Hard West

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a wide spread of frame rates in Hard West, ranging from a playable but limited 27 FPS at 4K Ultra to a very fluid 172 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data indicates a classic resolution-dependent bottleneck shift, where the CPU’s strong single-thread performance becomes less relevant as pixel count rises, placing the GPU squarely in the critical path at higher settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows, contextualizes the combo’s standing among 2,949 tested configurations, and examines the specific hardware characteristics that drive these results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, revealing the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 109 FPS at 1920x1080 to 69 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 36 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the Radeon RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are stretched by the increased pixel throughput.

The scaling curve is not linear, however. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings costs 33 FPS, while moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 40 FPS. The relative drop is similar in percentage terms, but the absolute numbers show that 4K is where the combo struggles most. At Low settings, the trend continues: 172 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still above the 30 FPS threshold, but it is barely more than half the 1080p Low figure.

Ultra settings amplify the GPU bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 27, which is below the 30 FPS playability floor for many users. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS (57 vs. 27), while at 1080p that same gap is 91 FPS (172 vs. 81). This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and intensive settings.

The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo in Hard West. At High settings, 69 FPS is comfortably playable, and even Ultra at 51 FPS remains above the 50 FPS mark. The 4K results, by contrast, show that this pairing is not designed for maximum fidelity at that resolution; the 36 FPS High and 27 FPS Ultra figures suggest that users targeting 4K should stick to Medium or Low settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Hard West?*

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the most balanced choice. At High settings, the combo delivers 69 FPS, which is smooth, while Ultra still manages 51 FPS. At 4K, even High drops to 36 FPS, indicating a significant performance penalty.

Q: How much of a performance gap exists between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 is 172 on Low and 81 on Ultra, a difference of 91 FPS. This indicates that the GPU has substantial headroom at 1080p, and the settings preset has a major impact on frame rate.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The benchmark results show that 4K is challenging. At Medium settings, the average FPS is 47, with a minimum of 40 FPS, which is playable. However, High settings (36 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) fall below the 40 FPS mark, suggesting that 4K requires lowered settings for a consistent experience.

*Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Hard West?*

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1706th out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all results. The percentile data for the CPU (85th) and GPU (59th) indicates the processor is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the graphics card.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates at Medium settings?

A: The data provides minimum FPS figures for Medium settings only. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 120 FPS with an average of 141 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum drops to 76 FPS with an average of 89 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the minimum is 40 FPS with an average of 47 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU at any resolution?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 172 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not fully saturated. The CPU’s strong single-thread score (4,071 in Cinebench R23) is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as the FPS drops regardless of CPU capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i7-12700KF and Radeon RX 9060 combination holds the 1706th position out of 2,949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 58th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the GPU’s performance tier, as the RX 9060 sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is notably stronger at the 85th percentile.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403 vs. 35365, a -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, a +0.2% delta). This indicates the 12700KF is positioned at the top of its performance class, with negligible differences from the competition. The GPU’s nearest rivals tell a different story: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 versus the RX 9060’s 16014, a -0.7% delta, while the AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852, a +1% delta. The GPU is thus slightly below the RTX 3060 Ti but above the RX 7700 in synthetic benchmarks.

In-game, the combo’s ranking suggests that the GPU is the weaker link. The CPU’s high percentile (85th) does not translate into a top-tier game ranking because Hard West is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions. The 1706th rank out of 2949 shows that many combos with slower CPUs but faster GPUs achieve better frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the GPU’s raw throughput matters more.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset delivers an average of 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 FPS, which ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. High settings at 109 FPS are also excellent, but the step up to Ultra at 81 FPS shows diminishing returns for the visual uplift.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the recommended choice, yielding 69 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for most users, and the minimum FPS for Medium (76 FPS) suggests that High should maintain a similar floor. Ultra at 51 FPS is borderline; it is playable but may cause noticeable stutter in action-heavy moments. Low settings at 109 FPS are unnecessary unless the user prioritizes maximum refresh rate over fidelity.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that only Medium settings are consistently playable. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which is acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where twitch reactions are less critical. High at 36 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 27 FPS falls below the 30 FPS playability line. Low at 57 FPS is viable but sacrifices most visual features.

The overall recommendation is to use Medium settings for 4K, High for 1440p, and Medium or High for 1080p depending on whether the user prefers maximum smoothness or slightly better visuals. The measured data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 32 FPS (141 to 109), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 28 FPS (109 to 81), indicating that Ultra is the least efficient preset in terms of performance per frame.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 172 FPS, which is the fastest result across all tested configurations. Medium settings average 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 FPS and a maximum of 162 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. High settings average 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 91 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution and the preset choice has a large impact.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 109 FPS, which matches the 1080p High result, highlighting the resolution cost. Medium settings average 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 69 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 58 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 57 FPS, which is the only preset above 50 FPS. Medium settings average 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, providing a playable experience with some variability. High settings average 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated at 4K and settings changes have less relative impact.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings. At 1080p, the minimum is 120 FPS, which is 85% of the average, indicating consistent performance. At 1440p, the minimum is 76 FPS, which is 85% of the average, showing similar stability. At 4K, the minimum is 40 FPS, which is 85% of the average as well, suggesting that the frame pacing remains consistent even at lower frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3. This configuration delivers strong synthetic benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,838 and a single-core score of 4,071. The Geekbench multi-core score is 14,367, and the single-core score is 2,255.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that relies more on logic and pathfinding than on continuous physics simulation, the CPU's single-thread performance is critical. The 5.00 GHz boost clock and the high single-core Cinebench score (4,071) allow the game logic to run without bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1,043 further supports this, showing that the CPU can handle the game's decision-making processes efficiently.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a high-end processor, but the game's performance is not limited by it. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 172 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit or the GPU's maximum output. The 20 threads are more than sufficient for Hard West, as the game's workload is unlikely to scale beyond a few cores. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. It features 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, with a peak FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS. The 4 nm process node and 29,700 million transistors give it a modern architecture.

In Hard West, the GPU's role is dominant, as evidenced by the steep FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at all settings, as the minimum FPS at 4K Medium (40 FPS) suggests the memory is not overflowing. However, the 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are limiting factors at high resolutions, where the pixel fill rate and texture fetch demands increase.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 16,014. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16,129, a -0.7% delta, meaning the RX 9060 is slightly slower. The PassMark G3D score of 17,631 and the 3dmark Steel Nomad score of 3,322 reflect its mid-range positioning. In-game, this translates to 4K Ultra being unplayable at 27 FPS, while 1080p Low is excellent at 172 FPS. The GPU's boost clock of 2990 MHz helps at lower resolutions, but the memory bandwidth becomes the key constraint at 4K, where the 36 FPS High result shows the hardware's limits.