Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a formidable Hitman 2 experience, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate play at 1440p, while 4K Ultra remains a demanding target. The following analysis breaks down the measured results.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Hitman 2?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 81st out of 1795 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 4.5% of all configurations.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K's score of 49166. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X by 0.6%.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 203.3 FPS. For a more balanced visual quality, 1920x1080 on High produces 182.5 FPS, making both excellent options for high refresh rate displays.

Q: How demanding is the Ultra preset at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 48.9 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration tested and falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The RTX 5080 ranks in the 89th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its closest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326, a 1.9% difference.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 318.9 FPS, which is 6.5 times higher than the 48.9 FPS achieved at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for handling the detailed textures and geometry of Hitman 2's sandbox levels. The GPU's 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs process the scene data efficiently, with a boost clock of 2617 MHz ensuring high throughput.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. When comparing the 1440p High to 4K High results, the average frame rate drops from 114.8 FPS to 62.5 FPS, a 45% reduction. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound workload, where the pixel output demand increases fourfold while the CPU workload remains relatively static. The RTX 5080's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 45,600 million transistors.

The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is leveraged heavily in Hitman 2's rendering, from lighting calculations to post-processing effects. The performance percentile of 89 indicates that this GPU sits well above the median, but its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A580 with a 2.5% score difference, show that the market is competitive. The 360 W TDP and 750 W suggested PSU requirement are notable for system builders, but the measured FPS data confirms the card's capability in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound performance curve. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces 182.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 114.8 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 62.5 FPS, another 46% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern holds across all settings presets.

The Low settings preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 318.9 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests that the CPU is beginning to approach its limit. At 1440p, it drops to 203.3 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 111.9 FPS. The 4K Low result is still highly playable, indicating that even at lower graphical fidelity, the pixel throughput of 4K is a significant burden.

The scaling ratio between 1080p and 4K is remarkably consistent across presets. For High settings, the 4K FPS is 34% of the 1080p FPS (62.5 / 182.5). For Medium, it is 35% (83.3 / 240.9). For Ultra, it is 37% (48.9 / 133.4). This consistency implies that the limiting component remains the GPU across all settings. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, provides enough headroom that it does not become a bottleneck until frame rates exceed 300 FPS, which only occurs at 1080p Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across twelve configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptionally high. The Low preset delivers an average of 318.9 FPS, the highest of any tested configuration. Medium settings produce 240.9 FPS, while High settings achieve 182.5 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most visually demanding, still manages a strong 133.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is primarily CPU-limited, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent. The Low preset averages 203.3 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. Medium settings produce 152.5 FPS, and High settings achieve 114.8 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 85.5 FPS, which is still comfortably playable for a stealth game that does not require twitch reflexes. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a clear GPU influence, as the frame rate reduction is proportional to the increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become apparent. The Low preset averages 111.9 FPS, which is playable but shows a significant drop from the 203.3 FPS at 1440p. Medium settings produce 83.3 FPS, and High settings achieve 62.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 48.9 FPS. This is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K Ultra requires either a reduction in settings or a more powerful GPU. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient, but the compute load of Ultra settings at 4K is substantial.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 81st out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This placement in the top 4.5% of all configurations underscores the strength of this pairing. The CPU's percentile of 93 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367, places it above the vast majority of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K with a 0.4% higher score, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with a 0.6% lower score.

The GPU's percentile of 89 among all GPUs, with an average score of 59188, is slightly lower than the CPU's percentile. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, meaning that its performance is more critical to the final result. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A580 with a 2.5% score difference, are not in the same performance class for gaming, but the benchmark scores reflect a broader range of workloads.

The ranking of 81 out of 1795 is notable because it places this combo ahead of numerous configurations with more expensive components. The data suggests that the i5-14600KF provides sufficient single-thread and multi-thread performance to feed the RTX 5080 effectively in Hitman 2. The CPU's high single-core score of 4643 in Cinebench R23 is particularly relevant for a game that relies on a main simulation thread. The combination's performance at 1440p, where it achieves over 114 FPS on High settings, demonstrates that this is a well-balanced setup for high-refresh-rate gaming without requiring a top-tier CPU.