Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a solid, if not spectacular, experience in Hitman 2, with performance heavily dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear hierarchy: this combo is firmly a 1080p and 1440p performer, struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with high visual fidelity. The combination ranks 1093rd out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, a position that reflects the age of the graphics card more than the capability of the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In Hitman 2, a stealth game that relies on complex AI routines and physics interactions, this processor provides a robust foundation. The CPU’s performance is well above the threshold needed for this title, as indicated by its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49166 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062, a delta of just 0.2%. This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14600K is virtually indistinguishable from that high-end rival.

However, the benchmark results reveal that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this specific configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 159.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 25.7 FPS. This dramatic scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s capability is further evidenced by its strong synthetic scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. These numbers suggest the processor can feed frames rapidly, but the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions. The data implies that the i5-14600K is not holding back the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game, and the same combo with a stronger GPU would see significantly higher frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with average FPS ranging from 65.3 at Ultra settings to 159.4 at Low. At 2560x1440, performance is playable but lower, with averages between 43.3 and 101.5 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698). It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367) by 0.4%.

Q: Is the GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: Yes. The evidence is in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 159.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 25.7 FPS. This drastic drop points to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER as the primary bottleneck, not the CPU.

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

A: Only at the lowest settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 56, which is playable. At 4K Medium, it drops to 43.5, and at 4K High, it falls to 32.4. The 4K Ultra setting is not viable, with an average of only 25.7 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU rank against other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 22206 is 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006) and 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670).

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset yields an average of 58.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 43.3 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the extra visual fidelity, a 15.1 FPS penalty.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At High settings, the combo produces 92.1 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 58.4 FPS at 1440p, and further to 32.4 FPS at 4K. This is a classic pattern of a graphics card being overwhelmed by pixel count. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is simply not equipped for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The 65.3 FPS seen at 1080p falls to 43.3 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 25.7 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, which is expected due to the exponential increase in pixel count. The data suggests that users should target 1080p or 1440p for a smooth experience. At 4K, even the Medium preset (43.5 FPS) is a compromise, and the Low preset (56 FPS) is the only way to get close to a 60 FPS target. The limiting component here is definitively the GPU, as the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642) shows it is not struggling with the game’s logic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The detailed FPS measurements provide a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities across different settings. At 1920x1080, the performance is generally strong. The Low preset delivers a high average of 159.4 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset achieves 118.7 FPS, and High drops to 92.1 FPS, both of which are smooth. The Ultra preset, at 65.3 FPS, is still playable but shows the cost of maxing out the game’s visuals.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more moderate. The Low preset still offers a very playable 101.5 FPS. The Medium preset averages 78.1 FPS, while High falls to 58.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is the first to dip below 60 FPS, with an average of 43.3 FPS, indicating that users seeking a 60 FPS experience should stick to High or lower. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only one that averages above 50 FPS, with 56 FPS. Medium averages 43.5 FPS, High averages 32.4 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 25.7 FPS. These numbers confirm that the RTX 2070 SUPER is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Hitman 2.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1093rd out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 40% of all tested systems, which is a telling statistic. While the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU’s age and performance level drag the overall ranking down. The GPU’s percentile rank of 65% among all GPUs, combined with the CPU’s 93rd percentile, highlights a significant imbalance. The system is held back by the RTX 2070 SUPER, and its overall ranking reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s strengths. This rank suggests that for this specific game, there are many other combinations that will deliver a better experience, particularly at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with the High preset, which yields an average of 92.1 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-fidelity experience without sacrificing performance. For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset is also the best balance, delivering 58.4 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a higher frame rate (78.1 FPS) but with a noticeable reduction in visual quality. At 4K, the Low preset (56 FPS) is the only reasonable choice for playability, but the visual compromise is severe. The data shows that the Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it fails to maintain a stable 60 FPS at 1440p and is far too demanding at 4K. The sweet spot for this hardware is clearly 1080p High.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the defining component of this combo’s performance in Hitman 2. Built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, it features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22206, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. It is closely matched with the NVIDIA RTX A400, which has a score of 22307, a delta of -0.5%. The data clearly shows that this GPU is the primary bottleneck in the system. The FPS drops from 159.4 at 1080p Low to 25.7 at 4K Ultra are directly attributable to the GPU’s inability to process the increasing pixel load and graphical effects.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are underutilized in Hitman 2, as the game does not heavily leverage ray tracing. Instead, the 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are the key to its performance. The GPU’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p gaming but insufficient for 4K. The 12 nm process node and 215 W TDP indicate a power-hungry design that was mid-range at its release. In this game, the GPU’s limitations are the reason the combo ranks 1093rd overall. Even with a powerful CPU like the i5-14600K, the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot push the frame rates higher, making it the clear limiting factor in this configuration.