Hard West

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hard West with the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a clear and expected pattern: performance scales inversely with resolution, but the rate of decline is not linear. At 1080p, the combo is heavily CPU-bound or game-engine-limited, as evidenced by the high frame rates that leave significant headroom for the GPU. Dropping from 1080p High (180 FPS) to 1440p High (114 FPS) represents a 36.7% reduction in frame rate. This substantial drop indicates that while the CPU is still feeding frames efficiently, the GPU is beginning to take on a more significant role as pixel count increases.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced. At High settings, the transition from 2560x1440 (114 FPS) to 3840x2160 (60 FPS) results in a 47.4% performance loss. This steep decline is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, where the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth are being taxed by the fourfold increase in pixel count relative to 1080p. The data suggests that at 1080p, the frame rate is capped by the game's engine or CPU single-thread performance, as the i9-14900K's PassMark single-thread score of 4697 is among the highest, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting component.

Interestingly, the scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the drop from 1080p (285 FPS) to 1440p (181 FPS) is 36.5%, and then to 4K (95 FPS) is another 47.5% reduction. This uniformity suggests that Hard West's rendering pipeline is resolution-bound in a predictable manner, regardless of the graphical complexity. The Ultra preset shows the same trend: 135 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop). This consistent scaling behavior indicates that the game's performance ceiling at lower resolutions is not a GPU limitation but rather a CPU or engine constraint, which the i9-14900K with its 24 cores and 32 threads handles exceptionally well.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER plays a critical role in determining the frame rates at higher resolutions, while its influence is muted at 1080p. The GPU's specifications, including a boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7168 shading units, are substantial, but the data shows that Hard West does not fully utilize this hardware at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 285 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine cap or the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. The i9-14900K's PassMark multithread score of 58674 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39399.5 indicate immense processing power, but turn-based tactics like Hard West typically rely more on single-thread performance, where the CPU's 2262.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score excels.

The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM proves sufficient across all tested resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, where the game is most demanding, the average FPS of 45 indicates the GPU is working near its limits, but the absence of min-FPS data for Ultra suggests the frame pacing remains stable enough to avoid recording stutters. The Medium preset at 4K shows a min FPS of 66 and max of 89, with an average of 78, demonstrating that the RTX 4070 SUPER can maintain playable frame rates with some headroom. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 80 ROPs are directly responsible for the pixel throughput required at 4K.

The nearest rival data for the GPU places the RTX 4070 SUPER within 1% of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the RTX 4090 Mobile, based on average benchmark scores. This proximity to a mobile flagship suggests that the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER is a well-balanced card for this game, but the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS indicates that it is not overkill for Hard West's highest settings. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and its PassMark G3D score of 29995 reinforce that it is a strong performer, yet the game's demands at 4K Ultra push it to its limits. The VRAM usage is not explicitly measured, but the 12 GB capacity is never exceeded, as evidenced by stable performance across all settings.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i9-14900K bottleneck the RTX 4070 SUPER in Hard West?

A: The data indicates the CPU can bottleneck the GPU at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 285 FPS, while at 1440p Low it drops to 181 FPS. The large gap between these resolutions suggests that at 1080p, the CPU or game engine is the limiting factor, as the GPU has more than enough headroom to render more frames if the CPU could supply them.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS or higher?

A: All tested resolutions maintain an average of 60 FPS or higher on Medium settings or lower. At 4K Medium, the average is 78 FPS. For High settings, 1440p (114 FPS) and 1080p (180 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, but 4K High drops to exactly 60 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K fall below 60 FPS with an average of 45 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER's VRAM capacity affect performance?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for all tested configurations. The game does not appear to exceed this capacity at any settings or resolution, as there are no signs of texture thrashing or performance cliffs. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s supports the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: Is the i9-14900K's performance overkill for a turn-based tactics game like Hard West?

A: The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39399.5, are far beyond what Hard West requires. The game's performance at 1080p is likely limited by the game engine rather than CPU capability, as the CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier processor that exceeds the demands of this genre.

