Hard West

# Hard West with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

This combination of Intel's 20-core Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA's RTX 4070 SUPER produces a wide spread of frame rates across Hard West's four preset levels, ranging from a playable 45 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 285 FPS at 1080p Low. The dataset shows a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings, while at 1080p Low the headroom suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting. With a combo rank of 394 out of 2949 tested configurations, this pairing sits comfortably in the top tier of systems tested for this turn-based tactics title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all four settings presets, which points directly at the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions. Moving from 1080p High to 4K High, the average FPS falls from 180 to 60 — exactly a 66.7% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is even more dramatic in absolute terms: 285 FPS at 1080p falls to 95 FPS at 4K, a 66.7% reduction as well. This proportional scaling strongly indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering throughput, not the CPU, is the bottleneck once resolution climbs.

The Medium preset shows the same pattern with slightly different numbers: 234 FPS at 1080p, 148 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. That is a 36.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47.3% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 135 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K — reductions of 37.0% and 47.1% respectively. The fact that the percentage drops between 1440p and 4K are nearly identical across Medium and Ultra suggests the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count, with no sudden CPU-related cliff.

At 1080p Low, the 285 FPS result is the highest in the entire dataset. This is where the CPU's capability becomes evident; the Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The 3 nm Arrow Lake architecture and boost clock of 5.30 GHz contribute to this headroom. However, the data shows that even at 1080p, the advantage of Low over Medium is 51 FPS (285 vs 234), and the gap between Medium and High is 54 FPS (234 vs 180), indicating that the GPU still matters substantially even at the lowest resolution.

The min and max FPS values are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 199 to 269 FPS around the 234 average. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 126 to 170 FPS around 148. At 4K Medium, the range is 66 to 89 FPS around 78. This tightening of the frame time distribution as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU-bound operation — the frame pacing becomes more consistent when the GPU is the limiter, because there are fewer CPU-related hitches.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER's memory configuration is central to understanding its 4K performance. With 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, the card delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Hard West, being a 2015 turn-based tactics title, is unlikely to stress the 12 GB capacity even at 4K Ultra, so the frame rate drops are more likely tied to compute throughput than memory exhaustion. The boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz on the AD104 chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, provide the raw shading power — 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs — that drives the 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is the weakest in the dataset, and it is not a playable experience for most users. The 4K High result of 60 FPS is exactly at the threshold of smoothness for many displays. The fact that Low at 4K achieves 95 FPS shows that the card has substantial headroom when pixel shading demands are reduced — the settings presets in this game clearly scale the GPU workload significantly. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are present but unlikely to be heavily utilized in this game, given its age and genre; the traditional rasterization pipeline via the 80 ROPs is probably the primary path.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 43223 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (a delta of -0.1%), the RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (-0.1%), and the Quadro M6000 at 43301 (-0.2%). The closest competitor above it is the RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667, a delta of -1%. This suggests that the desktop 4070 SUPER is positioned at a performance tier where mobile flagship GPUs and older workstation cards converge. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms roughly five out of six alternatives.

The 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are modest for the performance delivered. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is not a bottleneck for this game. The 12 GB frame buffer, while adequate here, is the kind of specification that could become limiting in future titles, but the data for Hard West shows no indication of VRAM-related stuttering — the min FPS values at Medium settings are proportionally reasonable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 394th out of 2949 combos tested in Hard West, placing it in the top 13.4% of all configurations. This is a strong showing for a desktop pairing that is not a flagship on either component side. The CPU's percentile rank of 93 among all CPUs and the GPU's 83rd percentile both contribute to this high combo placement.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals in the general benchmark database provides context for its contribution. The Core Ultra 7 265's average benchmark score of 64640 is within 0.3% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438) — essentially identical, as expected for a chip with the same architecture and core count. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64823, a delta of -0.3%, meaning the Ultra 7 265 is slightly ahead. The EPYC 7343 at 64202 is 0.7% behind, and the EPYC 9124 at 65104 is 0.7% ahead. These are all server-class processors, which highlights that the Ultra 7 265 competes with much more expensive workstation silicon in raw throughput benchmarks.

The combo rank of 394 out of 2949 is particularly impressive given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game that likely does not heavily utilize the CPU's 20 cores. The game's release in 2015 predates the widespread use of many-core CPUs, so single-thread performance and GPU throughput are likely the dominant factors. The Ultra 7 265's strong single-core Cinebench R23 score of 5960 and multi-core score of 42216 indicate that even if the game only uses a few threads, those threads are fast. The PassMark single-thread score of 4689 supports this. The 265's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is among the highest available, which matters for older games with less parallelizable workloads.

