Hard West

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER yields a combo rank of 1266 out of 1699 tested combinations for Hard West. This places the configuration in the lower half of the database, a positioning that reflects the game’s age and the GPU’s mid-range standing rather than any CPU limitation. The processor is a top-tier part with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its benchmark averages sit within 0.5% of rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and the Intel Core i7-14700KF. The bottleneck is clearly the graphics card, which holds only a 63rd percentile rank among all GPUs. The data suggests this combo is a serviceable 1080p machine for the title, but it struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at higher resolutions, as detailed in the measured FPS breakdown below.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s overall rank of 1266 out of 1699 tested combinations places it in the 74th percentile of all tested pairings for Hard West. This is a modest result for a system built around a flagship-class CPU. The Intel Core i7-14700K is a powerhouse, with an average benchmark score of 70074 and a 96th percentile standing against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.5), indicating the processor is performing at the expected high level. However, the RTX 2060 SUPER, with an average benchmark score of 19774 and a 63rd percentile rank, drags the combined result down. The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (deltaPct 0.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (deltaPct 0.5), showing it is competitive within its own class, but that class is not sufficient for high-end 4K gaming in this title. The rank indicates that while the CPU is overqualified for the task, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, a pattern visible in the measured FPS data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it delivers 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. These specifications place it firmly in the mid-range tier, with a 63rd percentile rank among all GPUs. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, the GPU’s role is to handle the relatively static scenes and lighting effects. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU can push high average frame rates, but at 4K, it becomes overtaxed. The 8 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this game’s textures, but the raw compute power is insufficient for high refresh rates at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is more advanced than the game requires, meaning the title’s engine likely utilizes only a fraction of the card’s modern feature set.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with smoothness. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 97.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a strong visual upgrade over Low. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 77.2 FPS, still playable but with a noticeable 20 FPS drop from High, suggesting diminishing returns. For 2560x1440, the High preset provides 61 FPS, which is just at the borderline for smooth play; the Medium preset at 79.5 FPS offers a safer margin if frame pacing is a concern. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing 52.2 FPS; the High preset at 34.8 FPS is borderline unplayable for a tactical game where camera panning can feel sluggish. The data indicates that the High preset at 1080p is the sweet spot, providing a nearly 100 FPS experience without the performance penalty of Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high: Low averages 155.1 FPS, Medium 126.5 FPS, High 97.3 FPS, and Ultra 77.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77.9 FPS, showing that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop substantially: Low hits 99.7 FPS, Medium 79.5 FPS, High 61 FPS, and Ultra 47.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 36.3 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles: Low averages 52.2 FPS, Medium 42.5 FPS, High 34.8 FPS, and Ultra 23.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst-case scenario, producing frame rates that are below the threshold for comfortable interaction. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p card for this game, a decent 1440p card on lower presets, and a poor 4K performer.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the GPU’s limitations. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 97.3 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 34.8 at 4K (a 64% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is compute-bound rather than bandwidth-bound. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is respectable, but its 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the scaling is less severe: 155.1 FPS at 1080p, 99.7 at 1440p, and 52.2 at 4K. The 4K Low result is still a 66% drop from 1080p Low, confirming that the GPU’s raw shader throughput is the bottleneck. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not a factor here; its benchmark scores, such as 44534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, are far beyond what a turn-based tactics game from 2015 can utilize. The data confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the sole constraint on performance scaling.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the most comfortable resolution. At High settings, the average FPS is 97.3, which is well above the 60 FPS target. At 2560x1440, the same preset drops to 61 FPS, which is borderline, and at 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 52.2 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its direct rivals in this system?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19774. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, has a score of 19680, a deltaPct of 0.5, meaning the RTX 2060 SUPER is slightly ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (19706) is 0.3% behind, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19623) is 0.8% behind.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The CPU has a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, scores 70104 with a deltaPct of 0, indicating identical performance. The game’s low system requirements mean the CPU is vastly overprovisioned.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 99.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47.3 FPS. This is a difference of 52.4 FPS, representing a 53% drop in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hard West?*

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 52.2 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 42.5 FPS, High to 34.8 FPS, and Ultra to 23.5 FPS. For a turn-based tactics game, the High preset’s 34.8 FPS might be tolerable, but it is below the standard for smooth motion.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 97.3 at 1920x1080 to 34.8 at 3840x2160. This is a 62.5 FPS reduction, or a 64% performance loss, indicating the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher pixel count.