Hard West

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide substantial headroom for demanding workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 54097 sits just 0.6% below the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, a near-identical performance tier, while edging out the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2%.

For a turn-based tactics title like Hard West, the CPU's role is less about raw frame-pushing and more about maintaining consistent turn-processing logic, AI pathfinding, and game-state calculations. The measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 143.8 FPS average, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower graphical loads. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily stressed, the average FPS drops to 19.9, which is far below what this CPU's single-threaded performance would suggest as a limit. The PassMark single-thread score of 4261 and Geekbench single-core score of 2711 confirm strong per-core performance, which matters for games that do not scale perfectly across many threads.

The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample on-die storage for game logic. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, though the measured data does not isolate memory bandwidth effects. With 28 threads available, Hard West's engine can utilize multiple cores for background tasks, but the benchmark results indicate that frame rates scale more predictably with GPU settings than with CPU load. The processor's 65 W TDP is modest for a 20-core part, suggesting efficient power delivery during extended gaming sessions. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 14886 further underscores that this CPU has far more throughput than a turn-based tactics game would typically consume, meaning the measured FPS differences across settings are predominantly GPU-driven.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the Hard West experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 143.8 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset yields 116.5 FPS, High gives 91.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68.2 FPS. For players prioritizing smoothness on standard 1080p displays, the Medium preset offers a substantial 24.9 FPS advantage over High while still maintaining a frame rate well above typical 60 Hz refresh rates. The High preset at 91.6 FPS remains perfectly playable and provides better visual fidelity than Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 93.5 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution that comfortably exceeds 90 FPS. Medium hits 73.9 FPS, High reaches 58.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.1 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot for balancing visual quality with playable frame rates, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering a meaningful upgrade over Low. The High preset at 58.3 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays, and Ultra at 41.1 FPS may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced encounters.

At 3840x2160 (4K), all presets struggle to maintain fluid frame rates. Low averages 46.8 FPS, Medium 40.4 FPS, High 32.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 19.9 FPS. Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game where precise timing is less critical than in action genres, the Low preset at 4K might be acceptable for players who prioritize resolution over smoothness. However, the Medium preset at 40.4 FPS offers a more balanced compromise, delivering a 7.2 FPS improvement over High while remaining visually superior to Low. For the best overall experience per the measured rows, 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium provides the highest frame rates while retaining adequate visual detail. Players with 4K displays should consider the Low preset as the only viable option for consistent playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system in Hard West?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Medium settings delivers 116.5 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate that still maintains moderate visual quality. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 143.8 FPS but sacrifices visual fidelity.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at different resolutions?

A: Ultra settings yield 68.2 FPS at 1080p, 41.1 FPS at 1440p, and 19.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for most users, while 1080p Ultra remains viable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 143.8 FPS, which is well within the CPU's capabilities. As settings increase to Ultra, frame rates drop disproportionately, indicating GPU-bound rendering at higher presets.

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

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 58.3 FPS. This is slightly below 60 FPS and may require adaptive sync for smooth presentation on 60 Hz monitors.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest rivals in overall GPU performance?

A: The Radeon RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 25235, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. It is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon 890M (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (-0.2% delta), while sitting 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M.

Q: Does the CPU's high core count benefit Hard West specifically?

A: The i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than a turn-based tactics game requires. The benchmark results show frame rates scaling with GPU settings rather than CPU utilization, so the extra cores primarily benefit other multitasking workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a comprehensive view of system performance. At 1920x1080, the frame rate progression is linear with preset quality: Low achieves 143.8 FPS average, Medium 116.5 FPS, High 91.6 FPS, and Ultra 68.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 27.3 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 23.4 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant rendering burden. The 1080p Medium result of 116.5 FPS is particularly notable because it exceeds the High result at 1440p by 42.6 FPS, demonstrating the resolution scaling cost.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 93.5 (Low), 73.9 (Medium), 58.3 (High), and 41.1 (Ultra). The relative performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 52.4 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than at 1080p (75.6 FPS difference). However, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is similar across both resolutions, around 52-56%. The 1440p Medium result of 73.9 FPS is the second-highest frame rate across all resolution/preset combinations that still uses a non-Low preset, making it a strong candidate for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall to 46.8 (Low), 40.4 (Medium), 32.6 (High), and 19.9 (Ultra). The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 20 FPS in the entire dataset, indicating that the RX 6600's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for this extreme configuration. The 4K Low result of 46.8 FPS is 5.7 FPS higher than the 4K Medium result, and 14.2 FPS higher than 4K High. The step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 12.7 FPS, which is the largest single-preset drop in the dataset, suggesting that Ultra enables effects that are particularly demanding on the GPU's 64 ROPS and 1792 shading units.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at an effective 14 Gbps across a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 159.4 GPixel/s.

In the context of Hard West, the RX 6600's performance profile is clearly demonstrated by the measured FPS data. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 15096 places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25235. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, achieves a statistically identical average score with a 0% delta, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti sits 0.5% higher. This competitive positioning explains why the GPU handles 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K Ultra, where the memory bandwidth and compute throughput become limiting factors.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at those resolutions. However, the 4K Ultra result of 19.9 FPS indicates that the memory subsystem, with its 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, cannot sustain the data throughput required for ultra-quality textures at 4K. The card's 64 ROPS also constrain fill-rate-heavy scenarios, which is consistent with the significant frame rate drop between High and Ultra presets at 4K (32.6 to 19.9 FPS). The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure modern rendering paths are available, though the game's 2015 release date means it likely relies on simpler DX11 or DX9 paths. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 152 and DirectX 9 score of 197 suggest that legacy API performance is acceptable, while the DirectX 12 score of 51 indicates less optimization for newer APIs. The GPU's 132 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector make it an efficient choice for this workload, and its dual-slot design at 190 mm length fits standard cases. The 69th percentile ranking confirms that the RX 6600 is a mid-range performer, and the measured FPS data shows it delivers a solid experience at 1080p Medium (116.5 FPS) and 1440p Medium (73.9 FPS) in this turn-based tactics title.