Hard West

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a dominant performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of maxing out high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and even provides a smooth 4K experience at High settings. The most practical approach is to prioritize resolution and visual fidelity, as the hardware has enough headroom to make Ultra settings viable at 1440p, while High settings remain the best choice for 4K gaming.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy of performance across the four tested settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 136.3 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display. However, the gap between Medium (234.8 FPS) and Ultra (136.3 FPS) is substantial, suggesting that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load. Given that the game is a turn-based tactics title, the extra visual fidelity from Ultra is likely worth the performance cost, as even the lowest recorded average is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 82.4 FPS, which is still very playable. The High preset at this resolution reaches 117 FPS, offering a perfect balance for users with 144Hz monitors who want to maintain high frame rates. For 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset drops to 47.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 4K averages 59.1 FPS, which is right at the cusp of the 60 FPS target. The data suggests that High is the optimal setting for 4K, as it provides a near-locked 60 FPS experience while retaining most of the graphical enhancements.

For the best overall experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended starting point. It delivers 117 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, while leaving headroom for any demanding scenes. If a user prefers maximum visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1440p is viable, but the 82.4 FPS average is a noticeable step down. At 1080p, Ultra is the clear choice, as the 136.3 FPS average is still exceptionally high and the visual improvements are more pronounced at that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of the frame rates in this pairing. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth are more than adequate for Hard West, which is a game from 2015 and does not have the massive texture pools of modern titles. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units provide ample compute power. The benchmark data shows that the GPU scales predictably with resolution and settings, which is a sign of a healthy architecture.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The difference between Low (97.6 FPS) and Ultra (47.6 FPS) at 3840x2160 is a 50 FPS swing, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher resolution and the increased shading and texture work. The gap between 1440p and 4K at High settings is also notable: 117 FPS versus 59.1 FPS. This halving of performance is typical for a 4K workload, and the data confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER is best suited for 1440p gaming or 4K with conservative settings.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are modern features, but for a title from 2015, the game likely relies on older APIs. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 273 and DirectX 12 score of 110 suggest that the GPU is well-optimized for legacy workloads. The data shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p, as the 263.9 FPS at Low settings is likely near the game's engine limit or the CPU's maximum frame output.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 272 out of 1699 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the top 16% of all configurations, which is a strong result. The ranking reflects that this setup is significantly faster than the majority of systems tested, though it is not at the absolute top tier. The high ranking is expected given the modern components, but it also shows that the game is not infinitely scalable, and other high-end combos can achieve higher frame rates.

The combo's rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU, but the GPU's contribution is more significant in this title. The RTX 4070 SUPER has a percentile rank of 84 against all GPUs, while the i5-14400F has a percentile rank of 88 against all CPUs. This suggests that the CPU is relatively stronger in synthetic benchmarks, but the game's frame rates are limited by the GPU at higher resolutions. The measured data supports this: at 1080p, the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, but at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput becomes the deciding factor.

When compared to other combos in the database, this setup offers a balanced profile. It is not the fastest, but it is far from the slowest. The 272nd position out of 1699 indicates that a user with this hardware will have a smooth experience in Hard West at most settings, but there are still faster systems for those who demand absolute maximum frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The table below details the average FPS across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | Low | 97.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 75.9 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 59.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 47.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 181.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 149.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 117.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 82.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 263.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 234.8 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 179.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 136.3 |

The data reveals a consistent pattern: moving from Low to Ultra settings reduces performance by roughly 50-60% at every resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 263.9 FPS, which is likely a CPU or engine limit, as the GPU has significant headroom. The Medium preset at 234.8 FPS is nearly as fast, indicating that the game is not heavily GPU-bound at this resolution until High settings are used. The 179.8 FPS at High is a 23% drop from Medium, and Ultra drops another 24% to 136.3 FPS.

At 1440p, the scaling is more linear. Low hits 181.7 FPS, Medium drops to 149.5 FPS, High to 117.0 FPS, and Ultra to 82.4 FPS. The 4K results show the most dramatic scaling, with Low at 97.6 FPS, Medium at 75.9 FPS, High at 59.1 FPS, and Ultra at 47.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below 48 FPS, which may be noticeable on a 60Hz display.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at High settings the average is 59.1 FPS, which is effectively a 60 FPS experience. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 47.6 FPS, so High is the recommended setting for a 4K 60Hz display.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 117 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz refresh rate. The Ultra preset drops to 82.4 FPS, so High is the better choice for maximizing frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 179.8 FPS at 1080p to 59.1 FPS at 4K, a reduction of roughly 67%. This is a significant hit, but still playable.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU may be a limiting factor at 1080p Low settings, where 263.9 FPS is achieved. Given the CPU's strong Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914, it is likely the game's engine or the GPU's frame generation cap that limits performance, not the CPU.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 272 out of 1699 in the database for Hard West, placing it in the top 16%. It is a high-performing setup, but not the absolute best, as other combos achieve higher frame rates.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than enough for Hard West. The game's 2015 release date means it does not require large amounts of VRAM, and the measured FPS at 4K Ultra suggests there are no memory-related bottlenecks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its specifications are more than adequate for Hard West. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded capability, though a turn-based tactics game from 2015 is unlikely to utilize all of them. The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz is critical for single-threaded performance, which is what most game logic and AI calculations rely on. The measured frame rates at 1080p, particularly the 263.9 FPS at Low settings, suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this title.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 and multi-core score of 21914 are strong indicators of its capability. For a game like Hard West, the single-core performance is more relevant, as the game's turn-based nature means that complex AI pathfinding and turn calculations occur in bursts. The 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures that these calculations are handled quickly. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3723 further confirms its strength in lightly-threaded workloads.

The presence of 20 MB of shared L3 cache is beneficial for game data access, though Hard West's modest system requirements mean that the CPU is rarely stressed. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the frame rates are dictated by the GPU, while at 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough to reach very high frame rates. The CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel memory support are standard for a modern desktop platform, and the 10 nm process node ensures efficient operation. Overall, the i5-14400F is a capable partner that does not hold back the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game.