Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1978 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The rank reflects a pairing where the CPU's substantial multi-threaded capability is somewhat ahead of the GPU's mid-range positioning, yet the measured frame rates show this combo remains viable for the game's stealth-focused gameplay across most settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1978 out of 3711 tested combinations places it just past the midpoint of all systems evaluated for Hitman 2. This positioning is notable because both components individually sit above the 50th percentile in their respective categories — the CPU at the 94th percentile among all processors and the GPU at the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards. The gap between component percentiles and the combo's rank indicates that Hitman 2's performance ceiling is primarily constrained by the graphics card, as the CPU's headroom does not translate into proportionally higher frame rates.

The Intel Core i7-14700K achieves an average benchmark score of 69355, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69288 (0.1% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.2% behind). This tight clustering shows the CPU is competitive with flagship alternatives. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT posts an average benchmark score of 27425, sitting within 0.5% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27565) and essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (27435, 0% delta). This GPU's percentile rank of 72 means it outperforms roughly three-quarters of all GPUs in the database, yet in Hitman 2 the combo still lands in the lower half, suggesting the game's engine rewards certain GPU architectures more than others.

Measured data confirms the combo's mid-pack positioning. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 72 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 25 FPS. These figures align with a combo that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably but struggles at 4K with maximum settings. The rank reflects this mixed capability — not a top-tier 4K system, but far from a low-end configuration.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 2321 MHz, with a boost clock of 2581 MHz and a game clock of 2424 MHz. The memory operates at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed. These specifications place the GPU in a solid mid-range tier, capable of handling modern titles at 1440p with high settings.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, with the 1080p to 4K transition showing a performance reduction of roughly 70-80% across all settings. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 98 at 1080p to 63 at 1440p and 33 at 4K. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RX 6700 XT's raw throughput — 13.21 TFLOPS FP32, 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 413.0 GTexel/s texture rate — becomes the limiting factor.

The GPU's 40 ray accelerators and RDNA 2.0 architecture support DirectX 12 Ultimate, but Hitman 2's 2018 release predates heavy ray tracing implementation, so these features have minimal impact on measured results. The card's 12 GB VRAM is ample for this game, as even at 4K Ultra the memory capacity does not appear to bottleneck performance — the limiting factor is compute throughput rather than memory capacity. The GPU's percentile rank of 72 and its competitive standing against the RTX 3090 (0.5% behind in average score) indicate that its performance in synthetic benchmarks translates reasonably well to Hitman 2, though the combo's overall rank suggests the game favors other architectures.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 98 FPS, which is smooth for the stealth gameplay that Hitman 2 emphasizes. The Ultra preset at 72 FPS remains playable but offers diminishing visual returns for the 26 FPS cost. The Medium preset at 130 FPS provides headroom for high-refresh-rate displays, but High strikes the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate at this resolution.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 63 FPS, which is adequate for a game that rewards careful movement rather than twitch reactions. The Medium preset at 83 FPS offers a safer margin for maintaining smoothness during crowded scenes, while Ultra drops to 46 FPS, which may feel stuttery during fast camera pans. For 1440p, Medium or High are the recommended presets, with High being preferable for those prioritizing image quality.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset manages only 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS — both below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The Medium preset at 44 FPS is borderline, while Low at 59 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches playability. For 4K, Low settings are recommended for a playable experience, or users should consider dropping to 1440p for better quality.

The measured data shows that Medium settings at any resolution provide a consistent improvement over Low, with the gap between Medium and High being smaller than between High and Ultra. For example, at 1080p, the jump from Low (173 FPS) to Medium (130 FPS) costs 43 FPS, while High (98 FPS) to Ultra (72 FPS) costs 26 FPS. This suggests that Medium-to-High settings offer the best visual-per-frame trade-off across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 173 FPS average, which is exceptionally high and indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. Medium settings yield 130 FPS with a minimum of 111 and maximum of 150 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings drop to 98 FPS, while Ultra falls to 72 FPS. The 1080p results demonstrate a wide performance envelope, from 72 to 173 FPS depending on settings, giving users substantial flexibility.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down noticeably. Low settings achieve 111 FPS, still very playable. Medium settings produce 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96 FPS. High settings deliver 63 FPS, while Ultra manages 46 FPS. The 1440p results show a narrower range from 46 to 111 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra shrinking to 65 FPS compared to 101 FPS at 1080p. This compression indicates increasing GPU bottleneck as resolution rises.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens further. Low settings achieve 59 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 60 FPS. Medium settings produce 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 51 FPS. High settings drop to 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS. The 4K results span only 25 to 59 FPS, a 34 FPS range that highlights the GPU's limitations at this resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 38 FPS indicates occasional dips that could affect gameplay smoothness.

