Hard West

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The data shows this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings, while the processor's strong single-core performance ensures the game remains fluid even at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and scaling characteristics.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 301 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the game engine is capable of extremely high output, likely limited by the CPU at this low graphical load.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K + RTX 4090 combination ranks 23rd out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 1.4% of all configurations tested, demonstrating elite-level performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 171 FPS at 1920x1080 to 55.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 67.5% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Which component, CPU or GPU, has a higher benchmark percentile?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K holds a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a 91st percentile among all GPUs. Both are top-tier, but the CPU edges out the GPU in relative standing.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 232.5 FPS on Low settings to 108.5 FPS on Ultra settings. This 124 FPS gap shows the substantial impact of graphical fidelity on performance.

Q: Does the game scale better with resolution or settings changes?

A: The data shows settings changes have a larger impact. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 130 FPS (301 to 171). At Ultra settings, moving from 1080p to 4K costs 115.4 FPS (171 to 55.6). Settings scaling is slightly more punishing, but both are significant.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game from 2015, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high minimum frame rates and handle game logic, AI calculations, and unit pathfinding. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 301 FPS, which strongly suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution and setting level.

The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and single-core score of 4642 indicate strong all-around performance. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4270 and percentile rank of 93 among all CPUs confirm it is a top-tier part. In the context of Hard West, which likely does not scale well beyond a few cores due to its age, the i5-14600K's high single-thread performance (boost clock of 5.30 GHz) is more relevant than its 20 threads. The difference between 301 FPS at 1080p Low and 232.5 FPS at 1440p Low (a 68.5 FPS drop) shows that even a powerful CPU begins to lose its grip as resolution increases and the GPU takes on more work.

The CPU's L3 cache of 24 MB (shared) and dual-channel memory support (DDR4, DDR5) contribute to its ability to feed the GPU quickly. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600K scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 1% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, while trailing the i5-14600KF by 0.4%. These small deltas indicate that CPU choice among high-end parts has minimal impact on this game's performance, as the GPU dominates the workload at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a massive GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its 16384 shading units and boost clock of 2520 MHz deliver 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings rise. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 55.6 FPS, a clear sign that the GPU is being fully saturated by the graphical demands of the title.

The RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM is far more than Hard West requires, given its 2015 release date, so memory capacity is not a bottleneck. Instead, the GPU's raw compute and fill rate determine performance. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are exceptionally high, but the game's engine appears to limit utilization at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate ceiling is around 301 FPS, which is likely a CPU or engine limit rather than a GPU limit.

The GPU's nearest rivals show it is well-positioned. It scores 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40 and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P6000, while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 0.9%. These comparisons highlight that the RTX 4090 is in a class of its own for this workload, though the game's age means it may not fully utilize the GPU's capabilities. The 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its elite status, but the 450 W TDP and triple-slot design are not performance factors here.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K + RTX 4090 combination ranks 23rd out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This top-tier placement is expected given the strength of both components. The rank of 23 means only 22 other configurations produced higher average frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. This is a significant achievement, as the list likely includes more recent or specialized hardware that may have an edge in this specific title.

The data suggests that the combo's rank is primarily driven by the RTX 4090's dominance, as the CPU's contribution diminishes at higher resolutions. For context, the CPU's percentile rank of 93 and GPU's percentile rank of 91 are both strong, but the GPU's raw performance headroom is what pushes the combo to the top. The 1699 total combos represent a wide range of hardware, and placing 23rd means this configuration outperforms over 98% of them.

This rank also implies that, while the i5-14600K is a capable processor, pairing it with a slightly faster CPU might yield higher scores in CPU-bound scenarios (1080p Low). However, the deltaPct against rivals (0.2% vs Ryzen 9 5950X) suggests that such differences are negligible in real-world gaming. The combo's overall standing reflects the GPU's ability to carry the load in a game that is clearly not CPU-intensive.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo averages 301 FPS on Low, 283.4 FPS on Medium, 230.6 FPS on High, and 171 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 232.5, 190.6, 143.1, and 108.5 FPS respectively. At 4K, the averages plummet to 123.9, 99.6, 73.6, and 55.6 FPS.

The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 58.8% reduction (301 to 123.9 FPS). At Ultra settings, the reduction is 67.5% (171 to 55.6 FPS). This shows that higher settings amplify the resolution penalty, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component. The RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient, so the bottleneck is compute and fill rate.

The data also shows that the CPU's influence fades quickly. At 1080p Low, the gap between Low and Ultra is 130 FPS, driven by GPU load. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 68.3 FPS (123.9 to 55.6), indicating that the GPU is already saturated and settings changes have a smaller absolute impact. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound game, where the CPU provides a high ceiling but the GPU determines the actual frame rate at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

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

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 55.6 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 73.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 99.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 123.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 108.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 143.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 190.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 232.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 171 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 230.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 283.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 301 |

At 1080p, the combo is capable of delivering playable frame rates even at Ultra (171 FPS), and it exceeds 300 FPS at Low settings. This suggests that for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p with medium-to-high settings is optimal. At 1440p, the performance remains strong, with 108.5 FPS at Ultra and 232.5 FPS at Low, making this the best balance for visual fidelity and smoothness. At 4K, the combo drops below 60 FPS only at Ultra (55.6 FPS), but High settings (73.6 FPS) offer a smooth experience.

The data shows that the RTX 4090 is not fully utilized until 4K resolution, where it finally hits its limits. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU or game engine caps performance, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS gains when lowering settings from Medium to Low (e.g., 17.6 FPS at 1080p, 41.9 FPS at 1440p). This indicates that Hard West is not a demanding title for modern high-end hardware, but the combo still delivers excellent results across all tested configurations.