Hard West

# Hard West: Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7700

This combination delivers a playable experience across most settings in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance providing ample headroom even at 1080p. The measured FPS across resolutions and presets reveals a clear scaling pattern: the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary driver of performance, while the Intel Core i5-14400F never appears to be a bottleneck in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 124 FPS average. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset drops the average to 78 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 41 FPS, which is a 67% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the RX 7700's rendering workload scales directly with pixel count, and the CPU is not constraining performance at any point.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. At 1440p Medium, the average is 102 FPS, but at 4K Medium, it drops to 54 FPS. This near-halving of frame rate suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute throughput are the limiting factors. The RX 7700's 624.1 GB/s bandwidth and 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 performance are being fully utilized at 4K, whereas at 1080p, the card has excess capacity that cannot be fully exploited.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 197 FPS average, which is exceptionally high for this genre. At 1440p Low, it drops to 125 FPS, and at 4K Low, it hits 65 FPS. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot maintain 60 FPS suggests the pixel throughput is the bottleneck, not the graphical features being toggled. This is reinforced by the Ultra preset results: 93 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and just 31 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K is clearly not viable for smooth gameplay, while 1440p Ultra barely crosses the 60 FPS threshold.

The scaling pattern also reveals that the game is not heavily dependent on CPU single-thread performance. The i5-14400F has a boost clock of 4.70 GHz and a single-core Cinebench R23 score of 3055, which is more than sufficient for a turn-based tactics game. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the 197 FPS average indicates the processor is keeping up without issue. The data shows that Hard West's engine is well-optimized for multi-core processors, and the 10 cores and 16 threads of the i5-14400F are not stressed by this workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1331 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other configurations. However, this ranking is influenced by the fact that Hard West is an older title, and many modern high-end GPUs will produce higher frame rates, especially at lower resolutions.

The CPU's individual ranking is stronger than the combo ranking. The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% higher score), the Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12800H (0.5% lower). These are all capable processors, and the i5-14400F sits comfortably among them, indicating strong general-purpose performance that carries over to gaming.

The GPU's individual ranking is more modest. The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% lower score), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (1.7% higher). This puts the RX 7700 in the mid-range tier of graphics cards, which aligns with its measured performance in Hard West. The combo ranking of 1331 out of 2949 reflects this mid-range GPU paired with an above-average CPU.

The delta between the combo rank and the CPU percentile suggests that in Hard West, the GPU is the determining factor for overall performance. A system with a weaker CPU but a stronger GPU would likely rank higher in this specific game. The data indicates that the i5-14400F is not holding back the RX 7700 in this title, and the combo's ranking is primarily a function of the GPU's capability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the central component in determining this combo's performance in Hard West. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is generous for a 2015 title, and the data shows that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at any resolution or settings level. The game's texture requirements are easily met by the 16 GB pool, even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. These relatively high clocks, combined with 2560 shading units and 96 ROPs, drive the pixel throughput that determines frame rates. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (31 FPS average) versus 1080p Ultra (93 FPS average) shows a 3x difference, which correlates with the 4x pixel count difference between these resolutions, indicating the GPU's compute units are the bottleneck.

The RX 7700's 40 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present in the hardware, but Hard West, being a 2015 title, does not utilize these features. The game's rendering workload is primarily rasterization-based, which explains why the GPU's raw FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS is the relevant metric. The measured results show that the card's rasterization throughput is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at high settings, but struggles at 4K with higher presets.

