Hard West

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable but uneven experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from late 2015. The data shows this combo ranks 2164th out of 3722 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The most striking finding is the massive performance drop at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 27, while at 1080p Low the same setup achieves 173 FPS. This indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for this genre. Benchmark results clearly show that players targeting smooth 4K gameplay will need to make significant sacrifices, whereas 1080p and 1440p are far more forgiving.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep and consistent decline across all settings, with the RTX 2070 SUPER struggling to maintain playable framerates at the highest resolution. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 173 at 1920x1080 to 109 at 2560x1440, then falls further to 57 at 3840x2160. That represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a clear sign that pixel throughput dominates the performance equation. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 141 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. At High settings, the numbers are 109 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with 81 FPS at 1080p dropping to 52 FPS at 1440p and finally 27 FPS at 4K.

These scaling patterns tell a clear story about the limiting component. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 36-37% across Low, Medium, and High settings, which aligns closely with the increase in pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.69 million (a 78% increase in pixels, though the FPS drop is smaller, suggesting some headroom remains). However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is far more brutal: Low drops from 109 to 57 FPS (a 48% reduction), Medium from 90 to 47 (48% reduction), High from 69 to 36 (48% reduction), and Ultra from 52 to 27 (48% reduction). This uniform 48% drop across all settings at the 4K transition strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth simply cannot feed enough pixels at 3840x2160.

The data also shows that settings scaling at a fixed resolution is consistent. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 173 to 81, a 53% penalty. At 1440p, the same transition goes from 109 to 52, a 52% penalty. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 57 to 27, again a 53% penalty. This suggests that the game’s graphics options have a multiplicative effect on rendering load, independent of resolution. For a turn-based tactics title, where frame pacing is less critical than in action games, even the 27 FPS at 4K Ultra might be tolerable for some players, but the measured data indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings, where 57 FPS provides a smoother experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 12 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4071 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 34092 and a single-thread score of 3984. These numbers place the i7-12700KF in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T with an average score of 35403 (-0.1% delta), the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428 (-0.2%), and the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (+0.2%). The i7-12700KF essentially ties with its direct predecessor, the i7-12700K, which scores 35287 (+0.2% delta).

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame delivery rather than pushing extremely high FPS. The game’s release date of 2015-11-17 means it was designed for hardware from that era, and the i7-12700KF’s 12 cores and 20 threads are far beyond what the game’s engine likely requires. The benchmark results support this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 173 FPS, which is well above any refresh rate target, and even at 1080p Ultra it manages 81 FPS. The CPU’s 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game at any tested resolution. The consistent 48% FPS drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings points to the GPU as the bottleneck, not the CPU. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 27, the CPU is likely idling, as the game’s turn-based mechanics do not demand rapid-fire thread scheduling. The i7-12700KF’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) further ensure that memory bandwidth is not a constraint. In practical terms, this CPU provides far more capability than Hard West can utilize, which means any performance issues in this combo stem from the GPU side.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2164th out of 3722 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems. This is a modest ranking, reflecting the RTX 2070 SUPER’s mid-tier status rather than the CPU’s strength. The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 65, with an average benchmark score of 20282, while the CPU sits at the 85th percentile. This disconnect between CPU and GPU performance tiers explains why the combo does not rank higher: the processor is capable of much more, but the graphics card holds the system back in this GPU-bound scenario.

Looking at the GPU’s nearest rivals provides context for the RTX 2070 SUPER’s positioning. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M has an average score of 20480, which is 1% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 20282. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 1.2% improvement, while the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 is 1.3% ahead)Skip the Intel Arc A750 at 20582, which is 1.5% ahead. These are all very close scores, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the edge of a performance cluster. In Hard West, this translates to the 36 FPS average at 4K High and 69 FPS at 1440p High, which are playable but not exceptional numbers.

