Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination delivers a highly variable experience in Hitman 2, ranging from a smooth 173 FPS at 1080p Low to a stutter-prone 24.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data shows this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p or solid 1440p gameplay, with 4K requiring significant setting compromises to remain playable.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At 1080p, the combo achieves 98.6 FPS on High and 72.9 FPS on Ultra, both of which are fluid. At 1440p, High delivers 64.9 FPS, which is also good, but 4K High drops to 33.7 FPS, indicating the GPU struggles at that resolution.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform across different resolutions?

A: The Ultra preset shows a steep performance cliff. At 1080p, it runs at 72.9 FPS, which is smooth. At 1440p, it drops to 46.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. At 4K, it falls to 24.5 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck for the RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: Benchmark results suggest the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 173 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs and a 20-core/28-thread configuration provide ample headroom for this title.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K High, the average FPS is 33.7, and at 4K Ultra it is 24.5. The data indicates that while memory capacity is not exhausted, the overall performance at 4K is limited by the GPU's compute power rather than a simple memory deficit.

Q: What is the most efficient settings preset for a 1440p experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields 80.5 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 64.9 FPS on High. This makes Medium at 1440p the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1010 out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the upper-middle tier, indicating it is a capable but not top-tier pairing for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1010 out of 1795 tested combinations places it in the 56th percentile of all pairings tested for Hitman 2. This is a mid-pack result, which makes sense given the hardware's specifications. The CPU is a high-end part, ranking in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 77th percentile against all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier processor with a mid-to-high-tier graphics card creates a system that is often held back by the GPU in this specific game.

When looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 6700 XT is very closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 6800, showing a delta of 0.7% in average benchmark scores. This suggests that in Hitman 2, the 6700 XT's performance is on par with its more powerful sibling. The CPU's closest rival is the Intel Core i7-14700K, with a delta of 0%, indicating they are effectively identical in processing power. The overall ranking suggests that while this is not a top-100 combo, it is far from a weak one, and its performance is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the "High" preset offers the best overall experience for this combo, but only at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, High delivers 98.6 FPS, which is ideal for a high-refresh-rate monitor. Moving to 2560x1440, High still provides a respectable 64.9 FPS. However, selecting High at 4K (3840x2160) results in a dramatic drop to 33.7 FPS, which is not smooth.

For users with a 4K display, the "Low" preset at 58.3 FPS is the only viable option that approaches playability. The "Medium" preset at 4K offers 45.6 FPS, which is a middle ground but still below the ideal smoothness threshold. For 1440p users, the "Medium" preset is the best choice, as it provides 80.5 FPS, a 24% improvement over High, with a minor visual fidelity cost. At 1080p, "Ultra" is a viable choice at 72.9 FPS, but "High" is recommended for maximizing frame rates without a significant visual penalty.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strength. Low settings produce 173 FPS, Medium produces 129.9 FPS, and High produces 98.6 FPS. Even Ultra, the most demanding preset, maintains a solid 72.9 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the RX 6700 XT is fully utilized without being overwhelmed.

At 2560x1440, performance scales predictably. Low yields 111.3 FPS, Medium yields 80.5 FPS, and High yields 64.9 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 46.7 FPS, which is the first sign of the GPU struggling. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 64.6 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for maximum fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low settings produce 58.3 FPS, Medium produces 45.6 FPS, and High drops to 33.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 24.5 FPS. The data shows a stark contrast: the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 33.8 FPS, indicating that the additional shading and texture detail at Ultra are too demanding for the 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the defining component in this pairing, and its performance ceiling is clearly visible in the 4K results. With a boost clock of 2581 MHz and 2560 shading units, the GPU's raw compute capability is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for Hitman 2, but the 4K Ultra results (24.5 FPS) show that the GPU's processing power, not its memory, is the constraint.

The GPU's 77th percentile ranking versus all GPUs and its close performance to the RX 6800 (0.7% delta) suggest it is a solid performer in its class. However, the benchmark results indicate that its 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with high detail levels. The data implies that for this game, the RX 6700 XT is best paired with a 1080p or 1440p display to achieve a balance between visual quality and frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is an exceptionally powerful processor that is not the bottleneck in this configuration for Hitman 2. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and 33 MB of L3 cache, the CPU provides more than enough headroom for the game's simulation and AI logic. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and its performance parity with the Core i7-14700K (0% delta) confirm its high-end status.

The data supports this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 173 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would typically stress a CPU. The fact that the system can maintain this performance indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently. Even at 4K Low (58.3 FPS), the CPU is not holding back the GPU, as the frame rate is likely dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU's high single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4480) is particularly relevant for a game like Hitman 2, which relies on coherent simulation across many NPCs.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this combo at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 98.6 at 1080p to 64.9 at 1440p, a 34.2% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K High, the FPS falls to 33.7, another 48.1% decrease. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is constant across all resolutions.

This is further confirmed by the Low settings results. At 1080p Low, the system outputs 173 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 111.3 FPS. At 4K Low, it falls to 58.3 FPS. The continuous decline across all resolutions, regardless of settings, shows that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting component. The CPU is capable of maintaining a high frame rate at 1080p, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's workload increases and becomes the limiting factor. The data strongly implies that to get the most out of the i7-14700KF in Hitman 2, a more powerful GPU would be required, as the current pairing leaves CPU performance on the table at 1440p and 4K.