Hitman 2

Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust Hitman 2 experience, with benchmark results showing a clear progression from playable 4K frame rates to exceptionally high 1080p performance. The data indicates that this combo ranks 1078 out of 3711 tested configurations, placing it comfortably in the top third of all systems measured. Across three resolutions and four quality presets, the measured FPS reveals a system that is well-balanced but leans on the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 1078 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the 71st percentile of all systems measured for this game.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 170 FPS, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, which is only 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA P106-100’s score of 23249, making them statistically equivalent in overall GPU performance.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 4K resolution?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 77, achieved with Low settings. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 32 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile rank among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-end processor for general computing tasks.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 82. Given the CPU's high percentile ranking and the GPU's mid-range percentile (68th), the RTX 3080 is the more likely limiting factor at this resolution and settings level.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 serves as the primary rendering engine, and its specifications directly shape Hitman 2's performance, especially at higher resolutions. The card features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This bandwidth is crucial for handling texture streaming and high-resolution assets, which explains why performance degrades predictably as resolution increases. The GPU's base clock is 1440 MHz, with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and it houses 8704 shading units along with 68 RT cores.

Benchmark results show the GPU's overall capability: it scores 25086 in Passmark G3D and 4407 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. This mid-to-high tier standing is reflected in the measured FPS, where the card can push 95 FPS at 1080p Ultra but falls to 32 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data shows a clear trend: at 1080p, the GPU has headroom to spare, but at 4K, the RTX 3080's 10 GB memory and compute power are stretched thin. The nearest rivals in average score—the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, and AMD Radeon RX 6600M—all sit within 0.4% of the RTX 3080's average score of 23172, suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, this card is closely matched with those parts, but in Hitman 2, the architectural differences and memory subsystem become more apparent.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its specifications indicate a strong capability to feed the GPU. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the CPU excels in multi-threaded workloads. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency during gameplay. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2569.

In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant, as the game’s stealth mechanics and AI calculations often rely on a few high-frequency cores. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 227 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower settings, as the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose any CPU limitations. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all processors, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% higher score) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% higher score), indicating that the 14700K is competitively positioned. For Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and the measured minimum FPS of 144 at 1080p Medium suggests it does so effectively, even when the GPU is pushed to produce high averages.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 1078 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the system in the top 29% of all configurations, which is a solid result given the GPU's mid-tier percentile standing. The rank reflects the synergy between the high-end CPU and the capable GPU, where the CPU’s strong performance helps mitigate potential bottlenecks, allowing the GPU to operate closer to its full potential.

Comparatively, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 69355 is nearly identical to that of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288, 0.1% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, -0.2% difference). This means that swapping the 14700K for those CPUs would likely yield similar FPS results in Hitman 2, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The GPU’s average score of 23172 is nearly equal to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4% difference), but the desktop RTX 3080's higher memory bandwidth and power envelope give it an edge in actual gaming scenarios, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The rank of 1078 suggests that while many combos are faster, a significant portion of tested systems falls below this configuration, making it a strong performer for 1440p and playable 4K gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 4K display, the data shows that High settings yield an average of 44 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for fast-paced action. Medium settings at 4K provide a more balanced experience with an average of 58 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming, as it stays above the common 60 FPS threshold most of the time. Low settings at 4K push the average to 77 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 1440p, High settings deliver an average of 82 FPS, which is ideal for most monitors with a 144Hz refresh rate, as it provides a smooth and responsive experience. Medium settings at 1440p offer a higher average of 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, making it the best choice for competitive play where frame consistency is key. For 1080p, the data shows that High settings achieve 128 FPS, while Medium settings reach 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS. Given the high frame rates, Ultra settings at 1080p still produce 95 FPS, but for the smoothest experience, Medium is recommended to ensure the minimum FPS stays well above 144Hz. Overall, the data suggests that for a 60 FPS target, High settings at 1440p or Medium at 4K are the best choices, while for high-refresh-rate monitors, Medium at 1080p is optimal.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system averages 227 FPS on Low, 170 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 144 and maximum of 195), 128 FPS on High, and 95 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 3080 has ample headroom, and the CPU’s high single-thread performance allows for very high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 145 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 125), 82 FPS on High, and 61 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant but expected, with the GPU becoming more of a limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the averages are 77 FPS on Low, 58 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 67), 44 FPS on High, and 32 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's high performance cannot compensate for the rendering load. The data clearly shows a consistent scaling pattern: each step up in resolution reduces the average FPS by roughly 20-30%, and each step up in settings reduces it by a similar margin.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this system. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 227. Dropping to 1440p Low, the average is 145, which is a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 77, a further 47% reduction from 1440p. This pattern shows that as resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows, and the frame rate drops proportionally. The CPU’s performance, which is excellent (94th percentile), is not the limiting factor at these lower settings, as the frame rates are high enough to indicate the GPU is still the bottleneck.

For High settings, the scaling is similar: 128 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 44 FPS at 4K (46% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU is the primary limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would plateau at lower resolutions, but the data shows a continuous decline from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the RTX 3080's rendering capability is the constraint. The CPU’s role is to maintain the minimum frame rates, and the measured minimums (144 FPS at 1080p Medium, 92 FPS at 1440p Medium, 49 FPS at 4K Medium) indicate that the 14700K successfully prevents stutters, even when the GPU is heavily loaded. In summary, the data shows a GPU-limited system at all tested resolutions, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck until the GPU is pushed to its limits at 4K Ultra.