Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 pairing delivers playable performance in Hitman 2, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The combination ranks in the 22nd percentile of tested combos, placing it at 2895 out of 3711, which reflects a mid-range pairing that excels at 1080p but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K. The measured results indicate that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming with High or Medium settings, where it consistently exceeds 75 FPS. At 1440p, the experience remains viable, but the Ultra preset drops to an unplayable 35 FPS, and at 4K, even Medium settings fail to reach 60 FPS.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This CPU is a high-end desktop part, sitting in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (avg score 48698, delta -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P (avg score 48470, delta 0.3%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (avg score 48287, delta 0.7%). These results indicate that the i5-14600K is competitive with enterprise and newer mid-range parts, delivering strong multi-threaded performance thanks to its 20 threads and 24 MB of shared L3 cache.

In the context of Hitman 2, a stealth game where CPU load is often driven by AI routines and physics calculations, this processor provides more than enough headroom. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 132 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations. This suggests that the CPU is not limiting performance even at low resolutions where GPU load is reduced. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2491, ensures that the game's main thread is well-served. However, the fact that frame rates drop significantly when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings—for instance, High settings drop from 75 FPS to 26 FPS—indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's capabilities are effectively wasted at higher resolutions, as the RX 6600 cannot keep pace with the processor's output.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets are playable. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 55 FPS, while Low reaches 132 FPS and Medium hits 99 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (85 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, and at 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest rivals based on benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (avg score 19030, delta 0%), the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (avg score 19049, delta -0.1%), and the Tesla K20m (avg score 19089, delta -0.3%). These deltas show that the RX 6600 is statistically tied with these GPUs in raw compute performance.

Q: Is the i5-14600K a bottleneck in Hitman 2?

A: No, the benchmark data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system produces 132 FPS, which is the highest measured result, and the frame rate drops consistently as resolution increases (85 FPS at 1440p Low, 45 FPS at 4K Low). This pattern suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU would not cause frame rate to halve when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers the best measured experience, with an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 54 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that maintains an average above 60 FPS while providing more visual fidelity than Low (85 FPS). The High preset drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The measured data shows that 4K is not playable with this pairing. The best result at 3840x2160 is Low settings at 45 FPS, followed by Medium at 34 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 29 FPS indicates significant frame drops.

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

A: The combo ranks 2895 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning (63rd percentile) combined with the CPU's high-end status (90th percentile), resulting in a pairing that is stronger in CPU-bound scenarios but limited by GPU performance.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p High, the system averages 75 FPS, which drops to 48 FPS at 1440p High (a 36% reduction) and further to 26 FPS at 4K High (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is consistent across all settings presets: Low goes from 132 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p (36% drop) and 45 FPS at 4K (66% drop); Medium goes from 99 FPS to 64 FPS (35% drop) and 34 FPS (66% drop); Ultra goes from 55 FPS to 35 FPS (36% drop) and 19 FPS (65% drop). The uniformity of these percentage drops—roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p and 65% from 1080p to 4K—is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor.

The RX 6600's specifications support this finding. It has 1792 shading units, 64 ROPs, and a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. As resolution increases, the demand on pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth grows proportionally, and the data shows that the GPU simply cannot sustain 60 FPS beyond 1440p. The CPU, with its 90th percentile ranking and strong single-thread performance, is not the constraint here. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K would be less severe, as the CPU load would remain constant regardless of resolution. Instead, the near-linear scaling of frame rates with pixel count confirms that the RX 6600 is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution, but the data offers clear guidance. At 1080p, the High preset at 75 FPS provides a solid 60+ FPS experience with good visual quality, but the Medium preset at 99 FPS is the better choice for competitive play or smoother motion. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS is borderline, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended for consistent frame pacing. At 1440p, the Medium preset (64 FPS average, 54 FPS minimum) is the only option that maintains an average above 60 FPS, making it the best experience for this resolution. The High preset at 48 FPS is playable but noticeably less smooth, while Low at 85 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a marginal frame rate gain over Medium. At 4K, no preset is truly playable; the Low preset at 45 FPS is the least laggy, but even this falls below the 60 FPS target and will feel sluggish in a stealth game where precise timing matters. For the best overall experience, 1080p Medium or High is recommended, with 1440p Medium as a viable alternative for those with a higher-resolution display.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 2895 out of 3711 tested combinations, which places it in the 22nd percentile of all tested combos. This is a low-to-mid ranking that reflects the pairing's imbalanced nature: the i5-14600K is a top-tier CPU (90th percentile, avg score 48618), while the RX 6600 is a mid-range GPU (63rd percentile, avg score 19036). The rank suggests that many other combinations in the database achieve better overall performance, likely by pairing a more balanced CPU and GPU. The CPU's nearest rivals—the Xeon Gold 5318H (delta -0.2%) and EPYC 4345P (delta 0.3%)—have nearly identical CPU benchmark scores, but if paired with a stronger GPU, they would likely rank higher in gaming tests. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the RTX 4050 Mobile (delta -0.1%), show that the RX 6600 is not notably weak, but its 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus limit its high-resolution capabilities. In a game like Hitman 2, which is not particularly demanding on CPU resources, this combo's ranking is dragged down by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The measured data confirms that the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming but falls behind in higher-resolution scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080

• Low: 132 FPS average
• Medium: 99 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 114 FPS maximum
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

At 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance across all presets. The Low preset at 132 FPS is more than double the 60 FPS target, while Medium at 99 FPS offers a smooth experience with a minimum of 84 FPS that never dips below playable levels. High at 75 FPS remains comfortable, and even Ultra at 55 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold, though it may experience occasional stutters in dense scenes.

2560x1440

• Low: 85 FPS average
• Medium: 64 FPS average, 54 FPS minimum, 73 FPS maximum
• High: 48 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates drop noticeably. Low at 85 FPS is still very smooth, but Medium at 64 FPS is the sweet spot, with a minimum of 54 FPS that stays just above the 50 FPS playability floor. High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 35 FPS are below the 60 FPS target, making them less desirable for a game that rewards quick reactions. The Medium preset's maximum of 73 FPS shows that there is headroom in less demanding areas, but the average is more representative of the overall experience.

3840x2160

• Low: 45 FPS average
• Medium: 34 FPS average, 29 FPS minimum, 39 FPS maximum
• High: 26 FPS average
• Ultra: 19 FPS average

At 4K, the system is clearly overmatched. Low at 45 FPS is the only preset that approaches playability, but it still falls short of 60 FPS. Medium at 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 FPS will feel laggy, and High at 26 FPS and Ultra at 19 FPS are effectively unplayable for a stealth game where precise timing is critical. The data shows that the RX 6600's 8 GB memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title, regardless of the i5-14600K's strong CPU performance.