Hard West

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a commanding performance profile in Hard West, a Turn-Based Tactics title where frame pacing takes precedence over raw reaction time. The measured data shows a system capable of obliterating standard refresh rate targets at nearly every resolution and preset combination, though the scaling behavior reveals a clear shift in bottleneck as pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate curve from 1080p to 4K tells a classic story of GPU-bound scaling. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 204.4 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 High yields 131.6 FPS, a reduction of roughly 36%. The jump to 3840x2160 High brings the average down to 68.3 FPS, another 48% drop from the 1440p figure. This progressive decline is steep, indicating that the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower pixel counts.

The scaling pattern becomes more telling when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 309.2 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is nearing its practical ceiling for this game's simulation logic. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 206.1 FPS, and 4K Low lands at 105.8 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p Low is 33%, while the 1440p to 4K Low gap is 49%. This consistent ~33% and ~49% reduction pattern across presets confirms that resolution scaling is highly uniform, with the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth dictating the pace once the CPU has prepared the frame data.

At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 54 FPS, which is still playable for a turn-based strategy title but represents a 21% drop from 4K High's 68.3 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra settings at 4K push the RTX 4080 SUPER into a zone where its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are being heavily taxed. The 1080p Ultra figure of 152 FPS versus 4K Ultra's 54 FPS shows a 64% reduction, the largest proportional decline in the entire dataset, indicating that Ultra settings multiply the GPU workload beyond what simple resolution scaling would predict.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial computational resources to this pairing. With 16 cores and 24 threads, it posts a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that relies on discrete simulation steps rather than continuous physics, single-thread performance often matters more than raw core counts. The 13700K's boost clock of 5.40 GHz and its PassMark single-thread score of 4333 indicate strong per-core capability.

The benchmark results show that the 13700K is not the bottleneck at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 309.2 FPS, and even at 1080p Ultra it maintains 152 FPS. These numbers suggest the CPU can feed the GPU more than enough frames at lower resolutions. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 indicate that even under heavy multi-threaded loads, the processor has significant reserve capacity. However, the game's turn-based nature likely means it uses fewer threads efficiently, making the 24-thread count less critical than the high boost clock.

The processor's L3 cache of 30 MB shared across the die helps keep game state data close to the cores, reducing memory latency during complex tactical calculations. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost up to 5.40 GHz, the 13700K can quickly ramp up for short bursts of intense computation, which is ideal for processing AI turns or line-of-sight calculations. The data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes a limiting factor, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings produce 54 FPS, a frame rate that the processor can easily sustain.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for different display targets. For 4K displays, High settings deliver 68.3 FPS, which is the sweet spot for smooth turn-based gameplay. Dropping to Medium at 4K yields 91.6 FPS, a 34% improvement over High, while Ultra drops to 54 FPS, a 21% regression. The data suggests that High is the ideal choice for 4K, as it balances visual fidelity with frame rate headroom.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Ultra. The combo achieves 96.7 FPS at 1440p Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium at 1440p produces 171.6 FPS, and High reaches 131.6 FPS, but the extra visual detail from Ultra does not meaningfully impact playability. For users with 1440p displays, Ultra settings are the clear choice, as the 96.7 FPS average leaves ample margin for demanding scenes.

For 1080p, the system is so powerful that even Ultra settings produce 152 FPS. Low settings hit 309.2 FPS, which is excessive for any display refresh rate currently available. The recommendation for 1080p is to run Ultra without hesitation, as the 13700K and RTX 4080 SUPER combination has more than enough headroom. Medium at 1080p provides 267.3 FPS, but there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality when Ultra maintains such high frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the combined rank across all tested hardware combinations for Hard West, this pairing sits at position 70 out of 1699 total combos. This places it in the top 4.1% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of both components. The RTX 4080 SUPER's percentile ranking of 88 among all GPUs, combined with the 13700K's 93rd percentile CPU ranking, creates a synergistic pairing that excels in this tactical title.

The GPU's nearest rivals show how close the performance margins are at this tier. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT trails by only 0.2% in average benchmark score, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 0.4% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% slower, indicating that the 4080 SUPER holds a meaningful advantage over newer budget options. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-13700KF is essentially identical at -0.1% delta, while the AMD EPYC 4364P is 0.3% ahead and the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% ahead.

The rank of 70 out of 1699 combos suggests that while this is a top-tier setup, there are 69 configurations that outperform it in Hard West. Given that this game is from 2015 and is turn-based, the absolute performance ceiling is likely dictated by the simulation engine's threading model rather than raw hardware. The combo's high ranking confirms that it extracts nearly all available performance from the game, with the remaining headroom likely limited by software constraints.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hard West at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes, at 4K Ultra the system produces an average of 54 FPS, which is playable for a turn-based tactics game. For smoother performance, 4K High delivers 68.3 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 1440p Ultra at 96.7 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1440p, even Ultra settings maintain well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is 0.2% slower in average benchmark score, while the RTX 5070 Ti trails by 2.9%. The 4080 SUPER leads all its nearest rivals in the benchmark data.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the 13700K provides up to 309.2 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating it can feed the GPU far more frames than needed. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking confirms its capability.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows 131.6 FPS at 1440p High, which is well above any standard display refresh rate and provides a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 70th out of 1699 tested combinations, placing it in the top 4.1% of all hardware pairings for Hard West.