Hard West

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a strong match for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in Hard West?

A: The data shows a significant imbalance. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile. In a turn-based tactics game like Hard West, this combination leans heavily on the CPU's strength, which is reflected in the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: Benchmark results indicate excellent performance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 173. At High settings, it drops to 109 FPS, and at Ultra, it still maintains a solid 81 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 20282 is slightly below the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, -1%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, -1.2%), the Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.3%), and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -1.5%). It trails all four by a narrow margin.

Q: What is the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 27, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth playability. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are challenged by the higher pixel count.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 70163. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515). It is 1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879).

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2070 SUPER sufficient for Hard West?

A: The measured data suggests it is adequate for most settings, but not at the extreme. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 27, indicating the GPU is struggling with both compute and memory demands. At 1440p and below, the VRAM capacity is not the primary limiter, as frame rates scale predictably with settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, operating at a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This configuration places the GPU in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282.

In Hard West, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution scales up. At 1920x1080, the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers 173 FPS on Low settings. This high frame rate indicates the GPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows substantially. At 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low settings drops to 109, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 57 FPS on Low. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the GPU's raw throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily at higher pixel counts.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable consideration. While it is sufficient for Hard West at most settings, the 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS suggests the GPU is hitting both a compute and memory bandwidth wall. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards, and the 256-bit bus width limits simultaneous data access. For a turn-based tactics game, the RTX 2070 SUPER provides adequate performance at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K gaming requires substantial settings reductions to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2164 out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This placement places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high percentile ranking. The rank reflects the overall system performance, and the GPU is likely dragging the combo down relative to systems with newer graphics cards.

The i7-14700KF's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that it is a top-tier processor. However, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 65th percentile ranking is more modest. The delta between these two components creates an imbalance where the CPU is significantly more capable than the GPU. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game that may not heavily utilize many CPU threads, this imbalance means the GPU is often the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits behind 2163 other configurations. The data suggests that while the CPU provides a strong foundation, the GPU's age and performance level prevent the combo from reaching higher ranks. For users considering this pairing, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU has headroom for future GPU upgrades, but the current GPU limits the system's overall standing in Hard West.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers strong performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 173 FPS, Medium settings yield 141 FPS (with a range of 120 to 163 FPS), High settings achieve 109 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 81 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU can handle 1080p gaming comfortably, even at the highest quality preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable. Low settings average 109 FPS, Medium settings average 90 FPS (ranging from 76 to 103 FPS), High settings drop to 69 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is still capable of delivering smooth gameplay, though Ultra settings begin to approach the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Medium settings average 47 FPS (ranging from 40 to 54 FPS), High settings drop to 36 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 27 FPS. The 4K results show a clear degradation, with only Low settings maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The Medium settings range of 40 to 54 FPS indicates inconsistent frame pacing, which could be noticeable in gameplay.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each settings tier at a given resolution reduces the average FPS by roughly 15-25% from the previous tier. This linear scaling suggests the GPU is not hitting a hard bottleneck until 4K Ultra, where the 27 FPS average indicates a significant performance wall.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a dramatic performance drop. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 173 at 1920x1080 to 109 at 2560x1440 (a 37% decrease), and then to 57 at 3840x2160 (a 48% decrease from 1440p). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

At High settings, the same trend is visible: 109 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease), and 36 FPS at 4K (a 48% decrease). The consistent percentage drops across resolutions suggest that the GPU is being scaled uniformly, with no sudden bottlenecks until the 4K Ultra setting.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any resolution. The data supports this: the frame rate drops are proportional to the pixel count increase, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is particularly telling. This represents a 67% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 81 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra, causing the frame rate to plummet below playable thresholds. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option, with 57 FPS average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 6235 in single-core, and 52425 in Passmark multithread. These results place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163.

In Hard West, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI calculations, and turn-based mechanics. The 20 cores and 28 threads provide substantial headroom for these tasks, but the game may not fully utilize all cores. The high single-core performance (628 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 4480 in Passmark single-thread) is likely more important for this genre, as turn-based tactics games often rely on single-threaded performance for decision-making and UI responsiveness.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is notable. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700Fhare (69996), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1% (70879). These narrow margins indicate that the i7-14700KF is competitive with the latest processors, making it a future-proof choice.

However, in this specific combo, the CPU's power is not fully utilized. The GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 1080p, the CPU can push frame rates to 173 FPS at Low settings, but the GPU limits the Ultra setting to 81 FPS. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Hard West; instead, the RTX 2070 SUPER's age and performance level constrain the system. For users looking to upgrade, the CPU has the headroom to support a more powerful GPU in the future.