Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a strong Hitman 2 experience across all tested resolutions, though the settings you choose dramatically alter the outcome. At 1080p, this combo ranges from 93.7 FPS on Ultra to 224.5 FPS on Low, while at 4K it drops to 32.1 FPS on Ultra but remains playable at 46.8 FPS on High. The data suggests this pairing is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it hits 83.1 FPS on High and 108.7 FPS on Medium, making it a versatile option for stealth-action playthroughs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows reveal a clear sweet spot for this combo. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 130.3 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay while retaining visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 171.9 FPS offers a significant margin for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the jump from Medium to High costs roughly 41.6 FPS (from 171.9 to 130.3), which is a substantial visual upgrade for most players. For 2560x1440, the High preset at 83.1 FPS is the best balance—it stays above the 60 FPS threshold comfortably while providing the visual quality Hitman 2's detailed environments deserve. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 62.7 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. At 3840x2160, High at 46.8 FPS is the only sensible choice above Low; Medium at 60.4 FPS is technically playable, but the visual jump from Medium to High is worth the 13.6 FPS trade-off for a game that rewards observing details. Avoid Ultra at 4K, as the 32.1 FPS result will feel sluggish during stealth sequences where quick reactions matter.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is the primary driver of frame rate differences across resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units, scales predictably as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the GPU pushes 224.5 FPS, showing it is not the limiting factor at lower settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 32.1 FPS indicates the 10 GB frame buffer and memory bandwidth are stressed heavily at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data shows a consistent pattern: moving from 1440p High at 83.1 FPS to 4K High at 46.8 FPS represents a 43.7% performance loss, which aligns with the pixel count increase. The RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1440p High, but the 4K Ultra numbers reveal the card's limits. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 25086 places it in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 35787 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860, -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon 880M (35646, 0.4% delta), confirming it sits in a competitive performance bracket.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F contributes significantly to Hitman 2's frame pacing, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. With 20 cores and 28 threads, this Raptor Lake-R processor has ample parallel throughput for the game's simulation and AI logic. Its boost clock of 5.40 GHz and base clock of 2.10 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2711. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with level streaming and NPC behavior calculations. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are substantial—Cinebench R23 multi-core hits 35443, and Passmark multithread reaches 41765—but Hitman 2's engine does not fully utilize 28 threads. The evidence for CPU headroom appears in the 1080p Low result: 224.5 FPS, which is nearly double the 4K High result of 46.8 FPS. This gap indicates the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render at high resolutions. The processor's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 54097 place it just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681), while staying 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469). In Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU's single-core strength matters more than raw core count, and the 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures no bottleneck at 1440p and below.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 559th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 31.1% of all system pairings measured. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 94th percentile standing and the GPU's 80th percentile standing—the CPU is notably stronger relative to its peers than the GPU. This disparity explains why the combo performs better at lower resolutions where the CPU has more influence on frame rates. At 1080p, the combo's frame rates (93.7 to 224.5 FPS depending on settings) are competitive with systems featuring more powerful GPUs, because the 14700F's strong single-thread performance prevents CPU bottlenecks. At 4K, the rank would likely be lower if re-measured in isolation, as the RTX 3080's 80th percentile GPU performance becomes the limiting factor. The combo's position at 559 of 1795 suggests it is a solid mid-to-upper tier setup for Hitman 2, capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and smooth 60 FPS experiences at 1440p, but not optimized for 4K Ultra gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the RTX 3080 as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At High settings, performance drops from 130.3 FPS at 1080p to 83.1 FPS at 1440p (a 36.2% reduction) and then to 46.8 FPS at 4K (a 43.7% reduction from 1440p). The scaling is not linear—the jump from 1440p to 4K represents a 2.25x pixel increase but only a 1.78x frame rate decrease, suggesting some CPU overhead is still present at 1440p. At Low settings, the pattern is even more telling: 224.5 FPS at 1080p drops to 143.3 FPS at 1440p (36.2% reduction) and then to 80 FPS at 4K (44.2% reduction). The Low preset results show the CPU's influence diminishing as resolution increases—at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely near its limit, while at 4K Low, the GPU is fully saturated. The Medium preset follows the same curve: 171.9 FPS at 1080p, 108.7 FPS at 1440p, and 60.4 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the steepest drop, from 93.7 FPS at 1080p to 62.7 FPS at 1440p (33.1% reduction) and then to 32.1 FPS at 4K (48.8% reduction from 1440p). This data indicates that for 4K gaming, the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for Ultra settings, but the combo remains viable at High and Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings provides 83.1 FPS, which is the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, High hits 130.3 FPS, but the visual upgrade to 1440p is substantial for only a 47.2 FPS loss.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K High, the combo averages 46.8 FPS, which is playable, while 4K Medium hits 60.4 FPS. Ultra at 4K drops to 32.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 35787 is 0.2% below the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35860) and 0.9% below the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101), while staying 0.4% above the AMD Radeon 880M (35646) and 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435).

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F a bottleneck for the RTX 3080?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 224.5 FPS, suggesting the CPU can drive frames faster than the GPU can render at low settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with the CPU's influence diminishing as resolution increases.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Medium at 1440p averages 108.7 FPS, while High averages 83.1 FPS—a 25.6 FPS difference. The High preset offers better visual quality for a moderate performance cost.

Q: How does this CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in overall benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54097, which is 0.6% below the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X's 54450. The difference is negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, including Hitman 2.