Hard West

Hard West with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B390 produces a playable experience primarily at 1080p, with the data indicating that the Arc B390 is the decisive limiting factor in this pairing. The measured frames per second (FPS) show a clear ceiling across all resolutions, and the choice of settings will determine whether the game remains fluid or becomes a slideshow.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Low preset is the only setting that consistently provides a smooth experience across all tested resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves an average of 87 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this pairing. This is the only configuration that breaks the 60 FPS threshold, making it the clear recommendation for players who prioritize responsiveness and smooth camera panning in the turn-based tactical view.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative for 1080p displays if you can tolerate slightly lower frame pacing. The data shows an average of 71 FPS at 1080p Medium, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This remains above the 60 FPS target, but the minimum frame time suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable during scene transitions or when many on-screen effects are active.

Stepping up to High at 1080p drops the average to 55 FPS. This is a significant 22.5% reduction from Low (calculated from 87 to 55 FPS) and places the experience below the 60 FPS threshold. For a turn-based game where twitch reflexes are less critical, this might be acceptable, but the data suggests it is a compromise that sacrifices fluidity for visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as the average falls to 41 FPS, a 52.9% decrease from the Low preset (from 87 to 41 FPS), which will feel sluggish.

At higher resolutions, the settings recommendations become stricter. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 55 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS, which enters the territory where fast mouse movement can feel unresponsive. For 4K (3840x2160), the data shows that even the Low preset only manages an average of 29 FPS, making it unsuitable for a comfortable experience. The High preset at 4K averages just 18 FPS, and Ultra drops to 14 FPS, rendering these settings effectively unplayable.

The optimal strategy for this combination is to prioritize the Low preset at 1080p for the best experience. If you have a 1440p monitor, you must accept the frame rate penalty and use Low settings. The measured data does not support any other configuration for a satisfactory experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU and GPU?

A: The measured data shows the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 87 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is a secondary option, averaging 71 FPS.

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

A: No. The data indicates that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 29 FPS. The High preset averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS, all of which are too low for a smooth experience.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low?

A: The average FPS drops from 87 at 1920x1080 Low to 55 at 2560x1440 Low. This represents a 36.8% decrease in average frame rate when increasing the resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The benchmark data for the GPU shows it ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The FPS scores are consistently low across all settings, indicating the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck, not the 20-core CPU.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the most demanding settings preset for this combo?

A: The Ultra preset is the most demanding. At 1920x1080, it averages 41 FPS, which is less than half the average FPS of the Low preset at the same resolution. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages a mere 14 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its specifications include a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates significant processing power, scoring 44,167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,235 in single-core tests. Its average benchmark score places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

However, in the context of Hard West, this CPU's capabilities are largely underutilized. The game is a turn-based tactics title, which does not typically require the massive multi-threaded throughput that this processor offers. The measured FPS data shows a pattern that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. For example, at 1080p, increasing the settings from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 87 to 41. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant regardless of graphics settings, as the CPU's workload would be similar.

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is the component that determines the performance ceiling. The GPU's synthetic benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, which are entry-level parts. The CPU is effectively waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The massive performance disparity between the 94th percentile CPU and the 9th percentile GPU confirms that this is a severely unbalanced pairing for gaming, where the GPU's limitations are the primary constraint on frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2614 out of 2949 tested combos for Hard West. This places it in the bottom 11.4% of all tested system configurations for this game. This rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's weak performance. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the overall system score is dragged down by the graphics card.

The performance data supports this low ranking. While the CPU excels in general compute tasks, the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is indicative of very limited graphical processing power. This is further corroborated by the in-game FPS results, which show that the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings and resolutions. For instance, achieving 55 FPS on High at 1080p is a mediocre result for a modern system, and the 14 FPS on Ultra at 4K is a very poor result. The comboRankInGame of 2614 is a holistic metric that encapsulates this overall weak gaming performance, despite the powerful processor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution increases. At the Low preset, the average frame rate scales from 87 FPS at 1920x1080, down to 55 FPS at 2560x1440, and further down to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66.7% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K (from 87 to 29 FPS). A similar trend is visible at the High preset, where the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p and then to 18 at 4K.

This pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound system. When a system is GPU-limited, increasing the resolution increases the number of pixels the GPU must render, directly impacting the frame rate. The linear relationship between resolution and FPS confirms that the Intel Arc B390 is working at its maximum capacity. The CPU's performance is not affected by resolution in the same way, so the consistent drop in FPS with each resolution increase points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The data does not show any signs of a CPU bottleneck, such as a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, because the GPU is simply not powerful enough to reach the CPU's limit in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: The average FPS is 87. This is the highest average FPS recorded in the entire dataset.
• Medium: The average FPS is 71. The minimum FPS is 61, and the maximum FPS is 82. This is the only other configuration that remains above 60 FPS on average.
• High: The average FPS is 55. This represents a 22.5% drop from the Low preset.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 41. This is a 52.9% drop from the Low preset, making it the most demanding setting at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: The average FPS is 55. This is a 36.8% drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: The average FPS is 45. The minimum FPS is 38, and the maximum FPS is 52.
• High: The average FPS is 35. This is a 36.4% drop from the 1080p High result.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 26. This is a 36.6% drop from the 1080p Ultra result.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: The average FPS is 29. This is a 47.3% drop from the 1440p Low result and a 66.7% drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: The average FPS is 24. The minimum FPS is 20, and the maximum FPS is 27.
• High: The average FPS is 18. This is a 48.6% drop from the 1440p High result.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 14. This is the lowest average FPS in the dataset, representing a 65.9% drop from the 1080p Ultra result.

The data clearly shows that the Intel Arc B390 can only deliver a smooth experience at 1080p with lower settings. The FPS drops are consistent and steep across all resolution and settings combinations, confirming the GPU as the primary performance bottleneck.