Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers a broad performance envelope in Hitman 2, ranging from a highly playable 45.7 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 319.7 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows this pairing ranks 78th out of 1795 tested combinations for this title, placing it in the top 5% of systems. The results indicate a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance allows it to push extreme frame rates at lower graphical loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this hardware?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 119 FPS, which is well above the 4K High result of 63.9 FPS, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over 1080p.

Q: How much of a performance hit does the Ultra preset take?

A: The Ultra preset is demanding. At 4K, it drops to 45.7 FPS from 63.9 FPS at High, a reduction of 18.2 FPS. At 1440p, the drop is from 119 FPS to 85.3 FPS, making High the more practical choice for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings. For example, at 4K, the performance gap between Low (107.4 FPS) and Ultra (45.7 FPS) is substantial, showcasing the GPU's load. The CPU's capability is more apparent at 1080p Low, where it achieves 319.7 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors?

A: Yes, the data suggests it is well-suited for that. At 1440p Medium, it averages 152.6 FPS, and at High, it hits 119 FPS, both of which are excellent for 144Hz and 120Hz displays, respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rivals in raw compute?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 59188. The data shows it is 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A570M (score 58239) and 2.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A580 (score 57756), but it trails the Intel Arc Pro A60 (score 60326) by 1.9%.

Q: What is the maximum playable frame rate at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average is 319.7 FPS on the Low preset. Even on the Ultra preset, the system maintains a high 136.5 FPS, indicating the CPU and GPU pairing is very capable at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. This single-thread performance is crucial for Hitman 2, a title that relies heavily on game logic and AI, and it allows the CPU to feed the GPU efficiently. The processor's performance is competitive, sitting 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (score 49062) and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (score 48698) in average benchmark score.

The CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p with lower graphical settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 319.7 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it achieves 238.9 FPS. These figures demonstrate that the processor is not a limiting factor at these resolutions, as the frame rate scales dramatically with reduced GPU load. Even at 1440p Low, the system achieves 205.1 FPS, further indicating the CPU's headroom. With 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory, the i5-14600K has the resources to handle the game's streaming and physics without creating a bottleneck, allowing the RTX 5080 to work at its full potential. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs supports its high-end positioning for gaming workloads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a formidable graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, featuring 10752 shading units and 84 RT cores. It comes with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU's clock speeds are high, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz. Its raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS. The GPU's average benchmark score of 59188 places it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, showing it is a top-tier performer despite its nearest rivals being Intel Arc products with slightly lower or higher scores.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's influence on performance is dominant. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound scenarios. For instance, at 4K, the average frame rate falls from 107.4 FPS on Low to 45.7 FPS on Ultra. This 61.7 FPS drop is entirely attributable to the increasing pixel count and shader complexity, which taxes the GPU's fill rate and compute units. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra, and the high memory bandwidth ensures textures are streamed quickly. The data suggests the RTX 5080 is the component that determines the ceiling for visual quality, while the CPU ensures the floor is high enough for competitive frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset produces an average of 319.7 FPS, while Medium and High follow with 238.9 FPS and 182 FPS, respectively. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a high average of 136.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is not constrained by any single component, and the frame rates are suitable for the fastest gaming monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong but shows the GPU starting to work harder. The Low preset averages 205.1 FPS, which is still incredibly high. Medium and High settings produce averages of 152.6 FPS and 119 FPS, respectively, both of which are excellent for smooth, high-refresh-rate gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 85.3 FPS, which is playable but shows a significant drop from the High preset, indicating the increased load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. The Low preset averages 107.4 FPS, which is still very good for 4K. The Medium and High presets produce averages of 84.6 FPS and 63.9 FPS, respectively, both of which are playable. However, the Ultra preset drops to an average of 45.7 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a smooth experience on many displays. The progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU's scaling limitations as pixel count quadruples.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep curve that underscores the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 182 FPS at 1080p to 119 FPS at 1440p, a 34.6% decrease. Moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 63.9 FPS, a 64.9% decrease from the 1440p result. This dramatic drop is expected, as 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p and 4 times the pixels of 1080p. The RTX 5080 simply cannot maintain the same throughput at the higher pixel count.

This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. On Low, the frame rate goes from 319.7 FPS at 1080p to 205.1 FPS at 1440p and finally to 107.4 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is 47.6%, which is slightly less than the drop seen at High settings. This indicates that at lower settings, the CPU's role becomes more prominent, but the GPU still handles the majority of the workload. The data strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, especially at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's performance is sufficient to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering capacity dictates the final FPS at higher resolutions. For a target of 60 FPS, the data shows that 4K High is the limit, while 1440p Ultra is also viable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as the system maintains an average of 136.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. There is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution, as even the heaviest preset is easily handled.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data shows an average of 119 FPS, which is ideal for 120Hz monitors and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 85.3 FPS is also playable, but the 33.7 FPS drop from High may not be worth the marginal visual improvements. For users with 144Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 152.6 FPS would be the recommended choice to fully utilize the display's refresh rate.

For 3840x2160 displays, the High preset is the recommended starting point, as it delivers a playable average of 63.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 84.6 FPS provides a smoother experience and is also a strong option. The Ultra preset at 45.7 FPS is below the 60 FPS target and should only be used if a lower frame rate is acceptable. For the best experience at 4K, the data suggests using the High preset to maintain a stable frame rate, as the step to Ultra incurs a significant performance penalty of 18.2 FPS for what is likely a subtle increase in visual quality.