Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is an older stealth title, but it remains demanding at high resolutions and settings. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination shows a clear performance hierarchy across the tested presets. The results indicate that this system is exceptionally strong at 1080p, very capable at 1440p, and only begins to struggle at 4K with the most demanding settings. The data suggests a balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data makes it easy to identify the optimal settings for different display resolutions. For 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly powerful. Even at Ultra settings, the average FPS is 97.6, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 179.1 FPS and High preset at 131.5 FPS offer even higher headroom for competitive play or maximum smoothness. For most users at 1080p, the High preset at 131.5 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance, while Ultra is still perfectly playable.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a turning point. The Ultra preset drops to 63.3 FPS, which is playable but might not be ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset, however, delivers a robust 85.7 FPS, making it the sweet spot for 1440p gaming. This setting provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (112.1 FPS) without the performance cost of Ultra. The recommendation here is clear: choose High for the best experience, as it maintains a smooth frame rate while preserving most of the game's graphical detail.

For 3840x2160, the system is pushed to its limits. The High preset averages 45 FPS, which is borderline for a stealth game where precision is key. The Medium preset at 58.5 FPS is more comfortable, but you sacrifice visual quality. The Ultra preset at 35.6 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience. The data strongly suggests that the best 4K experience is achieved with the Medium preset, which offers a playable frame rate while still looking respectable. The Low preset at 83.6 FPS is an option for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but it negates the benefits of a 4K display.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but just barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 35.6 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer, so while it is technically playable, it may feel less fluid, especially in crowded or action-heavy scenes.

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

A: The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K, the FPS drops significantly from 1080p (e.g., 45 FPS at 4K High vs. 131.5 FPS at 1080p High), which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 score of 5003, provides sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the best setting for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset is the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 85.7 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, while providing a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset (112.1 FPS). The Ultra preset (63.3 FPS) is an option, but the performance drop is noticeable for the graphical gain.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with the Low preset?

A: The system achieves a very high average of 234.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates that the combination of the i7-14700F and RTX 3080 Ti is extremely powerful for this game at 1080p, providing massive headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Is there a big performance difference between Medium and High settings at 4K?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. The Medium preset averages 58.5 FPS, while the High preset averages 45 FPS. This represents a significant drop in smoothness. For a consistent 4K experience, the Medium preset is the more viable option.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 506 out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the top 28% of all tested systems, indicating a strong performance level overall.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces 131.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings reduces performance to 85.7 FPS, a drop to roughly 65% of the 1080p figure. When scaling up to 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to 45, which is only about 34% of the 1080p performance. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Ultra, the system goes from 97.6 FPS at 1080p to 63.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 35.6 FPS at 4K. The frame rate at 4K is less than half of what is achieved at 1440p. This demonstrates that the GPU's rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count, and the RTX 3080 Ti, despite its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, begins to run out of processing power at 4K. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, meaning the performance ceiling at 4K is strictly dictated by the graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following results were measured for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination:

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 234.4 FPS, Medium averages 179.1 FPS, High averages 131.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 97.6 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the system is well-suited for a 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitor.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but the gap between presets widens. The Low preset achieves 153 FPS, Medium reaches 112.1 FPS, High drops to 85.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 63.3 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is a significant 22.4 FPS loss, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are particularly taxing on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 83.6 FPS, which is still smooth. The Medium preset averages 58.5 FPS, providing a playable experience. The High preset drops to 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 35.6 FPS. The data shows a clear linear progression of performance loss as settings increase, reinforcing that the RTX 3080 Ti is the bottleneck at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Hitman 2, this specific configuration of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 506 out of 1795 tested combos. This places the system in the 72nd percentile, meaning it outperforms more than 70% of all other tested CPU and GPU pairings for this game. This is a strong result, indicating that the system is well above average for Hitman 2.

The GPU's individual performance is notable, sitting in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41,224. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 3090, which scores 41,441 (a 0.5% difference), and the RTX 5070, which scores 41,687 (a 1.1% difference). The CPU also performs well, being in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its average score of 54,097 is very close to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which scores 54,450 (a 0.6% difference). The high rank for the combo is a result of this pairing of a top-tier CPU with a high-end GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its substantial L3 cache of 33 MB (shared) is beneficial for gaming workloads. While the game's performance at 4K is clearly GPU-bound, the CPU's strength is evident at lower resolutions. The jump from 85.7 FPS at 1440p High to 131.5 FPS at 1080p High shows that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively when the resolution is lower.

The CPU's single-threaded performance is exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003. This is critical for Hitman 2, as many game logic and physics calculations are single-threaded. The benchmark results show that this CPU has the raw power to handle the game's engine without being a limiting factor. The data suggests that players with this CPU could potentially upgrade to a more powerful GPU in the future and still see performance gains, as the i7-14700F provides a solid foundation. The CPU's 65W TDP confirms its efficiency, allowing for robust performance without excessive power draw.