Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware at higher resolutions. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 across a range of settings. The data indicates a system capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, with significant compromises required for 4K play.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60+ FPS average?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves over 100 FPS on High settings (100.6 FPS) and 74.8 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 65.9 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. For 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the highest average is 57.6 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K's average score of 49166. This makes the KF variant essentially identical in synthetic performance to its K-series counterpart.

Q: What is the GPU's performance standing among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has a percentile rank of 66 among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than 66% of them in the database. Its average benchmark score is 23181, placing it in the upper-midrange tier.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4060 and the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Arc B580's average score of 23021. This indicates that the RTX 4060 holds a marginal performance lead over the Arc B580 in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: The measured data shows a substantial difference. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 110.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. This represents a 63.9 FPS drop in average performance when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: Is the Core i5-14600KF a high-performing processor in general?

A: Yes, the data indicates it is. The processor holds a percentile rank of 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 49367, and it has an average score of 38697 in the PassMark multithread test.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how this system scales with graphical settings. For players targeting the standard 60 FPS threshold, the optimal choice depends heavily on the monitor's resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system has ample headroom. The High preset delivers an average of 100.6 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate displays. Even the Ultra preset, with an average of 74.8 FPS, remains comfortably above 60 FPS and is the best choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset, at 127.3 FPS, is a strong alternative for competitive play, while the Low preset's 173.5 FPS average suggests it is primarily for maximizing frame rates on very high refresh rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The High preset, with an average of 65.9 FPS, is the recommended sweet spot for a 60 Hz monitor, offering a good blend of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin at 84.6 FPS, which is a better choice for players with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays. The Ultra preset, averaging 47 FPS, is not recommended for smooth gameplay but could be used for taking screenshots. The Low preset hits 110.9 FPS, making it the choice for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 becomes the limiting factor. No preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 57.6 FPS, which is usable but not ideal. The Medium preset drops to 46.6 FPS, and High falls to 36.2 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at an average of 25.1 FPS. For a smoother 4K experience, players would need to rely on lower internal resolutions or accept the Low preset's performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF 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 results, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643, indicate a strong processor that is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU in most gaming scenarios.

In this system, the CPU's single-threaded performance is crucial for Hitman 2's game logic and frame pacing. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz helps ensure that the CPU can quickly process the game's simulation, which is often the primary task for the processor in a stealth game. The multi-core performance, evidenced by the Geekbench multi-core score of 15636, also helps with background tasks and any game engine threads that can utilize multiple cores.

The CPU's overall standing is robust. With a percentile rank of 93, it sits in the top 7% of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49367 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 49166, a delta of only 0.4%. It also slightly outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which has an average score of 49062, a 0.6% difference. This data confirms that the 14600KF provides top-tier processing power that complements the RTX 4060 well.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 977 out of 1795 tested combinations in this game. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of all other pairings in the database.

This mid-pack ranking is a direct result of the GPU's position in the market. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the RTX 4060 is a more mainstream component. The system's overall rank is therefore heavily influenced by the GPU's performance limits, especially at higher resolutions like 4K, where the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become more significant constraints.

The ranking indicates that while this is not a top-tier enthusiast system, it is a well-balanced mid-range configuration. It is more powerful than a system pairing a lower-end CPU with the same GPU, and its performance is primarily determined by the graphics card. For 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo is well-suited, but it does not have the raw graphics power to rank among the highest-performing systems for 4K gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. With a boost clock of 2460 MHz and 3072 shading units, it delivers 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its average benchmark score is 23181, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Hitman 2 is the primary determinant of frame rate, especially at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern. At 1920x1080, the GPU provides excellent performance, with the Ultra preset averaging 74.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly, but the High preset still averages 65.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations are clear, with the High preset averaging only 36.2 FPS.

The performance headroom of the RTX 4060 is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for these resolutions, and its memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is adequate. However, at 4K, the demands on both VRAM capacity and bandwidth increase, leading to the substantial performance drop seen in the data. The GPU's closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, has a slightly higher average score of 23321, a -0.6% delta, showing the RTX 4060 is competitive with its peers. The data suggests this GPU is best paired with 1080p or 1440p monitors for a smooth gaming experience.