Hitman 2

Hitman 2’s benchmark results for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination reveal a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong single-threaded performance ensures high frame rates at lower settings. The data shows a clear progression of average FPS across resolutions and quality presets, providing insight into where each component’s capabilities end and the other’s begin.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline varies significantly based on the quality preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 253.5 FPS, which drops to 147.4 FPS at High settings and further to 105.8 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the same Low preset yields 162.6 FPS, while High produces 93.8 FPS and Ultra falls to 67.3 FPS. At 4K, the numbers compress considerably: Low settings deliver 85.7 FPS, High drops to 51.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 36.7 FPS.

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K is steepest at Low settings, where the average FPS falls by 66.2% (from 253.5 to 85.7). This massive drop indicates that at Low settings, the system is not limited by the GPU’s rendering workload but rather by its raw throughput capabilities. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the drop from 105.8 FPS to 36.7 FPS represents a 65.3% reduction, showing that even when the workload is heavy, the GPU remains the dominant bottleneck. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, falling from 194.4 FPS at 1080p to 66.6 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 65.7%.

Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is relatively modest compared to the jump from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 53.6 FPS (a 36.4% drop), while moving from 1440p to 4K costs 42.5 FPS (a 45.3% drop). This suggests that the RTX 5070’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become increasingly stressed as the pixel count approaches 4K. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the system falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider playable, while 4K High barely exceeds it at 51.3 FPS. The resolution scaling strongly implies that the GPU is the limiting component at all tested settings, as the CPU’s capability to feed frames is not exhausted until frame rates exceed roughly 200 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary driver of performance in Hitman 2, as evidenced by the frame rate collapse at higher resolutions. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, along with 6144 shading units and 80 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz allow it to sustain high throughput, yet the benchmark results show that even this configuration struggles at 4K Ultra, where it averages only 36.7 FPS.

The GPU’s memory capacity appears sufficient for the game’s needs, as the difference between Medium and High settings at 4K is only 15.3 FPS (66.6 vs. 51.3), suggesting that the 12 GB frame buffer is not being exhausted. Instead, the limiting factor is likely the raw compute and memory bandwidth. The RTX 5070’s FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s are substantial, but Hitman 2’s geometry and shadow calculations at Ultra preset appear to overwhelm the 80 ROPs, resulting in the lowest frame rates.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the database, the RTX 5070’s average benchmark score of 41687 places it just 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, while sitting 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580X. This tight clustering suggests that the RTX 5070’s performance in synthetic tests aligns closely with previous generation high-end cards, but in Hitman 2 specifically, the measured FPS indicates that the GPU’s architectural advantages (such as RT cores and Tensor cores) are not heavily utilized in this older title. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 83 versus all GPUs further confirms that it sits in the upper tier of available hardware, yet the 4K Ultra result of 36.7 FPS reveals that Hitman 2 remains a demanding title for even this class of hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides a strong foundation for Hitman 2, but its influence on frame rates diminishes as resolution increases. The CPU features 14 cores and 20 threads with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and a base clock of 3.50 GHz, backed by 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In single-threaded workloads, which are critical for game logic and draw call processing, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2778.

The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 253.5 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. However, the CPU’s role becomes less critical at 4K, where the GPU’s pixel processing dominates. The fact that the 1080p Low result (253.5 FPS) is more than double the 4K Low result (85.7 FPS) demonstrates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the GPU simply cannot keep up with the increased pixel count.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance, as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a Passmark multithread score of 38697, ensures that Hitman 2’s background simulation and AI routines have ample headroom. The processor’s percentile ranking of 93 versus all CPUs indicates it outperforms the vast majority of desktop processors. When compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF sits 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, showing that it is essentially tied with the best competition in its class. The CPU’s 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest it can sustain high clocks under load, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times in a stealth game where sudden peaks in NPC count can occur.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 147.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to the RTX 3090 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 3090’s score of 41441, indicating nearly identical performance in non-game-specific tests.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the 4K Ultra result of 36.7 FPS is far below what the CPU can feed; the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance is not the constraint at this resolution.

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

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 194.4 at 1080p to 66.6 at 4K, representing a 65.7% reduction, which highlights the GPU’s workload scaling with pixel count.

Q: How does the i5-14600KF rank among all CPUs in the database?

A: The processor ranks in the 93rd percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367, placing it near the top tier of desktop processors.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM limit performance in Hitman 2?

A: The data does not indicate a VRAM limitation, as the difference between Medium and High at 4K is only 15.3 FPS, suggesting the 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game’s requirements at these settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 369th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 20.6% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system’s strong overall performance, but it also reveals that there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this specific title. The combo’s position is likely influenced by the GPU’s relatively modest 83rd percentile ranking versus all GPUs, despite the CPU’s excellent 93rd percentile ranking.

The ranking of 369 suggests that while this system is capable of playing Hitman 2 at high frame rates in most scenarios, it falls short of the top-tier configurations that might pair higher-end GPUs (such as those with better 4K performance) with similar or better CPUs. The 4K Ultra result of 36.7 FPS is below the 60 FPS target that many competitive combos achieve, which likely drags the overall ranking down. However, the system’s 1080p and 1440p performance is robust, with the 1080p High result of 147.4 FPS and 1440p High result of 93.8 FPS providing a smooth experience for most users.

The ranking data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 67.3 FPS at Ultra and 93.8 FPS at High, but it is not optimized for 4K Ultra. Users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need to consider a more powerful GPU, while those focused on 1080p competitive play would find this system more than adequate. Overall, the 369th rank out of 1795 combos positions this system as a solid mid-to-high-tier choice, with the CPU providing ample headroom and the GPU acting as the primary performance ceiling in Hitman 2.