Hard West

Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER form a combination that ranks 253rd out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the top 15% of all configurations. This is a strong showing for a turn-based tactics title from 2015, suggesting the pairing is far more than adequate for the game's demands. The data indicates that this combo sits comfortably above the median performer, with the rank reflecting a system that can handle the title with significant headroom across most settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 253 out of 1699 tested configurations places it in the 85th percentile of all systems tested for Hard West. This is a notable position, especially considering the game's age, as it indicates the hardware is not being pushed to its limits. The ranking suggests that the Intel Core i7-13700K and RTX 4070 SUPER deliver a level of performance that is substantially higher than the average tested system, with only about 15% of combinations achieving a better result. The data implies that users with this setup will experience the game with maximum fluidity, and the bottleneck is unlikely to be the hardware. This position is particularly impressive given that the GPU alone sits in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, and the CPU in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, meaning the pairing synergizes well to achieve a rank slightly above what either component's individual percentile might suggest.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of Hard West's visual output, equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, with a boost clock of 2475 MHz and a base clock of 1980 MHz, provides the raw compute power necessary for rendering the game's environments. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with workload; at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 46.4, while at 4K Low it rises to 92.7. This indicates that the memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for the game's textures and geometry, as the performance variation is more attributable to the shading and pixel processing load than to memory constraints. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 7168 shading units and 80 ROPs are clearly capable of handling Hard West's demands, but the significant frame rate differences between settings suggest that the GPU is the deciding factor in how the game runs, rather than the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this combo for a balance of fidelity and speed?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 112.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K High yields 61.7 FPS. This suggests 1440p is the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors, while 4K is viable for standard 60Hz displays.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, moving from Ultra to High settings results in a significant average FPS increase from 136 to 178.1, a gain of 42.1 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding and High offers a much smoother experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. For example, at 4K, the average FPS drops from 80.4 at Medium to 46.4 at Ultra, a stark reduction that points to GPU load, while the CPU's high multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000) appears more than sufficient for a turn-based tactics game.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?

A: Yes, it can, but with caveats. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 46.4, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Dropping to 4K High raises the average to 61.7 FPS, which is perfectly smooth for the genre, and 4K Medium offers 80.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its closest rival in terms of raw compute?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score is 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000's score of 42653 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE's score of 42723, indicating they are nearly identical in overall compute capability.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low settings is 182.3, while at Ultra it drops to 85.7. That is a difference of 96.6 FPS, highlighting the substantial impact of the Ultra preset on performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates, with Low settings averaging 287 FPS, Medium at 232.3 FPS, High at 178.1 FPS, and Ultra still achieving a very smooth 136 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440, the performance remains high: Low averages 182.3 FPS, Medium 145.4 FPS, High 112.7 FPS, and Ultra 85.7 FPS, all of which are well above playable thresholds. At 3840x2160, the load increases significantly, with Low averaging 92.7 FPS, Medium 80.4 FPS, and High 61.7 FPS, but Ultra drops to 46.4 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS mark. The pattern shows a consistent and predictable drop in performance as settings increase, with the largest relative jump occurring between High and Ultra at each resolution, particularly at 4K where the drop is 15.3 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 178.1 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display, and it is 42.1 FPS faster than Ultra, a significant margin that suggests the Ultra preset's extra visual fidelity is not worth the performance cost. At 1440p, High achieves 112.7 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Ultra's 85.7 FPS is still good but not as fluid. The most critical scenario is 4K, where High hits 61.7 FPS, just above the 60 FPS target, whereas Ultra falls to 46.4 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in a tactical game. Therefore, for a consistent experience, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains playable frame rates at 4K and provides ample headroom at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K plays a supporting but crucial role in this combination, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. For a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, the CPU's single-thread performance is often more critical than multi-threaded throughput, and the data shows a strong single-core score of 5505 in Cinebench R23 and 2850 in Geekbench. The CPU's benchmark scores are significant, with a 3DMark max threads score of 12412 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000, indicating it has ample headroom for the game's AI and logic calculations. The data implies that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this combo, as evidenced by the high FPS at low resolutions; at 1080p Low, the system achieves 287 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently without holding it back.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, revealing how the workload shifts. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 178.1 at 1080p to 112.7 at 1440p, a 36.7% decrease, and then to 61.7 at 4K, a further 45.3% decrease from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's pixel processing load multiplies. The data also shows that the drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than from 1440p to 4K, which is expected due to the exponential increase in pixels. At Ultra settings, the trend is even more pronounced, with FPS dropping from 136 at 1080p to 85.7 at 1440p and then to 46.4 at 4K. This confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component that determines the upper limits of performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains its ability to handle the game's logic without issue.