The combo rank of 2164 out of 3722 means that roughly 58% of tested combinations outperform this setup in Hard West. This is not surprising given that the RTX 2070 SUPER was released in 2019 and is now end-of-life, while the CPU is from 2021 and remains active. The game’s release date of 2015 means it does not leverage modern GPU features like ray tracing or DLSS, so the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are largely unused. The benchmark results reflect this, with the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 18169 and DirectX 12 score of 67 being moderate for its class. For players considering this combo specifically for Hard West, the data shows it is adequate but not outstanding, particularly at 4K where the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit bus become limiting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across four settings presets and three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 173 at Low to 81 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 141 FPS with a minimum of 120 and a maximum of 163, while High averages 109 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is entirely playable at any setting, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The 141 FPS at Medium and 109 FPS at High suggest that players with 144Hz monitors can enjoy smooth gameplay without needing to drop below High settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture becomes more nuanced. Low settings average 109 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High average, highlighting how resolution scaling works. Medium averages 90 FPS with a range of 76 to 103, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. These numbers show that 1440p is viable for this combo, but only at Medium or lower settings if a player wants to stay above 90 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is playable for a turn-based game but may feel less responsive. The Medium preset’s minimum of 76 FPS and maximum of 103 FPS demonstrate decent frame consistency, though the 27 FPS spread between min and max indicates some scene-to-scene variance.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2070 SUPER clearly struggles. Low settings average 57 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 40 FPS is concerning for anyone expecting smooth gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is exactly 30 FPS (57 to 27), which mirrors the 1080p gap of 92 FPS (173 to 81) but at a much lower absolute level. Interestingly, the 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 40 and maximum of 54, a 14 FPS range, which is tighter than the 1440p Medium range of 27 FPS (76 to 103) and the 1080p Medium range of 43 FPS (120 to 163). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that frame times become more consistent, albeit at a lower average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the defining component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured FPS patterns. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and it contains 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, includes 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, though these are unlikely to be utilized by Hard West given its 2015 release date. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a critical factor at 4K resolution. Modern games often exceed 8 GB at 4K with high textures, but Hard West is a turn-based tactics title with simpler geometry and textures. The data shows that the GPU can handle 4K Low at 57 FPS, which suggests that VRAM is not overflowing at that setting. However, the drop to 27 FPS at 4K Ultra implies that the combination of higher resolution and more demanding settings overwhelms the GPU’s compute capabilities rather than its memory. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the pixel fill rate of 113.3 GPixel/s becomes a limiting factor.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 20282. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.5% of its performance: the Quadro M4000M at 20480 (-1%), the RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (-1.2%), the Arc B570 at 20556 (-1.3%), and the Arc A750 at 20582 (-1.5%). In Hard West, this performance level translates to the observed FPS numbers. The RTX 2070 SUPER is clearly a mid-range GPU by modern standards, and its end-of-life production status means it will not receive further optimizations. For this game, the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K and Ultra settings, while at 1080p and 1440p it provides adequate performance. The measured data shows that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the 27 FPS at Ultra is the lowest score in the entire dataset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, averaging 109 FPS. This is more than enough for smooth gameplay on a 60Hz monitor and provides better visual quality than Medium’s 141 FPS or Low’s 173 FPS, both of which exceed what most displays can show. The Ultra preset at 81 FPS is also viable, but the 28 FPS drop from High to Ultra (109 to 81) suggests diminishing returns. For players with 144Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 141 FPS is the best choice, as it stays close to the refresh rate ceiling while maintaining a minimum of 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, averaging 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 and maximum of 103. This provides a smooth experience on 60Hz and 75Hz displays, and even 100Hz displays can benefit from the 90 FPS average. The High preset at 69 FPS is acceptable for 60Hz monitors but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 109 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality trade-off is unnecessary given that Medium offers 90 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and the visual improvements over High are likely marginal for a game of this genre.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests using Low settings, which average 57 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that approaches 60 FPS, and for a turn-based tactics game, 57 FPS is entirely playable. The Medium preset at 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 is risky, as the minimum FPS could cause noticeable stutters. High at 36 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are both below acceptable thresholds for smooth gameplay. Players who prioritize visual fidelity at 4K should accept that this combo cannot deliver a consistent 60 FPS experience and instead focus on Low settings. Alternatively, dropping to 1440p and using Medium or High settings provides a better overall experience than 4K Low, as the higher resolution does not compensate for the lower frame rate in a game that is not graphically demanding.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize frame rate over resolution for this combo in Hard West. The data shows that 1440p Medium delivers 90 FPS average, which is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, while 1080p High at 109 FPS is the best high-refresh-rate option. At 4K, only Low settings are recommended, and even then, the 57 FPS average is below the ideal 60 FPS target. The measured rows indicate that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for players who accept lower frame rates or are willing to sacrifice settings. The turn-based nature of Hard West means that even 27 FPS at 4K Ultra might be tolerable for some players, but the benchmark data clearly shows that Medium settings at 1440p provide the most balanced experience across all metrics.