Hard West

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a commanding performance in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The benchmark data shows this combination is heavily overqualified for the game's demands, producing frame rates that far exceed display refresh rates across nearly every setting and resolution tested. The following analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU roles, optimal settings, and scaling behavior based solely on the measured data.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. This processor sits in the 96th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

Synthetic benchmarks reflect its strength. In Cinebench R23, it scores 51731 in multi-core and 7303 in single-core. PassMark results show 60860 in multithread, 4823 in single-thread, and 214760 in floating-point math. These scores place it slightly ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (deltaPct 0.2) and AMD EPYC 4584PX (deltaPct 1.1), while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%.

For Hard West, a turn-based tactics game from 2015, the CPU's role is mostly about ensuring consistent frame pacing during AI turns and scene transitions. The game is not thread-hungry, so the 24 cores are largely underutilized. However, the high single-core performance (7303 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that the primary game thread is never a bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 342 FPS average, which indicates the CPU can feed frames far beyond what any display can show. The data suggests that even at Ultra settings, the CPU overhead is minimal, as the FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p (342 to 171) is more attributable to GPU workload than CPU limitations.

The processor's 96th percentile ranking means it outperforms 95% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 1.3% performance delta, showing that the 290K Plus sits at the very top of the desktop heap. For a game like Hard West, this CPU provides massive headroom; the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (57 FPS) is more likely constrained by the GPU, as the CPU's single-threaded capabilities are more than sufficient for the game's logic.

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

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the presets scale as follows: Low averages 342 FPS, Medium averages 297 FPS, High averages 228 FPS, and Ultra averages 171 FPS. All of these are far above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the lowest value (171 FPS at Ultra) is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues: Low averages 229 FPS, Medium averages 188 FPS, High averages 144 FPS, and Ultra averages 108 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a min FPS of 160 and max of 216, indicating smooth performance with minimal frame dips. At 3840x2160, the presets become more demanding: Low averages 120 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS (min 84, max 113), High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium delivers 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience on a 4K display. High at 4K drops to 76 FPS, still playable but less headroom. Ultra at 4K falls to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may introduce noticeable stutter on a standard 60 Hz display.

For users with a 1440p monitor, Medium provides 188 FPS average, which is excellent for 144 Hz displays. The min FPS of 160 ensures no drops below the refresh rate. At 1080p, even Ultra (171 FPS) is viable for 144 Hz displays, but Medium (297 FPS) is overkill unless using a 240 Hz or higher panel. The recommendation is to use Medium at any resolution, as it offers the best compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate stability, with the 4K Medium row showing a tight min-max spread of 84-113 FPS.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops proportionally across all settings, but the rate of decline indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the FPS drops from 342 at 1080p to 229 at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and then to 120 at 4K (a 48% reduction from 1440p). At Medium settings, the drop is from 297 at 1080p to 188 at 1440p (37% reduction) and then to 99 at 4K (47% reduction). At High settings, the drop is from 228 at 1080p to 144 at 1440p (37% reduction) and then to 76 at 4K (47% reduction). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 171 at 1080p to 108 at 1440p (37% reduction) and then to 57 at 4K (47% reduction).

The consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~47% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p and by 125% from 1440p to 4K, and the FPS drops correlate with this increased pixel workload. The CPU, with its high single-core performance, is not the bottleneck; otherwise, the FPS would plateau at 1080p regardless of settings.

The data shows that at 1080p, the combo is heavily CPU-bound in the sense that the GPU can render frames faster than the display can show them (342 FPS at Low). At 4K, the GPU's workload increases and FPS drops to 57-120 depending on settings shed light on the RTX 4090's raw capability. The fact that even at 4K Ultra, the FPS stays at 57 (just below 60) indicates that the RTX 4090 is stretched but still delivers playable performance in this older title.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 58th out of 3722 tested combos in Hard West. This places it in the top 1.6% of all tested configurations. The rank is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and it reflects the raw performance ceiling of this pairing.

Given that the RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier desktop CPU, the 58th rank might seem surprisingly low for such premium hardware. This is likely because Hard West is a turn-based tactics game with relatively low system requirements, and many lower-end combos can achieve high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 58th rank suggests that some configurations with slightly different CPU-GPU pairings achieve marginally higher average FPS, possibly due to driver optimizations or specific CPU clocks.

The fact that this combo ranks 58th out of 3722 means it outperforms 3664 other combinations. The top 57 combos likely include similar high-end CPUs paired with the same or faster GPUs. However, for practical purposes, the 58th rank indicates that this combo is among the best, and the measured FPS numbers confirm that it delivers maximum performance in this game. The rank also reflects the dataIsMeasured flag, meaning these are actual benchmark results rather than estimates.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip on a 5 nm process. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The GPU has 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU's FP32 performance is 82.58 TFLOPS, and it has a TDP of 450 W.

The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals in average score are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (deltaPct 0.3), and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (deltaPct -2.5). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 9223, and PassMark G3D score is 38194.

For Hard West, the GPU's 24 GB of VRAM is far more than needed; the game from 2015 likely uses less than 4 GB even at 4K. The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 342 FPS, which is likely close to its maximum render rate for this game. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 57 FPS, indicating that the pixel fill rate and shading load become significant.

The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and high texture rate (1,290.2 GTexel/s) allow it to handle the game's 2D sprite-based graphics with ease. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s is more than sufficient for the game's resolution demands. The RTX 4090's performance percentile (88) is lower than the CPU's (96), but in this game, the GPU's absolute performance is still the primary driver of FPS at higher resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptionally high: Low averages 342 FPS, Medium averages 297 FPS with a min of 252 and max of 341, High averages 228 FPS, and Ultra averages 171 FPS. The Medium preset shows a tight spread, indicating consistent frame times.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong: Low averages 229 FPS, Medium averages 188 FPS with a min of 160 and max of 216, High averages 144 FPS, and Ultra averages 108 FPS. The Medium preset's min FPS of 160 ensures no drops below 144 Hz, making it ideal for high-refresh 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more moderate: Low averages 120 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a min of 84 and max of 113, High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 99 FPS average, which is excellent for a 4K display, and the min of 84 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during heavy scenes.

The data shows a clear pattern: Medium is the most consistent preset across all resolutions, with min FPS values that are 85-90% of the average. Low settings provide the highest FPS but likely sacrifice visual quality. High and Ultra provide diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a significant FPS cost, especially at 4K where Ultra drops below 60 FPS.

For a turn-based tactics game, frame rate consistency matters more than raw FPS, as the gameplay involves grid-based movement and combat. The Medium preset's min FPS of 84 at 4K and 160 at 1440p ensures no stutter during camera pans or unit animations. The Ultra preset at 4K (57 FPS) is technically playable but may feel less smooth on a 60 Hz display. The High preset at 4K (76 FPS) offers a good middle ground if visual fidelity is a priority. Ultimately, the data recommends Medium for the best experience, as it provides the highest FPS with the most stable minimum frame rates.