Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for this Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination reveals a starkly GPU-bound experience at higher resolutions, with the CPU only becoming a potential factor at the very lowest settings. The benchmark results show a clear and predictable pattern of performance scaling that shifts the bottleneck between the processor and graphics card depending on the resolution and preset.

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

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the shape of that curve is more telling than the raw numbers. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 134.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 86.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and then down to 43.4 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a further 50% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 4070 SUPER is almost entirely saturated, leaving very little headroom.

The High preset follows a similar pattern, but with a slightly different amplitude. At 1920x1080 High, the combo produces 179.3 FPS, which falls to 111.6 FPS at 2560x1440 (–38%) and then to 58.4 FPS at 3840x2160 (–48%). The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical between High and Ultra suggests that the GPU is the limiting component in both cases, just at different absolute load levels.

The most revealing data comes from the Low preset. Here, the frame rate at 1920x1080 is 242.6 FPS, which is exceptionally high. At 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 182.3 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still manages 95.3 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 61%, which is larger than the 68% drop seen at Ultra. This wider relative spread at lower settings hints that the CPU is starting to play a larger role at 1080p, where the GPU has less work to do. The i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p Low, capping performance before the GPU can fully stretch its legs.

As resolution increases, the GPU workload expands, and the relative CPU limitation diminishes. By 4K, the data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the clear bottleneck across all settings, as the gap between Low and Ultra narrows from a 44% difference at 1080p (242.6 vs 134.6 FPS) to a 55% difference at 4K (95.3 vs 43.4 FPS). This suggests that for a 2015 turn-based title, the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at high resolutions, while the CPU is more of a supporting actor at lower ones.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 295th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. That places it in the top 17.4% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The percentile data for the individual components supports this: the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 84th percentile versus all GPUs.

The ranking relative to other combos suggests that the i3-12100F is not holding back the RTX 4070 SUPER as much as one might fear. The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (with a deltaPct of –0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-1250U (deltaPct of 0.4%). These are very close scores, indicating that the i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13516 is right in line with much more expensive or power-efficient parts. This means that in a game like Hard West, which likely relies more on single-thread performance, the i3-12100F’s 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clocks are sufficient to keep the GPU fed at most settings.

Given that the combo achieves 134.6 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 43.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, the 295th rank reflects a system that is overkill for 1080p but still capable at 4K, though with a noticeable performance cost. The rank is not higher because many other combos with faster CPUs (like full 8-core parts) may push slightly higher frame rates at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck. But the data shows that for this specific game, the i3-12100F is a surprisingly capable partner for the RTX 4070 SUPER, especially considering its 12 MB of L3 cache and 4 cores.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. For Hard West, a game from 2015, this is more than sufficient. The memory clocks run at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), and the GPU’s base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost of 2475 MHz. These clocks are high enough to deliver the frame rates seen in the measured data, and the 12 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution, given the game’s age and visual complexity.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks show a PassMark G3D score of 29995 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 17108. These numbers place the RTX 4070 SUPER in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, which is reflected in its ability to maintain 58.4 FPS at 4K High and 43.4 FPS at 4K Ultra. The card’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (deltaPct –0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (deltaPct –0.3%), meaning the 4070 SUPER is essentially on par with those workstation and mid-range cards in synthetic tests.

In practice, the GPU’s role becomes apparent when comparing the Low and Ultra presets at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (242.6 FPS) and Ultra (134.6 FPS) is 108 FPS, which is a 45% reduction. At 4K, that difference is 52 FPS (95.3 vs 43.4), a 55% reduction. This shows that the GPU’s pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s are being taxed more heavily as resolution climbs, but the card still holds up. The 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs are clearly adequate for this title, as the frame rates never dip below 43 FPS even at the most demanding settings.

The data implies that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this combo for Hard West, and its 5 nm process and Ada Lovelace architecture provide enough headroom to keep the game playable at 4K, albeit not at ultra-high refresh rates. The GDDR6X memory bandwidth is also a non-issue, as the game likely does not require more than a few gigabytes of VRAM.

