Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination shows a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings. The frame rates across the three tested resolutions reveal a predictable scaling pattern, but the magnitude of the performance swings between presets is the key takeaway. At 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates, but pushing to 4K with maximum settings will challenge the GPU significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. Looking at the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 99.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 63.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 36%. Moving further up to 3840x2160, the average drops to 34.7 FPS, which is a 65% decrease from the 1080p figure. This pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at lower resolutions, but the pixel throughput demands of 4K overwhelm the RTX 2060 SUPER.

The scaling is even more dramatic when examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the system manages 73.3 FPS, which is playable, but at 1440p it falls to 46.8 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate collapses to 23.3 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at that setting. This shows that the gap between High and Ultra is not just about visual fidelity; it represents a massive performance cost that is not worth paying at higher resolutions. The data suggests that for a smooth experience at 4K, users must be willing to drop to the Low preset, which achieves 50.4 FPS, or the Medium preset at 45.5 FPS. The resolution scaling clearly demonstrates that this GPU is a 1080p and 1440p performer for this title, with 4K requiring significant compromises in visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, even the Ultra preset achieves an average of 73.3 FPS, while High, Medium, and Low all exceed 99 FPS. This provides the most flexibility for visual settings without sacrificing smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Hard West?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. The 4K High preset averages 34.7 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target. To get a playable frame rate at 4K, you must use the Low preset (50.4 FPS) or Medium preset (45.5 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K is not viable, averaging only 23.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its direct competitors?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. This places it 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U, which scores 13462. It also outperforms the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%, which scores 13280.

Q: How does the GPU compare to other NVIDIA cards in its class?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774. This puts it 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19706) and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (19680). It also leads the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 by 0.8% and the NVIDIA Tesla K40m by 1.3%.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 98.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 46.8 FPS. This is a difference of 51.9 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset more than halves the frame rate compared to Low at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. While it is not a high-core-count monster, its strong single-thread performance is evident in its benchmark scores. For instance, it scores 1681 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3444 in Passmark single-thread. In a game like Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics title, these characteristics are more than adequate.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 154.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to maintain high performance. The 3DMark scores further support this; the 4-thread score of 2859 and the 8-thread score of 4026 show that the processor scales reasonably well with the threads available. The max threads score of 4023 is nearly identical to the 8-thread score, indicating that the game likely does not use more than 8 threads effectively, which is fine given the CPU's 8-thread capacity.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72 against all CPUs places it in the upper-midrange. Its average benchmark score of 13516 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which is a much more expensive workstation chip. This shows that for gaming workloads, the i3-12100F provides a level of performance that is competitive with far more expensive processors. The data shows that this CPU will not hold back the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of frame rate, which is the expected and desired behavior for a balanced gaming system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of performance across all settings. At 1920x1080, the system is very capable. The Low preset delivers an average of 154.8 FPS, while Medium achieves 129.3 FPS and High reaches 99.8 FPS. Even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a respectable 73.3 FPS at this resolution. All of these are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p a smooth experience regardless of the chosen preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance impact of the higher resolution becomes apparent. The Low preset still delivers a high average of 98.7 FPS, and Medium manages 80 FPS. The High preset drops to 63.9 FPS, which is still playable, but the Ultra preset falls to 46.8 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. This resolution is a good compromise for those with 1440p monitors who are willing to adjust settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under heavy load. The Low preset is the only one that averages above 50 FPS, at 50.4 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45.5 FPS, and High drops to 34.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is not playable at this resolution, with an average of just 23.3 FPS. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is for high-refresh-rate or maximum quality gaming, 1440p is for balanced gaming with some visual compromises, and 4K is only viable with the lowest settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. The GPU has a benchmark score of 19774, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, scores 19680, meaning the 2060 SUPER is actually 0.5% faster in this aggregate benchmark. This is an interesting data point, suggesting the 2060 SUPER offers performance very close to the next tier up.

The GPU's role in Hard West is dominant, as the resolution scaling data confirms. The frame rate drops from 154.8 FPS at 1080p Low to 50.4 FPS at 4K Low, a 67% reduction. This massive drop is solely attributable to the GPU's pixel processing limits. The 8 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, given its 2015 release date, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The GPU's compute capabilities, which include a Passmark G3D score of 16462 and a DirectX 12 score of 61, are sufficient for the game's requirements, but the raw shader throughput is what determines the frame rates at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a solid card for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Hard West. It provides over 60 FPS at High settings for both resolutions. However, its limitations are exposed at 4K, where it cannot maintain 60 FPS even on the Low preset. This is consistent with its position in the market; it is a mid-range card that is not designed for native 4K gaming in more demanding titles, though it can handle it with significant setting reductions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, the data points to a clear set of recommendations based on target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 99.8 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is also viable at 73.3 FPS, but the jump from High to Ultra is not worth the 26.5 FPS loss for most users.

For 2560x1440 users, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 63.9 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset provides a higher frame rate of 80 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss may not be acceptable for all players. Those with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors might prefer the Medium preset to take advantage of the higher frame rate, but for standard 60Hz displays, High is the better option.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is to use the Low preset, which averages 50.4 FPS. This is the only preset that comes close to a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 45.5 FPS is a possibility for those who prioritize visuals over smoothness, but the difference is marginal. The High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely at this resolution due to their low average frame rates. Ultimately, the data suggests that the system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can provide a high-quality experience.