The fact that this combo outranks 2555 other configurations, despite the GPU being only 83rd percentile and the CPU 93rd percentile, suggests that Hard West responds well to the specific balance this pairing offers. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is low, but the 1440p and 1080p results are robust enough to place the combo well above the median.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a range of 135 to 285 FPS across the four presets. Low delivers 285 FPS average. Medium delivers 234 FPS with a minimum of 199 and maximum of 269. High delivers 180 FPS. Ultra delivers 135 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 150 FPS, indicating that the settings presets have a massive impact on GPU load at this resolution. Even at Ultra, the 135 FPS result is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the 285 FPS at Low is far beyond what any standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz display can show.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop predictably. Low delivers 181 FPS, Medium delivers 148 FPS (min 126, max 170), High delivers 114 FPS, and Ultra delivers 85 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 85 FPS is still comfortable for high-refresh monitors, and the 114 FPS at High is smooth. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 22 FPS gap between min and max, which is a tighter band than at 1080p, again suggesting the GPU is becoming the primary limiter.

At 3840x2160, the results are more varied and playability becomes a question. Low delivers 95 FPS, which is excellent for 4K. Medium delivers 78 FPS (min 66, max 89), which is acceptable for most displays. High delivers exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth experience on a 60 Hz display. Ultra delivers 45 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for many users. The 4K results show a clear hierarchy: if 4K is the target, Low through Medium are viable, High is borderline, and Ultra is not.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data at all three resolutions. The frame time consistency, as measured by the gap between min and max, improves as resolution increases: 70 FPS spread at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. This is counterintuitive but makes sense — at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the CPU has ample time to prepare frames, reducing stutter.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal preset depends entirely on the target resolution and display refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 135 FPS is the best choice because it provides the highest visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate of even 120 Hz panels. The jump from High to Ultra costs 45 FPS (180 to 135), but the visual fidelity improvement is likely worth it for a turn-based tactics game where frame rates above 120 FPS offer diminishing returns.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 114 FPS is the sweet spot. It clears the 100 FPS threshold that many 1440p high-refresh monitors target, and it stays well above the 85 FPS of Ultra. The Medium preset at 148 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but Hard West is not a fast-paced shooter, so trading 34 FPS for better visuals by choosing High over Medium is a reasonable trade. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is still playable but starts to approach the lower bound of what is comfortable on a 144 Hz display.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 78 FPS is the recommended starting point. It provides a solid frame rate above 60 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, ensuring no drops below the refresh rate of standard 60 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 95 FPS is an option for those who prioritize smoothness over fidelity, but the visual downgrade from Medium to Low is likely noticeable in a tactics game where you spend time examining the battlefield. The High preset at exactly 60 FPS is viable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes; the min FPS is not recorded for High, but the average being exactly at 60 suggests potential dips below. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS should be avoided for regular play.

The data also shows that the Medium preset offers the most consistent frame pacing at every resolution, as it is the only one with recorded min and max values. This consistency is valuable in a tactics game where camera movements and unit animations should feel smooth. For most users, Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p represent the best balance of visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hard West at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or lower settings. The 4K Medium preset averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, while 4K High averages exactly 60 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p 144 Hz monitor?

A: The High preset at 114 FPS is the best match for a 144 Hz display. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is also playable, but High provides a higher frame rate while still delivering strong visual quality. The Medium preset at 148 FPS exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate but sacrifices visual fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 43223 is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262) and the RTX 5050 Mobile (43268), and 1% behind the RTX 4090 Mobile (43667). It ranks in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the 285 FPS result suggests the GPU has headroom. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the 45 FPS result indicating the RTX 4070 SUPER cannot keep up with the pixel shading demands. The proportional FPS drops between resolutions support a GPU-bound scenario at higher settings.

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

A: The measured averages are 285 FPS at Low, 234 FPS at Medium (min 199, max 269), 180 FPS at High, and 135 FPS at Ultra. All presets deliver frame rates well above 120 FPS, making 1080p a resolution where this system has substantial performance to spare.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems in Hard West?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 394th out of 2949 tested combos, placing it in the top 13.4% of all configurations. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking both contribute to this strong overall placement.