Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, shows remarkably high frame rates on modern hardware. With the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination, the measured data reveals a system that delivers triple-digit performance across most settings, with the only exceptions occurring at the highest visual fidelity and resolution. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to explain how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the experience, how the combo ranks among thousands of tested configurations, and which settings provide the optimal balance of speed and image quality.

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 3 nm process node from TSMC. Its base clock of 2.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, combined with a 30 MB shared L3 cache, position it as a high-end desktop part. The benchmark data shows this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 further confirm strong all-around performance.

For a game like Hard West, which is turn-based and not known for demanding real-time simulation, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-core throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 326 FPS average, which is a clear indication that the CPU is feeding the GPU with plenty of draw calls. The 20 cores and 20 threads ensure that any background tasks or game logic threads have ample resources, though the game itself likely uses only a few cores. The single-core Cinebench R15 score of 600 and R20 score of 884 suggest that the processor's per-core strength is more than adequate for this genre.

The processor's 65W TDP and DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation. The L2 cache is 3 MB per core, which helps with frequently accessed data. When comparing the Ultra 7 265 to its nearest rivals, the data shows it is statistically tied with several server-class parts: it is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343, and 0.7% slower than the AMD EPYC 9124. These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four settings presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — across three resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high: Low averages 326 FPS, Medium averages 267 FPS with a minimum of 227 FPS, High averages 205 FPS, and Ultra averages 154 FPS. All of these are far above what any display can show, so the choice comes down to visual quality versus diminishing returns.

At 1440p, the pattern continues with strong performance: Low averages 206 FPS, Medium averages 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, High averages 130 FPS, and Ultra averages 97 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first time the average dips below 100 FPS, but 97 FPS is still smooth for a turn-based game. The Medium preset at 1440p, with a 169 FPS average and a 144 FPS minimum, appears to be the sweet spot for players who want a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing too much visual detail.

At 4K, the data shows a more pronounced drop. Low averages 108 FPS, Medium averages 89 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. For a game like Hard West, where turn-based combat does not require twitch reflexes, even the High preset at 68 FPS is perfectly playable. However, the best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1440p, as it offers a 169 FPS average with a 144 FPS minimum, ensuring no frame drops below standard 144Hz display refresh rates. The Medium preset at 1080p is also excellent, with a 267 FPS average and a 227 FPS minimum, leaving ample headroom.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 37-41% depending on the preset. For example, at High settings, the average drops from 205 FPS at 1080p to 130 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 75 FPS or about 37%. At Low settings, the drop is even more pronounced: from 326 FPS to 206 FPS, a reduction of 120 FPS or about 37%.

From 1440p to 4K, the scaling continues but with a slightly different pattern. At High settings, the average drops from 130 FPS to 68 FPS, a reduction of 62 FPS or about 48%. At Low settings, the drop is from 206 FPS to 108 FPS, a reduction of 98 FPS or about 48%. This consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~48% drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting component as resolution increases.

The fact that the CPU can deliver 326 FPS at 1080p Low but only 108 FPS at 4K Low shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but the pixel fill rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are what matter for resolution scaling. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound or at least has enough GPU headroom to reach very high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's workload increases significantly, pulling averages down to as low as 51 FPS on Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 135th out of 2949 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 4.6% of all configurations measured, which is an impressive showing for a system built from a recently released CPU and a high-end GPU. The rank of 135 among 2949 combos indicates that there are 134 other combinations that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific game.

Given that Hard West is a turn-based tactics game from 2015, the measured frame rates are exceptionally high, and the rank reflects that the hardware is far more capable than the game requires. The fact that this combo ranks so highly suggests that the game is not heavily demanding on either the CPU or GPU, and that the 20-core processor and 40-series GPU are both overkill for the title. The rank also implies that most of the 134 combos above it likely use even more powerful GPUs or CPUs, but for practical purposes, this system delivers an excellent experience.

The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 93, meaning it is better than 93% of all processors tested. The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 86, indicating it is better than 86% of all graphics cards tested. These percentiles, combined with the 135th rank out of 2949 combos, show that this pairing is well-balanced for this game, with no single component holding the other back.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and uses the AD103 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz and boost clock is 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). It has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

For Hard West, the GPU's raw compute power is more than sufficient. The measured data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 154 FPS average, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 51 FPS. This 67% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K is consistent with the GPU being the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are far beyond what a turn-based tactics game needs, but they enable the high frame rates seen in the data.

The 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a constraint in Hard West, as the game's assets are modest by modern standards. The GPU's benchmark scores — PassMark G3D score of 34245 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 260075 — indicate strong overall performance. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% slower than the standard RTX 4080, 1.1% slower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.7% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.8% slower than the AMD Radeon 8060S. These small deltas suggest that, in this game, the GPU is not the main differentiator; the CPU and resolution play larger roles in the final frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Hard West?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 326 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo first drop below 60 FPS?

A: The only configuration with an average FPS below 60 is 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which averages 51 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P?

A: The Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which is 0.3% lower than the EPYC 4464P's score of 64823.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 144, with an average of 169 FPS and a maximum of 194 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Hard West?

A: The combo ranks 135th out of 2949 total tested combinations.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU and CPU?

A: The GPU has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, and the CPU has a launch MSRP of $394.

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

The measured FPS data is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset. All values are averages unless otherwise noted.

1920x1080:

• Low: 326 FPS average
• Medium: 267 FPS average, 227 FPS minimum, 307 FPS maximum
• High: 205 FPS average
• Ultra: 154 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 206 FPS average
• Medium: 169 FPS average, 144 FPS minimum, 194 FPS maximum
• High: 130 FPS average
• Ultra: 97 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 108 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average, 75 FPS minimum, 102 FPS maximum
• High: 68 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops consistently across all settings. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, providing insight into frame variance. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 227 FPS is still very high, while at 4K Medium, the minimum drops to 75 FPS, which is still playable. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 172 FPS (326 vs. 154), while at 4K, the difference is 57 FPS (108 vs. 51). This indicates that the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with both resolution and settings, but the system maintains a playable experience at all measured configurations.