Hard West

Intel Core Ultra 7 265 pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The benchmark data shows this combination delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, with the CPU providing substantial headroom in a genre that is not typically demanding on processor resources. The measured results indicate a system that scales predictably with resolution and graphical fidelity, though the performance ceiling varies significantly from 1080p to 4K.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a desktop-class chip with a 65 W TDP, featuring a 30 MB shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 3 MB. Its benchmark scores place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640, indicating strong overall processing capability.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is largely one of ensuring the game logic, AI turn calculations, and frame pacing remain consistent. The game’s turn-based nature means that frame rates are less sensitive to single-thread performance spikes than in real-time strategy or action titles. The Core Ultra 7 265 excels in this context, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. These results suggest that even the most complex turn calculations will not bottleneck the system, allowing the GPU to operate without waiting on the processor.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265 holds its own. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64823 on average, a delta of -0.3% relative to the Intel chip, meaning the two are effectively tied. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 7343 is 0.7% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 9124 is 0.7% behind. These margins are negligible in gaming workloads, particularly in a turn-based tactics title where the CPU is rarely the limiting factor.

The processor’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, supported by dual-channel DDR5 memory, provides ample data throughput for game assets. The 20 cores and 20 threads ensure that background tasks do not interfere with game performance, as the operating system and other applications can be scheduled on separate cores. In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s contribution is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed, allowing the processor’s high single-thread performance to push frame rates to their maximum.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU with a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines, with a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s. Its benchmark performance places it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 37648.

For Hard West, the RTX 4070’s 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as the game’s visual assets are not particularly memory-hungry given its 2015 release. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS ensures that even the most demanding graphical settings are handled with ease. The measured FPS data confirms this, with the GPU showing strong performance across all settings.

The RTX 4070’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with an average score of 37628 (a 0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (0.4% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 (1.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37157 (1.3% ahead). The RTX 4070 sits comfortably in this range, indicating consistent performance relative to its peers. In the context of Hard West, these deltas are unlikely to translate into noticeable differences, as the game does not push GPUs to their limits at 1080p or 1440p.

The GPU’s role becomes more critical at higher resolutions. At 4K, the RTX 4070’s 12 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth become more relevant, though the game’s older engine means it does not utilize the latest features like ray tracing or DLSS. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences between settings, with frame rates scaling predictably as graphical fidelity increases.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system achieves 161 FPS on average. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the average drops to 102 FPS, a 36.6% decrease. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 54 FPS, representing a 66.5% drop from 1080p. This scaling indicates that the RTX 4070 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not sufficient to offset the increased pixel count.

The Medium settings data shows a similar trend. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 210, with minimum and maximum values of 178 and 241 FPS, respectively. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 133 FPS (min 113, max 153), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 70 FPS (min 59, max 80). The proportional decreases from 1080p to 1440p and 1440p to 4K are consistent, suggesting that the GPU’s workload is scaling linearly with pixel count.

At Low settings, the frame rates are higher across all resolutions, but the scaling pattern remains. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 256 FPS on average. At 1440p Low, this drops to 162 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 85 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 256 FPS suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded, but the GPU still becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 121. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 76 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 40 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that this is the most demanding scenario. The data suggests that for smooth 4K gameplay, players should use Medium settings, which yield 70 FPS, while High settings at 4K are borderline at 54 FPS.

The limiting component analysis is clear: at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are both capable of high frame rates, with the CPU providing enough headroom to reach 256 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, the GPU begins to dominate, and at 4K, the GPU is definitively the bottleneck. The turn-based nature of Hard West means that even the 40 FPS result at 4K Ultra is playable, but the data shows that the RTX 4070 is not sufficient to maintain 60 FPS at the highest settings in 4K.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 621st out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 21% of all configurations, indicating that it performs better than the majority of systems tested. The rank is based on the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, providing a comprehensive view of the combo’s overall capability.

This ranking reflects a balanced system that excels at lower resolutions but falls slightly behind more powerful GPU configurations at 4K. The top-tier combos in the database likely feature higher-end GPUs such as the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, which would achieve higher frame rates at 4K Ultra. However, the Core Ultra 7 265’s strong CPU performance ensures that the combo does not suffer from processor bottlenecks, even at 1080p where frame rates are highest.

The 621st rank out of 2949 combos means that the Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4070 is a solid mid-to-upper tier configuration for Hard West. It outperforms the majority of systems, which likely include older CPUs and GPUs. The data shows that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the 4K performance being the only area where it falls short of the highest-tier configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 256, providing an extremely smooth experience. Medium settings yield an average of 210 FPS, with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 241 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 161 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 121 FPS. All 1080p configurations are well above 60 FPS, indicating that the combo is not challenged at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong, though average frame rates drop noticeably. Low settings achieve 162 FPS on average, while Medium settings yield 133 FPS (min 113, max 153). High settings produce 102 FPS on average, and Ultra settings fall to 76 FPS. The 1440p results show that the RTX 4070 is capable of maintaining high frame rates, with even Ultra settings remaining above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Low settings average 85 FPS, which is playable, while Medium settings average 70 FPS (min 59, max 80). High settings drop to 54 FPS on average, and Ultra settings produce an average of 40 FPS. The 4K data shows that players seeking a consistent 60 FPS experience should use Medium settings, as High dips below the threshold and Ultra falls significantly short.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4070 provides a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a reduction in settings to maintain playable frame rates. The turn-based gameplay of Hard West means that even the 40 FPS result at 4K Ultra is acceptable, but the measured numbers provide a clear guide for players seeking optimal performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 161 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 capable of maintaining 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 265 compare to the AMD EPYC 4464P in benchmark scores?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, while the AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64823, a delta of -0.3%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 113 FPS.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Hard West?*

A: The combo ranks 621st out of 2949 tested combos.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination yields the highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 256, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.