Hard West

# Hard West — Intel Core i5-14600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

The measured frame rates for this turn-based tactics title reveal a configuration that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of exceptional performance at 1080p. With the Intel Core i5-14600KF driving the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, the data shows a system that can push well beyond 170 FPS at the lowest settings in Full HD, but which surrenders to the GPU's limits as resolution climbs toward 4K. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the CPU's considerable multi-core headroom remains largely untapped in this genre, while the graphics card's 8 GB frame buffer and Turing architecture dictate the ceiling at demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic and consistent drop in frame rates across all settings presets, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 110 at 1080p to 70 at 2560x1440, then further to 36.2 at 4K — a cumulative reduction of roughly 67% from the starting point. Low settings follow a similar trajectory: 173.3 FPS at 1080p, 107.4 at 1440p, and 60.2 at 4K, showing that even at the lowest graphical load, the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot maintain high frame rates at Ultra HD.

The scaling pattern suggests that the limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (80.8 FPS at Ultra, 110 at High) that the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are likely capable of feeding the GPU adequately. However, the steep drop to 4K — where even Low settings only muster 60.2 FPS — points squarely at the graphics card as the bottleneck. The 4K to 1080p ratio at Low settings is 60.2/173.3, meaning 4K delivers just 34.7% of the 1080p performance, which is a severe degradation typical of a GPU hitting its pixel throughput limits.

Interesting to note is the non-linear scaling between resolutions. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings drops from 89.7 to 47.9 FPS (a 46.6% reduction), while the 1080p to 1440p step at the same preset only loses 35.7% (139.5 to 89.7). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 64 ROPs become increasingly strained, particularly with the higher texture and shading demands of Medium and above presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the 12 nm Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, is the clear performance arbiter in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient at 1080p but appears to constrain performance at 4K. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 26.5 — a playable-but-marginal figure for a turn-based tactics game, but far from fluid. The GPU's base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units, yield 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which translates to strong 1080p performance but struggles to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame at 4K.

The benchmark results place this GPU in the 65th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22307 (a 0.5% delta), while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 sits 2.5% lower at 21670. This mid-tier positioning is reflected in the gaming data: the RTX 2070 SUPER handles 1440p High at 70 FPS (smooth for tactical gameplay) but drops to 36.2 FPS at 4K High, showing that the card's 8 GB capacity and 12 nm process node are adequate for 1440p but not for 4K at higher presets.

Memory bandwidth appears to be a critical factor at higher resolutions. The difference between 4K Low (60.2 FPS) and 4K High (36.2 FPS) is a 39.9% reduction, which correlates with increased texture and shader complexity rather than resolution alone. The GPU's 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs, while respectable for its generation, become saturated when rendering at Ultra HD with Medium or higher settings, as evidenced by the 4K Medium result of 47.9 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a Raptor Lake Refresh part with 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficient) and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosting up to 5.30 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game logic, though Hard West's turn-based nature rarely stresses the CPU's full potential. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643 place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367.

In the benchmark data, the i5-14600KF's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K (49166, 0.4% higher), the AMD EPYC 4345P (49595, 0.5% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062, 0.6% lower). This tight grouping suggests that CPU performance is not a differentiator in this game, as the measured FPS at 1080p Low (173.3) and even 1440p Low (107.4) are far above what a turn-based tactics title demands for smooth play. The CPU's 20 threads and high boost clock are likely overkill for Hard West's AI and pathfinding calculations, which typically run on a few threads at most.

The lack of CPU bottleneck is most evident at 1080p Ultra, where the system achieves 80.8 FPS. Had the CPU been the limiting factor, we would expect frame rates to plateau across resolution changes, but the data shows consistent degradation as resolution increases — a hallmark of GPU limitation. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory indicate a flexible platform, but for this specific game, the processor's role is to feed the GPU without becoming a constraint, which it does admirably given its single-threaded passmark score of 4273.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its best results. Low settings produce 173.3 FPS, Medium achieves 139.5, High reaches 110, and Ultra still manages 80.8. These figures indicate that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 60 FPS by a comfortable margin. The spread from Low to Ultra (a 53.4% reduction) shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER has headroom to spare at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the impact of increased pixel count becomes apparent. Low settings yield 107.4 FPS (a 38% drop from 1080p), Medium produces 89.7 (down 35.7%), High achieves 70 (down 36.4%), and Ultra falls to 51.5 (down 36.3%). These consistent reductions across presets indicate that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count, with memory bandwidth and fill rate becoming more significant factors.

At 3840x2160, performance takes a more severe hit. Low settings average 60.2 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 47.9, High to 36.2, and Ultra to 26.5. The 4K Ultra figure is particularly telling — it represents only 32.8% of the 1080p Ultra result (26.5/80.8), suggesting that the GPU's resources are being exhausted by the combination of high resolution and maxed-out settings. The 4K Low result of 60.2 FPS shows that with reduced graphical demands, the card can still achieve playable frame rates at Ultra HD, but the margin is thin.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1054th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 38th percentile of all configurations evaluated. This mid-pack ranking reflects the GPU's 65th percentile standing among all graphics cards, tempered by the fact that many competing combos likely feature newer or higher-tier GPUs. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking does little to boost the combo's position, as the game's frame rates are almost entirely determined by the graphics card.

The data shows that this combo's 1080p Ultra performance of 80.8 FPS is respectable for a turn-based tactics title, but the 4K Ultra result of 26.5 FPS is clearly below what would be considered ideal. Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals — the RTX A400 (0.5% higher benchmark score), GTX TITAN Z (0.9% lower), and RTX 4060 Mobile (2.3% lower) — the RTX 2070 SUPER's desktop variant holds its own in synthetic tests, but real-world gaming at 4K reveals its age. The combo's rank suggests that while it can handle 1080p and 1440p admirably, it is not positioned to excel at 4K, particularly with higher settings presets.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 80.8 FPS is the clear choice — it provides the best visual fidelity while maintaining a smooth frame rate well above 60 FPS. Even at 1440p, High settings at 70 FPS offer an excellent balance of visuals and performance, making this the optimal configuration for most users with 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more nuanced. Low settings at 60.2 FPS are the only preset that maintains a consistent 60 FPS target, but Medium at 47.9 FPS may be acceptable for a turn-based game where rapid camera movements are rare. High settings at 36.2 FPS are playable but noticeably less fluid, while Ultra at 26.5 FPS should be avoided unless visual quality is prioritized over frame rate. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics title, the 47.9 FPS Medium preset at 4K represents the best compromise, offering improved textures and effects over Low while staying above the 30 FPS threshold that is often considered the minimum for playable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this combo?

A: 1920x1080 with Ultra settings delivers 80.8 FPS, making it the smoothest experience. At 2560x1440, High settings at 70 FPS is also excellent. For 4K, Low settings at 60.2 FPS is the only preset that maintains 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 26.5, which is below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimum for playability in most games.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. Frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases across all settings, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643) suggest it is not constraining this game.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1054th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This is consistent with the GPU's 65th percentile ranking, while the CPU sits in the 93rd percentile.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 70, which is suitable for a 60 Hz display and even playable on higher refresh rate monitors. Medium settings achieve 89.7 FPS for a smoother experience.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 173.3 FPS while Ultra delivers 80.8 FPS — a difference of 92.5 FPS, or roughly 53% lower performance for Ultra. This shows the significant graphical load of the Ultra preset on the RTX 2070 SUPER.