The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate it is a mainstream card, and its performance in Hard West aligns with that positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 and Passmark G3D score of 20974 provide additional context for its overall capability. In Hard West specifically, the GPU's performance is consistent with its mid-range classification, delivering smooth frame rates at 1080p and playable results at 1440p, but falling short at 4K with demanding presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 124 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p provides 93 FPS average, offering better visual quality while still maintaining high frame rates. For players who prioritize visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p is the best choice, as it stays comfortably above 60 FPS and provides the full range of graphical features.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, with 78 FPS average. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, staying above the 60 FPS threshold with some headroom. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 59 FPS average, which is technically playable but borders on the edge of smoothness. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 102 FPS average, which is ideal for competitive play or for players who prefer higher frame rates over visual fidelity. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot at 1440p, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining solid performance.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset delivers 54 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for a turn-based tactics game where precise timing is not critical. The High preset at 4K drops to 41 FPS average, which may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but is not ideal. The Low preset at 4K provides 65 FPS average, which is the only 4K option that exceeds 60 FPS. For 4K play, the Low preset is recommended for smooth performance, with Medium as a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate consistency.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at 4K, as the 31 FPS average is too low for a comfortable experience. Even at 1440p, Ultra is borderline, and players should consider whether the visual improvements justify the performance cost. The data shows that the most significant performance gains come from dropping from Ultra to High, while the difference between High and Medium is less pronounced. For this combo, High settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce 197 FPS average, Medium produces 161 FPS average with a minimum of 137 FPS and maximum of 186 FPS, High produces 124 FPS average, and Ultra produces 93 FPS average. The Medium preset's min/max range of 137-186 FPS shows good frame time consistency, with no major dips that would cause stuttering.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings deliver 125 FPS average, Medium delivers 102 FPS average with a range of 87-117 FPS, High delivers 78 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 59 FPS average. The Medium preset's minimum of 87 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that even during demanding scenes, the combo maintains smooth performance at 1440p Medium. The Ultra preset's 59 FPS average is just below 60, and while it may be playable, it does not have the headroom for consistent smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings produce 65 FPS average, Medium produces 54 FPS average with a range of 46-62 FPS, High produces 41 FPS average, and Ultra produces 31 FPS average. The Medium preset's minimum of 46 FPS is notably lower than the average, suggesting occasional frame rate dips that could be noticeable. The High preset's 41 FPS average is borderline playable for a turn-based game, but the Ultra preset's 31 FPS is too low for a comfortable experience.

The frame rate ranges for Medium settings across all resolutions show consistent behavior. At 1080p, the range is 137-186 FPS, a 49 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range is 87-117 FPS, a 30 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is 46-62 FPS, a 16 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded as resolution increases, reducing the impact of scene complexity variations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this combo's performance in Hard West. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability that is reflected in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21645 and Geekbench multicore score of 11268. These scores indicate the CPU can handle complex game logic and AI calculations without breaking a sweat, which is relevant for a turn-based tactics game that may have significant CPU-side processing for enemy turns and pathfinding.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 3055 and a Geekbench singlecore score of 2058. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that any single-threaded game logic runs quickly. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Hard West. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU load is lowest, the combo achieves 197 FPS average, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU faster than it can render frames.

The i5-14400F's architecture, Raptor Lake on a 10 nm process, provides a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. This cache configuration is beneficial for game performance, as it reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data. The CPU's support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus, allows for flexible system configurations that can further enhance performance. The 65 W TDP is efficient, and the processor's Passmark multithread score of 25470 and single thread score of 3701 place it in the upper tier of mainstream processors.

The benchmark data shows the i5-14400F's nearest rivals in synthetic tests are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating it is competitively positioned. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 0.1% higher, the Intel Core i9-11900 scores 0.2% higher, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 0.5% lower. These small deltas suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14400F would perform nearly identically to these alternatives. However, in Hard West, the GPU is the bottleneck, so the CPU's exact performance level is less critical to the final frame rates.

The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with its strong multi-threaded and single-threaded scores, confirms that it provides ample processing power for this game. The data indicates that upgrading the CPU would not yield meaningful FPS improvements in Hard West, as the RX 7700 is already the limiting component. Conversely, upgrading the GPU would provide significant performance gains, especially at 1440p and 4K resolutions. The i5-14400F has the headroom to support a more powerful GPU without becoming a bottleneck, making it a solid foundation for this system.