Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for the modern Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination. The data shows that this pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions, firmly placing it in the top tier of system configurations for this game. The measured results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly capable, with performance characteristics that reveal more about the game's engine limits than the hardware's potential, particularly at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 70th out of 2949 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.4% of all systems benchmarked for this title. This indicates that the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is among the most potent configurations for running this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its closest rivals in general CPU benchmarks?

A: The processor's average benchmark score is 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores 32233, which is a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i7-12800H is 0.5% behind, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is 0.2% ahead, showing the i5-14400F is essentially tied with its closest competitors.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 5090 D and its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. It is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and trails the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.6% and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 2.4%, indicating a tight cluster of high-end graphics performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra settings at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 131 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 62 FPS. This represents a 69 FPS difference, or a 52.7% reduction in average frame rate when switching from the lowest to the highest graphical preset.

Q: Does the system maintain high frame rates at 1080p with the Ultra preset?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, the system averages 187 FPS. While this is significantly lower than the 263 FPS achieved at the Low preset, it still provides a highly fluid experience that far exceeds standard 60 Hz display refresh rates.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the components in this configuration?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has a launch MSRP of $196. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications are central to understanding the benchmark results. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This vast memory allocation is far beyond the requirements of a 2015 turn-based tactics title, meaning that VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck in any of the measured scenarios.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, contribute to its high computational throughput. The sheer number of shading units (21760) and the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the primary drivers of the high frame rates observed. In the context of Hard West, the GPU's role is to render the game's environments and character models with ease. The data shows that even at 4K with Ultra settings, the RTX 5090 D is able to produce an average of 62 FPS, which is a playable frame rate.

However, the GPU's capabilities are most evident at lower settings. The transition from Low to Medium, High, and Ultra at any resolution shows a clear scaling pattern that is tied to the GPU's workload. The GPU's raw power is so substantial that the primary limiter at lower resolutions is likely the game's engine or the CPU, as the frame rates at 1080p Low reach 263 FPS, suggesting a ceiling has been hit. The GPU's role, therefore, is to ensure that the visual quality can be cranked up without sacrificing playability, making it a perfect match for this older title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies by settings preset. At the High preset, moving from 1920x1080 (222 FPS) to 2560x1440 (158 FPS) results in a 28.8% performance decrease. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 (83 FPS) represents a further 47.5% drop from the 1440p figure, indicating that the GPU is being taxed significantly more at 4K.

The scaling is steeper at the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the system manages 187 FPS, which falls to 118 FPS at 1440p—a 36.9% reduction—and then to 62 FPS at 4K, a 47.5% drop from 1440p. This pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the game engine or the CPU is beginning to limit performance. The fact that the 1080p Ultra score (187 FPS) is closer to the 1080p High score (222 FPS) than the 1440p High score (158 FPS) is, suggests that the CPU is a more significant factor at 1080p.

The data indicates that the system becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution increases. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 76 FPS (263 vs 187), while at 4K, the gap narrows to 69 FPS (131 vs 62). This narrowing gap indicates that the CPU's ability to feed the GPU becomes less of a bottleneck at higher resolutions, where the GPU's rendering workload dominates the frame time. The frame rates at 4K, while lower, are still respectable for a turn-based strategy game, which does not require the high refresh rates of a fast-paced shooter.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination holds the 70th position out of 2949 tested configurations for Hard West. This top-tier ranking confirms that this setup is in the 97.6th percentile of all systems tested for this game. The ranking reflects the raw power of both components, even when paired with a game that is over a decade old.

The CPU's general performance percentile of 83 and the GPU's percentile of 92 suggest that the GPU is the stronger component relative to its peers. The combo's rank of 70 is likely driven by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the CPU, while strong, is not the top of its class. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, have nearly identical benchmark scores, meaning that swapping to those CPUs would likely yield very similar results in this game.

The high ranking is even more impressive when considering the game's age. Hard West was released in 2015, and its engine is not designed to take advantage of modern multi-core processors or the latest GPU features. The fact that this combo still ranks 70th indicates that the system's performance is not being limited by a lack of optimization but rather by the game's inherent computational demands. The data shows that the system is capable of delivering an excellent experience, and the ranking solidifies its status as a high-end setup for this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend on the user's display and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For a standard 60 Hz display, the Ultra preset is the best choice at all resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a smooth experience with maximum visual quality. At 1440p and 1080p, the Ultra preset provides 118 FPS and 187 FPS respectively, offering a significant headroom above 60 FPS.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors (144 Hz or higher), the High preset offers the best balance. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 158 FPS, which is sufficient for a 144 Hz display. At 1080p, the High preset achieves 222 FPS, which can take advantage of even faster displays. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 205 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is not worth the marginal performance gain over the High preset.

The Low preset is not recommended for any scenario, as it offers only a marginal performance increase over the High preset at 1080p (263 vs 222 FPS) but a significant reduction in visual quality. The data suggests that the High preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for this system, providing a high frame rate of 158 FPS with a good balance of visual fidelity. For those prioritizing visual quality above all else, the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding option and still remains playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast, with the Low preset achieving an average of 263 FPS. The Medium preset averages 245 FPS, with a minimum of 208 and a maximum of 281 FPS. The High preset averages 222 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 187 FPS. The frame rate ceiling at this resolution appears to be around 263 FPS, suggesting a potential engine or CPU limit.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high. The Low preset averages 226 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 205 FPS, with a minimum of 174 and a maximum of 236 FPS. The High preset averages 158 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 118 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 47.8% performance decrease, indicating a more significant GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 131 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 1080p Low figure. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124 FPS. The High preset averages 83 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. The data shows that even at the highest resolution and settings, the system maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS, making it a viable configuration for 4K gaming in this title.

The complete breakdown confirms that the RTX 5090 D is the primary performance driver, with the CPU providing sufficient support to prevent major bottlenecks. The frame rates are consistently high, and the system never dips below 62 FPS in any tested scenario, ensuring a smooth experience across all settings.