Hard West

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data indicates that this pairing is heavily skewed toward GPU-limited performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded capabilities ensure framerates remain fluid even at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured results across four settings presets and three resolutions, interpreting what the numbers reveal about the hardware’s behavior in this specific game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, which are critical figures for a game like Hard West, where turn-based logic and AI pathfinding often rely on a few high-frequency threads rather than massive parallel throughput. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4691 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that its per-core performance is a significant strength. In contrast, its multithreaded score of 36470 is solid but not exceptional, which aligns with the game’s design—Hard West does not appear to scale heavily across 16 threads, so the boost clock is the more relevant specification.

The processor’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample on-die storage for game state data, reducing latency during complex tactical calculations. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, particularly at lower resolutions where the graphics card is less taxed. In the measured results, the 1080p Low setting achieves 285 FPS, which is the highest recorded framerate in the entire dataset. This suggests that even at maximum CPU load for this title, the Ryzen 7 9700F’s 5.50 GHz boost clock is sufficient to push frame generation well beyond typical display refresh rates.

Benchmark comparisons show the 9700F trailing the Intel Core i7-14700KF by only 0.2% in average score, while leading the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.7%. These rival deltas are minuscule, confirming that the 9700F is not a limiting factor in Hard West’s performance. The game’s turn-based nature means that CPU stalls are less perceptible than in real-time genres, but the data still shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the framerate drop is attributable to the GPU, not the processor. For instance, moving from 1080p Medium at 234 FPS to 1440p Medium at 148 FPS represents a 37% reduction, a drop that cannot be explained by CPU limitations given the 9700F’s headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are standard for the 40-series, but the memory configuration is worth noting for Hard West. The game’s turn-based tactics visuals, while not high-end, still benefit from the 12 GB frame buffer at 4K Ultra, where the GPU’s 45 FPS average suggests memory capacity is adequate but compute throughput is the limiting factor. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 29995 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, which scores 43667, a 1% delta.

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 7168 shading units and 80 ROPs are exercised heavily at 4K resolution. The measured data shows a clear progression: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 45, which drops to 60 at High, 78 at Medium, and 95 at Low. This 50% improvement from Ultra to Low at 4K indicates that the GPU’s pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s is being saturated by the higher preset’s effects. At 1440p, the same settings yield 85, 114, 148, and 181 FPS, respectively, showing that the GPU has more headroom when pixel count is reduced by 56%. The 1080p results—135, 180, 234, and 285 FPS—further confirm that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, as the CPU is unlikely to constrain these figures given its single-thread performance.

The GPU’s memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Hard West’s texture-heavy scenes, but the data does not indicate any memory-related stuttering, as minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 66, which is 85% of the average, suggesting smooth frame pacing. The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, but the performance per watt is not directly measured here; instead, the focus is on how the 4070 SUPER’s raw compute scales with resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 FPS, ensuring no perceptible dips even in dense tactical sequences. At 1440p, Medium delivers 148 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a 42% improvement over High settings. At 4K, Medium produces 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, making it the only preset that maintains a playable framerate at that resolution without dipping below 60 FPS.

High settings are viable for 1080p and 1440p, with averages of 180 and 114 FPS respectively, but the jump to Ultra at 4K yields only 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for most users. Low settings, while achieving 285 FPS at 1080p, sacrifice too much visual quality for a game that is turn-based and does not require extreme framerates. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot: it provides a 30% framerate increase over High at 4K (78 vs 60 FPS) while likely retaining most visual enhancements, as the gap between Medium and Low at 4K is only 18% (78 vs 95 FPS). For users with 1440p displays, Medium’s 148 FPS average is sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the 126 FPS minimum ensures consistency.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average framerate is 285 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset compare to 4K High in terms of average FPS?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, while 4K High averages 60 FPS, representing a 33% increase in performance when dropping from Ultra to High.

Q: At which resolution does the Medium preset maintain a minimum FPS above 120?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 126, with an average of 148 FPS.

