Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the measured data for this specific combination—Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti—shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable of running the game at high frame rates across all tested settings. The benchmark results indicate a configuration that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but also one where the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no bottlenecks at lower settings. The data set provides a clear picture of how the game scales from 1080p to 4K, allowing for precise settings recommendations based on your display's native resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience on Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 68.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to an average of 37.2 FPS, so 1440p is the highest resolution that maintains smooth gameplay on Ultra.

Q: How much of a performance jump is there from High to Low settings at 1080p?

A: The data shows a significant increase. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 138.3 FPS, while the Low preset averages 222.3 FPS. This represents an approximate 60% improvement in frame rate when switching from High to Low settings.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB VRAM a limiting factor in Hard West?

A: The benchmark results do not show any indication of VRAM capacity being a limiting factor. The GPU's memory is 8 GB of GDDR6X with a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which proves sufficient for the game's demands, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes without any anomalous drops.

Q: How does this system's performance compare in the overall database for this game?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 655 out of 1699 total tested combinations. This places it in the upper portion of the database, indicating above-average performance for Hard West.

Q: At which settings does the frame rate exceed 100 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 141.8 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 116.9 FPS. The High preset just misses the mark at 90.3 FPS, so Low and Medium are the settings that break the 100 FPS barrier at this resolution.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and High presets at 4K?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 61.5 FPS, which is notably smoother than the High preset's 46.9 FPS average. The performance cost of moving from Medium to High at 4K is a drop of roughly 14.6 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates in Hard West, as is typical for a game of this era. The GPU's specifications include a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with 6144 shading units. The 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which is more than adequate for the game's textures and effects. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 137518, place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its strong standing for this workload.

The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets is substantial across all resolutions, but it becomes more pronounced at 3840x2160. At 4K, the Low preset averages 74.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37.2 FPS, highlighting the GPU's workload scaling with graphical fidelity. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700 which is 0.8% ahead, and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 which is 0.9% ahead, shows that it is competitively positioned for this task, though the exact delta is minimal.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases, which is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 138.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and then further down to 46.9 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a significant performance hit when moving to 4K, with the frame rate at 4K being roughly one-third of the 1080p figure.

This scaling behavior suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes more prominent at lower resolutions and settings. For instance, at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the system achieves an average of 222.3 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that could potentially be limited by CPU performance in some scenarios, but the data shows it is still able to push well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The pattern of frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K is approximately 66% for the High preset, which is a typical curve for a GPU-intensive workload, confirming that the graphics card is the main factor in performance scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates provides a detailed view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 222.3 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 182.2 FPS, the High preset averages 138.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 108.1 FPS. All of these figures are exceptionally high and would provide a smooth experience on any high-refresh-rate monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very playable. The Low preset averages 141.8 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 116.9 FPS. The High preset averages 90.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 68.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is a sweet spot for this hardware, as even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. The Low preset averages 74.7 FPS, the Medium preset averages 61.5 FPS, and the High preset averages 46.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration, averaging just 37.2 FPS. This data paints a clear picture: the system is overkill for 1080p, excellent for 1440p, and requires settings adjustments for a solid 4K experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting role in Hard West, providing ample processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. This CPU features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark results are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. The Passmark single-thread score of 4261 is particularly relevant for gaming, as it indicates strong performance in tasks that rely on fewer cores.

The CPU's performance places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 54097. Its closest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which is 0.6% ahead, and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, which is 1.2% behind. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that game logic and AI calculations are handled quickly. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system can hit 222.3 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is not holding back the GPU even at very high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data allows for clear settings recommendations based on your target resolution and frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it averages 108.1 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target and provides the best visual fidelity. There is no need to lower settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset delivers a fluid experience.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is also recommended, with an average of 68.9 FPS. This provides a good balance of visual quality and performance, staying above 60 FPS. If you have a 144Hz monitor, the High preset, which averages 90.3 FPS, would be a better option to push frame rates higher while still maintaining excellent visuals. For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, averaging 61.5 FPS. This achieves the target of 60 FPS while offering a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. The High preset at 4K, averaging 46.9 FPS, would require a compromise on smoothness, and the Ultra preset's 37.2 FPS average is not ideal for consistent gameplay. Therefore, Medium at 4K offers the best experience per the measured rows.