Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Hitman 2, but the data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is beyond its reach. This combo ranks in the 54th percentile (966 out of 1795 tested combinations), indicating a solidly mid-to-upper-tier setup for this title, with performance scaling that follows a predictable pattern dominated by the GPU at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Hitman 2 with this hardware is steep and consistently points to the RTX 3060 Ti as the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 176.4 FPS, which drops to 111.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 58.5 FPS at 4K. That represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings—a clear sign that the GPU is being pushed hard at higher resolutions.

The pattern holds across all settings. At High, the frame rate falls from 101.3 FPS at 1080p to 63.3 FPS at 1440p (a 37.5% drop) and then to 32.5 FPS at 4K (a 68% drop from 1080p). At Ultra, the descent is even more pronounced: 75.7 FPS at 1080p, 45.8 FPS at 1440p, and a barely playable 23.7 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that resolution, not graphical complexity, is the primary bottleneck.

The data indicates that the i5-14600K has ample headroom at 1080p, as even the most demanding setting (Ultra) still yields 75.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. However, when resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become strained, with all settings failing to reach 60 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Medium produces a 49% performance loss (86.6 to 44 FPS), underscoring that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, not 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, High settings at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combination. The data shows 63.3 FPS at 1440p High, which is smooth and visually rich, while 1080p High delivers 101.3 FPS for those prioritizing frame rate. Ultra at 1080p is viable at 75.7 FPS, but the marginal gain over High may not justify the performance cost.

At 4K, no setting is truly playable. Low yields 58.5 FPS, which is close but still sub-60, while Medium drops to 44 FPS and High falls to 32.5 FPS. Ultra at 4K is effectively a slideshow at 23.7 FPS. For users with a 4K display, the recommendation is to drop to 1440p or accept Low settings, though the latter sacrifices significant visual quality.

At 1080p, Low produces 176.4 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but Medium at 136.9 FPS offers a better visual experience with only a 22% frame rate penalty. The measured data suggests that High at 1080p (101.3 FPS) is the most balanced choice, providing a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while remaining comfortably above 100 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: No. The highest 4K result is 58.5 FPS on Low settings, with Medium at 44 FPS and High at 32.5 FPS. No setting reaches 60 FPS at 3840x2160.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pair in Hitman 2?*

A: 1440p High offers 63.3 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed. 1080p High provides 101.3 FPS for those who prefer higher frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti perform relative to its closest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 25120, placing it 0.2% below the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180) and 0.5% below both the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235) and AMD Radeon 890M (25246).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still delivers 75.7 FPS, and at Low it reaches 176.4 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at this resolution.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Ultra?

A: 45.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Dropping to High at 1440p yields 63.3 FPS, a 38% improvement.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance in this game?

A: The data shows a steep decline at 4K, where the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient, with all 4K settings falling below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hitman 2, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 966th out of 1795 combos. That places it in the upper half, but not among the top performers. The rank reflects a balanced setup: the CPU is a strong component, scoring in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 49166 puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), but 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367) and 0.9% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P (49595). This indicates the processor is not holding the system back. The GPU's average score of 25120 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, all within 0.7% of each other, meaning the graphics card is a typical mid-range performer.

The 54th percentile rank in this specific game suggests that Hitman 2 is moderately demanding, and while this combo can handle it well at 1080p and 1440p, it falls short of top-tier status due to the GPU's limitations at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, based on the GA104 chip with 4864 shading units, is the primary driver of performance in Hitman 2, especially at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 4K, even Low settings only reach 58.5 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 32.5 and 23.7 FPS respectively.

The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz contribute to its 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In benchmark tests, it scores 20349 in Passmark G3D and 10006 in Passmark GPU compute, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626. These synthetic scores align with its real-world performance in Hitman 2, where it delivers 176.4 FPS at 1080p Low but only 23.7 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The VRAM capacity appears to be a limiting factor at 4K, where the 8 GB buffer is likely insufficient for the game's high-resolution textures. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K—a 49% drop at Medium settings—suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity, rather than raw compute, are the bottlenecks at this resolution. In contrast, at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to push frame rates above 100 FPS on High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low averages 176.4 FPS, Medium averages 136.9 FPS, High averages 101.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 75.7 FPS. All settings at 1080p are comfortably playable, with even the most demanding preset maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops but remains respectable: Low averages 111.5 FPS, Medium averages 86.6 FPS, High averages 63.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 45.8 FPS. The High setting is the only one that stays above 60 FPS, while Medium and Low offer higher frame rates for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the results are disappointing for high-refresh displays: Low averages 58.5 FPS, Medium averages 44 FPS, High averages 32.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.7 FPS. None of these settings achieve 60 FPS, and only Low comes close, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this GPU in Hitman 2.

The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent halving of frame rates at each resolution step for most settings, with the steepest drops occurring between 1440p and 4K. This pattern reinforces the conclusion that the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting component when resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K, with 14 cores and 20 threads, is a powerful processor that does not bottleneck the RTX 3060 Ti in Hitman 2. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, combined with 24 MB of shared L3 cache, provide ample single-threaded performance for this game. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 32881 (multi-core) and 4642 (single-core) place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong headroom.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates at Low (176.4 FPS) and Medium (136.9 FPS) suggest that the processor can handle high draw calls and physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck. The fact that 1080p Ultra still achieves 75.7 FPS further confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary constraint. However, the i5-14600K's strong single-core performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2803) ensures that frame pacing remains consistent, even when the GPU is struggling at 4K. The CPU's 125 W TDP and Raptor Lake architecture are well-suited for gaming, and its benchmark scores—such as Passmark single-thread of 4270 and Geekbench multi-core of 15846—support its capability to keep up with modern GPUs. In this specific game, the data shows that the i5-14600K provides more than enough processing power, with the RTX 3060 Ti being the clear performance limiter at 1440p and above.