Hard West

Hard West is a turn-based tactics title from 2015 that proves surprisingly demanding at higher settings, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a broad range of performance depending on how you configure it. The data shows a system that can comfortably handle 1080p and 1440p with high refresh rates, but which requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K. This analysis breaks down exactly what the measured FPS numbers mean for your experience, how the CPU and GPU contribute to the results, and which settings offer the best balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario where the load increases dramatically as pixel count rises. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 256 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with more than enough data. Moving to 1440p drops that to 162 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 85 FPS. This scaling pattern shows a 66% reduction in FPS from 1080p Low to 4K Low, which is a substantial hit but still leaves the game playable.

The story changes significantly when you look at the higher quality presets. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 121 at 1080p, to 76 at 1440p, and down to just 40 at 4K. This represents a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the Low preset scaling but at a much lower absolute floor. The 4K Ultra result of 40 FPS is below the 60 FPS target most players would consider essential for a smooth experience, even in a turn-based game where twitch reactions are less critical.

What this scaling tells us is that the RTX 4070 becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, particularly at higher settings. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU are well balanced, with the GPU having headroom to render frames quickly. By the time you reach 4K, the GPU is working much harder to fill all those pixels, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The CPU, with its strong multi-core performance, is not the bottleneck here; the data indicates that the graphics card's fill rate and memory bandwidth are what determine the upper limits at 4K.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min/max FPS figures, which helps illustrate the variance. At 1080p Medium, the average is 210 FPS with a minimum of 178 and maximum of 241, showing a tight range that indicates stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 133 FPS with a range of 113 to 153, still very playable. At 4K Medium, the average is 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80, which means the frame rate can dip right to the edge of what is considered smooth, but generally stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications directly influence the resolution scaling we see in the data. The 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for Hard West at all tested resolutions and settings, as the game is not particularly memory-hungry by modern standards. The memory bandwidth, while not class-leading, is adequate for the pixel fill rates required at 4K, though it does contribute to the diminishing returns we observe at that resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, which are the figures that determine how quickly the shading units can process geometry and textures. The card has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, giving it a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s. These numbers explain why the card can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but they also show the physical limits when pushing 4K Ultra, where the pixel fill rate becomes a bottleneck.

In the context of the benchmark database, the RTX 4070 sits at the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with a score of 37628 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with 37507 (0.4% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile with 38135 (1.3% higher). This places the RTX 4070 in a competitive mid-to-high tier, which aligns with the measured FPS in Hard West showing it can handle most scenarios but struggles with the most demanding 4K presets.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are relevant for a game like Hard West, though the game's age means it likely uses older rendering paths. The FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS is a raw compute figure that doesn't directly translate to gaming FPS, but it gives context for the card's overall capability. The card's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, though these are not factors in the measured FPS data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, even the Ultra preset delivers an average of 121 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for high refresh rate monitors up to 120 Hz. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 256 FPS average, which would be useful for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate panels, but the visual quality trade-off is likely not worth it for a turn-based tactics game where reaction time is less important.

At 1440p, the High preset provides an average of 102 FPS, which is an excellent balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. The Medium preset gives 133 FPS average, which is even smoother but with reduced graphical detail. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 76 FPS average, which is still playable but starts to approach the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable. For most players with a 1440p monitor, the High preset seems to be the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a comfortable frame rate cushion.

For 4K resolution, the options are more constrained. The High preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for a turn-based game where the action is not fast-paced. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, which is the only 4K option that consistently hits the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 59 FPS that barely dips below. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 40 FPS, which is likely too choppy for most players. The data suggests that 4K Medium is the recommended setting for this combo, as it provides the best playable experience without sacrificing too much visual quality.

The Low preset at 4K averages 85 FPS, which is smoother than High, but the graphical downgrade is substantial. Given that Hard West is a game with atmospheric visuals, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best compromise between maintaining a stable frame rate and preserving the game's intended look. For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 4K is a viable option, but it likely diminishes the experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 621st out of 2949 tested combinations in Hard West, placing it in the 79th percentile of all tested systems. This is a strong ranking that reflects the CPU's excellent performance in synthetic benchmarks and the GPU's solid mid-to-high tier standing. The CPU itself is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, while the GPU is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs with a score of 37648.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average score of 83807 (0.2% lower), the AMD EPYC 4584PX with 83090 (1.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 with 82980 (1.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. These small percentage differences indicate that the Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier CPU, though not the absolute fastest, and its performance in Hard West is more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4070 at any resolution.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar tight grouping, with the Tesla P4 being essentially tied at 0.1% higher, the RX Vega 56 at 0.4% lower, and the RTX 4080 Mobile at 1.3% higher. This places the RTX 4070 in a well-established performance tier where small variations in scores translate to minor FPS differences in real games. The combo ranking of 621 out of 2949 means there are 620 tested systems that perform better in this specific game, but the vast majority of systems perform worse. This is a high-end pairing that will handle almost any game at 1440p and most games at 4K with adjusted settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 70 with a minimum of 59, which means it can hit 60 FPS most of the time but may dip slightly below. At 4K High, the average is 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers an average of 102 FPS, which offers a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset drops to 76 FPS, while Medium gives 133 FPS, so High is the recommended middle ground.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84003 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135. It is 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 powerful enough for this game?

A: Yes, the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile of all GPUs and delivers playable frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 40, which is too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 256 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. This is a difference of 135 FPS, showing that the Ultra settings impose a significant performance penalty.

Q: Should I use Medium settings at 4K?

A: Yes, the 4K Medium preset provides an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays near the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 54 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low setting achieves an average of 256 FPS, the Medium setting averages 210 FPS with a minimum of 178 and maximum of 241, the High setting averages 161 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 121 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system has substantial headroom, and even the most demanding preset remains well above the 60 FPS standard.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low setting averages 162 FPS, the Medium setting averages 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 and maximum of 153, the High setting averages 102 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 76 FPS. This resolution is where the system hits a sweet spot, with all presets except Ultra staying comfortably above 100 FPS, and Ultra still maintaining a playable 76 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The Low setting averages 85 FPS, the Medium setting averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80, the High setting averages 54 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 40 FPS. The data shows a clear progression where each step up in quality costs roughly 15-20 FPS at 4K, and the Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold for most users. The Medium preset at 4K is the only option that maintains a minimum FPS above 55, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays.