Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015, and the benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination show a pairing that is decisively GPU-limited at higher settings, yet capable of extreme frame rates at lower ones. The data indicates this system is overkill for the game's engine at 1080p, but it still provides a smooth experience at 4K with maxed-out visuals. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, interpreting the numbers to show where the bottleneck lies and how to get the best experience.

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 Refresh architecture. Its base clock runs at 2.10 GHz, but it can boost up to 5.40 GHz under load. In a game like Hard West, which is not known for heavy multi-threaded scaling, the high boost clock is more relevant than the core count. The processor's single-core performance is strong, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003, which is what primarily drives game logic and frame pacing in this genre.

The CPU's overall standing is very high, with an average benchmark score of 54097, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X sits just 0.6% ahead, and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is 1.1% ahead. This shows the i7-14700F is essentially at parity with top-tier competition for general compute tasks. However, these synthetic scores tell a different story than the game benchmarks. In Hard West, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 301.3 FPS, which is a massive workload for the CPU to feed to the GPU. This indicates the processor is more than capable of handling the game's demands, even at high frame rates.

The processor also supports ECC memory and has 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps with data-heavy tasks, but for Hard West, its 2.10 GHz base clock is rarely the operating point; the 5.40 GHz boost is what you will see in practice. The data suggests that the CPU's role here is to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation that never bottlenecks the graphics card, even when the GPU is pushing hundreds of frames per second. The fact that the CPU's performance is so close to the top-tier rivals reinforces that it will not be the component holding back performance in this title.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, it offers a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. While Hard West is a 2015 title and unlikely to use even a fraction of that 32 GB VRAM, the sheer compute power of the GPU is what drives the high frame rates seen in the results. Its average benchmark score of 84306 places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs.

Interestingly, the GPU's nearest rivals in the database are not traditional desktop gaming cards. The RTX 5090 D is 0.1% ahead, and the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.2% ahead, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is 1.3% behind. This is an artifact of the benchmark database's aggregation, but it does highlight that the RTX 5090's raw score is in a class of its own. In practical terms for Hard West, the GPU is the limiting factor at high settings and resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system drops to 59.7 FPS, which is the lowest result recorded. This is because the game's engine and the GPU's rendering load at those settings are enough to finally stress the card, despite its power.

The GPU's performance scales directly with the workload. At 1080p Low, the RTX 5090 is barely working, producing 301.3 FPS. As the resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops, showing that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The 32 GB of VRAM is a non-issue for this game, but the raw shader and rasterization throughput is what determines the final numbers. The memory clock of 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed ensures that data is fed to the cores quickly, but the core clock is the main driver of performance in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, which confirms the GPU is the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the system produces 239.4 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 150.2 FPS at 1440p, and further to 76.5 FPS at 4K. This is a 68% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant reduction that clearly points to the GPU struggling to fill the increased pixel count. The CPU is not the issue here, as the frame rate is scaling with resolution, not with CPU load.

Looking at Low settings, the pattern is even more pronounced. The system hits 301.3 FPS at 1080p, 240.7 FPS at 1440p, and 126.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only about 20%, but the drop to 4K is a further 48%. This suggests that at 1080p and 1440p Low, the CPU might be starting to limit the frame rate, as the GPU is so fast it can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. However, at 4K Low, the GPU becomes the definitive limiter, as the pixel fill rate demand increases.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system gets 178.8 FPS, which drops to 109.6 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 59.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Ultra result. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is more than capable of handling the game logic at 4K, but the RTX 5090 cannot maintain the same frame rate when pushing over 8 million pixels with all settings maxed. The data clearly shows that for this hardware combo, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p, the system is often CPU-bound, which explains why the frame rates are so high but not infinitely scaling.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured data, the best experience depends heavily on your display's resolution. For 4K users, the Ultra preset is playable, but barely, with an average of 59.7 FPS. This is likely acceptable for a turn-based tactics game where reaction time is not critical, but the High preset at 76.5 FPS is the better choice for a smoother experience. The jump from High to Ultra costs 17 FPS at 4K, which is a significant drop for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a game from 2015. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, balancing visual fidelity with performance.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 150.2 FPS, which is excellent for any display, including high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 109.6 FPS is also very good and is a viable choice if you want to max out the game's visuals. The Medium preset at 197.3 FPS is overkill for most 1440p displays, but it shows the headroom this combo has. For a 1440p 144Hz monitor, Ultra is the best choice, as the 109.6 FPS is within the refresh rate range, and the visual quality improvement over High is worth the frame rate trade-off.

At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings. The Low preset produces 301.3 FPS, but this is not a practical scenario. The Ultra preset at 178.8 FPS is the recommended choice for 1080p, as it provides the best visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate of most 1080p monitors. The High preset at 239.4 FPS is also fine, but you might as well use Ultra since the CPU can handle it. The data shows that at 1080p, there is no reason to lower settings below Ultra, as the system has the headroom to max out the game without dropping below 170 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 9th out of 1699 tested combos in the database for Hard West. This is a top-tier ranking, placing this system in the top 1% of all configurations tested. This high rank is a direct result of the RTX 5090's raw power, which allows it to dominate the GPU-bound scenarios at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance ensures it does not hold the GPU back, allowing the system to achieve these high frame rates.

Given the massive number of combos tested, a rank of 9 is exceptionally high. It means that only eight other combinations of CPUs and GPUs managed to produce higher average frame rates in Hard West. This is likely due to the fact that the RTX 5090 is the top-tier consumer GPU, and the i7-14700F is a high-end processor. The data implies that this is a premium pairing that will not be beaten by many systems, even those with more expensive server-grade components. The rank of 9 reflects the balanced nature of this combo, where the CPU is fast enough to feed the GPU, and the GPU has the brute force to push high frame rates.

It is important to note that this rank is specific to Hard West, and the results may vary in other games. However, for this title, the data shows that the i7-14700F and RTX 5090 is a near-optimal combination, delivering performance that is within the top 10 of all recorded systems. The 4K Ultra score of 59.7 FPS is the only weak point, but it is still a playable frame rate, and the system excels at every other resolution and preset combination.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Hard West?

A: At 1080p with Low and Medium settings, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the system produces 301.3 FPS and 281.8 FPS respectively. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, dropping to 59.7 FPS. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid being a significant issue at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hard West with this combo?

A: 1440p with the Ultra preset offers the best balance, delivering 109.6 FPS. This is a high frame rate that takes advantage of the RTX 5090's power while maintaining excellent visual quality. 4K is also viable, but you may need to drop to High settings to stay above 70 FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 have, and is it necessary for this game?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. For Hard West, this is far more than necessary, as the game is from 2015 and unlikely to use even a fraction of that capacity. The GPU's core performance, not its VRAM, is what determines the frame rates.

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

A: At 4K, the High preset achieves 76.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 59.7 FPS. The drop of 16.8 FPS is significant, so the High preset is recommended for a smoother experience, as the visual difference between High and Ultra in a turn-based tactics game is often minimal.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 9th out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations, indicating it is one of the fastest systems for this game in the database.

Q: Does the CPU's 20-core count help in Hard West?

A: No, the high core count is not beneficial for this game. Hard West is a turn-based tactics title that does not scale well with multi-threading. The CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock and strong single-core performance are what matter, as indicated by its 5003 score in Cinebench R23 single-core.