Q: What is the performance delta between this CPU and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF in average benchmark score.

Q: Does the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM cause any performance issues at 4K?

A: No, the data shows no VRAM-related stuttering. The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 66, indicating stable performance.

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

A: 1080p Low averages 285 FPS, which is 6.3 times higher than the 45 FPS average at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 234 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p, a 37% decrease, and then to 78 at 4K, another 47% decrease. This pattern is consistent with pixel count scaling: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p. The observed FPS drops are slightly less severe than the pixel count increase, suggesting that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s compute resources are not fully saturated at lower resolutions, but they become the limiting factor at 4K.

For High settings, the scaling is similar: 180 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 60 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop). The Ultra preset shows the steepest decline, from 135 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p (37% drop) and 45 FPS at 4K (47% drop). This consistent percentage reduction across settings indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck; if the Ryzen 7 9700F were limiting performance, we would expect to see a smaller relative drop at higher resolutions as the GPU becomes more loaded. Instead, the data shows that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are the primary determinants of framerate at 1440p and 4K.

At 1080p, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p (285 to 135 FPS) shows a 53% reduction, but the absolute numbers are all above 135 FPS, meaning the 9700F’s 5.50 GHz boost clock is not a limiting factor. Even the 4K Low preset at 95 FPS is unlikely to be CPU-bound, as the GPU is still processing a large number of pixels. The scaling data suggests that for Hard West, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component to upgrade for higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 7 9700F provides ample headroom for this title’s CPU demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are as follows: Low settings produce 285 FPS, Medium produces 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 269 FPS, High produces 180 FPS, and Ultra produces 135 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 150 FPS, which is the largest absolute difference across all resolutions, indicating that the graphics settings have a substantial impact on GPU load at this resolution. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 199 is 85% of its average, showing stable frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 181 FPS for Low, 148 FPS for Medium (with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS), 114 FPS for High, and 85 FPS for Ultra. The relative gap between Low and Ultra is 96 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, reflecting the increased pixel load. The Medium preset’s minimum of 126 FPS is still well above 60 FPS, making it a safe choice for smooth gameplay. The High preset’s 114 FPS average is also acceptable for most displays, but the 26% improvement from High to Medium (114 to 148 FPS) suggests that Medium is the more efficient setting.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 95 FPS for Low, 78 FPS for Medium (with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS), 60 FPS for High, and 45 FPS for Ultra. This is the only resolution where Low settings fall below 100 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for many users. The Medium preset’s minimum of 66 FPS is the only 4K option that never dips below 60 FPS, confirming its suitability for 4K gaming. The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier provides roughly a 20-30 FPS improvement over the next tier at 4K, while at 1080p, the improvements are larger in absolute terms (e.g., 50 FPS from High to Medium).

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 394th out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 13.4% of all configurations. This ranking is notably high for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, suggesting that the game does not heavily penalize the 9700F’s 8-core design. The CPU’s 94th percentile single-thread score is likely the reason for this strong rank, as Hard West’s turn-based mechanics may prioritize single-thread latency over multi-core throughput.

The GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU’s percentile, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the weaker component in this pairing relative to its peers. However, the combo’s overall rank of 394 is influenced by both parts, and the data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The nearest GPU rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile, scores 1% higher in average benchmark, but this does not translate into a significantly better in-game experience, as the measured FPS at 4K Medium (78) is already smooth.

The combo’s rank is also affected by the fact that Hard West is an older title, and the 12 measured data points show that the RTX 4070 SUPER is overkill for 1080p, where even Low settings exceed 280 FPS. For users with 1440p or 4K displays, this combo ranks competitively, but the data suggests that a stronger GPU would yield a higher rank, as the CPU has headroom to spare. The 394th rank out of 2949 combos is a strong result, but it is not a top-10 placement, indicating that there are 393 combinations that achieve higher framerates, likely with more powerful GPUs.