Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-14700F + AMD Radeon RX 7600

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, presents an interesting stress test for this particular pairing. The data reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. The measured FPS across resolutions shows a predictable pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at 4K, suggesting that the 8 GB VRAM buffer and the GPU's raw compute capacity are the limiting factors. At 1080p, the frame rates climb to a range where the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads have more headroom to flex, but the overall experience is dictated by the graphics card's performance tier.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and telling. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 85.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53.7 FPS at 2560x1440, then plummets to 30 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 65% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 7600, with its 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, struggles to feed the pixel pipeline at 4K, particularly when texture quality and shading complexity increase. The Ultra preset at 4K is nearly unplayable at 19 FPS, while Low at 4K manages 51 FPS — a 2.7x difference between the two extremes at that resolution.

The scaling behavior changes character as you move down in resolution. At 1440p, Medium settings yield 69.3 FPS, and at 1080p, the same preset hits 107.9 FPS. This indicates that the GPU still has headroom at lower resolutions, but the CPU is not the limiting component here — the i7-14700F's single-core performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003, is more than adequate for Hitman 2's engine. The data suggests that resolution scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is typical for a game that is primarily rasterization-bound. The RX 7600's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply overwhelmed at 4K, regardless of the CPU's capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At 1080p, all presets except Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 144 FPS and Medium hitting 107.9 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (92.6 FPS) and Medium (69.3 FPS) clear the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600's average benchmark score is 20258, which is 0.6% lower than the RX 7600 XT and 0.8% lower than the RX 460, but 1.3% higher than the RTX 3070 Mobile and 1.5% higher than the Intel Arc B570.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 19, while the CPU's multi-core score (35443 in Cinebench R23) suggests it is not the constraint.

Q: What is the largest FPS jump between settings at a single resolution?

A: At 1080p, moving from Ultra (59.4 FPS) to Low (144 FPS) yields a 142% increase. At 4K, the jump from Ultra (19 FPS) to Low (51 FPS) is a 168% improvement.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1247 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all possible CPU/GPU pairings for Hitman 2.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM appear to be a constraint?

A: The data suggests yes at 4K, where the gap between Medium (39.1 FPS) and High (30 FPS) is 23%, indicating that VRAM capacity may be limiting texture streaming and causing performance degradation at higher quality settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the star of this show, for better or worse. Its boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz are respectable for a 6 nm part, but the 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest for 4K gaming. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the GPU's 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient to push frame rates above 100 FPS on Medium, but at 4K, the same compute power is spread across four times the pixels, resulting in sub-40 FPS on all settings except Low.

The GPU's benchmark scores tell a similar story. Its Passmark G3D score of 16634 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, which is mid-range territory. The nearest rivals — the RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher score), RX 460 (0.8% higher), RTX 3070 Mobile (1.3% lower), and Arc B570 (1.5% lower) — are all within a tight performance band, suggesting that the RX 7600 is a well-balanced entry point but not a high-end solution. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310 reinforces this, as does the Geekbench Vulkan score of 90825. For Hitman 2, the GPU's role is to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it becomes the clear bottleneck, particularly when settings are pushed to High or Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, Medium settings (107.9 FPS) offer the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, as High (85.7 FPS) is still very playable but the frame rate drop is noticeable. Low at 1080p hits 144 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a stealth game where ambient detail matters. At 1440p, Medium (69.3 FPS) is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience with decent visuals, while Low (92.6 FPS) sacrifices too much detail for marginal gains.

At 4K, the situation is dire. Ultra (19 FPS) is unplayable, High (30 FPS) is borderline, and Medium (39.1 FPS) is still below the 60 FPS target. Low (51 FPS) is the only setting that approaches playability, but even that falls short of the ideal threshold. The data suggests that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming with this title, and users should either drop to 1440p or accept Low settings at 4K. The percentile ranking of the GPU (63rd) and the combo rank (1247 of 1795) reinforce that this is a mid-range pairing best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Medium to High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS dataset reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 144 FPS, Medium 107.9 FPS, High 85.7 FPS, and Ultra 59.4 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 20.6% drop, while High to Ultra is a 30.7% drop, indicating that the Ultra preset places a disproportionate load on the GPU. At 2560x1440, the figures are: Low 92.6 FPS, Medium 69.3 FPS, High 53.7 FPS, and Ultra 40.1 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings ranges from 35.7% (Low) to 32.5% (Ultra), showing a consistent scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 51 FPS, Medium 39.1 FPS, High 30 FPS, and Ultra 19 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is stark: Low drops 44.9%, Medium drops 43.6%, High drops 44.1%, and Ultra drops 52.6%. This disproportionate drop at Ultra suggests that the 8 GB VRAM buffer is being exceeded at 4K with Ultra settings, causing the GPU to fall back on slower memory operations. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so the averages alone must guide interpretation — but the trend is unambiguous: this combo delivers playable frame rates up to 1440p, with 1080p being the only resolution where all presets are viable.

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 benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multi-core of 35443 and single-core of 5003, with a Geekbench multi-core of 16571 and single-core of 2711. The Passmark multi-thread score of 41765 and single-thread score of 4261 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, making it a top-tier processor for gaming workloads. However, in Hitman 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game's engine is not heavily threaded, and the i7-14700F's single-core performance is more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RX 7600.

The nearest rival comparisons show the i7-14700F is 0.6% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, but 1.2% ahead of the Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the EPYC 7313P. This places the CPU in a strong position, but the measured FPS data indicates that it is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the CPU can push 144 FPS, suggesting it has headroom for even higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU. The 65 W TDP and 33 MB of L3 cache are efficient for gaming, and the DDR4/DDR5 memory support allows for flexibility, but none of these factors translate into a meaningful FPS advantage in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1247 out of 1795 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the 69.4th percentile of all possible CPU/GPU pairings — meaning it outperforms roughly 30% of tested combos. This is a middling result, reflecting the fact that the RX 7600 is a mid-range GPU (63rd percentile) paired with a high-end CPU (94th percentile). The imbalance is evident: the CPU could drive a much faster GPU, but the GPU holds the system back. The rank suggests that many other combinations — likely those with more powerful GPUs — achieve higher frame rates, even if their CPUs are weaker.

The data implies that this pairing is mismatched for Hitman 2. The i7-14700F's capabilities are largely underutilized, as the game is not CPU-bound at any resolution or setting. The GPU, meanwhile, is consistently the limiting factor, particularly at 4K where even Low settings struggle to hit 60 FPS. For users considering this combo, the benchmark results suggest that a GPU with more VRAM and bandwidth would yield significantly better results in this title, while the CPU would remain a stable foundation. The rank of 1247 out of 1795 is not a condemnation — it is simply a reflection of the GPU's mid-range positioning within the broader landscape of tested hardware.