Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 144 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 90 FPS, a reduction of 54 FPS or roughly 37.5%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 45.8 FPS, which is about half of the 1440p figure.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component as pixel count rises. The RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, has a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can feed frames quickly enough to reach high refresh rates, but the GPU's compute resources are strained at higher resolutions. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution: at 1080p, the difference between Low (144 FPS) and Ultra (64.6 FPS) is 79.4 FPS, whereas at 4K, the same settings gap is only 23.9 FPS (from 45.8 to 21.9 FPS).

This compression of the settings range at 4K is telling. When the GPU is saturated by pixel throughput, reducing graphical fidelity yields smaller absolute gains. Conversely, at 1080p, the GPU has headroom, and settings changes produce large FPS swings. The i7-14700KF, with 20 cores and 28 threads, is unlikely to bottleneck in a turn-based tactics title like Hard West; its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 confirm strong processing capability. The data points to the RTX 2060 as the constraint at 1440p and especially 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1411 out of 1699 tested combos in Hard West, placing it in the lower 17% of the field. This rank reflects the RTX 2060's modest standing: it sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16074. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% higher score), AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.7% lower), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% lower), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% higher). These deltas are small, suggesting the RTX 2060 is tightly clustered with mid-range offerings from several generations.

The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part. The i7-14700KF ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-14700K (0% delta), AMD EPYC 9115 (0.3% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (0.4% lower), and Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (1.3% higher). In isolation, this processor is exceptionally capable. However, in Hard West, the combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU's limitations. The game's measured FPS at 4K Ultra (21.9 FPS) is below playable thresholds, and even 1440p Ultra (41.7 FPS) is marginal. The data indicates that pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU yields a system that is CPU-rich but GPU-bound in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all four settings presets produce playable results. Low hits 144 FPS, Medium reaches 119.7 FPS, High achieves 92.2 FPS, and Ultra maintains 64.6 FPS. For a 60 FPS baseline, Ultra at 1080p is viable, though High provides a comfortable margin above that threshold.

At 1440p, the choices become more constrained. Low delivers 90 FPS, Medium 73.6 FPS, and High 56.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 41.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. For smooth gameplay at 1440p, Medium or High are the recommended presets. High offers a balance of visual fidelity and performance, staying above 55 FPS, while Medium provides additional headroom.

At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low is the only setting that approaches playability at 45.8 FPS, while Medium (39 FPS), High (28.2 FPS), and Ultra (21.9 FPS) are progressively less viable. For 4K users, Low is the only sensible choice, and even then, the frame rate is below ideal for fast-paced action, though turn-based tactics may tolerate lower FPS. The data suggests that 1440p Medium or High is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a good balance between visual quality and smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values is as follows. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 144 FPS, Medium 119.7 FPS, High 92.2 FPS, and Ultra 64.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, the figures are: Low 90 FPS, Medium 73.6 FPS, High 56.7 FPS, and Ultra 41.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, the numbers drop further: Low 45.8 FPS, Medium 39 FPS, High 28.2 FPS, and Ultra 21.9 FPS.

These numbers reveal a consistent hierarchy: each step up in settings costs roughly 15-25% performance at a given resolution, and each step up in resolution costs a similar percentage at a given setting. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High reduces FPS from 92.2 to 56.7, a 38.5% drop. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High reduces FPS from 56.7 to 28.2, a 50.3% drop. The larger relative decline at higher resolutions underscores the GPU's diminishing capacity as pixel count grows.

Notably, the difference between Low and Medium at each resolution is smaller than the difference between High and Ultra. At 1080p, Low-to-Medium is 24.3 FPS, while High-to-Ultra is 27.6 FPS. At 4K, Low-to-Medium is 6.8 FPS, while High-to-Ultra is 6.3 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a significant cost, likely from effects like shadows and post-processing, that yields diminishing returns at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p but strained at 4K in this game.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. Its FP32 throughput is 6.451 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 80.64 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s. These specifications place it firmly in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its 58th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 16074. The Passmark G3D score of 14111 and DirectX 12 score of 53 reflect its DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support.

In Hard West, the GPU's VRAM capacity is a consideration. While the game's textures at 1080p likely fit within 6 GB, 4K Ultra settings may approach this limit, contributing to the low 21.9 FPS average. The boost clock of 1680 MHz is modest by modern standards, but the card's age (released January 6, 2019) and end-of-life production status explain its position. The GPU's predecessor is GeForce 10 and its successor is GeForce 30, placing it in the middle of NVIDIA's RTX lineup. The measured data shows that the RTX 2060 can handle 1080p easily, 1440p with some setting compromises, and 4K only at the lowest preset.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the most flexibility, with all presets above 60 FPS (Low 144, Medium 119.7, High 92.2, Ultra 64.6). At 1440p, only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS (90 and 73.6 respectively), while High sits at 56.7. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with Low being the highest at 45.8.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average score of 16074. The AMD Radeon RX 7600S is 0.5% higher, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 are each 1.7% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.8% higher. This indicates the RTX 2060 performs within a narrow band of these competing cards.

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

A: The data suggests it is not. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its Cinebench R23 scores (44557 multi-core, 6290 single-core) are strong. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p Ultra, and is it playable?

A: The measured average FPS at 1440p Ultra is 41.7. This is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for smooth gameplay. For turn-based tactics, it may be acceptable, but Medium (73.6) or High (56.7) provide better performance.

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

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 92.2 at 1080p to 56.7 at 1440p and then to 28.2 at 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 64 FPS, representing a 69.4% decrease in performance.

Q: Does the GPU's 6 GB VRAM limit performance at higher settings?

A: The 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 21.9. While the data does not directly measure VRAM usage, the steep performance drop at 4K compared to 1080p suggests the memory capacity and bandwidth are stressed at higher resolutions.