Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination delivers playable performance in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: while the CPU provides ample headroom for high refresh rates at 1080p, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck as resolution scales upward, with performance dropping dramatically at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a textbook GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 88.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 54.3 FPS, a reduction of approximately 39%, and 4K High settings yield only 27.3 FPS, a 69% decline from the 1080p figure. This steep curve is characteristic of a mid-range GPU struggling with pixel throughput rather than a CPU limitation.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system hits 150 FPS, which falls to 100 FPS at 1440p and 50.2 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at the lowest settings 4K cannot reach 60 FPS confirms that the RX 6650 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are insufficient for the pixel demands of 2160p. The GPU’s 280.3 GB/s bandwidth and 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply outmatched at this resolution.

Ultra settings exacerbate the issue, with 1080p dropping to 63.7 FPS, 1440p to 42.5 FPS, and 4K to a stutter-prone 19.7 FPS. The scaling between Medium and High at each resolution is consistent, suggesting the game’s rendering pipeline responds linearly to settings changes rather than hitting any abrupt architectural limit. The data indicates that 1440p High (54.3 FPS) is the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay, with 1080p being the only resolution where all settings presets remain playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and Raptor Lake architecture provide substantial compute headroom. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and single-core score of 5003 place this CPU at the 94th percentile of all tested processors, indicating it ranks among the top 6% of CPUs in the database.

In Hitman 2, a stealth game that typically relies on a handful of threads for simulation and AI, the 14700F’s single-thread performance is the relevant metric. The Geekbench single-core score of 2711 and the Passmark single-thread score of 4261 demonstrate strong per-core throughput. The multi-core capability, while impressive (Geekbench multi-core 16571, Passmark multithread 41765), is largely unused by the game. The nearest rival, AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, scores only 0.6% higher in average benchmarks, meaning the 14700F is effectively equal in compute performance to that flagship part.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support are adequate for this game. The data shows no indication of CPU throttling or bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the frame rate peaks at 150 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate gap between 1080p and 1440p to be smaller. Instead, the consistent drops across all settings indicate the GPU is saturated well before the CPU reaches its limits. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that Hitman 2’s primary game thread has ample single-core performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K 60 FPS?

A: No. The measured data shows a maximum average of 50.2 FPS at 4K Low settings. At 4K High, the average drops to 27.3 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 19.7 FPS. The GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets remain playable. At 1440p, only Low (100 FPS) and Medium (74.2 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. 1440p High (54.3 FPS) is borderline playable but below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in average benchmark score, with a delta of -0.6%. It is also 1.1% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 29024, which is virtually identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (29011) and AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996).

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU at 1080p?

A: No. The 1080p Low preset reaches 150 FPS, and the CPU’s 94th percentile ranking and high single-core scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 5003) indicate it has ample headroom. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU limitations.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 100 FPS while Ultra averages 42.5 FPS. This represents a 57.5 FPS drop, or approximately 57.5% lower performance, when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 150 FPS on Low, 114.1 FPS on Medium, 88.7 FPS on High, and 63.7 FPS on Ultra. All four presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the only fully playable resolution. The spread between Low and Ultra is 86.3 FPS, indicating a wide performance range based on settings.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are 100 FPS on Low, 74.2 FPS on Medium, 54.3 FPS on High, and 42.5 FPS on Ultra. Only Low and Medium maintain 60 FPS or higher. The High preset is playable but not smooth, while Ultra falls into the 40 FPS range, which may be acceptable for a stealth game but is not ideal.

At 3840x2160, the results are 50.2 FPS on Low, 37.1 FPS on Medium, 27.3 FPS on High, and 19.7 FPS on Ultra. No preset achieves 60 FPS at 4K. Even Low settings, which typically reduce pixel shader load, cannot overcome the GPU’s bandwidth and compute limitations at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1150th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 36th percentile of all system pairings. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range status (72nd percentile) rather than the CPU’s high-end standing (94th percentile). The ranking indicates that the GPU drags the overall system down relative to what the CPU could support.

In practical terms, this means the 14700F is paired with a GPU that cannot fully utilize its potential in Hitman 2. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the Passmark multithread score of 41765, are wasted in this game because the RX 6650 XT saturates well before the CPU maxes out. The rank of 1150 suggests that many other combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would outperform this pairing in Hitman 2.

The data implies that for this specific game, the GPU choice is the primary determinant of overall performance. Upgrading the CPU would yield negligible gains, while upgrading the GPU would provide significant improvements at 1440p and 4K. The combo sits in the lower-middle tier of tested systems, suitable for 1080p gaming but outmatched at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 63.7 FPS is the recommended choice. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay above the 60 FPS threshold. If higher frame rates are preferred, High at 88.7 FPS offers a good balance, and Medium at 114.1 FPS is excellent for competitive play or 144Hz displays.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 74.2 FPS is the optimal selection. This is the highest settings level that maintains 60 FPS or above. The High preset at 54.3 FPS is playable but may cause noticeable stutter during action sequences. The Low preset at 100 FPS is unnecessary unless maximum frame rate is the priority.

At 4K, no preset is fully recommended. The Low preset at 50.2 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it requires significant visual compromises. Users with 4K displays should either accept 30 FPS territory with High settings (27.3 FPS) or reduce resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in Hitman 2.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. These specifications place it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units handle Hitman 2’s rendering workload, but the 128-bit memory bus is a clear limitation at high resolutions. The 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 337.3 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p and entry-level 1440p, but the 4K results show the GPU running out of memory bandwidth. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Hitman 2’s textures, but the bandwidth constraint becomes the bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, has an identical average benchmark score with a deltaPct of 0, meaning the RX 6650 XT is statistically equivalent to that mobile part. The Passmark G3D score of 17166 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 93769 reflect its mid-range positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1859 confirms that this GPU is not designed for high-resolution gaming, which the measured Hitman 2 results validate.