Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

The data presents a fascinating picture of how a strong mid-range CPU paired with a capable GPU handles a 2018 stealth title. The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination delivers playable frame rates at every tested resolution, but the pattern of scores reveals a system that is consistently GPU-bound across most settings, with the CPU only emerging as a potential limiting factor at the lowest graphical presets. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy: 1080p is where this combo shines, 1440p remains comfortable, and 4K is only viable at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and uniform, indicating that the RTX 3070 Ti's rendering pipeline is the primary constraint. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 115.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 75.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 35%, and then to 38 FPS at 3840x2160, another 50% drop from 1440p. This pattern is consistent across all four settings presets, with the scaling factor from 1080p to 4K ranging from approximately 2.5x at Low (202.5 to 69.9 FPS) to 2.7x at Ultra (86.6 to 32 FPS). The fact that the ratio remains similar across presets suggests that pixel count is the dominant variable, not the complexity of shading or geometry.

What is more telling is the relationship between resolution and performance headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 202.5 FPS, which is nearly double the 1080p High result of 115.7 FPS. This wide gap implies that at lower settings, the CPU is beginning to matter more, as the GPU has spare capacity and the frame rate is increasingly dictated by how fast the i5-14600K can feed it. The 1440p Medium score of 99.9 FPS versus the 1440p High score of 75.2 FPS shows a similar trend, though less pronounced. The data suggests that for this game, resolution scaling is almost purely a GPU workload, and the CPU only becomes a meaningful factor when the GPU is underutilized.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings 14 cores and 20 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark profile shows a strong single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642 and a multi-core score of 32881. The percentile rank of 93 against all CPUs indicates that this processor is in the top 7% of all tested parts, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, sits just 0.2% behind in average score. This suggests that the i5-14600K is not likely to be the bottleneck in most game scenarios, especially in a title like Hitman 2 that does not heavily utilize many cores.

The game's measured frame rates support this interpretation. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the combo still achieves 202.5 FPS, which is a high number but not exceptionally so when considering the CPU's capabilities. The PassMark single-thread score of 4270 and the Geekbench single-core score of 2803 indicate that the processor can handle high-frequency instruction streams well. However, the data does not show any setting where the frame rate becomes CPU-capped in a way that would indicate a processor limitation. Even at 1080p Low, the score is still more than double the 4K High result, which would be expected if the GPU were the sole constraint. The CPU's role appears to be providing a stable foundation that never limits the GPU in this title, at least within the measured settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is based on the GA104 chip with 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. Its boost clock runs at 1770 MHz, and the card delivers 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. With a percentile rank of 74 against all GPUs, it sits in the upper quartile, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (0.3% higher score) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (0.8% lower), indicating it is not an outlier in its class. The card's PassMark G3D score of 23356 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3478 provide context for its raw compute capabilities.

The GPU's influence is most apparent at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, while 4K High yields 38 FPS and 4K Medium reaches 54 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a likely contributor to this scaling behavior, as higher settings and resolutions increase memory pressure. The fact that the 4K Low result of 69.9 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra result suggests that the card's memory bandwidth and shading units are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The GPU's 192 ROPs and 6144 shading units are substantial, but they are clearly insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers 155 FPS, which is a strong balance between visual quality and performance, while High delivers 115.7 FPS and Ultra drops to 86.6 FPS. For players seeking the highest fidelity at 1080p, Ultra is still playable, but Medium provides a significant 79% increase over Ultra in frame rate (155 vs 86.6 FPS). At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 99.9 FPS is the most sensible choice, as High at 75.2 FPS is also acceptable, but Medium offers a 33% improvement. The Ultra preset at 1440p (56.8 FPS) is borderline, and Low at 129.6 FPS is unnecessary unless aiming for very high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset at 69.9 FPS is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium at 54 FPS is playable but not smooth. High at 38 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS are not recommended for action-oriented gameplay, as the frame rates are too low for consistent responsiveness. The data suggests a clear rule: at 4K, stick to Low or Medium; at 1440p, use Medium or High; at 1080p, any preset works, but Medium or High offers the best balance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti setup ranks 716th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 60th percentile of all combinations, meaning roughly 40% of tested systems perform better in this game. Given the CPU's high percentile rank (93) and the GPU's more modest rank (74), the combo's overall position is dragged down by the graphics card. This is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis, which shows the GPU as the limiting factor. The rank suggests that while this is a capable system, it is not optimized for Hitman 2's specific demands, which appear to favor higher-end GPUs more than CPUs. The fact that the CPU outperforms the GPU in percentile terms indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield a larger improvement in this game than upgrading the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are: Low at 202.5 FPS, Medium at 155 FPS, High at 115.7 FPS, and Ultra at 86.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with Ultra delivering only 43% of the Low frame rate. At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 129.6 FPS, Medium at 99.9 FPS, High at 75.2 FPS, and Ultra at 56.8 FPS. The 1440p Medium score is nearly identical to the 1080p High score (99.9 vs 115.7), indicating that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly the same as moving from Medium to High settings. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 69.9 FPS, Medium at 54 FPS, High at 38 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS. The 4K Low score is just below the 1080p Ultra score, which highlights the massive cost of 4K resolution. Across all settings, the 1080p to 4K drop averages about 2.6x, while the 1440p to 4K drop averages about 1.8x.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured 4K Low average is 69.9 FPS, while 4K Medium drops to 54 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K are below 40 FPS and not recommended for smooth play.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p with this combination?

A: The Medium preset at 99.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. High at 75.2 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 56.8 FPS may feel less responsive.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 49062. It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4% and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9%.

Q: Does the GPU show any signs of being a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests minimal CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 202.5 FPS, which is high, but the GPU's percentile rank of 74 indicates it is more likely to limit performance than the CPU, which ranks at the 93rd percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 115.7 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 67%. This is a steep drop that emphasizes the GPU's workload at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Hitman 2?

A: It ranks 716th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the 60th percentile. This means 40% of tested systems achieve higher frame rates in this game.