Hard West

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 279.3 FPS, which drops to 175.2 FPS at 1440p and further to 92 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 5070's rendering workload increases substantially.

Looking at High settings, the pattern repeats: 175.7 FPS at 1080p, 108.1 FPS at 1440p, and 55.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is particularly telling—it falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution with High settings. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings is 120.4 FPS, which is a 68.5% drop. This steep decline suggests that Hard West's visual effects at High settings place significant demand on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth.

The scaling behavior points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU's capabilities are more relevant. The i5-14600KF's strong single-thread performance—evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643—allows the GPU to reach very high frame rates at 1080p without being held back. At 4K, however, the RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are taxed heavily, and the frame rates drop accordingly.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays the dominant role in Hard West's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the turn-based tactics genre at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K with Ultra settings. The data shows 46 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations. This indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem and processing power are maxed out at this extreme configuration.

The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz are relatively modest compared to the demands of 4K rendering, but the architecture's efficiency helps maintain playable frame rates at most settings. The RTX 5070's PassMark G3D score of 29137 places it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, and benchmark results show it performs within 0.6% of the GeForce RTX 3090 in average score. This proximity to a previous-generation flagship suggests the RTX 5070 has ample compute headroom for Hard West, a game that is not visually demanding by modern standards.

At 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck. The lowest measured result at this resolution is 130.4 FPS at Ultra settings, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. Even at 1440p Ultra, the 85.2 FPS result demonstrates that the RTX 5070 can handle Hard West's most demanding settings at mainstream resolutions. The GPU only shows significant strain at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples and the memory bandwidth becomes a critical factor.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides a solid foundation for Hard West's performance. With 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficiency cores) and 20 threads, the CPU offers substantial multi-threaded capabilities, though turn-based tactics games like Hard West typically rely more on single-thread performance. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz and base clock of 3.50 GHz are strong indicators of its capability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates.

The i5-14600KF's single-threaded performance is highlighted by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643, which ensures that the CPU does not become a bottleneck at high frame rates. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 279.3 FPS, a result that would be impossible if the CPU were struggling to keep up with the GPU. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game's AI and turn-based logic.

The CPU's multi-core performance is also relevant for Hard West's background simulation and AI calculations. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 places the CPU in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores 0.4% higher on average. This indicates that the i5-14600KF has more than enough processing power for the game's demands, even at high settings where the GPU is the primary constraint.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?

A: The data shows that 1440p High settings deliver 108.1 FPS, which is smooth and visually pleasing. At 4K High, the frame rate drops to 55.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for ideal responsiveness. Based on the measured results, 1440p offers the best balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to the RTX 3090 in this context?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score is 41687, while the RTX 3090 scores 41441, giving the RTX 5070 a 0.6% advantage. In Hard West, this means the RTX 5070 should deliver near-identical performance to the RTX 3090, with the measured frame rates indicating strong capability at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: Is the i5-14600KF a bottleneck for the RTX 5070?

A: Benchmark results indicate the i5-14600KF has a single-thread score of 4643 in Cinebench R23 and a multi-thread score of 32889, placing it in the 93rd percentile. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 279.3 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not limiting the GPU. The CPU only becomes relevant at very high frame rates, which Hard West can achieve at lower settings.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming?

A: At 4K, the measured results show 92 FPS on Low, 75.8 FPS on Medium, 55.3 FPS on High, and 46 FPS on Ultra. For a smooth experience above 60 FPS, Medium settings at 4K are recommended, as they provide a 75.8 FPS average while maintaining better visual quality than Low.

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

A: The combo ranks 284th out of 1699 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. This is a strong result for a game that is not heavily demanding on hardware.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's multi-core capabilities?

A: The i5-14600KF's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample processing power for Hard West's AI and turn-based logic. The multi-thread score of 38697 in PassMark indicates strong multi-core performance, which helps maintain consistent frame rates even during complex game states.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 284th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This places the combo in the top 16.7% of all configurations, which is a strong result for a game that is not particularly demanding. The rank reflects the balanced performance of the CPU and GPU, with neither component significantly holding back the other in most scenarios.

The CPU's percentile of 93 among all CPUs indicates that the i5-14600KF is a high-end processor, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 0.6% higher on average. The GPU's percentile of 83 among all GPUs shows that the RTX 5070 is a capable mid-to-high-end card, with its nearest rival, the GeForce RTX 3090, scoring 0.6% lower on average. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a strong GPU results in a system that excels in Hard West, particularly at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, even Ultra settings deliver 130.4 FPS, which is smooth on most displays. High settings at 1080p provide 175.7 FPS, giving headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data suggests that 1080p Ultra is the best choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing performance.

At 1440p, Ultra settings deliver 85.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a good balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. High settings at 1440p increase the frame rate to 108.1 FPS, which is ideal for gamers who prioritize performance over minor visual improvements. For 4K, Medium settings at 75.8 FPS offer the best experience, as they stay above 60 FPS while providing better visuals than Low settings at 92 FPS.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 279.3 FPS on Low, 229 FPS on Medium, 175.7 FPS on High, and 130.4 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 53.3% reduction in frame rate, with each settings tier reducing performance by approximately 18-20%. The 1080p results demonstrate that the CPU and GPU combo has significant headroom, with even the most demanding settings staying well above 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured results are 175.2 FPS on Low, 145.5 FPS on Medium, 108.1 FPS on High, and 85.2 FPS on Ultra. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with Low losing 104.1 FPS, Medium losing 83.5 FPS, High losing 67.6 FPS, and Ultra losing 45.2 FPS. This indicates that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at 1440p, but the combo still delivers excellent performance.

At 3840x2160, the results are 92 FPS on Low, 75.8 FPS on Medium, 55.3 FPS on High, and 46 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show a significant drop from 1440p, with Low losing 83.2 FPS, Medium losing 69.7 FPS, High losing 52.8 FPS, and Ultra losing 39.2 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 50 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed at this extreme resolution and settings combination.