Hitman 2

The pairing of an Intel Core i7-14700F with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 in Hitman 2 reveals a system where the GPU is the clear performance ceiling. The data shows a dramatic frame rate variance across resolutions, but the pattern of scaling indicates that the 2016-era graphics card is struggling to keep pace with the modern 20-core processor. This combination ranks 1516 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all systems, a position that reflects the GPU's age rather than any CPU deficiency. The benchmarks demonstrate that while the i7-14700F has the headroom to push high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GTX 1070's Pascal architecture simply cannot sustain playable performance when pixel counts rise.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck resides. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 116.9 FPS, which is a strong result that indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU effectively. However, the moment resolution increases, the frame rate collapses in a pattern typical of GPU-bound workloads. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops performance to 76.7 FPS, a 34.3% reduction that is far steeper than what the pixel count increase alone would suggest. By 3840x2160, the Low preset yields just 41.1 FPS, meaning the system loses 64.8% of its 1080p performance when scaling to 4K.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GTX 1070 as the limiting component. The GTX 1070 has 1920 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus with 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth, and those specifications are being overwhelmed by the demands of 4K rendering. The High preset shows the same trend, dropping from 65 FPS at 1080p to 40.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 25 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and High at 4K is substantial, with High delivering 25 FPS versus Low's 41.1 FPS, a 39.2% penalty for increasing visual fidelity. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, falling to 18.4 FPS at 4K, which is unplayable by any standard.

The data also reveals that the CPU is not the constraining factor at any resolution. The i7-14700F features 20 cores and 28 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across resolutions, but instead they scale down consistently with increased pixel count. The fact that 1080p Low hits 116.9 FPS proves the CPU can drive high frame rates; the GPU simply cannot maintain them as the workload grows. This is a textbook case of GPU-limited performance, where the 8 GB GDDR5 memory and 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient for 4K gaming in a 2018 title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system maintains consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 49.8 FPS, while 1440p drops to 35 FPS on Ultra and 4K falls to 18.4 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-14700F bottleneck the GTX 1070?

A: No. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and single-core score of 5003 indicate it has ample headroom. The frame rate scaling pattern, where performance drops by over 60% from 1080p to 4K, is consistent with GPU limitation, not CPU limitation.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 1516 out of 1795 combos, putting it in the bottom 15.5% of all tested configurations. The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, which drags down the overall ranking despite the CPU's strong 94th percentile standing.

Q: What is the difference in frame rates between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 116.9 FPS, Medium achieves 90.9 FPS, High reaches 65 FPS, and Ultra drops to 49.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 67.1 FPS, representing a 57.4% performance loss for maximum visual quality.

Q: Is the GTX 1070's 8 GB memory capacity sufficient for this game?

A: The 8 GB GDDR5 memory with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for 1080p and 1440p, as frame rates remain playable at those resolutions. However, at 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor, with even the Low preset dropping to 41.1 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 is 1.3% lower than the GTX 880M's 12490 and 1.4% lower than the GTX 1650 SUPER's 12504. It sits 0.7% higher than the Quadro K4200's 12241.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific hardware combination, the measured data provides a clear hierarchy of playable settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 116.9 FPS, which is far above the smooth threshold and leaves substantial headroom. However, the Medium preset at 90.9 FPS offers a better balance, providing improved visual quality while still maintaining high frame rates. The High preset at 65 FPS is also viable for players who prefer visual fidelity, as 65 FPS is generally sufficient for a stealth game where reaction times are less critical than in competitive shooters. The Ultra preset at 49.8 FPS is borderline, but for a title like Hitman 2, which emphasizes atmosphere and detail, some players may find it acceptable.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts significantly. The Low preset achieves 76.7 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset drops to 56.4 FPS, which is still acceptable. The High preset at 40.5 FPS is marginal, and the Ultra preset at 35 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. For 1440p gaming, the data suggests sticking with Low or Medium settings to stay above 50 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation is more dire. The Low preset's 41.1 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but even that is below the ideal threshold. Medium at 27.8 FPS, High at 25 FPS, and Ultra at 18.4 FPS are all too low for comfortable gameplay.

The best experience per the measured rows is at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 90.9 FPS while retaining some visual enhancements over Low. This configuration provides a 39.9% improvement over High settings' 65 FPS while only sacrificing some graphical detail. For players who prioritize frame rate above all, the 1080p Low preset at 116.9 FPS is the clear winner, but the Medium preset offers the best compromise between performance and image quality. The GTX 1070's 8 GB memory and 1920 shading units are sufficient for this workload at 1080p Medium, but pushing beyond that resolution requires significant compromises in settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking of this combination is 1516 out of 1795 tested combos, which places it in the 15.5th percentile of all systems. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities. The GTX 1070's percentileVsAllGpus of 51 means it sits exactly at the median of all GPUs, but the i7-14700F's percentileVsAllCpus of 94 shows the processor is in the top 6% of all CPUs. This mismatch between a top-tier CPU and a mid-tier GPU creates a system that underperforms relative to what the processor alone could achieve.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores illustrate its position in the market. The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 is within 2% of several competing cards, including the GTX 1650 SUPER at 12504 and the GTX 880M at 12490. This clustering shows that the GTX 1070 is firmly in the mid-range category, despite being released in 2016. The CPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 54097, which is only 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X's 54450 and 1.1% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 54681. This means the i7-14700F is performing at the level of AMD's latest flagship processors, but the GPU is holding the entire system back.

In the context of Hitman 2 specifically, the ranking of 1516 suggests that most other combinations tested achieve better frame rates. The game's stealth genre and detailed environments are demanding on GPU resources, and the GTX 1070's 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for high resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 41.1 FPS, are particularly telling. This combo would be better suited for 1080p gaming, where it can compete with higher-ranked systems, but any attempt to push resolution will result in a significant drop in the rankings relative to other tested configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting role in this system, and its specifications indicate it is more than capable of handling Hitman 2's CPU demands. With 20 cores and 28 threads, the processor provides massive parallel processing power, which is evident in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, as demonstrated by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003. These numbers place the CPU in the 94th percentile of all processors, meaning it outperforms 94% of CPUs on the market.

The CPU's architecture, Raptor Lake with a 10 nm process node, provides 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. This cache hierarchy is beneficial for games like Hitman 2 that feature large, detailed environments requiring frequent data access. The DDR4 and DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration ensures the CPU can feed the GPU with data quickly, though the GPU's 256.3 GB/s bandwidth becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The PassMark multi-thread score of 41765 and single-thread score of 4261 further confirm the CPU's strength.

However, the data clearly shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 116.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would require significant CPU involvement. If the i7-14700F were struggling, we would see frame rates plateau around 60-70 FPS regardless of settings. Instead, the frame rates scale with GPU load, dropping to 49.8 FPS at Ultra and 25 FPS at 4K High. This pattern indicates that the CPU has headroom to spare, and the GTX 1070 is the component that determines the system's gaming performance. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are overkill for a 2018 game, but they ensure that future titles or more demanding scenarios will not be CPU-limited. In this specific case, the i7-14700F is a high-end processor paired with a mid-range GPU, and the benchmark results show the GPU's limitations are the primary constraint on gaming performance.