Hard West

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a robust experience in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data shows this combination is capable of high frame rates across most settings, though 4K Ultra presents a significant challenge. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the measured FPS rows.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic progression where performance degrades as pixel count increases. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 197 FPS on Low settings, which serves as the baseline for peak performance. Moving to 2560x1440, the same Low preset drops to 125 FPS, representing a 36.5% reduction in frame rate. Scaling up to 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 65 FPS, which is a 48% drop from the 1440p result and a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With the High preset, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a drop from 124 FPS to 78 FPS (a 37.1% decrease), and then from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate falls to 41 FPS (a 47.4% decrease). This consistent ~37% drop between 1080p and 1440p, followed by a ~47% drop between 1440p and 4K, indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling curve. At 1080p, the combo achieves 93 FPS, which drops to 59 FPS at 1440p (a 36.6% reduction) and then plummets to 31 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS is the only measurement that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so by a substantial margin.

These scaling characteristics suggest that while the CPU has enough headroom to drive high frame rates at 1080p, the Radeon RX 7700's rendering capabilities become the bottleneck as resolution increases. The nearly identical percentage drops across all presets when moving between resolutions point to a GPU-bound scenario at 1440p and above, with the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads providing sufficient processing power to avoid becoming the constraint.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, based on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, provides the primary rendering muscle for this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is substantial for a game from 2015. The memory clock runs at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective), while the GPU core operates with a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (avg score 15862, delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (avg score 16014, delta -1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (avg score 15679, delta 1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (avg score 16129, delta -1.7%). These deltas are all within 1.7% of the RX 7700's score, indicating that the GPU sits in a tightly contested performance tier.

The GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score is 96, while its DirectX 11 score is 186, and its Passmark G3D score is 20974. For a game like Hard West, which predates widespread DirectX 12 adoption, the DirectX 11 performance is the more relevant metric. The GPU's FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s provide ample compute for the turn-based tactics genre, which typically features static scenes with moderate geometric complexity.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is notably generous for a game released in 2015. Even at 4K Ultra settings, Hard West is unlikely to approach VRAM limits, meaning the frame rate drops at 4K are purely a function of the GPU's shading and rasterization throughput rather than memory capacity constraints. The RDNA 3.0 architecture's 96 ROPs and 2560 shading units handle the game's 2D-heavy visual style efficiently, as evidenced by the strong 1080p results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F provides the processing foundation with 20 cores and 28 threads, operating with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 33 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how competitive this chip is: the Intel Xeon 6505P (avg score 53701, delta -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (avg score 53469, delta 0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (avg score 53288, delta 0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (avg score 53206, delta 0.8%). These deltas are all under 1%, placing the i7-14700F in a performance tier that trades blows with high-end server and desktop parts.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is less demanding than in real-time strategy titles. The game's turn-based nature means that frame rendering is not as dependent on continuous AI and physics calculations. However, the CPU's single-thread performance is still relevant, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 and Geekbench single-core score of 2429. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz provides the high-frequency response needed to maintain consistent frame pacing during turns.

The multi-threaded capabilities, reflected in the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and Passmark multithread score of 41317, ensure that any background processing or asset streaming does not create stutter. The CPU's Passmark physics score of 2455 and floating-point math score of 107005 indicate solid computational throughput, though these are less critical for a game of this genre. The 65 W TDP classification keeps thermal output manageable, allowing the boost clock to sustain high frequencies during extended play sessions.

The CPU's performance headroom is evident when examining the FPS data. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 197 FPS, which approaches the practical limits of what most displays can show. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. As resolution increases and frame rates drop, the CPU's influence diminishes further, confirming that the i7-14700F provides ample processing power for Hard West.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1331 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places the pairing in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 45% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's strong 91st percentile performance among all CPUs and the GPU's more modest 58th percentile standing among all GPUs.

The rank of 1331 suggests that while this combo is above average, it is not among the top performers for Hard West. The GPU's benchmark position, which is nearly identical to the Radeon R9 370X and RX 9060, indicates that the RX 7700 is the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU, on the other hand, outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X by 0.6% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 0.8% in average benchmark scores, showing that the processor is punching above its weight class.

This ranking has practical implications for gameplay. The combo sits in a position where it can handle the game's requirements comfortably at most settings, but it does not have the GPU headroom to dominate 4K Ultra. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 31 FPS while 1080p Ultra produces 93 FPS illustrates the GPU's performance envelope. The rank of 1331 out of 2949 reflects this mid-to-upper tier positioning, where the combo outperforms the majority of systems but falls short of configurations with higher-end GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset delivers playable frame rates, with Low at 197 FPS, Medium at 161 FPS, High at 124 FPS, and Ultra at 93 FPS. The Medium preset, with its min FPS of 137 and max FPS of 186, offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. However, the Ultra preset's 93 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for 1080p users who prioritize image quality.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Low preset delivers 125 FPS, Medium delivers 102 FPS, and High delivers 78 FPS, all of which are smooth. The Ultra preset drops to 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. For 1440p, the High preset at 78 FPS represents the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate, as it stays comfortably above 60 FPS while providing improved graphics over Medium. Users who prefer maximum quality can run Ultra, but they should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the options narrow considerably. The Low preset achieves 65 FPS, which is playable, while Medium reaches 54 FPS with a min of 46 FPS and max of 62 FPS. The High preset drops to 41 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS. For 4K, the Low preset at 65 FPS is the only setting that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS experience. Medium at 54 FPS is acceptable for users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate stability, but the High and Ultra presets are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

The optimal configuration depends on the user's display resolution and performance priorities. For 1080p displays, Ultra at 93 FPS is the clear recommendation. For 1440p, High at 78 FPS offers the best balance. For 4K, Low at 65 FPS is the only preset that delivers consistently smooth performance, with Medium at 54 FPS as a compromise for users who can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset delivers 93 FPS average at 1920x1080, making it the recommended choice. It provides the highest visual quality while maintaining frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 65 FPS, and Medium achieves 54 FPS. The High and Ultra presets drop to 41 FPS and 31 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 (1.7% higher), while the Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014 (1% higher).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The i7-14700F ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs and outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X by 0.6% in average benchmark scores. The FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What frame rates does the Medium preset produce?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 161 FPS with a min of 137 FPS and max of 186 FPS. At 1440p, it averages 102 FPS with a min of 87 FPS and max of 117 FPS. At 4K, it averages 54 FPS with a min of 46 FPS and max of 62 FPS.

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

A: This combo ranks 1331 out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the 55th percentile. The ranking reflects the GPU's 58th percentile performance among all GPUs, which limits the overall result despite the CPU's 91st percentile standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset averages 197 FPS, which is the highest measurement in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 161 FPS with a minimum of 137 FPS and maximum of 186 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. The High preset averages 124 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 93 FPS. All four presets at 1080p exceed 90 FPS, making this resolution the most versatile for the combo.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU's increasing load. The Low preset averages 125 FPS, representing a 36.5% drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS target. The Medium and High presets at 1440p provide the best balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 62 FPS, showing noticeable frame variance. The High preset averages 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31 FPS. These results indicate that 4K gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings with this combo.

The complete dataset shows a clear pattern: the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, but 4K gaming requires reduced settings to maintain playable frame rates. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its 87 FPS minimum, offers the most consistent experience for users who want a balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 93 FPS, is the best choice for users who prioritize maximum graphical fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.