Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark data places the Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination at rank 1156 out of 1699 tested combos for this specific game. This places the pairing in the lower half of the database, though the context of a turn-based strategy game means the playability threshold is lower than for fast-twitch shooters. The measured FPS results confirm that this combination is far from the top of the charts, but the nature of the gameplay means that even modest frame rates can deliver a fully playable experience, making the rank less alarming than it would be in other genres.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at rank 1156 out of 1699 combos indicates that it sits roughly in the 32nd percentile of all tested systems for Hard West. This is a notable placement, as the individual components have much higher standalone percentiles — the CPU ranks in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs. The significant drop when combined suggests that the game's engine is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, meaning that even lower-tier components can achieve similar performance, pushing this mid-range pairing down the ranks.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database are the Intel Core i7-12800H and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, with the i5-14400F scoring within 0.2% of both. This tight grouping shows that the processor is performing exactly as expected for its class. The GPU tells a similar story, with the RX 7600 landing 0.6% ahead of the RX 7600 XT and 0.8% ahead of the RX 460 in the broader GPU benchmark, while sitting 1.3% behind the RTX 3070 Mobile. These close margins underscore that the components are well-matched to their direct competitors, yet Hard West's specific workload does not favor this pairing enough to boost its standing.

The data indicates that this combination is not optimized for Hard West specifically. Turn-based tactics games often rely more on single-thread CPU performance and basic GPU capabilities, and the benchmark results suggest the game is old enough that modern mid-range hardware provides more than adequate raw power. The rank of 1156 reflects that many other combos, including those with older or less powerful parts, can produce similar or better results in this title, which confirms the game's modest system requirements rather than a deficiency in this particular hardware pairing.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz, providing a solid foundation for rendering the game's visuals. The GPU's 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units process the graphical workload, with a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s. These specifications are more than adequate for a 2015 turn-based title, which typically features relatively simple 3D scenes and limited particle effects.

In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a clear drop as resolution increases, with 1080p Ultra hitting 74.7 FPS but 4K Ultra falling to 27.2 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p and the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM buffer and 128-bit memory interface struggle to maintain frame rates above the 30 FPS threshold. The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS is impressive on paper, but Hard West's engine does not appear to leverage this compute power efficiently at high resolutions, instead bottlenecking on memory bandwidth and fill rate.

At 1080p, however, the GPU demonstrates its capability, with Low settings reaching 155.6 FPS and High achieving 102.5 FPS. The RX 7600's performance at this resolution suggests that the GPU is not the bottleneck for most players, as even Ultra settings remain above 70 FPS. The GPU's architecture, RDNA 3.0 on a 6 nm process from TSMC, provides efficient processing that scales well with the game's moderate visual demands. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310 and PassMark G3D score of 16634 confirm that the GPU is a capable mid-range part, though Hard West's older DirectX 11-era rendering pipeline may not fully utilize its newer features.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, provides strong multi-threaded performance for a desktop processor, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 21914 in multi-core and 3093 in single-core highlight its capabilities, while the PassMark multi-thread score of 25783 and single-thread score of 3723 further validate its standing in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is primarily in managing game logic, AI decision-making, and pathfinding calculations.

The game's CPU requirements are modest, as evidenced by the fact that the i5-14400F's nearest rivals in the database are mobile processors like the i7-12800H and Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, which have lower power envelopes but similar performance. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for the game's AI routines, which run during enemy turns and can cause frame hitches if the CPU is underpowered. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks, such as the game's main loop, execute swiftly, contributing to the smooth 155.6 FPS at 1080p Low settings.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU takes over the primary workload. The data shows that from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings, FPS drops from 74.7 to 27.2, a decline of over 63% that is primarily attributable to GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints. The i5-14400F's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support ensure it can feed the GPU with data without becoming a bottleneck in this game. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Geekbench multi-core score of 11209 and a PassMark data compression score of 317725, indicate it has plenty of compute headroom for Hard West's turn-based mechanics, which rarely stress modern processors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 155.6 FPS on average, providing a highly fluid experience that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors. Medium settings drop to 127.8 FPS, still comfortably above 120 FPS for high-refresh displays. High settings achieve 102.5 FPS, which remains excellent for any gameplay scenario. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still maintain 74.7 FPS, indicating that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfortable range at all quality levels.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales as expected. Low settings yield 101.7 FPS, a 35% reduction from 1080p Low, but still above the 100 FPS mark. Medium settings reach 83.4 FPS, while High settings produce 62.6 FPS, which is playable but starts to show the GPU's limits. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still acceptable for a turn-based game where responsiveness is less critical than in action genres.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings manage 53.5 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 44.3 FPS, and High falls to 35.2 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce just 27.2 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold and would result in noticeable stuttering during camera pans or animations. The data shows that for 4K gaming, the RX 7600 is insufficient for Hard West at higher quality presets, and users would need to lower settings or accept reduced frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 155.6 FPS at 1080p to 101.7 FPS at 1440p, then to 53.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which aligns with the increased pixel count. At Ultra settings, the drop is more dramatic: from 74.7 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 27.2 FPS at 4K, a 64% decrease. The percentage reduction is similar across settings, indicating that the GPU's performance scales consistently with resolution, without significant CPU involvement.

This scaling pattern suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions, as the frame rate drops proportionally to the pixel count increase. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a less severe drop at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload remains constant regardless of resolution. The fact that 4K Ultra produces less than half the FPS of 1080p Ultra confirms that the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are insufficient for the game's highest quality at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence, but the GPU still dominates the performance profile, making this a GPU-bound scenario across all tested resolutions.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, Low (155.6 FPS) is 108% faster than Ultra (74.7 FPS), but at 4K, Low (53.5 FPS) is only 97% faster than Ultra (27.2 FPS). This compression of performance differences at 4K indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a hard ceiling, limiting the impact of quality presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo in Hard West?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination ranks 1156 out of 1699 tested combos for Hard West, placing it in the lower half of the database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14400F scores an average benchmark of 32508, with its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, scoring 32513, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 scores 32446, a 0.2% difference.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 102.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is this combo suitable for 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS is 27.2, which is below the 30 FPS playable threshold. At 4K Low settings, it reaches 53.5 FPS, but quality settings must be reduced for a playable experience.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 20258, with the RX 7600 XT scoring 20146 (0.6% slower) and the RX 460 scoring 20088 (0.8% slower). The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, which is 1.3% faster.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as FPS drops proportionally with resolution increases. At 1080p Ultra (74.7 FPS) versus 4K Ultra (27.2 FPS), the 64% reduction aligns with the GPU's pixel throughput limitations, while the CPU's 88th percentile ranking provides ample headroom.