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, even at Low settings, because the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames at 1080p but the GPU's pixel throughput is constrained at 1440p and 4K.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At High settings, 1080p yields 214 FPS, 1440p yields 135 FPS (a 36.9% drop), and 4K yields 71 FPS (a 66.8% drop from 1080p). The percentage drops are nearly identical across Low and High, which indicates that the scaling behavior is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (278 FPS) to 1440p (176 FPS) is 36.7%, and to 4K (92 FPS) is 66.9%. This consistency strongly implies that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the primary constraints as resolution increases.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is slightly different. 1080p Ultra gives 160 FPS, 1440p Ultra gives 101 FPS (a 36.9% drop), and 4K Ultra gives 53 FPS (a 66.9% drop from 1080p). The percentage drops are almost identical to the other settings, confirming that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller percentage drops at higher resolutions because the CPU workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, the consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~67% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings points to the GPU's rendering pipeline being the constraint.

This is further supported by the fact that the CPU's 24 threads and high boost clock are more than capable of handling the game's logic at any resolution. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo achieves frame rates that are multiples of what any monitor can display (340 FPS at Low), which means the CPU is not holding back the GPU. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows quadratically with pixel count, and the frame rates drop accordingly. For a turn-based tactics game, this means that players with high-refresh-rate monitors can easily push 1440p at High settings to achieve 135 FPS, while 4K at High settings is still smooth at 71 FPS.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 340 FPS, Medium produces 278 FPS (with a minimum of 237 and maximum of 320), High produces 214 FPS, and Ultra produces 160 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease, with Ultra being 52.9% slower than Low. The Medium setting's min/max range of 237-320 FPS indicates some variance, but the average is still far above the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected drop. Low produces 215 FPS, Medium produces 176 FPS (with a minimum of 150 and maximum of 203), High produces 135 FPS, and Ultra produces 101 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 53.0%, nearly identical to the 1080p percentage decrease. This suggests that the settings scaling is consistent regardless of resolution, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The Medium setting's minimum of 150 FPS is still well above 144 Hz, making it a strong choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. Low produces 113 FPS, Medium produces 92 FPS (with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 106), High produces 71 FPS, and Ultra produces 53 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 53.1%, again consistent with the other resolutions. At 4K, even Ultra settings are playable at 53 FPS average, though the minimum frame data is not available for Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 79 FPS, which is still within the range of smooth gameplay for a turn-based title, where frame timing is less critical than in fast-paced action games. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, High settings at 71 FPS is a good balance, while Ultra at 53 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the Medium settings provide the only complete min/max data, showing that the combo maintains stable frame delivery without major dips. The gap between High and Ultra is consistent at roughly 25-30% across all resolutions, which suggests that Ultra settings impose a significant additional rendering cost — likely from advanced lighting or shadow effects — that may not be worth the visual improvement in a tactical game where the camera is often top-down.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Hard West, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 90th out of 2949 combos. This places it in the top 3.1% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result for a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The rank of 90 indicates that there are 89 other combos that achieve higher average frame rates in this game, but with 2949 total combinations tested, this setup outperforms the overwhelming majority.

The top 89 combos are likely to feature more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 5090 or possibly overclocked variants of the RTX 5080, or they might include processors with even higher single-core performance. However, the rank of 90 is impressive when considering the balance of CPU and GPU in this combo. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking indicate that both components are high-end, but the GPU is slightly less exceptional relative to its peers. This is reflected in the fact that the combo does not break into the top 50, as the GPU's performance gap to the very top tier is likely the limiting factor.

In practical terms, a rank of 90 out of 2949 means that this combo delivers frame rates that are competitive with the best systems for Hard West, but there is still headroom above it. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the combo can reach 340 FPS at Low, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any common monitor. At 4K Ultra, it achieves 53 FPS, which is playable but not the highest possible. The data suggests that for this specific game, the combo is well-balanced — the CPU is powerful enough to never bottleneck the GPU, and the GPU is powerful enough to deliver high frame rates at 1440p and playable frame rates at 4K. The rank of 90 confirms that this is a high-performing combination, though not the absolute fastest, and it positions this setup as a very capable choice for turn-based tactics games.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combo achieves an average of 214 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is well above the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops by approximately 37% from 1080p to 1440p and by 67% from 1080p to 4K, regardless of settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303) provides ample headroom.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 71, and at Ultra settings it drops to 53 FPS. Both are playable for a turn-based tactics game, though the Medium setting at 92 FPS provides a smoother experience.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083, placing it 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 90th out of 2949 tested hardware combinations for Hard West, placing it in the top 3.1% of all systems tested.

Q: Does the CPU's 24-thread configuration help in this game?

A: While the game is turn-based and likely single-threaded for logic, the 24 threads ensure that background tasks do not interfere with gameplay. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 60860 indicates it can handle streaming or recording without impacting frame rates.