The measured data shows consistent behavior across resolutions: Low settings always provide roughly double the frame rate of Ultra settings. At 1080p, the ratio is 173 to 72 FPS (2.4x); at 1440p, 111 to 46 FPS (2.4x); at 4K, 59 to 25 FPS (2.36x). This consistent scaling suggests the GPU's performance characteristics are uniform across resolutions, with no unexpected bottlenecks or thermal throttling affecting results.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic performance drop across all settings. At Low settings, FPS falls from 173 at 1080p to 59 at 4K, a 66% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 130 to 44 FPS, a 66% reduction. High settings see a decline from 98 to 33 FPS, a 66% reduction. Ultra settings drop from 72 to 25 FPS, a 65% reduction. This uniform ~66% decrease across all settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU's performance would not scale with resolution.

The consistency of the percentage drop is striking. Regardless of whether the game runs at Low or Ultra settings, moving from 1080p to 4K costs roughly two-thirds of the frame rate. This pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering resolution directly determines the workload. The GPU's 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the pixel throughput requirements exceed the card's comfortable operating range.

The data also reveals that the combo is not CPU-limited at any resolution. The Intel Core i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads, running at 3.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost, provide ample processing power for Hitman 2's AI and simulation systems. Even at 1080p Low with 173 FPS, the CPU does not appear to bottleneck, as the frame rate scales cleanly with resolution. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, but the data shows continued scaling down to 1080p.

The resolution scaling analysis points to the GPU as the definitive bottleneck. Users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful graphics card, while those satisfied with 1080p or 1440p performance can rely on this combo to deliver smooth gameplay without CPU-related stutters.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, at Low settings the combo achieves 111 FPS at 1440p, and at Medium settings it delivers 83 FPS. However, at High settings it drops to 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS, so 60 FPS requires Medium or lower settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: Low settings at 4K produce 59 FPS average, which is the only preset above 60 FPS. Medium settings yield 44 FPS, High drops to 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS)Skip. For playable 4K, Low is the recommended preset.

Q: How does this GPU compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425, which is 0.5% behind the RTX 3090's 27565. In Hitman 2, this places the combo in the lower half of tested systems, though the GPU itself performs competitively with the RTX 3090.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the data shows consistent FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads provide sufficient processing power, as evidenced by 173 FPS at 1080p Low without a performance plateau.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 72. This is playable for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, though users seeking higher frame rates may prefer High settings at 98 FPS or Medium at 130 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1978 out of 3711 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion. This rank is lower than the component percentiles might suggest, indicating that Hitman 2's performance characteristics favor other GPU architectures.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a 3.40 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 33 MB shared L3 cache. This configuration delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160, placing the CPU at the 94th percentile among all processors.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI pathfinding, and scene management while the GPU renders frames. The measured data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 173 FPS, and this scales down predictably as resolution increases. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions, but the data shows a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K at all settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% behind), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% behind). This tight clustering shows the i7-14700K is competitive with top-tier alternatives, though its performance in Hitman 2 is constrained by the GPU. The 20-core configuration provides substantial multi-threading headroom, as evidenced by a Passmark multi-thread score of 52392 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 20767.

For Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU's single-thread performance is more relevant than its multi-thread capabilities. The processor achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4472, which are strong results that ensure smooth gameplay even in complex scenes with multiple NPCs. The 5.60 GHz boost clock provides the clock speed headroom needed for the game's engine, while the 33 MB shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency during level transitions.

The data indicates that users pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU could see improved Hitman 2 performance, as the CPU has ample headroom to support higher frame rates. However, with the RX 6700 XT, the combo delivers balanced performance that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the CPU ensuring consistent frame pacing and no bottleneck-related stutters.