Hard West

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a striking performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The benchmark data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at lower resolutions, with frame rates scaling into the hundreds, while the demands of 4K Ultra bring the combination back to a more balanced, yet still highly playable, state. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, component roles, and optimization strategies based solely on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 249 frames per second. This is the second-highest result at that resolution, trailing only the Low preset.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to the Ultra preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 251 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 118 FPS. This represents a performance increase of roughly 113% for the Low preset over the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided in the dataset are for the Medium preset. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 92, with a maximum of 124 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or the GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates that at 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor. The frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings (e.g., 302 FPS on Low), which is characteristic of a CPU-bound scenario in a turn-based tactics game, where the graphics load is relatively light.

Q: How does the combo's performance rank among all tested combinations?

A: For Hard West, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 27th out of 3,722 total tested combos. This places it in the top 1% of all recorded configurations for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the High and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 83 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. The High preset is therefore 21 FPS, or approximately 34%, faster than Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a formidable graphics card, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process. Its specifications are extensive: it features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units. The card operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Memory is a critical component, with 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, providing a substantial 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is heavily dependent on the resolution and settings selected. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D is underutilized. The frame rates are so high—302 FPS on Low and 249 FPS on High—that the game's logic and CPU calculations are likely the bottleneck, not the GPU's rendering capabilities. The GPU is effectively waiting for the CPU to provide instructions.

The GPU's massive memory bandwidth and 32 GB frame buffer become more relevant as the resolution increases to 4K. At 3840x2160, the pixel count quadruples, placing a significantly higher load on the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem. The data supports this, showing a steep decline in performance from 1080p to 4K. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 249 at 1080p to 83 at 4K, a 67% reduction. This demonstrates that the GPU is finally being tasked with a heavy workload at 4K, where its compute capabilities and memory bandwidth are fully engaged.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of a high-end GPU constrained by a less demanding game engine. The most telling data point is the transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings, where the average FPS falls from 158 to 83, a drop of 75 FPS or roughly 47%. This is a substantial decline that underscores the exponential increase in pixel workload at 4K.

Comparing all presets at 1080p and 4K shows the full extent of the scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 302 at 1080p to 131 at 4K, a 57% reduction. At Medium settings, it drops from 281 to 108, a 62% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 249 to 83, a 67% reduction. The most significant scaling is seen at Ultra, where the average FPS plummets from 187 at 1080p to just 62 at 4K, a 67% reduction as well.

This scaling pattern indicates that while the RTX 5090 D is powerful, Hard West's engine has limits. The diminishing returns between 1080p and 1440p are less severe, with High settings only dropping from 249 to 158 FPS (a 37% reduction). However, the jump to 4K is where the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor, and its performance scales predictably with the increased resolution. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the GPU is working near its limits for this specific title, whereas at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. The game offers four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy at every resolution.

For 1080p displays, all presets deliver exceptionally high frame rates. The Ultra preset still achieves an average of 187 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Given that the Ultra preset provides the highest visual fidelity without dropping below the 144 Hz threshold for most displays, it is the recommended choice for 1080p. The Low preset, at 302 FPS, offers no practical benefit for most users.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 118 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. The High preset, at 158 FPS, offers a significant performance headroom over Ultra. If a player has a 144 Hz monitor, the Ultra preset is still viable, but the High preset provides a more comfortable margin for maintaining maximum refresh rates. The Medium preset at 205 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting a 240 Hz display.

At 4K, the decision becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages a playable 62 FPS, which is standard for console-quality 4K experiences. However, the High preset averages 83 FPS, providing a smoother experience with a minimal visual compromise. Given the 21 FPS difference, the High preset is the recommended choice for 4K to ensure a more consistent frame time, as the Ultra preset may dip below 60 FPS in more demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 108 FPS is the best option for those seeking high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, as it offers a substantial performance boost over High.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination holds a very strong position in the benchmark database for Hard West. With a combo rank of 27 out of 3,722 total tested combinations, it sits in the top 0.7% of all configurations. This indicates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this title, delivering performance that surpasses the vast majority of other systems.

The CPU itself is a top-tier performer, holding a percentile rank of 90 among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49,394 places it in close competition with several high-end AMD and Intel parts. For instance, it is only 0.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G. It lags slightly behind the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%. This level of performance ensures that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The GPU also ranks highly, with a percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs, though its nearest rivals in the database are somewhat unexpected, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (which it leads by 1.1%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (which leads it by 2.4%). This suggests that the benchmark scores for the RTX 5090 D in this database may be influenced by specific test conditions. Despite this, the combination's top-27 rank is a direct testament to its overall capability in Hard West.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from a high of 302 on Low to a low of 187 on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 281 FPS, with a minimum of 239 and a maximum of 323. The High preset averages 249 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 251 FPS. The Medium preset averages 205 FPS, with a minimum of 174 and a maximum of 236. High settings yield an average of 158 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 118 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more demanding. The Low preset averages 131 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with reported min/max values, averaging 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. The High preset averages 83 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. This data shows a consistent and predictable drop in performance as resolution and visual fidelity increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory. With a launch MSRP of $294, it is a high-performance desktop part.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is critical for game logic, AI calculations, and pathfinding. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The fact that the average FPS barely changes between Low (302 FPS) and High (249 FPS) presets at 1080p indicates that the GPU is not being fully utilized, and the CPU is setting the upper limit for frame generation.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.30 GHz and strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,594, are particularly important for this type of game, which often relies on single-threaded logic. The multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,544, is also robust, ensuring that background tasks and multi-threaded game components are handled efficiently.

As the resolution increases to 4K, the CPU's role diminishes relative to the GPU. The frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the GPU is now the limiting factor. However, the CPU must still be capable enough to feed the GPU with data. The fact that the system achieves an average of 83 FPS at 4K High demonstrates that the i5-14600KF is more than adequate to support the RTX 5090 D in this title, ensuring that the GPU's performance is not hindered by CPU limitations.