Hard West

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a performance profile in Hard West that is heavily dictated by resolution and preset selection. Measured data across three resolutions and four quality settings shows a component pairing that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but which begins to show its limits at 4K with maximum settings. The results indicate a system where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 181.5 at 1080p to 112.3 at 1440p, a reduction of 38.1% from the baseline. This trend steepens significantly when moving to 4K, where the average FPS falls to 61.7, representing a 66% decrease from the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The average FPS at 1080p is 134.2, which drops to 83.1 at 1440p and then plunges to 46.8 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K performance here is a 65.1% reduction, showing that the highest quality settings amplify the cost of higher resolutions. Conversely, the Low preset shows the smallest relative drop, going from 283.4 FPS at 1080p to 182.7 at 1440p and then 96.6 at 4K. This smaller percentage decrease when using Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately, but the GPU’s compute and memory resources become the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase.

The data strongly suggests that at 1080p, the Intel Core i5-14600K is able to keep the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER well-fed, as even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average above 134 FPS. However, the shift to 4K reveals a different story. The difference between the Low preset (96.6 FPS) and the Ultra preset (46.8 FPS) at 4K is substantial, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck when tasked with both high resolution and high graphical fidelity. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe, but the jump to 4K consistently halves or nearly halves the frame rate across all presets, confirming that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. The GPU’s memory configuration, a 12 GB GDDR6X pool on a 192-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This bandwidth, combined with the boost clock of 2475 MHz, is sufficient for smooth performance at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra results show the strain. The average FPS of 46.8 at 4K Ultra is the lowest measured figure in the entire dataset, indicating that the GPU’s processing power is fully saturated.

The GPU’s architecture, based on the Ada Lovelace design with 7168 shading units, delivers a raw compute throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS. This is a substantial amount of processing capability, which explains why the card can achieve 181.5 FPS at 1080p High and 112.3 FPS at 1440p High. However, the scaling to 4K shows that the memory bandwidth and pixel throughput (198.0 GPixel/s) become limiting factors. The transition from 1440p High (112.3 FPS) to 4K High (61.7 FPS) represents a 45% performance loss, which is a direct consequence of the GPU having to fill more than double the pixels.

The benchmark scores for this GPU place it in the 84th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which scores a deltaPct of -0.2% relative to the RTX 4070 SUPER, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, which is -0.3% slower. These margins are negligible, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER sits in a competitive performance tier. Yet, the in-game data shows that this tier is not sufficient to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, as the 46.8 FPS average falls short of that threshold. The GPU’s role is clear: it provides excellent performance for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K Ultra preset is beyond its comfortable operating range.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K serves as a robust foundation for this gaming system, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. With 14 cores and 20 threads, this processor provides substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881. Its single-core performance is also strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2803, which is critical for games that rely on a limited number of threads for game logic and physics.

In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is less about raw frame generation and more about ensuring consistent frame pacing and handling the game’s simulation logic. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (283.4) and 1080p Medium (234.8) shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. Even at 1440p Low, the average of 182.7 FPS indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at these settings.

The processor’s boost clock of 5.30 GHz is a key asset for gaming, as it provides high single-thread performance. The CPU’s benchmark percentile of 93rd versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, has an average score of 49062 with a deltaPct of 0.2%, meaning the i5-14600K is slightly faster in aggregate. However, the CPU’s influence on the game’s FPS diminishes as resolution increases. The data shows that at 4K, the frame rate is nearly identical in proportion to the GPU’s capabilities, suggesting that the CPU has ample headroom to support the GPU’s workload without becoming a bottleneck, even at the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Hard West, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER holds the 247th position out of 1699 total combinations. This ranking places it in the top 14.5% of all tested systems, indicating a high-performing configuration. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system across various settings, and while it is not at the absolute top, it is well within the upper echelon of systems tested.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all graphics cards combine to form a system that is greater than the sum of its parts in this specific game. The data shows that this combo performs admirably, with the 1080p High average of 181.5 FPS being a standout figure. The 4K Ultra result of 46.8 FPS is the only major weakness, but this is a common limitation for many high-end systems when pushing maximum settings at 4K.

The fact that this combo ranks 247th out of 1699 suggests that there are 246 other configurations that achieve higher overall performance in Hard West. However, those systems typically feature higher-tier GPUs or more powerful CPUs. The i5-14600K and RTX 4070 SUPER combination offers a strong balance, where the CPU does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios, and the GPU provides excellent performance for the vast majority of gaming resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is entirely viable, with an average FPS of 134.2. This provides the best visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for most users at this resolution. The High preset at 1080p offers a significant boost to 181.5 FPS for those with high refresh rate monitors, but the visual difference may not justify the frame rate increase for all users.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 112.3 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience that is well-suited for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with an average of 83.1 FPS, is also playable and offers enhanced visual fidelity, but the 35% drop from High to Ultra may be noticeable. The Medium preset at 1440p achieves 147.7 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but sacrifices some visual quality.

For 4K resolution, the data suggests that the High preset is the highest setting that should be considered, with an average of 61.7 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold and will provide a playable experience. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 46.8 FPS, is likely to feel less smooth and should be avoided unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over frame rate. The Medium preset at 4K, averaging 79 FPS, offers a good balance between quality and performance and is a strong recommendation for those who want a more stable frame rate. The Low preset, while achieving 96.6 FPS at 4K, is not recommended due to the significant reduction in visual quality, which undermines the benefit of the high resolution.