Hard West

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptional performance in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. Benchmark data shows this combination ranks 249th out of 3722 tested combos, placing it in the top 7% of all systems evaluated. The pairing leverages a 12-core Alder Lake processor with a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU to produce frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate requirements at every tested resolution and quality preset.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Hard West?*

A: The highest recorded average is 282 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. At the same resolution, Medium settings produce 263 FPS, High produces 205 FPS, and Ultra produces 154 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 51 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration tested, and it remains playable but noticeably lower than lower settings at the same resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 206 FPS average while Ultra settings yield 97 FPS average. This represents a drop of 109 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER bottleneck at 1080p in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p. The jump from Medium (263 FPS) to Low (282 FPS) at 1920x1080 is only 19 FPS, while the jump from Medium (89 FPS) to Low (108 FPS) at 4K is also 19 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for any configuration?

A: The only configuration with a recorded minimum FPS is Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 75 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 144 FPS; and at 1920x1080, it is 223 FPS. Low, High, and Ultra settings do not have minimum FPS data available.

Q: How does this combo rank relative to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 249th out of 3722 combinations tested for Hard West, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all systems. This indicates it outperforms approximately 93% of tested configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER carries 16 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Hard West, a game that does not demand large texture pools, this memory capacity is more than sufficient even at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU’s 10240 shading units and 112 ROPs process the turn-based tactical scenes with ease, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all resolutions.

The GPU’s clock speeds are 2295 MHz base and 2550 MHz boost, which contribute to its computational throughput. At 1920x1080 Low settings, the system achieves 282 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is far from saturated at lower resolutions. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s allow the card to handle the game’s 2D sprite-based visuals and lighting effects without strain.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for Hard West, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS. The card’s raw rasterization performance drives the results. The GPU’s 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability ensures that even the most complex battle scenes with multiple units and environmental effects render smoothly. The 16 GB VRAM remains underutilized, as the game’s asset sizes do not approach this capacity, meaning the GPU never faces memory pressure that would cause stuttering.

The benchmark scores for the GPU support its position. PassMark G3D scores 34245, and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 6600. These synthetic results correlate with the measured in-game FPS, confirming that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier performer. The GPU ranks in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54247, representing a delta of -0.1%, indicating the SUPER variant performs nearly identically to the non-SUPER in synthetic tests.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rates scale predictably across resolutions, revealing the system’s balance between CPU and GPU workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 282. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 206 FPS, a reduction of 76 FPS or 27%. Further scaling to 3840x2160 Low yields 108 FPS, another drop of 98 FPS from 1440p.

The scaling pattern shifts at higher quality settings. At Ultra, 1080p produces 154 FPS, 1440p produces 97 FPS, and 4K produces 51 FPS. The percentage drops are 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K. This steeper decline at Ultra settings indicates the GPU becomes more heavily utilized as pixel count and shading complexity increase.

The limiting component changes depending on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are capable of maintaining high frame rates, but the GPU is not fully taxed. Evidence for this lies in the small FPS gain from Medium (263 FPS) to Low (282 FPS) at 1080p—only 7% improvement despite a significant reduction in rendering quality. Conversely, at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The drop from Medium (89 FPS) to Low (108 FPS) at 4K is 21%, showing that reducing GPU workload has a larger impact at higher resolutions.

The measured data shows that the system never drops below 51 FPS at any setting, even at 4K Ultra. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER provides sufficient headroom for smooth gameplay across all tested configurations. The minimum FPS values recorded only for Medium settings—75 FPS at 4K, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 223 FPS at 1080p—suggest consistent frame pacing without significant dips.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 249 out of 3722 tested systems places it in the upper tier of configurations for Hard West. This rank is driven by both the CPU and GPU strengths. The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365 and ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T with an average score of 35403 (delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (delta 0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12700K at 35287 (delta 0.2%). These close deltas indicate the CPU is competitive with newer and similarly positioned processors.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s percentile rank of 86 and average score of 54209 further solidify the combo’s standing. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080, scores 54247 with a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two cards are virtually interchangeable in raw performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (delta -1.1%), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (delta -2.7%), showing the NVIDIA card outperforms these alternatives.

Within the context of Hard West, this combo’s 249th rank out of 3722 means it outperforms 3473 other tested combinations. This is notable because the game is turn-based and does not demand high frame rates for competitive play; however, the high scores ensure buttery-smooth camera movement and unit animations. The rank suggests that most users with this hardware will experience no performance-related issues, as even the weakest measured configuration (4K Ultra at 51 FPS) exceeds typical playable thresholds.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings balance visual quality with frame rate stability. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings provide 154 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display. The jump from High (205 FPS) to Ultra (154 FPS) represents a 25% performance cost for the highest visual fidelity. Given that even Ultra exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates, 1080p Ultra is the recommended configuration for users with high-refresh monitors.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings deliver 97 FPS, which is adequate for 60 Hz displays but below 144 Hz thresholds. High settings at 1440p produce 130 FPS, a 34% improvement over Ultra with only modest visual differences in a turn-based game. The data supports High as the sweet spot at 1440p, as it maintains high frame rates while preserving most visual details. Medium settings at 1440p yield 169 FPS with a recorded minimum of 144 FPS, ensuring no frame drops below typical high-refresh rates.

For 3840x2160, Ultra settings at 51 FPS are playable but not ideal for smooth motion. High settings at 4K produce 68 FPS, which is closer to 60 FPS standards and provides a better experience. Medium settings at 4K offer 89 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum, making this the recommended preset for 4K users who prioritize fluidity. Low settings at any resolution provide marginal benefits over Medium, as the FPS gains are relatively small—from 89 to 108 FPS at 4K and from 263 to 282 FPS at 1080p—while significantly reducing visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 282 FPS. Medium settings average 263 FPS with a minimum of 223 FPS and maximum of 302 FPS. High settings average 205 FPS. Ultra settings average 154 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 45% reduction in frame rate, from 282 to 154 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 206 FPS average. Medium settings produce 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS and maximum of 194 FPS. High settings average 130 FPS. Ultra settings average 97 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 109 FPS, representing a 53% reduction.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 108 FPS. Medium settings produce 89 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS. High settings average 68 FPS. Ultra settings average 51 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 57 FPS, a 53% reduction.

The Medium settings row is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 223 FPS and maximum of 302 FPS show a spread of 79 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 50 FPS (144 to 194). At 4K, the spread is 27 FPS (75 to 102). This tightening range at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame delivery when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake processor features 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU’s benchmark scores demonstrate strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 28838, while single-core scores 4071. PassMark multithread scores 34092, and 3DMark 16-thread scores 9282.

In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU handles game logic, AI pathfinding, and unit state calculations. The game’s 2015 release date means it does not utilize many threads, but the i7-12700KF’s high single-thread performance ensures fast response times. The single-thread score of 4071 in Cinebench R23 and 1043 in 3DMark single-thread indicate the processor excels at the type of sequential workloads this game generates.

The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking places it above most processors. Its average benchmark score of 35365 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, delta -0.1%) and Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, delta 0.2%). The i7-12700K scores 35287, just 0.2% lower. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, confirming the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

At 1080p where GPU load is lower, the CPU’s capabilities are more apparent. The system maintains 282 FPS at Low settings, suggesting the CPU can sustain frame rates above 280 FPS without becoming a limiting factor. At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary constraint, but the processor still provides enough throughput to avoid causing frame drops. The CPU’s 20 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock ensure that no single-threaded bottleneck occurs, even in complex tactical scenarios with numerous units on screen.