Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Hitman 2, with benchmark results showing a clear progression from 1080p to 4K that highlights the GPU as the primary scaling factor. The data indicates that this pairing is positioned at rank 39 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations tested for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 139.2 FPS, while the same settings at 1440p yield 88.5 FPS, a drop of approximately 36%. Moving to 4K Ultra, the average falls to 45.6 FPS, representing a 67% reduction from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the RTX 4090 becomes the limiting factor at 4K, while the i5-14600K has ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The gap between settings tiers widens significantly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 197.2 FPS (336.4 vs 139.2), but at 4K, the same comparison shows a difference of only 70.9 FPS (116.5 vs 45.6). This compression at 4K indicates that the GPU is saturated and cannot fully leverage the performance available at lower resolutions. Conversely, the 1080p results show that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with over 300 FPS at Low settings, confirming that the i5-14600K is not a bottleneck in this title.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a more pronounced drop than from 1080p to 1440p. For High settings, the 1440p score of 125.2 FPS falls to 64 FPS at 4K, a 49% reduction. This demonstrates that the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 serves as the dominant performance driver in this configuration, particularly at 1440p and 4K resolutions. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Hitman 2's detailed environments at high resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz allow it to maintain high throughput across the 16384 shading units, though the data shows that even this flagship card struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra (45.6 FPS average).

The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy in settings scaling at 4K: Low (116.5 FPS) to Medium (87 FPS) to High (64 FPS) to Ultra (45.6 FPS). This progression indicates that each settings tier adds substantial rendering complexity, with Ultra being particularly demanding. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are likely engaged at Ultra settings, though the game's 2018 release date means ray tracing is not a primary factor in these results.

The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample raw compute for this title. However, the data reveals that at 4K Ultra, the combination of pixel shading, texture sampling, and memory bandwidth requirements exceeds what the card can deliver for a smooth experience. The 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler design suggest the card is operating at its thermal and power limits during these demanding scenes.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or lower. The measured results show 87 FPS at 4K Medium, 116.5 FPS at 4K Low, and 64 FPS at 4K High. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 45.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. At 1440p Ultra, the combo delivers 88.5 FPS, which is above the common 60 FPS target. At 1440p High, it reaches 125.2 FPS, providing excellent headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the i5-14600K perform compared to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which places it 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 by 0.4% (49367) and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9% (49595).

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for 1080p gaming in this title?

A: Yes, the benchmark data supports this. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 336.4 FPS, which far exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. Even at 1080p Ultra, it achieves 139.2 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not being fully utilized at this resolution.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming?

A: For a balanced experience, Medium settings at 4K deliver 87 FPS, which is comfortable for most displays. If visual fidelity is the priority, High settings at 64 FPS remain playable, but Ultra settings at 45.6 FPS may require VRR technology to feel smooth.

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

A: The combo ranks 39th out of 1795 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 2.2% of all configurations. This puts it ahead of the vast majority of systems tested for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 336.4 FPS, Medium yields 253.8 FPS, High reaches 192 FPS, and Ultra maintains 139.2 FPS. These numbers indicate that the i5-14600K is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 enough data to exceed 300 FPS at the lowest settings, with the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads providing ample processing power for the game's simulation and AI systems.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU beginning to exert more influence. Low settings deliver 213.6 FPS, Medium produces 159.3 FPS, High achieves 125.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88.5 FPS. The 1440p results show a more linear scaling pattern than 4K, suggesting that the GPU is still operating within its comfortable range at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090 becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings yield 116.5 FPS, Medium produces 87 FPS, High drops to 64 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.6 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that even the most powerful consumer GPU available needs to compromise on settings to maintain high frame rates in this title at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 39 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the configuration in the top 2.2% of all systems tested, indicating that it outperforms 97.8% of alternative pairings. The CPU's percentile ranking of 93 against all CPUs suggests that it is well above average, while the GPU's percentile of 91 against all GPUs confirms its high-end positioning.

The ranking reflects the balanced nature of this pairing. The i5-14600K's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, shows a delta of only 0.2%, meaning these CPUs are essentially equivalent in overall benchmark performance. Similarly, the RTX 4090's nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, shows a delta of -0.4%, indicating that the 4090 is marginally behind in average benchmark score but still competitive.

This high ranking is particularly notable given the game's 2018 release date. Hitman 2 was designed for hardware of that era, yet this modern combo still demonstrates that it can push frame rates well beyond what the original hardware could achieve. The rank of 39 out of 1795 confirms that this is a top-tier configuration for this specific title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K plays a crucial supporting role in this combination, ensuring that the RTX 4090 is never starved of data. Its 14 cores and 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, provide robust multi-threaded performance that handles Hitman 2's AI, physics, and streaming systems efficiently. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz and base clock of 3.50 GHz allow it to maintain high single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and frame pacing.

Benchmark data shows the i5-14600K achieving a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. This performance profile ensures that at 1080p, where the GPU has headroom, the CPU can deliver over 300 FPS at Low settings. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, while support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provides flexibility in system configuration.

The CPU's role becomes less critical at higher resolutions, as the measured FPS drops from 336.4 at 1080p Low to 116.5 at 4K Low. This 65% reduction indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU has sufficient headroom to handle the game's computational demands. The i5-14600K's performance relative to its nearest rivals, including a 0.2% lead over the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, confirms that it is a capable partner for the RTX 4090 in this title.