Hard West

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a decisive performance advantage in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured frame rates show this pairing is profoundly overqualified for the game’s demands, offering fluid gameplay even at 4K with maximum settings. The data indicates a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s robust multi-threading capabilities ensure no bottleneck is introduced at lower settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems in Hard West?*

A: This specific configuration ranks 85th out of 1699 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top 5% of all systems evaluated.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802, which is a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core i7-13800H is 0.8% behind, with a score of 35416.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4080 SUPER and its nearest GPU rival?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is its closest competitor with a score of 53489, representing a negligible 0.2% difference.

Q: What are the maximum and minimum average FPS recorded at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the highest average frame rate is 282.7 FPS on Low settings, while the lowest average is 154.3 FPS on Ultra settings.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS on Low settings is 110.4, while on Ultra settings it drops to 49. This represents a significant 61.4 FPS reduction when moving to the highest preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this combination at rank 85 out of 1,699 tested combos in Hard West. This ranking is exceptionally high, indicating that this system outperforms the vast majority of configurations tested for this specific title. The percentile standings of the individual components reinforce this; the CPU sits in the 89th percentile of all processors, and the GPU is in the 88th percentile of all graphics cards.

The ranking suggests that while the components are individually excellent, their combined performance in this game is even more favorable. The game's turn-based nature likely means that the high core count of the i7-12700K is used efficiently, and the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw power easily handles the game's visuals. The system's position in the top 100 of a pool of nearly 1,700 combos implies that very few other pairings will yield higher frame rates in Hard West, making this a top-tier configuration for this specific game. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with this combo sitting at the apex of tested performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Hard West. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2550 MHz, and its base clock is 2295 MHz. These specifications are far beyond what a 2015 turn-based tactics game would typically require, and the measured FPS confirms this.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary scaling factor when resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial (128.4 FPS), but at 4K, this difference grows even more pronounced. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, and its performance scales predictably with the rendering load. The GPU's high memory bandwidth and capacity are likely why it maintains such high average frame rates even at 4K, as it can quickly access the necessary textures and geometry. The benchmark results clearly indicate that the GPU's capabilities are the main driver of the frame rates observed, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 205.9 FPS on High, 282.7 FPS on Low, 268.1 FPS on Medium, and 154.3 FPS on Ultra. These are exceptionally high numbers, showing the game is easily handled at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. The average FPS on High is 133.1, on Low is 206.3, on Medium is 168.8, and on Ultra is 95.8. This represents a significant drop from 1080p but still provides a very smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the system produces an average of 68.4 FPS on High, 110.4 FPS on Low, 87.8 FPS on Medium, and 49 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure is the only one that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the most demanding preset at the highest resolution is the only scenario that stresses this hardware. The data shows a consistent and clear scaling pattern as resolution and settings increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a supporting but crucial role in this combination. It is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a 25 MB shared L3 cache. In a game like Hard West, which is not typically CPU-intensive, this processor provides more than enough headroom.

The benchmark results for the CPU show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 13892. Its single-thread performance is also solid, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2561. The high frame rates at 1080p, even on Low settings (282.7 FPS), confirm that the CPU is not a limiting factor. If it were, we would see a plateau in FPS regardless of GPU load. Instead, the data shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at all tested settings, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to perform to its full potential. The CPU's 20 threads are likely more than sufficient for the game's logic and AI calculations, ensuring the GPU is never starved for data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and preference for visual fidelity versus raw frame rate. For users with a 1080p or 1440p display, the Ultra preset is the best choice. At 1440p, it delivers an average of 95.8 FPS, and at 1080p, it achieves 154.3 FPS. These frame rates are well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the visual quality increase from High or Medium is worth the performance cost.

For users with a 4K display, the High preset is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 68.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most gamers. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 49 FPS, which may not be ideal for those sensitive to frame pacing. The Medium preset at 4K offers 87.8 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often more noticeable than between High and Ultra. Therefore, the data suggests that High at 4K offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset is generally unnecessary, as the game is not demanding enough to require it on this hardware for a good experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on Ultra settings drops from 154.3 to 95.8, a decrease of 58.5 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, the Ultra frame rate drops further to 49, a decrease of 46.8 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system is GPU-limited at higher resolutions. As the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render grows exponentially, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The fact that the CPU can maintain high frame rates at 1080p suggests that it is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU would be the constraining component in both cases. Instead, the significant drop in FPS at 4K, especially on Ultra, confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER's workload is the primary determinant of performance. The data strongly implies that for this game and this hardware combination, the GPU is the definitive scaling component.