Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 in Hitman 2 presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics. This combination, ranking 1513 out of 1795 tested combos, places it in the lower third of configurations, yet the data reveals a nuanced story about how this older GPU interacts with a modern flagship CPU. The benchmark results show that the experience is heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with the GPU consistently acting as the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the "High" preset offers the most balanced experience for this specific combo, but the optimal choice depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the "High" preset delivers an average of 68.5 FPS, which is a playable and smooth frame rate for a stealth title. Dropping to "Low" pushes performance to 120.5 FPS, but this comes at a significant visual cost that may not be necessary. The "Medium" preset at 90.6 FPS is a strong middle ground for competitive play, but "High" provides the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance for most users.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes dramatically. The "High" preset yields 42.1 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. Here, "Medium" at 56.6 FPS becomes the recommended choice, as it maintains a more consistent frame rate while still offering a reasonable level of graphical detail. The "Low" preset at 74.3 FPS is viable for those prioritizing performance above all else, but the visual downgrade is substantial. For 3840x2160, the data indicates that this GPU is simply not equipped for high-fidelity gaming. The "High" preset drops to 23.7 FPS, making it largely unplayable. Even "Low" at 38.3 FPS is not ideal. For 4K, the only sensible recommendation based on the data is to use the "Low" preset if one must play at that resolution, accepting the significant compromise in visual quality.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, with its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The GPU's architecture is Pascal, built on a 16 nm process, and it features a base clock of 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz. These specifications are the defining factors in this game's performance. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the FPS drops sharply, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound scenarios. The GTX 1070 is the limiting component in this pairing for most settings.

The GPU's performance percentile vs all GPUs is 51, placing it in the middle of the pack. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER, show a deltaPct of -1.4, indicating the GTX 1070 is just slightly ahead. This suggests the card is a competent 1080p performer, but its limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The benchmark results confirm this, as the average FPS at 1920x1080 with "High" settings is 68.5, but this drops to 42.1 at 2560x1440 and a mere 23.7 at 3840x2160. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and raw compute power are being saturated as the pixel count increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a powerhouse with 20 cores and 28 threads, capable of boosting up to 5.60 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake, and it has a substantial 33 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores exceptionally well, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287. It sits in the 96th percentile vs all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, shows a deltaPct of 0, indicating they are statistically tied in performance.

However, in Hitman 2, the CPU's role is largely secondary. The data suggests that even at 1920x1080 with "Low" settings, where the GPU has less work to do, the FPS reaches 120.5. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS plateau at a lower number, regardless of resolution. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, confirming that the GTX 1070 is the primary limiting factor. The CPU's strong single-thread performance is sufficient for this game's engine, allowing it to remain in the background while the GPU struggles to keep up with the rendering load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1513 out of 1795 is a poor showing, placing this configuration in the bottom 16% of tested systems. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's age and performance level relative to other modern components. The GTX 1070, while a capable card in its day, is now significantly outclassed by the CPU it is paired with. The percentile for the GPU is 51, which is average, but when combined with a top-tier CPU, the overall system performance is dragged down by the GPU.

This ranking suggests a significant imbalance. The CPU is performing at the 96th percentile, while the GPU is at the 51st. The data implies that for this specific game, the GPU is holding the system back. If a user were to upgrade to a more powerful GPU, the same CPU would likely push the combo rank much higher. The fact that the CPU's nearest rival, the i7-14700KF, has a deltaPct of 0 in synthetic benchmarks, but the overall combo rank is low, reinforces the idea that the GPU is the weak link. The system is not underperforming due to a faulty component, but rather due to a mismatch in capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions is the most telling data point in this analysis. At 1920x1080 with "High" settings, the average is 68.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops to 42.1, a reduction of approximately 38%. Moving to 3840x2160, the FPS plummets to 23.7, a further reduction of 44% from the 1440p result. This steep decline is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM and 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth are simply not sufficient to handle the increased pixel fill rate and memory requirements at higher resolutions.

This scaling pattern has a clear implication: the CPU is not the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload (physics, AI, game logic) does not change based on resolution. Instead, the FPS drops significantly, indicating that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity and cannot keep up with the increasing rendering demands. The difference between "Low" at 1080p (120.5 FPS) and "Low" at 4K (38.3 FPS) further emphasizes this point, as even at the lowest settings, the GPU's performance is severely constrained by the resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The data shows that the "High" preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 68.5 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance for a smooth experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The measured FPS scaling indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops dramatically from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU's strong synthetic scores suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, even the "Low" preset only achieves 38.3 FPS, while "Ultra" drops to 16 FPS. This makes 4K gaming largely unplayable for this configuration.

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

A: The combo rank is 1513 out of 1795, placing it in the lower tier of tested combinations. This is primarily due to the GPU's performance level.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has a percentile of 51 vs all GPUs, indicating it performs at the median level of all graphics cards in the benchmark database.

Q: What is the FPS difference between "Medium" and "High" at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, "Medium" settings yield an average of 56.6 FPS, while "High" settings yield 42.1 FPS, a difference of 14.5 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 120.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 90.6 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 68.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 49.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 74.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 56.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 42.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 34.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 38.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 30.6 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 23.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 16.0 |

The data shows a consistent trend: performance scales down as resolution increases. The delta between "Low" and "Ultra" is also notable, with the "Ultra" preset at 1080p (49.3 FPS) performing worse than the "Low" preset at 1440p (74.3 FPS). This suggests that the GPU's compute resources and memory bandwidth are severely taxed by the "Ultra" settings, making it an impractical choice even at lower resolutions. The system is best utilized at 1080p with "High" settings, where it achieves a playable frame rate without the significant performance penalties seen at higher resolutions.