Hard West

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers a commanding performance profile in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data reveals that this pairing is heavily skewed toward GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial core count ensures that frame rates remain exceptionally high even at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across the three tested resolutions tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 228 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that figure to 144 FPS, a 36.8% reduction, and at 3840x2160 the average falls further to 76 FPS, which is 47.2% lower than the 1440p result. This steep decline from 1080p to 4K is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts, while the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low yields 333 FPS versus 171 FPS on Ultra, a 162 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread is 229 FPS (Low) versus 108 FPS (Ultra), a 121 FPS difference. At 4K, Low produces 120 FPS while Ultra drops to 57 FPS, a 63 FPS gap. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4090’s rendering workload scales significantly with both resolution and preset complexity, whereas the CPU’s contribution remains relatively constant.

The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is particularly telling. It is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that even this flagship GPU struggles to maintain smooth frame rates when every graphical feature is enabled at maximum pixel density. Conversely, the 1080p Low result of 333 FPS shows that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, as the frame rate is likely capped by the game’s engine or the GPU’s sheer output capability rather than any processor limitation.

Notably, the 4K Medium setting achieves 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, while 4K High sits at 76 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 23 FPS at 4K, but from High to Ultra costs only 19 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as the preset climbs. The data suggests that resolution scaling is steep but predictable, with the GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth playing a crucial role in maintaining playable speeds at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for handling the texture and geometry loads at 4K resolution. The GPU’s base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units and 176 ROPs, provide the raw compute power needed to drive the measured frame rates.

The GPU’s benchmark scores contextualize its performance. It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 and a Passmark G3D score of 38,194, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta), while it trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 2.5% and leads the AMD Radeon PRO V710 by 2.9%. These rival comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not Hard West specific results, but they indicate that the RTX 4090 sits near the top of the performance hierarchy.

In Hard West, the GPU’s role is most evident in the 4K results. At 4K Low, the card produces 120 FPS, but this drops to 99 FPS on Medium and 76 FPS on High. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS suggests that the GPU is fully saturated at that preset, with the 24 GB VRAM buffer likely absorbing large texture sets without issue. The fact that the 4K Medium result has a minimum FPS of 84 and maximum of 113 indicates some frame pacing variance, but the average of 99 FPS remains solid.

The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for a turn-based tactics game, which typically has less demanding real-time rendering than shooters or action titles. However, the data shows that Hard West still scales heavily with GPU power, as evidenced by the 333 FPS at 1080p Low versus 57 FPS at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4090’s end-of-life production status and 450 W TDP are worth noting, but these do not detract from its measured performance in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, part of the Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm process, provides the computational backbone for this system. With 20 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 2.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the CPU is well-equipped to handle the logical and AI processing demands of Hard West. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth ensure that data flows efficiently to the GPU.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and a single-core score of 5,960. It achieves a Passmark multi-thread score of 49,682 and a single-thread score of 4,689, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 64,640 is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64,438) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7343 (64,202), while trailing the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7%. These rivals are server-class processors, underscoring the Ultra 7 265’s high-end desktop positioning.

In Hard West, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. The 1080p Low result of 333 FPS and 1080p Medium result of 297 FPS (with a minimum of 252 FPS) suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. Even at 1080p Ultra, the combo maintains 171 FPS, indicating that the processor has sufficient single-thread performance to keep up with the GPU’s output. The 20-core configuration is likely overkill for a game from 2015, but it ensures that background tasks and game logic do not interfere with frame delivery.

The CPU’s 2.40 GHz base clock and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide a wide dynamic range, allowing it to scale up when needed. The absence of a multiplier unlock means overclocking is not an option, but the stock performance is clearly adequate. The CPU’s 65 W TDP is notably low for a 20-core part, which may contribute to thermal headroom in a system with the RTX 4090’s 450 W TDP. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as frame rates scale primarily with GPU load from Low to Ultra settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hard West?*

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with High settings provides an excellent balance, delivering 144 FPS average. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the higher pixel density over 1080p offers better visual fidelity without the steep performance cost seen at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals based on benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score of 60,347 is statistically tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta). It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140), 2.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896), and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The 4K results clearly show the GPU as the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 57, while at 4K Low it reaches 120 FPS. The CPU’s performance remains constant across settings, so the frame rate variation is driven entirely by GPU load.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The 1080p Medium setting produces an average of 297 FPS, with a minimum of 252 FPS and a maximum of 341 FPS. This is exceptionally smooth and suggests the system has significant headroom even in demanding scenes.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 rank among all CPUs?

A: It ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64,640. This places it slightly ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% delta) and AMD EPYC 7343 (0.7% delta), but slightly behind the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% delta).

Q: Does the 4K Ultra setting ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra setting averages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. This is the only measured configuration that fails to exceed 60 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4090 is fully utilized at this preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hard West, this pairing of Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 53rd out of 2,949 tested combos. This places it in the top 1.8% of all configurations, which is consistent with the high-end nature of both components. The rank reflects the combined performance of the CPU and GPU across all measured settings and resolutions.

The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all graphics cards suggest that both components are above average, but the combo’s 53rd position indicates that there are 52 other pairings that achieve higher frame rates in Hard West. These higher-ranked combos likely feature even more powerful GPUs or CPUs, though the specific configurations are not listed in the data. The fact that this combo outperforms 2,896 other tested pairings demonstrates its strength, particularly in a game that is not known for extreme hardware demands.

The rank of 53 out of 2,949 also implies that the RTX 4090, despite being an end-of-life product, remains a top-tier choice for this title. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265’s 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample processing power, and the combination’s ability to exceed 300 FPS at 1080p Low confirms its overall capability. For users seeking a high-refresh-rate experience at 1440p or a solid 4K experience, this combo ranks among the best available.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, even Ultra settings produce 171 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display. The 1080p Medium setting delivers 297 FPS with a minimum of 252 FPS, making it the best choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, though the visual difference from High (228 FPS) is marginal. For 1440p, High settings at 144 FPS offer the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, while Ultra at 108 FPS is still excellent for most users. The 1440p Low setting at 229 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The 4K Ultra setting at 57 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter on standard 60 Hz displays. The 4K High setting at 76 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining high visual quality. The 4K Medium setting at 99 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize frame rate over maximum detail, and its minimum FPS of 84 ensures consistent performance. The 4K Low setting at 120 FPS is only recommended for users with 120 Hz or higher 4K displays who are willing to sacrifice visual quality.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and just above 60 FPS at 4K. Users with 1440p 144 Hz monitors should select High for the best experience, while 4K users should opt for High or Medium depending on their tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p or 1440p, where the performance cost is acceptable relative to the visual gains.