Hard West

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a decisive performance envelope in Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015. The measured data shows this combination produces extremely high frame rates across all tested configurations, with the GPU and CPU both contributing to a result that ranks in the top 1% of all tested combos. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results by settings, resolution, and component role.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combo provides a clear hierarchy across the four tested presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 342 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. The Medium preset at the same resolution produces 304 FPS, while High drops to 234 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 175 FPS. Given that the game is a turn-based tactics title, the practical need for extremely high frame rates is limited, but the data shows that the Ultra preset remains playable even at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with Low at 235 FPS, Medium at 192 FPS, High at 148 FPS, and Ultra at 111 FPS. The 3840x2160 results show Low at 123 FPS, Medium at 101 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 58 FPS. The Medium preset at each resolution offers a substantial improvement over Low while maintaining frame rates well above display refresh rates. For example, at 4K, Medium achieves 101 FPS compared to Low's 123 FPS, a difference of 22 FPS, but the visual quality gain from Medium is significant. The Medium preset also includes measured minimum and maximum values, with 86 FPS minimum and 116 FPS maximum at 4K, indicating stable frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium shows a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS, while at 1080p it ranges from 258 to 350 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the recommended preset for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, particularly at higher resolutions where the Ultra preset's 58 FPS at 4K approaches the lower boundary of smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of frame rates in Hard West, given the game's modest CPU demands. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is far beyond what Hard West requires, but it ensures no memory-related bottlenecks at any resolution or settings level. The GPU's base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it contains 21,760 shading units. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 5090 scales predictably with resolution, with the 4K Ultra preset producing 58 FPS compared to 111 FPS at 1440p and 175 FPS at 1080p. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count. The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning, with a Passmark G3D score of 39,650 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,728. In the context of Hard West, the RTX 5090's raw compute power is more than sufficient, and the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the game remains playable, albeit at 58 FPS. The GPU's performance is also evident in its DirectX 12 benchmark score of 185 in Passmark, which, while lower than the DirectX 11 score of 341, does not manifest as a practical issue in this title's measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals a consistent pattern of scaling that highlights the GPU-bound nature of Hard West at higher settings. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 30-35% across all settings. For example, the High preset goes from 234 FPS at 1080p to 148 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 86 FPS or about 37%. The Medium preset drops from 304 FPS to 192 FPS, a 37% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 175 FPS to 111 FPS, a 37% reduction as well. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to maintain frame rates at lower resolutions.

Moving from 1440p to 4K, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. The High preset drops from 148 FPS to 78 FPS, a 47% reduction. Medium drops from 192 FPS to 101 FPS, a 47% reduction. Ultra drops from 111 FPS to 58 FPS, a 48% reduction. This steeper scaling at 4K is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the pixel count quadruples from 1440p to 4K. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is capable of handling 4K at all settings, but the Ultra preset's 58 FPS average is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 123 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU has significant headroom when visual effects are reduced. The measured data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rates scale consistently with the GPU's workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this CPU-GPU pairing in Hard West is 30 out of 2,949 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1% of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the exceptional performance of both components. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83,807, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090, a 1.1% delta, while the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82,980, a 1.2% delta. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. These small deltas indicate that the 290K Plus is at the top of the CPU performance hierarchy, with no significant competitor in its immediate vicinity.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a score of 79,605 (0.3% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79,396 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (1.1% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, which is 1.4% higher. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a top-tier GPU results in the 30th rank out of 2,949 combos, which is a strong indicator of balanced high-end performance. The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for Hard West, as it delivers frame rates that are far beyond the requirements of the turn-based tactics genre.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This CPU is built on a 3 nm process and has a 36 MB shared L3 cache. In Hard West, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's, as the game is not heavily multithreaded. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the combo achieves 342 FPS, indicating that the CPU has significant headroom. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and single-core score of 7,303 demonstrate its strong performance in both threaded and single-threaded workloads. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,823 further supports its capability to handle game logic and AI calculations without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for Hard West, which is a turn-based tactics game that typically relies on single-threaded performance for game logic and AI. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that any single-threaded tasks are executed with minimal latency. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface provides ample data throughput for the game's assets. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or settings level, as the frame rates scale consistently with the GPU's workload. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 out of all CPUs indicates that it is among the top performers, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, show only a 0.2% difference in average score, confirming that the 290K Plus is at the peak of CPU performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 342 FPS, the Medium preset achieves 304 FPS with a minimum of 258 FPS and a maximum of 350 FPS, the High preset achieves 234 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 175 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is capable of frame rates that far exceed any display's refresh rate, making the choice of settings purely a matter of visual preference.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 235 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 192 FPS with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS, the High preset delivers 148 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 111 FPS. The 1440p results show a noticeable drop from 1080p, but all settings remain well above 100 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 163 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 123 FPS, the Medium preset achieves 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS, the High preset achieves 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 58 FPS. The 4K results show that the Ultra preset is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, which may be a consideration for users with high-refresh-rate 4K displays. The Medium preset at 4K, with a minimum of 86 FPS, provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality than Low. The data shows a consistent pattern of performance scaling, with the combo being fully capable of handling Hard West at any resolution and settings combination, with the Ultra preset at 4K being the only marginal case.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 provides an average of 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, making it the best choice for 4K. The Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS, which may be below the refresh rate of some 4K displays.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in Hard West?*

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 30th out of 2,949 tested combos, placing it in the top 1% of all systems.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The CPU has ample headroom, achieving 342 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far beyond the GPU's output at that resolution.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Ultra?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 111 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79,605, and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 1080p maintain a high frame rate?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 175 FPS, which is well above any display's refresh rate and provides a smooth experience.