Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 sits at rank 1481 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the lower-middle portion of the database, though the percentile standings of the individual components tell a more nuanced story. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile against all processors, while the GPU sits in the 58th percentile against all graphics cards. This gap suggests the RTX 2060 is the primary constraint in this pairing, a pattern that becomes evident when examining the measured frame rates across resolutions.

The i5-14600K's synthetic benchmark average of 49166 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062. It is also 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367) and 0.9% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P (49595). These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the CPU is delivering performance consistent with top-tier desktop processors from the same era. The GPU, meanwhile, posts an average benchmark score of 16074, which is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 by 1.7% each.

In the context of Hitman 2 specifically, the combo's rank reflects a system that can handle the game at playable levels in most scenarios but struggles at the highest settings and resolutions. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p delivers smooth performance across all presets, 1440p becomes demanding at Ultra, and 4K is only viable at Low settings. The rank of 1481 out of 1795 indicates that many other combinations achieve higher average frame rates, but the i5-14600K's strong CPU headroom means the bottleneck is almost entirely GPU-bound in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 76.5 FPS average, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers 98.4 FPS, providing additional headroom for dips, while Low reaches 130.8 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 53.8 FPS, which remains playable but begins to approach the lower bound of acceptable smoothness for fast-paced stealth action. For 1080p, the High preset represents the best balance, as it maintains high visual quality while keeping frame rates comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. High delivers 45.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target but remains playable for a slower-paced stealth game. Medium achieves 63.2 FPS, making it the recommended preset at this resolution for a smooth experience. Low reaches 82.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 34.7 FPS, which is marginal. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear choice, offering both playability and reasonable visual fidelity.

At 4K, the data shows only Low settings produce a usable frame rate at 48.1 FPS. Medium drops to 34.4 FPS, High to 25.2 FPS, and Ultra to 20.2 FPS. None of these higher presets approach playable levels, so Low is the only viable option at 4K. The overall recommendation is to use High at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K, with the understanding that the 4K experience will require significant visual compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's role as the limiting factor. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 76.5 at 1080p to 45.5 at 1440p, a reduction of 40.5%. Moving from 1440p to 4K High brings another drop to 25.2 FPS, a further 44.6% reduction. This steep decline suggests the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the increasing pixel count and texture demands at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is more forgiving but still significant. The 1080p Low result of 130.8 FPS drops to 82.2 FPS at 1440p, a 37.2% reduction, and then to 48.1 FPS at 4K, another 41.5% reduction. The consistent pattern of roughly 40% FPS losses between each resolution step indicates that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint, rather than CPU limitations. The i5-14600K's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, means it is unlikely to bottleneck at any of these resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. From 53.8 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 34.7 FPS at 1440p (35.5% reduction) and then to 20.2 FPS at 4K (41.8% reduction). This collapse at 4K Ultra, combined with the low baseline, confirms that the RTX 2060 cannot sustain the visual load of Hitman 2's highest settings beyond 1080p. The data points to a GPU-bound scenario across all measured configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 130.8 FPS average, Medium reaches 98.4 FPS, and High achieves 76.5 FPS. Ultra drops to 53.8 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that falls below 60 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 58.9% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU is handling the additional shading and texture work with diminishing returns at the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates reflect the increased pixel load. Low averages 82.2 FPS, Medium delivers 63.2 FPS, and High settles at 45.5 FPS. Ultra falls to 34.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 57.8%, nearly identical to the 1080p spread. This consistency suggests the GPU's scaling is predictable across resolutions, with the Ultra preset imposing a similar relative cost.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal across the board. Low is the only playable option at 48.1 FPS. Medium drops to 34.4 FPS, High to 25.2 FPS, and Ultra to 20.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 58.0%, matching the pattern seen at lower resolutions. However, the absolute numbers are so low that only the Low preset approaches acceptable playability, and even that sits below 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture card built on TSMC's 12 nm process, with a die size of 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz drive 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 14111.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the frame rate data. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is likely a limiting factor at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes can exceed this allocation. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth also constrains performance at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demands outpace the memory subsystem's capability. The card's 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p Medium settings but struggle at 4K.

The RTX 2060's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% slower). These close margins indicate the card is performing near its expected level in compute tasks. However, the measured FPS data in Hitman 2 shows that real-world gaming performance is more variable, with the GPU becoming the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but do not appear to provide meaningful advantages in this title, which likely relies on traditional rasterization.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p on this combo?

A: The High preset at 1080p delivers 76.5 FPS average, which provides smooth gameplay while maintaining visual quality. Medium reaches 98.4 FPS if additional headroom is desired, while Ultra drops to 53.8 FPS.

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

A: Only at Low settings, which produces 48.1 FPS average. Medium drops to 34.4 FPS, High to 25.2 FPS, and Ultra to 20.2 FPS. None of the higher presets are recommended for 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. The i5-14600K ranks in the 93rd percentile of CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile. Frame rate drops of roughly 40% between resolutions point to GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its nearest CPU rival?

A: The i5-14600K scores 49166 in average benchmarks, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367). These differences are negligible.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: Low averages 82.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 34.7 FPS, a 57.8% reduction. Medium sits between at 63.2 FPS, making it the recommended preset for 1440p.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 2060 have, and does it matter?

A: The card has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity is likely insufficient for 4K texture loads, contributing to the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions.