Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

This combo places 30th out of 3,001 tested configurations for Hitman 2, positioning it in the top 1% of all systems evaluated for this title. The pairing of a 10-core Raptor Lake refresh CPU with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell 2.0 GPU produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the data reveals interesting bottlenecks and scaling behavior that merit closer examination.

How This Combo Ranks

The 30th position out of 3,001 combos is a strong result, but it raises a question: why isn't this higher given the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all graphics cards? The answer lies in how Hitman 2 utilizes hardware. The RTX 5090 D sits at the 92nd percentile for all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, placing it just 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% behind the RX 6850M XT in the nearest rival comparisons. Meanwhile, the Core i5-14400F ranks at the 83rd percentile for all CPUs, with an average score of 32,279, putting it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900 and 0.5% ahead of the Core i7-12800H.

The data suggests this game is not purely GPU-bound at higher settings. The CPU's 83rd percentile standing, while respectable, creates a ceiling that prevents the GPU from fully stretching its legs. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 327 FPS, which is remarkably high, but the gap between this and the 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS (a 6.3x difference) hints that the CPU handles the lower-resolution heavy lifting while the GPU takes over at higher resolutions. The combo's 30th rank reflects a balanced system that excels in most scenarios but doesn't dominate the absolute top spots, likely because those spots require a higher-tier CPU to feed the RTX 5090 D at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The GeForce RTX 5090 D brings massive resources to Hitman 2: 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz. The 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide the raw compute needed for high-resolution rendering, while 170 RT cores handle any ray-traced effects the game might employ. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective, which is crucial for the 4K results where bandwidth becomes a limiting factor.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system produces 327 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show, indicating the GPU is barely taxed. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 52 FPS, showing the GPU working near its limits. The 32 GB VRAM is overkill for this 2018 title, but it means there are zero concerns about memory capacity causing stutters or texture pop-in. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that even at 4K with Ultra settings, the memory subsystem isn't a bottleneck. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 confirm it's a top-tier part, but Hitman 2's engine doesn't appear to scale perfectly with all that compute power.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the combo goes from 327 FPS at 1080p to 234 FPS at 1440p to 124 FPS at 4K. That's a 62% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not as severe as the Ultra settings scaling. At Ultra, the numbers are 153 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K — a 66% drop. This consistency suggests that the scaling is relatively smooth, but the absolute values at 4K Ultra (52 FPS) are surprisingly low for a GPU with this much power.

The interesting implication is that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, can push 327 FPS, but the game's engine may not be able to go much higher regardless of GPU. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as the pixel count and settings tax the RTX 5090 D's compute resources. The medium settings at 4K show a min FPS of 79 and max of 107, with an average of 93, indicating some frame time variance that could be CPU-related even at this resolution. This suggests that Hitman 2's engine has a CPU overhead that persists across resolutions, preventing the GPU from achieving its full potential in any scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the results are uniformly high. Low settings produce 327 FPS average, Medium hits 274 FPS with a min of 233 and max of 315, High reaches 207 FPS, and Ultra drops to 153 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 174 FPS, which is a 53% reduction — significant, but the absolute values are all playable. The Medium settings show the widest spread between min and max (82 FPS), suggesting some scenes are more demanding than others, but the overall experience is smooth.

Moving to 1440p, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low delivers 234 FPS, Medium averages 175 FPS with a min of 149 and max of 201, High hits 132 FPS, and Ultra drops to 98 FPS. The Medium min-max spread narrows to 52 FPS, indicating more consistent frame pacing at this resolution. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 28-36% across settings, which is reasonable for the pixel count increase of 78%.

At 4K, the performance becomes more demanding. Low yields 124 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a min of 79 and max of 107, High drops to 71 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 52 FPS. The Medium settings at 4K show the narrowest relative spread (28 FPS difference between min and max), which is interesting because it suggests that at this resolution, the game is more GPU-bound and therefore more consistent. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay, which is a notable finding for a GPU that costs as much as this one does.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, Medium settings (274 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the jump from Low to Medium costs only 53 FPS (16%) while the jump from Medium to High costs 67 FPS (24%). The 233 FPS minimum at Medium ensures there are no noticeable dips even in demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Medium settings (175 FPS) remain the sweet spot, with a 149 FPS minimum that keeps gameplay smooth. High settings (132 FPS) are also viable, but the 43 FPS drop from Medium to High is steeper than the 59 FPS gain from Low to Medium. For players wanting the best visuals at 1440p, Ultra at 98 FPS is still playable, but the jump from High to Ultra (34 FPS drop) is significant.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings (93 FPS) provide the best experience, with High (71 FPS) being acceptable but starting to show the GPU's limits. Ultra (52 FPS) is below the ideal threshold for fast-paced stealth action, though it remains technically playable. The data suggests that for 4K, Medium is the optimal setting for this combo, as it maintains an average above 90 FPS while the min of 79 FPS ensures no major stutters. High delivers playable performance but with less headroom, and Ultra should be reserved for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo overkill for Hitman 2?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, yes. The system produces 327 FPS at 1080p Low and 234 FPS at 1440p Low, far exceeding what any display can show. However, at 4K Ultra, the 52 FPS average indicates the GPU is being pushed, so the hardware is not entirely wasted at the highest settings.

Q: Why does the 4K Ultra performance seem low for an RTX 5090 D?

A: The GPU ranks at the 92nd percentile and its nearest rivals are within 2.4% of its average benchmark score, but Hitman 2's engine appears to have a CPU overhead that limits scaling. The i5-14400F's 83rd percentile CPU ranking and 10-core/16-thread configuration may be the constraint at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data shows 1440p Medium (175 FPS) offers the best combination of high frame rate and visual quality. At 4K Medium (93 FPS), the performance is still smooth, but the 1440p results provide more headroom for frame time spikes.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14400F scores 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900, and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i7-12800H in average benchmark scores. It sits 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS, making all four rivals essentially equivalent in performance.

Q: Does the GPU's 32 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: Hitman 2 is from 2018 and likely doesn't require more than a few GB of VRAM even at 4K Ultra. The 32 GB capacity is not a limiting factor, but the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures memory throughput is never a bottleneck.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at different settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limit, as the 327 FPS result suggests the engine can't push much higher regardless of GPU. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the 52 FPS result reflecting the pixel and settings load on the RTX 5090 D.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides 10 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost of 4.70 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture part, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 215 mm² die, includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21,645 and single-core score of 3,055 show strong performance, while the PassMark multithread score of 25,470 and single-thread score of 3,701 confirm its capabilities.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. The 327 FPS at 1080p Low is a CPU-bound result — the GPU is capable of much more, but the engine's draw call and game logic overhead caps performance. The CPU's 10 cores handle the game's threading well, as evidenced by the high frame rates, but the architecture's single-thread performance (3,055 in Cinebench R23) is what matters most for this title's main thread. The 4.70 GHz boost clock helps ensure the main thread isn't a bottleneck, but the data suggests there's a ceiling around 327 FPS that even this CPU can't exceed.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU takes over the rendering load. The 4K results show the GPU becoming the limiting factor, but the CPU still contributes to frame pacing. The Medium settings at 4K show a min of 79 FPS and max of 107 FPS, a 28 FPS spread that could be attributed to CPU-driven frame time spikes. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking relative to all CPUs means it's a solid performer, but in a game like Hitman 2 that's heavily dependent on single-thread performance, a higher-tier CPU might reduce these spikes. The 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks, but the game's primary thread benefits most from the 4.70 GHz boost clock. Overall, this CPU is capable but not the ideal match for a GPU of this caliber, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU-bound nature of the game limits overall performance.