Hitman 2

Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a playable experience primarily at 1080p, with the data clearly indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint as resolution increases. The measured frame rates show a steep performance cliff when moving from 1440p to 4K, while the CPU's substantial core and thread count provides ample headroom for the game's logic. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance data to determine optimal settings and the role each component plays in this specific configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. At this preset, the configuration delivers an average of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. The minimum frame rate is well above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring consistent smoothness during gameplay. While the Low preset at this resolution yields a higher average of 119 FPS, the Medium preset offers a significantly better visual quality jump for only a 30 FPS average cost, and crucially, it maintains a minimum FPS of 76, which is still comfortably playable.

The High preset at 1080p is also viable, delivering an average of 67 FPS. However, it lacks the measured minimum frame rate data that the Medium preset provides, making it a riskier choice for maintaining consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops the average to 50 FPS, which dips below the ideal 60 FPS target and is likely to feel less fluid. Therefore, Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot, balancing visual fidelity with a guaranteed playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the only reasonable choice for a playable experience, with an average of 57 FPS and a minimum of 48 FPS. The High preset at this resolution drops to 43 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS, both of which are less desirable for a stealth action game where timing is critical. The 4K resolution is not recommended for this combo, as even the Low preset only manages an average of 40 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 26 FPS. The data points to 1080p Medium as the definitive recommendation for the best balance of performance and quality.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is limited. The High preset averages 23 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K reaches an average of 40 FPS, which is still below the standard 60 FPS target, indicating that 4K is not a practical setting for this configuration.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for smooth gameplay?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the most balanced experience, with an average of 89 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS. This is the only preset and resolution combination that delivers an average above 60 FPS while also reporting a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 89 FPS at 1920x1080 to 57 FPS at 2560x1440. This represents a decrease of 32 FPS, roughly a 36% reduction in average performance, highlighting the significant cost of pushing more pixels.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The benchmark data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The GTX 1070's percentile rank of 47 places it in the lower half of all GPUs. In contrast, the i5-14400F's percentile rank of 83 places it in the top 17% of all CPUs. As resolution increases, the performance drop is drastic, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: How does the i5-14400F compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: According to the data, the i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, has an average score of 32233, making the i5-14400F 0.1% faster. It also edges out the Intel Core i9-11900 by 0.2%, which scores 32226.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data for 2560x1440 with Medium settings shows an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This indicates that while the average is playable, there can be dips below 60 FPS in more demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is positioned in the lower tier of tested configurations for Hitman 2. The data places this combo at rank 3072 out of 3711 tested combos. This ranking, which puts it in the bottom 17% of all tested systems, is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and performance class. The CPU is a modern, high-performing part, but the overall system capability is dragged down by the GTX 1070.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's overall standing. The GTX 1070 sits at the 47th percentile of all GPUs, meaning that over half of all GPUs are more powerful. The combo's rank in this specific game is even lower, indicating that Hitman 2 is a demanding title for this graphics card. The CPU's high percentile rank of 83 indicates that it is not the source of this low ranking. The data suggests that users with this combo are firmly in the 1080p gaming segment and will not be able to leverage higher resolutions or maximum settings in this title.

The specific rank of 3072 means there are 639 other combinations that perform worse, but a vast majority of 3071 combos outperform it. This places the system in a clear performance tier, one that is capable of 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings in this title, but which struggles with the demands of higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are the highest. The Low preset achieves an average of 119 FPS. Medium averages 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. High averages 67 FPS, and Ultra drops to an average of 50 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot, with all presets except Ultra maintaining an average above the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset averages 76 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages only 32 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at this resolution costs nearly 20 FPS on average, and the step to High is another 14 FPS. This indicates that users should stick to Low or Medium at 1440p to maintain a reasonably fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is overburdened. The Low preset averages 40 FPS. Medium averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 26 FPS and a maximum of 35 FPS. High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages a slideshow-like 17 FPS. The data shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to provide a consistently smooth 60 FPS experience. The minimum FPS data for Low, High, and Ultra at this resolution is unavailable, but the averages are low enough to conclude that the experience would be poor.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the bottleneck. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 89 at 1920x1080, to 57 at 2560x1440, and finally to 30 at 3840x2160. This is a dramatic decline that is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The pixel count increases substantially with each resolution step, and the GTX 1070's compute resources are unable to keep up.

The scaling is not linear. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 32 FPS reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 27 FPS reduction. While the absolute drop is smaller, the percentage drop from 57 FPS to 30 FPS is a 47% reduction, which is more severe. This demonstrates that the GTX 1070 is running out of pixel-pushing power as the resolution increases. The CPU's performance is not the limiting factor here; a more capable CPU would not improve these high-resolution frame rates. The data strongly suggests that the GTX 1070's 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS of compute power are insufficient for the demands of 1440p and 4K in Hitman 2.

The pattern is consistent across all presets. For example, at High settings, the average drops from 67 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 1440p and then to 23 FPS at 4K. This consistent and steep decline across all quality levels confirms that the resolution is the primary driver of the performance degradation, pointing squarely at the GPU as the component limiting this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a powerful modern processor that provides more than enough capability for Hitman 2. It features 10 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that is well-suited for both modern multi-threaded games and background tasks. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its strength, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this setup. Its percentile rank of 83 places it well above the average, and its average benchmark score of 32279 is higher than its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and the Intel Core i9-11900. In the context of this game, the CPU has significant headroom. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration is more than sufficient to feed the GPU with draw calls and process the game's simulation. The performance drops observed at higher resolutions are not due to CPU limitations, as the CPU's workload does not scale significantly with resolution.

The large L3 cache of 20 MB also helps in gaming scenarios, reducing the need to access slower system memory. This robust CPU foundation means that the frame rates are almost entirely dictated by the GPU's performance. For users of this combo, upgrading the CPU would yield no tangible benefit in Hitman 2, as the GTX 1070 is the definitive limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is an older graphics card based on the Pascal architecture, and its performance in Hitman 2 is the defining characteristic of this combo. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, it has a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. Its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz. The GPU's overall standing is reflected in its 47th percentile rank, meaning it is outclassed by a majority of GPUs on the market.

In this game, the GTX 1070's limitations are clear. While it can handle 1080p with medium settings, it struggles as the resolution increases. The measured FPS at 4K, even at Low settings (40 FPS average), shows that the GPU's compute power and memory bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution rendering. The card's FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS and its pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s are simply not enough to process the pixel count demanded by 4K.

The GPU's performance is the sole reason the combo ranks 3072 out of 3711. The GTX 1070's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the AMD FirePro W5000 and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, placing this GPU in a specific performance class that is now considered entry-level for modern gaming. While the 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 1080p, it may become a limiting factor at higher resolutions with larger textures, adding to the performance issues seen at 1440p and 4K. The data makes it clear that this GPU is the anchor on the system's overall performance.