Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a 2018 stealth title, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly capable, but with performance characteristics that shift dramatically depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K Ultra remains a challenging target.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the gameplay experience. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 124.9 FPS, which is a substantial 36.5% improvement over the Ultra preset's 91.5 FPS. This makes High the clear sweet spot for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, as the visual fidelity drop from Ultra is often imperceptible in a stealth game's slower pacing, while the frame rate gain is significant. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 222 FPS, but this comes with a considerable reduction in visual quality that is unnecessary given the High preset's already excellent performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a very playable 84 FPS average. This is the recommended choice for users with 1440p monitors who want a balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Medium preset at 104.4 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but High offers a better visual experience without dipping below the 60 FPS threshold that is often considered the minimum for comfortable play. The Ultra preset at 61.1 FPS is just above this threshold, but its 27.3% performance penalty compared to High makes it a less attractive option.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset manages an average of 43.5 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 57.6 FPS is the best compromise for 4K, offering a frame rate that is closer to playable while still benefiting from some visual enhancements over Low. The Ultra preset at 31.7 FPS is effectively a slideshow and should be avoided. The data suggests that for the best experience on this combo, users should prioritize the High preset at 1080p or 1440p, or the Medium preset at 4K, depending on their display's native resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a substantial 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Hitman 2's assets at all tested settings. The GPU's architecture is RDNA 4.0 on a 4 nm process, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz and a game clock of 2070 MHz.

The GPU's role becomes clear when analyzing the performance drop from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the system achieves 124.9 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 43.5 FPS. This is a 65.2% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the RX 9070 is being pushed to its limits at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU has more headroom to work with. The RX 9070's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6290 and Passmark G3D score of 25381 place it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as a high-end part. However, the 4K Ultra result of 31.7 FPS shows that even this powerful GPU cannot handle the most demanding settings at the highest resolution without compromise.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use with this CPU/GPU combo for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 84 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset is also playable at 61.1 FPS, but the High preset offers a 37.5% performance advantage.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: At 4K, the system can run the Medium preset at an average of 57.6 FPS, which is playable. The High preset drops to 43.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 31.7 FPS, which are less ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves 222 FPS, which is 142.6% higher than the Ultra preset's 91.5 FPS. This indicates a massive performance headroom when graphical fidelity is reduced.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the frame rates are very high (124.9 FPS on High). The GPU has enough performance headroom, but the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes the constraint.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: The 1440p High preset averages 84 FPS, while the 4K High preset averages 43.5 FPS. This represents a 48.2% drop in performance when moving to 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 609 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 34% of all tested systems for Hitman 2.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 222 FPS, followed by Medium at 165.9 FPS, High at 124.9 FPS, and Ultra at 91.5 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in quality costs a significant amount of performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced impact from the resolution increase. The Low preset averages 145.5 FPS, Medium at 104.4 FPS, High at 84 FPS, and Ultra at 61.1 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at this resolution incurs a 27.3% performance penalty, which is a significant cost for the extra visual effects.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. The Low preset averages 77.4 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium preset drops to 57.6 FPS, while High falls to 43.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 31.7 FPS is the only result that is below the 30 FPS playability threshold, indicating that it is not a viable option at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a significant performance drop as resolution increases, which is a direct indicator of GPU load. From 1080p High to 1440p High, the frame rate drops from 124.9 FPS to 84 FPS, a 32.8% decrease. From 1440p High to 4K High, the frame rate drops from 84 FPS to 43.5 FPS, a 48.2% decrease. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The performance drop is not linear, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient, but the 644.6 GB/s bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K with high-quality textures. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the High preset results in a 65.2% overall reduction in frame rate, which is a substantial loss. This indicates that while the RX 9070 is a powerful GPU, it is not capable of maintaining high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this system, but it is an important one. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it provides ample processing power for Hitman 2's game logic and AI. The CPU has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which allows it to handle single-threaded tasks efficiently. Its 20 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, providing fast access to frequently used data.

The CPU's performance is demonstrated by its Cinebench R23 scores of 21914 in multi-core and 3093 in single-core. These scores place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, showing that it is a strong processor. In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is more evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (124.9 FPS on High) that the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue draw calls becomes more critical.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz is particularly important for maintaining high frame rates in a stealth game where there can be many NPCs and complex AI routines. The data suggests that the i5-14400F is more than capable of keeping up with the RX 9070 at 1080p and 1440p, but it may become a slight bottleneck at extremely high frame rates above 200 FPS, as seen in the 1080p Low preset's 222 FPS result.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 609th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 34% of all tested systems, which is a strong result for a mid-range to high-end pairing. The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while being less competitive at 4K where the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's benchmark scores are closely matched with its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i7-12800H has an average score of 32513, which is virtually identical to the i5-14400F's 32508, with a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 is 0.2% slower, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H are both 0.2% faster. This shows that the i5-14400F is a highly competitive CPU in its class, offering performance that is on par with other popular options.

For the GPU, the RX 9070's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2, which is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400, which is 0.8% slower. The average benchmark score of 34780 places it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs. This rank, combined with the CPU's strong performance, suggests that this combo is well-balanced for Hitman 2, with the GPU being the primary performance driver at higher resolutions and the CPU providing ample support at lower resolutions.