Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a hard ceiling at 4K. This combination ranks in the 33rd percentile of tested combos, indicating that while it handles mainstream resolutions with ease, it is not built for extreme high-resolution gaming. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance data to help you decide where this setup fits your needs.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot, with an average of 150.2 FPS at Low settings and 83.4 FPS at High. 1440p is also viable, with High settings delivering 54.3 FPS, but 4K performance falls below 30 FPS at all settings except Low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals in overall synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367. It sits 0.4% above the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, while being 0.5% below the AMD EPYC 4345P. The performance differences are marginal, under 1.5% in all cases.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other graphics cards in its class?

A: The RX 7600 XT scores an average of 20146, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.6% slower than the RX 7600 and 1.9% faster than the RTX 2060 SUPER, with all rival deltas staying within 2%.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for Hitman 2 at high resolutions?

A: Yes, the RX 7600 XT features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The game's performance drop at 4K is more attributable to the card's raw compute limits than memory capacity, as the 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the primary constraint.

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

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1196th out of 1795 tested combos. This places it in the lower third of the database, which aligns with its inability to maintain playable framerates at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: What is the limiting factor when playing at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo reaches 60.3 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 19.9 FPS. The 128-bit memory interface and 64 ROPs on the RX 7600 XT create a bottleneck that becomes pronounced as pixel count increases, despite the CPU's strong multi-core performance.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the data suggests using High settings at 1440p. This yields 54.3 FPS, which is above the 50 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay in a stealth title. If you prioritize framerate over visual fidelity, dropping to Medium at 1440p gives you 72.7 FPS, a 34% improvement over High.

At 1080p, the choice depends on your display refresh rate. High settings deliver 83.4 FPS, which saturates a 60Hz monitor and approaches 75Hz territory. For 144Hz displays, Medium at 110.5 FPS is the better option, providing a 32% uplift over High while maintaining acceptable visual quality. Ultra at 1080p hits 60.3 FPS, which is technically playable but offers diminishing returns over High given the small visual difference in this 2018 title.

Avoid Ultra settings entirely at 1440p and 4K. The 1440p Ultra result of 40.2 FPS is below the playable threshold, and 4K Ultra at 19.9 FPS is a slideshow. Low settings are serviceable as a fallback, with 94.7 FPS at 1440p and 150.2 FPS at 1080p, but the visual compromise is significant for a game that relies on environmental detail for stealth gameplay.

The best overall experience is High at 1440p. It balances the GPU's strengths with the CPU's headroom, delivering a consistent 54.3 FPS that suits the game's methodical pacing. If you have a 1080p monitor, Medium at 110.5 FPS is the most responsive option without sacrificing too much image quality.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At High settings, performance falls from 83.4 FPS at 1080p to 54.3 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 27.5 FPS at 4K (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the RX 7600 XT's 2048 shading units and 128-bit memory bus become overwhelmed.

The data indicates that the i5-14600KF is not the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 150.2 FPS, which is well within the CPU's capability given its 20 threads and 5.30 GHz boost clock. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643 suggest it can feed the GPU at these framerates without issue.

The most telling metric is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 89.9 FPS (from 150.2 to 60.3), while at 4K it narrows to 29.5 FPS (from 49.4 to 19.9). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's compute resources, specifically its 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, are exhausted before the CPU's potential is reached.

If you plan to play at 4K, this combo will require significant settings compromises. Even Low settings at 4K only reach 49.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is insufficient for the pixel throughput demanded at 3840x2160, creating a hard cap on performance that no CPU upgrade can overcome.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1196 out of 1795 combos, this pairing sits in the lower third of the database for Hitman 2. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning (63rd percentile) rather than the CPU's high-end standing (93rd percentile). The combination is fundamentally imbalanced for this title, with the CPU capable of far more than the GPU can deliver at high resolutions.

The rank indicates that most tested configurations outperform this pairing, likely due to pairing the i5-14600KF with faster GPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49367 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU's 20146 average score in the 63rd percentile drags the combined system down.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals include the RX 7600 (20258 average, 0.6% faster) and the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534 average, 1.9% faster). These small deltas suggest that swapping to a slightly faster GPU would not meaningfully improve the combo's rank, while moving to a significantly higher-tier card would.

The 33rd percentile ranking is not a condemnation of the hardware, but rather a reflection of where this pairing sits in the performance hierarchy. It is a mainstream setup that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p adequately, but it cannot compete with high-end configurations at 4K. For the target audience of 1080p and 1440p gamers, this rank is acceptable; for 4K enthusiasts, it is a clear warning.

GPU Role

The RX 7600 XT is the defining component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. With a boost clock of 2755 MHz and a game clock of 2470 MHz, the card's 2048 shading units produce 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. This is sufficient for 1080p gaming but falls short at higher resolutions.

The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is generous for the card's class, but the 128-bit bus width limits bandwidth to 288.0 GB/s. This is the primary bottleneck at 4K, where the memory interface cannot supply data fast enough to keep the shaders busy. The 64 ROPs and 176.3 GPixel/s pixel rate further constrain high-resolution performance, as seen in the 4K Ultra result of 19.9 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores align with its gaming performance. The PassMark G3D score of 17132 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2348 place it in the mid-range tier. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 88301 suggests good driver optimization, but this does not translate to 4K capability.

The card's 190W TDP and 450W suggested PSU indicate it is designed for mainstream systems, not high-end builds. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is adequate for this performance level, and the 32 RT cores are present but not heavily utilized in Hitman 2, which is a DirectX 12 title but not ray-tracing intensive.

At 1080p, the GPU's strengths are evident. The 150.2 FPS Low result shows the card can push high framerates when not pixel-bound, and the 83.4 FPS High result demonstrates solid scaling. The 60.3 FPS Ultra result is the realistic ceiling for this card in this game, representing the point where the GPU's compute and memory resources are fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings average 150.2 FPS, Medium averages 110.5 FPS, High averages 83.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 60.3 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 60% reduction in framerate, which is expected for a GPU-bound scenario.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 94.7 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium averages 72.7 FPS, a 34% drop from 1080p Medium. High averages 54.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 49.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium averages 42.0 FPS, High averages 27.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 19.9 FPS. The 4K results show a clear pattern: the GPU cannot maintain playable framerates above Low settings.

The data shows a consistent scaling factor between resolutions. At High settings, 1080p to 1440p results in a 35% FPS drop, and 1440p to 4K results in a 49% drop. At Low settings, the drops are 37% and 48% respectively. This consistent scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting factor across all settings, with the CPU providing stable frame delivery throughout.

The 1440p Medium result of 72.7 FPS is the most balanced point in the dataset, offering good visual quality with responsive framerates. The 1080p Ultra result of 60.3 FPS is the maximum quality point that maintains 60 FPS. Any settings above these will result in framerates below 60 FPS, which is the threshold most players consider the minimum for a smooth experience in a stealth game.