Hard West

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing in Hard West presents a study in asymmetric scaling. The data shows a massive spread between the fastest and slowest measured presets, with a 154.9 FPS average at 1080p Low versus a 23 FPS average at 4K Ultra. This six-fold difference is not merely a matter of resolution; it reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises, while the CPU's substantial headroom remains untapped. The RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, is clearly the defining component in this configuration for this turn-based tactics title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate deltas between resolutions are stark and consistent across all settings, pointing directly at the GPU as the limiting factor. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (97 FPS) to 2560x1440 (61.5 FPS) represents a 36.6% drop, and moving further to 3840x2160 (33.5 FPS) yields a 65.5% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the 1080p average of 75.5 FPS collapses to 44.7 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 23 FPS at 4K—a 69.5% total loss. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is proportionally more punishing than the 1080p to 1440p step, which is characteristic of a GPU running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

The data implies that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at 4K. The 256-bit memory bus is simply not wide enough to feed the shading units at that resolution without significant performance degradation. At 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, but the scaling to 1440p suggests it is already approaching its limits, as the 20-30% drops between resolutions are far larger than what a CPU-bound scenario would produce. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not the constraint here; the data indicates that resolution scaling is almost entirely a GPU-bound phenomenon.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, yet its role in Hard West is largely passive. The game’s turn-based tactics genre does not appear to stress the 20 cores and 28 threads heavily, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system achieves 154.9 FPS. The processor’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz and substantial 33 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample single-thread performance for game logic and AI calculations, but the measured FPS data shows that scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (154.9 to 75.5 FPS) is a 51.2% reduction, which is clearly driven by GPU load rather than CPU limitations.

The i7-14700KF’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, place it far above what Hard West requires. Its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, have nearly identical average scores (70074 and 70420 respectively), with deltas of 0% and -0.4%. This suggests that any of these CPUs would yield similar results in this game, as the bottleneck is overwhelmingly on the graphics side. The data implies that this processor is over-provisioned for the title, providing a stable foundation that never becomes the limiting component, regardless of resolution or settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. With a boost clock of 1650 MHz, 2176 shading units, and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, the card is a mid-range solution from the Turing generation. Its percentile ranking of 63 places it in the middle of the pack, and its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 16462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2011, reflect its capability. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of FPS changes across settings, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution increases.

At 1080p, the GPU can handle the workload, producing 154.9 FPS on Low and 75.5 FPS on Ultra. However, at 4K, the card struggles, with the Ultra preset dropping to 23 FPS, which is barely playable. The 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die suggest a chip that is thermally and power-constrained at higher resolutions. The nearest rivals, such as the RTX 2070 with a deltaPct of 0.5%, show that this card is very close to the next tier up in performance, yet the 4K results indicate that even that small margin would not make the game comfortably playable at Ultra. The GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a critical bottleneck at 4K, as the data shows a 52.2% drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings (61.5 to 33.5 FPS), which is a clear sign of memory bandwidth saturation.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of which presets offer the best experience. At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, delivering 54.8 FPS, while Medium (43.7 FPS) is borderline and High (33.5 FPS) and Ultra (23 FPS) are not recommended for anything but static scenes. The data suggests that players with a 4K display should stick to Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, as the jump from Low to Medium costs 11.1 FPS, a 20.2% reduction, which is substantial.

For 1440p, the Medium preset (79.1 FPS) offers a balanced experience, but High (61.5 FPS) is also acceptable if visual fidelity is prioritized. The Ultra preset at 1440p (44.7 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided. At 1080p, the user has the most flexibility: High (97 FPS) and Ultra (75.5 FPS) are both playable, with Ultra providing the best visual quality without sacrificing responsiveness. The data indicates that the sweet spot is 1080p High or 1440p Medium, as these presets maintain frame rates above 60 FPS while offering a reasonable balance of visual effects. Pushing to Ultra at any resolution results in a disproportionate FPS loss, particularly at 4K where the 23 FPS average makes the game nearly unplayable.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Hard West, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1275 out of 1699 combos. This places it in the lower third of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU’s mid-range status. The rank is surprising given the high-end CPU, but the data clearly shows that the GPU drags the overall performance down. The percentile rankings support this: the CPU is in the 96th percentile, while the GPU is only in the 63rd percentile, creating a significant imbalance.

This ranking implies that the combo is not optimized for maximum FPS in Hard West, but rather for a balanced system where the CPU can handle future GPU upgrades. The fact that the combo sits below the median (rank 1275 of 1699) suggests that many other pairings, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates. However, the data also shows that this combo is not a worst-case scenario, as it outperforms 424 other combinations. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s 4K limitations, as the 1080p results are competitive with higher-ranked combos, but the 4K performance pulls the overall score down.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS data is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 154.9 FPS
• Medium: 126.4 FPS
• High: 97 FPS
• Ultra: 75.5 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 99.4 FPS
• Medium: 79.1 FPS
• High: 61.5 FPS
• Ultra: 44.7 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 54.8 FPS
• Medium: 43.7 FPS
• High: 33.5 FPS
• Ultra: 23 FPS

The data reveals that the drop from Low to Ultra at each resolution is roughly a 50% reduction in FPS, regardless of the starting point. At 1080p, the difference is 79.4 FPS (154.9 to 75.5), at 1440p it is 54.7 FPS (99.4 to 44.7), and at 4K it is 31.8 FPS (54.8 to 23). This consistency suggests that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are being utilized in a similar proportion across settings, but the absolute performance is limited by the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 4K results are particularly telling, with even the Low preset barely breaking 50 FPS, indicating that the card is at its architectural limits.

FAQ

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

A: No. The data shows that the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors, and the FPS scaling across resolutions is entirely consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are not limiting performance, as even at 1080p Low (154.9 FPS), the system is not hitting a CPU ceiling.

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

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 54.8 FPS. Medium (43.7 FPS) is borderline, and High (33.5 FPS) and Ultra (23 FPS) are not playable. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2070?

A: The benchmark data shows a deltaPct of 0.5% between the two, with the RTX 2070 scoring slightly higher (19680 vs 19774). In practical terms, there is no meaningful performance difference in this game, and the measured FPS would be nearly identical.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p display?

A: The Medium preset (79.1 FPS) is the best choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS. The High preset (61.5 FPS) is also acceptable, but Ultra (44.7 FPS) falls below the smoothness threshold.

Q: Why is the combo ranked 1275 out of 1699 if the CPU is so powerful?

A: The ranking is based on overall performance across all tested settings and resolutions. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking and poor 4K performance drag the combo down, despite the CPU being in the 96th percentile. The imbalance between the two components is the primary reason for the low rank.

*Q: Does the 20-core CPU provide any benefit in Hard West?*

A: The data suggests minimal benefit, as the game is not CPU-intensive. The processor’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290) is more relevant, but the measured FPS indicates that the GPU is always the limiting factor. The CPU’s headroom simply ensures it never becomes a bottleneck.