Hitman 2

The benchmark data for Hitman 2, paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution and settings. This analysis examines the measured frame rates to understand where the bottleneck lies and how this specific combo performs against the broader database of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling metric in this dataset is the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 188.8 at 1920x1080 to 122.2 at 2560x1440, and finally to 67.9 at 3840x2160. This represents a 64.0% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating a strong dependence on resolution. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, but the magnitude of the drop varies.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The system produces 333.9 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 212.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 114.2 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K delta here is 65.8%, slightly larger than at High settings. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the GPU is still the primary limiting factor, but the CPU's capability becomes more apparent at 1080p where the frame rates exceed 300 FPS.

The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 142.8 FPS at 1080p, 92.4 FPS at 1440p, and 51.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is notably below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only setting where the experience dips into sub-60 territory. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 64.1%, nearly identical to the High preset. This consistency across presets implies that the RTX 4090's rendering pipeline is handling the resolution increase uniformly, with the GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth proving sufficient even at 4K Ultra.

The data clearly shows the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, are more than capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 333.9 FPS result at Low settings. However, the frame rate collapse at 4K, regardless of preset, points directly to the rendering load on the RTX 4090 rather than any CPU constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of CPU-GPU combinations tested with Hitman 2, this pairing achieves a combo rank of 39 out of 1795 tested combos. This places it in the top 2.2% of all configurations, a position that reflects the raw horsepower of both components. The RTX 4090 itself sits in the 91st percentile among all GPUs based on average benchmark scores, while the i7-14700K ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its computational capability. The Intel Core i7-14700KF posts an average benchmark score of 70104, which is essentially identical to the i7-14700K's 70074, with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887, just 0.3% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X achieves 70420, a 0.5% advantage. Even the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, with a score of 71056, is only 1.4% ahead. These margins are negligible in gaming scenarios, where the i7-14700K's high single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, matters more than multi-threaded throughput.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals in the benchmark database are professional workstation cards rather than gaming GPUs. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 66733, a 0.4% deficit, while the Tesla P40 sits 0.5% behind at 66127. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 are 0.9% and 1.3% behind, respectively. These comparisons are not directly relevant to Hitman 2's gaming performance, but they underscore the RTX 4090's position as a top-tier compute device. Within the measured game data, the combo's rank of 39 indicates that a handful of other configurations, likely with even newer GPUs or higher-end CPUs, deliver higher frame rates, but this pairing remains exceptionally strong.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset to use at each resolution. At 1920x1080, every setting exceeds 140 FPS, with Low hitting 333.9 FPS, Medium at 252.2 FPS, and High at 188.8 FPS. Even Ultra maintains 142.8 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, High is the sensible choice at 1080p, but Ultra is entirely playable if the user prioritizes image quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation remains comfortable. The Ultra preset drops to 92.4 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays, while High sits at 122.2 FPS and Medium at 158.9 FPS. Low reaches 212.3 FPS, but there is little reason to sacrifice visual quality at this resolution when even Ultra stays above 90 FPS. The data suggests that High or Ultra are the best options at 1440p, depending on whether the user prefers higher frame rates or maximum detail.

The 3840x2160 resolution is where the choices become more constrained. The measured Ultra average of 51.2 FPS falls below the 60 FPS standard, which may cause noticeable stutter on high-refresh displays. High settings at 67.9 FPS recovers a playable frame rate, while Medium at 84.3 FPS is a solid middle ground. Low at 114.2 FPS offers the smoothest 4K experience but at a significant visual cost. For a 4K display, the data indicates High is the optimal preset, delivering a 33% improvement over Ultra while remaining visually rich.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of average frame rates shows a methodical progression across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 333.9 FPS, Medium 252.2 FPS, High 188.8 FPS, and Ultra 142.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 191.1 FPS, illustrating the heavy cost of the Ultra preset's additional effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the corresponding numbers are 212.3 FPS for Low, 158.9 FPS for Medium, 122.2 FPS for High, and 92.4 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 35.3% at Low to 36.4% at Medium, showing a consistent resolution penalty across presets.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 114.2 FPS for Low, 84.3 FPS for Medium, 67.9 FPS for High, and 51.2 FPS for Ultra. The 4K to 1080p ratio for Low is 34.2%, meaning the system retains about a third of its 1080p performance at 4K. For Ultra, the ratio is 35.9%, a similar proportion. This consistency suggests that the RTX 4090's rendering architecture handles the pixel count scaling in a linear fashion.

The largest absolute drop between adjacent settings occurs at 1080p, where moving from Low to Medium costs 81.7 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 63.4 FPS. At 4K, the same transitions cost 29.9 FPS and 16.4 FPS, respectively. This indicates that the absolute impact of settings diminishes as resolution increases, because the GPU is already saturated with pixel shading work.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Hitman 2?

A: The data suggests no meaningful CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 333.9 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would stress most CPUs. The i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, provide ample headroom. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 confirms strong per-thread performance, which is what matters for game logic.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, the average FPS is 122.2, which is smooth and leaves room for higher refresh rates. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls to 51.2 FPS, which is below ideal, but High at 67.9 FPS remains playable. For competitive play, 1080p with Low settings at 333.9 FPS is an option, but it sacrifices visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The combo's rank of 39 out of 1795 tested configurations places it ahead of the vast majority. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are professional cards like the Tesla T4 and P40, which are not designed for gaming. Within the gaming context, the measured FPS figures demonstrate that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier part, with the 4K High result of 67.9 FPS being particularly strong for a 2018 title.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at 4K?

A: The measured average of 51.2 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is below the 60 FPS target. This could result in visible frame pacing issues. Dropping to High raises the average to 67.9 FPS, a 32.6% improvement, which is more likely to deliver a consistent experience. The visual difference between Ultra and High in Hitman 2 is typically subtle, so High is the recommended choice based on the data.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threaded performance matter for this game?

A: Hitman 2 is not a heavily multi-threaded title, so the i7-14700K's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 is less relevant than its single-core score. The 28 threads are more than sufficient, and the data shows that frame rates scale almost entirely with GPU load as resolution increases. The CPU's performance headroom is evident from the 333.9 FPS result at 1080p Low.

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

A: This pairing ranks 39th out of 1795 combos, placing it in the top 2.2%. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a high-end CPU and flagship GPU results in a configuration that excels in this game, with only a few other setups delivering higher frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz can boost up to 5.60 GHz, and it features 33 MB of shared L3 cache. For Hitman 2, a game that relies on a few primary threads for game logic and AI, the single-core performance is critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 and Geekbench single-core score of 2932 demonstrate that the CPU can handle the game's simulation load without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, while not essential for this specific game, are reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and Passmark multithread score of 52392. These figures place the i7-14700K in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074. The nearest rival, the i7-14700KF, scores 70104 with a deltaPct of 0, confirming that the K-series and KF-series perform identically in synthetic tests. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is only 0.5% ahead, meaning the i7-14700K is competitive with modern flagship CPUs.

In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated. The 333.9 FPS result at 1080p Low shows that the CPU can push frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's performance has less impact on the final frame rate. The measured data shows a clear division of labor: the CPU provides the headroom, and the GPU determines the ceiling at higher resolutions.