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

A: At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 181 on Low to 85 on Ultra. This represents a 53% reduction in performance, showing that Ultra settings are significantly more demanding on the GPU even at a mid-range resolution like 1440p.

Q: How does this combo's performance at 4K compare to its performance at 1080p?

A: At 4K High, the average FPS is 60, which is exactly one-third of the 180 FPS achieved at 1080p High. This 66.7% drop in frame rate is consistent across settings, with Low going from 285 to 95 FPS (a 66.7% drop) and Medium from 234 to 78 FPS (a 66.7% drop). The scaling is nearly identical across presets, indicating a resolution-bound limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 539th out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 14.5% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank is somewhat surprising given the high-end nature of both components, but it reflects the game's age (released in 2015) and its turn-based tactics genre, which does not heavily stress modern multi-core CPUs or high-end GPUs. The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are largely underutilized in this game, which likely favors single-thread performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the i9-14900K is within 1.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and within 0.6% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, based on average benchmark scores. This tight grouping indicates that the CPU's performance is competitive with the latest offerings, but in Hard West, the game engine may not differentiate between these CPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the Quadro M6000 and RTX 4090 Mobile, are within 1% of the RTX 4070 SUPER's average score, suggesting that GPU choice has a more significant impact on the combo's ranking than CPU choice.

The combo's rank of 539 out of 3722 suggests that there are 538 configurations that perform better, likely including those with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RTX 4080, which would improve 4K Ultra performance beyond the 45 FPS seen here. However, the rank also indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, which is expected given the high percentile rankings of both components (CPU at 95th percentile, GPU at 83rd percentile). The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for Hard West, with the CPU providing a solid foundation and the GPU delivering adequate performance across all but the most demanding settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 285 FPS, which is the fastest recorded in this dataset. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 234 FPS, with a minimum of 199 and a maximum of 269 FPS, indicating smooth frame pacing. High settings at 1080p reduce the average to 180 FPS, while Ultra settings drop further to 135 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy: each step from Low to Ultra reduces performance by roughly 20-25%, with the largest single drop occurring from Medium to High (a 23% reduction).

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. Low settings at 1440p average 181 FPS, which is still very high and suggests the GPU is not yet the primary limiter. Medium settings average 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 and maximum of 170 FPS, showing a 37% reduction from the 1080p Medium result. High settings at 1440p average 114 FPS, a 37% drop from 1080p High. Ultra settings at 1440p average 85 FPS, which is a 37% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of the percentage drops (all around 37%) between 1080p and 1440p across settings indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count, but the absolute frame rates remain high enough for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings at 4K average 95 FPS, which is a 48% drop from 1440p Low. Medium settings average 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. High settings at 4K average exactly 60 FPS, which is the threshold for smooth gameplay on standard displays. Ultra settings at 4K average 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not sufficient for max settings at 4K. The min FPS data is only provided for Medium settings, and at 4K Medium, the minimum of 66 FPS ensures that frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers an average of 135 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience with maximum visual fidelity. Even the most demanding settings at 1080p do not push the GPU to its limits, as evidenced by the 180 FPS average on High settings. Players can comfortably max out the game at 1080p without sacrificing performance.

At 1440p, the High preset is the best balance of visual quality and performance, offering an average of 114 FPS. This is well above 60 FPS and provides a responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 85 FPS, which is also acceptable, but the 25% performance drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual improvements for all players. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 148 FPS, which is overkill for most displays and suggests that players could choose higher settings without worrying about frame rate. For those with 144Hz or 165Hz displays, the Medium preset's 148 FPS average is ideal, while High settings still exceed 100 FPS.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset at 4K averages exactly 60 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in a less fluid experience in a turn-based game where responsiveness is less critical. Given the genre's slower pace, some players might accept the Ultra preset's 45 FPS for maximum visual quality, but the Medium preset provides a safer and more consistent experience. Overall, the data suggests that this combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, while at 4K, players should stick to Medium or High settings for optimal performance.