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

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high across all presets. Low settings yield 242.6 FPS, Medium drops to 227.2 FPS (–6%), High comes in at 179.3 FPS (–21% vs Low), and Ultra is 134.6 FPS (–45% vs Low). The jump from Medium to High is the largest single-step drop (47.9 FPS), which suggests that High settings introduce a significant graphical feature that taxes the GPU more heavily.

At 2560x1440, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. Low produces 182.3 FPS, Medium 150.8 FPS (–17%), High 111.6 FPS (–39% vs Low), and Ultra 86.3 FPS (–53% vs Low). The relative drop from Medium to High is 39.2 FPS, which is again the biggest step. This consistency indicates that the High preset adds a specific effect that has a fixed cost, regardless of resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results become more demanding. Low yields 95.3 FPS, Medium 80.2 FPS (–16%), High 58.4 FPS (–39% vs Low), and Ultra 43.4 FPS (–54% vs Low). The 4K Ultra result of 43.4 FPS is the only number below 60 FPS in the entire dataset, making it the only setting where the combo fails to hit a smooth 60 FPS target. Interestingly, the relative drop from Medium to High is 21.8 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions, but the percentage drop is similar.

The data shows that Medium settings are the sweet spot for maintaining high frame rates, as the drop from Medium to High is consistently larger than the drop from Low to Medium. At 1080p, Medium is 227.2 FPS, which is only 6% lower than Low, but 21% higher than High. This suggests that Medium offers most of the visual fidelity of High without the performance penalty.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Hard West?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 242.6 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 43.4, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and size?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: At which resolution does the combo rank 295th out of 1699 tested combos?

A: The comboRankInGame of 295 out of 1699 is a global ranking for Hard West, not specific to any resolution, and reflects the overall performance across all measured settings.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop between consecutive settings at 1440p?

A: The largest drop is from Medium (150.8 FPS) to High (111.6 FPS), a difference of 39.2 FPS.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a smooth experience at high refresh rates, the Medium preset is clearly the best choice at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, Medium achieves 227.2 FPS, which is only 15.4 FPS less than Low but 47.9 FPS more than High. This means Medium offers a significant visual upgrade over Low with a negligible performance cost, while avoiding the heavy penalty of High. At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 150.8 FPS, which is still well above 144 Hz and 47.9 FPS higher than High. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal balance of image quality and frame rate for this title.

For 4K, the choice is more nuanced. Medium at 3840x2160 yields 80.2 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and playable. High drops to 58.4 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold and may be noticeable on a 60 Hz display. Ultra at 43.4 FPS is not recommended unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over smoothness. Given that the game is turn-based, a lower frame rate may be acceptable, but for those who prefer fluid camera movement, Medium is the safest recommendation at 4K.

The Low preset is only advisable for extreme refresh rates at 1080p (242.6 FPS), but the visual sacrifice is likely not worth it for a game like Hard West. The Ultra preset offers the best visuals but comes at a 45% performance penalty compared to Medium at 1080p. In summary, Medium is the recommended preset for all resolutions, as it provides the best combination of playable frame rates and graphical quality without the steep drop seen at High.

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

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It features 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that likely does not heavily utilize more than 4 cores, this CPU proves to be more than adequate. The single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 single-core (1681 points) and PassMark single-thread (3444 points), is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings.

The data shows that the CPU only becomes a limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 242.6 FPS is likely near the maximum that the i3-12100F can sustain. At higher resolutions, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, and the CPU's 4 cores are sufficient to keep up. The CPU's percentile rank of 72 and its nearest rivals, which include the Intel Core i7-7700K (deltaPct 1.8%), indicate that it performs similarly to older high-end desktop parts in synthetic benchmarks.

The 3DMark scores are telling: the 4-thread score is 2859, while the 8-thread score is 4026, showing that scaling beyond 4 threads is modest. This aligns with the game's likely engine, which may not be optimized for many cores. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and high boost clock are ideal for this title, as they provide the single-thread speed needed for turn-based logic and AI, while the 8 threads offer some headroom for background tasks. In essence, the CPU is not the star of the show, but it does not detract from the combo's overall performance, allowing the RTX 4070 SUPER to shine at higher resolutions.