Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 lands in the 1601st position out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This combination delivers a playable experience at 1440p with high settings, but falls short of smooth 4K performance unless settings are reduced. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1601 out of 3711 places this pairing in the 43rd percentile among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Hitman 2. This is a solid mid-pack result, meaning roughly 57% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. The ranking reflects the balance between the Core i5-14400F’s strong multi-threaded capacity and the RTX 3070’s respectable but not top-tier rasterization performance.

Looking at the components individually, the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile among all graphics cards. The gap between these percentiles explains why the combo rank is lower than the CPU percentile alone would suggest — the GPU holds back the overall result in GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores within 0.1% of the i5-14400F in average benchmark scores, while the Intel Core i9-11900 is 0.2% behind. These differences are negligible in real-world gameplay.

Against its GPU peers, the RTX 3070’s average benchmark score of 17208 is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037). The only rival that beats it is the NVIDIA Tesla K40c, which is 1.5% higher. These margins are small enough that driver optimizations and game-specific settings will matter more than the raw silicon differences.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the measured frame rates show the combo performs best at 1080p, where even Ultra settings produce 81 FPS on average. At 1440p, the system maintains 70 FPS on High, which is smooth for a stealth game that relies on precise timing. The 4K results are the weakest, with Ultra dipping to 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. This pattern indicates a GPU that is adequate for mainstream resolutions but not designed for 4K enthusiast play.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend heavily on your target resolution. At 1080p, the data shows that High settings (110 FPS) provide an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, with Medium (146 FPS) as a strong alternative for those who prioritize frame rate. Ultra at 1080p still delivers 81 FPS, making it viable for players with high-refresh monitors who want maximum detail.

At 1440p, High settings produce 70 FPS, which is the recommended choice for a smooth experience. Medium settings raise this to 93 FPS, offering a significant margin for demanding scenes or if you prefer higher refresh rates. Low settings at 1440p jump to 124 FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial for a game that relies on environmental detail for stealth gameplay. Ultra at 1440p drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game where quick reactions matter.

For 4K, the situation is different. High settings yield only 38 FPS, which is borderline for playable. Medium settings improve this to 50 FPS, with the minimum frame rate at 42 FPS and the maximum at 57 FPS. This is the only resolution where Medium is the clear recommendation, as it provides the best compromise between visual fidelity and playability. Low settings at 4K reach 66 FPS, but the reduction in draw distance and shadows could hinder your ability to spot guards from a distance. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 28 FPS.

The measured data suggests that Medium or High presets are the sweet spot for this combo. At 1080p and 1440p, High delivers the best balance. At 4K, Medium is the highest playable preset, and even then, you should expect occasional dips to 42 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound profile. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 110 at 1080p to 70 at 1440p (a 36% reduction), then to 38 at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the increased pixel count at 4K.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low, the drop from 194 FPS at 1080p to 124 FPS at 1440p is a 36% reduction, matching the High preset’s scaling. At 4K Low, the average is 66 FPS, which is a 66% reduction from 1080p. This consistency suggests that the limiting factor is the GPU’s raw throughput rather than memory capacity, since even Low settings at 4K require significantly more pixel shading than 1080p.

The CPU does not appear to be the bottleneck in this scaling. The i5-14400F has 10 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which is ample for Hitman 2’s AI and physics simulation. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see smaller frame rate differences between 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU would have headroom. Instead, the dramatic drops indicate the GPU is saturated at every resolution.

At 1440p Medium, the minimum frame rate is 79 FPS and the maximum is 107 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution. At 4K Medium, the minimum drops to 42 FPS and the maximum to 57 FPS, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent performance. The 15 FPS spread at 4K Medium versus the 28 FPS spread at 1440p Medium suggests the GPU is working near its limits at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which produce 50 FPS on average with a minimum of 42 FPS. High settings drop to 38 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 28 FPS. For a consistently smooth 4K experience, you would need a more powerful GPU.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1440p with High settings is the sweet spot, delivering 70 FPS on average. This resolution takes advantage of the GPU’s capabilities without pushing it to the point of diminishing returns. At 1080p, the combo has significant headroom, reaching 110 FPS on High and 194 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 3070’s average benchmark score is 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is 1.5% faster. These differences are minor and unlikely to cause noticeable frame rate variations in Hitman 2.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is the primary constraint. The i5-14400F has a boost clock of 4.70 GHz and 16 threads, which is more than sufficient for Hitman 2’s CPU demands. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance, not CPU saturation.

Q: What settings should I use for a 60 FPS target?

A: At 1440p, High settings give you 70 FPS, so you have a small margin above 60 FPS. At 4K, Medium settings give you 50 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. At 1080p, all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with High at 110 FPS and Ultra at 81 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1601 out of 3711, placing it in the 43rd percentile. This means 57% of tested combos perform better in Hitman 2. The CPU is in the 83rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile, indicating the GPU is the weaker link.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the GA104 chip with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specifications place the GPU in the 61st percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 17208.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is critical at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show that 4K performance drops significantly, with High settings at 38 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS. This is consistent with the GPU’s 8 GB memory capacity being stressed by 4K textures and effects. At 1440p, the GPU handles High settings at 70 FPS, showing that its bandwidth and shading power are adequate for this resolution.

The GPU’s transistor count of 17,400 million on an 8 nm process gives it 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. The pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 20.31 TFLOPS. These figures explain why the card performs well at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting factors.

Against its nearest rivals, the RTX 3070 is 1% faster than the GTX 690 and 1.1% faster than the Radeon HD 7970M in average benchmark scores. The Tesla K40c is 1.5% faster, which is notable because that card has more memory-oriented compute capabilities. For Hitman 2, the RTX 3070’s 8 GB memory size is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows it is not enough for smooth 4K play. The GPU’s production status is end-of-life, and it was released in 2020, so its performance is no longer modern but remains relevant for mainstream gaming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places the CPU in the 83rd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32279.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is less demanding than the GPU’s, given the game’s stealth mechanics and moderate AI complexity. The measured frame rates show that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the combo achieves 194 FPS. This indicates the i5-14400F has more than enough headroom for this title. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores within 0.1% of the i5-14400F, suggesting similar performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU’s boost clock of 4.70 GHz is important for single-threaded performance, which Hitman 2 relies on for game logic and physics. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 and multi-core score of 21645 confirm that the processor is strong in both metrics. The Geekbench single-core score of 2058 and multi-core score of 11268 further support this assessment.

The 20 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps with data locality in games that use multiple threads. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the fact pack does not specify which was used in the measured tests. The 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for Hitman 2, which is not known for high core count utilization. The PassMark multithread score of 25470 and single-thread score of 3701 show a balanced processor that can handle both lightly threaded and heavily threaded workloads.

Given the GPU’s 61st percentile ranking versus the CPU’s 83rd percentile, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU saturation, not CPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the CPU delivers 194 FPS, which is far above what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. This suggests that the CPU has additional headroom for future GPU upgrades, making this a balanced pairing for now but one where the GPU will likely be replaced first.