Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep resolution penalty for this Hitman 2 configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 195.5 FPS, but stepping up to 1440p drops that to 127.6 FPS, and 4K further reduces it to 66.5 FPS. This progression shows that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises, with the Intel Core i7-14700KF providing ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The scaling pattern across all settings tells a consistent story. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS loss is roughly 35-38% depending on the preset, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 45-48% of performance. At High settings, the trio reads 113.1 FPS at 1080p, 74.6 FPS at 1440p, and 37.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result falls below the 40 FPS threshold that many users consider playable, indicating that this resolution demands more graphics horsepower than this GPU can provide for Hitman 2.

The Ultra preset amplifies the resolution sensitivity. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 80.6 FPS, which is respectable. But 1440p Ultra drops to 51.4 FPS, and 4K Ultra collapses to 26.8 FPS. This steep cliff suggests that the combination of high pixel count and maximum settings overwhelms the 12 GB VRAM buffer and the GPU's compute resources. The data indicates that 1080p and 1440p are the practical operating range for this pairing, with 4K reserved for lower presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT sits in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs according to the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 30097. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, posts a nearly identical score of 30109, a delta of 0%. The RX 7700 XT also trades blows with the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30158, -0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969, 0.4% delta). These close margins indicate that the RX 7700 XT occupies a well-populated performance tier.

The GPU's memory configuration plays a critical role in Hitman 2's results. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p workloads, but the 4K Ultra result of 26.8 FPS suggests that the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck at extreme resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz provide the raw throughput needed for the game's stealth gameplay, which features dense crowds and complex lighting.

The RDNA 3.0 architecture with 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs delivers 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This compute capacity translates to strong frame rates at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 195.5 FPS Low result at 1080p. However, the 4K High result of 37.4 FPS shows that the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates when pixel fill requirements multiply. The pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s are the limiting factors at 4K, where the GPU must process over 8 million pixels per frame.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R family, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which Hitman 2 leverages for its AI-driven stealth mechanics. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700KF scores 44557 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6290 in single-core. The Geekbench results show 19287 multi-core and 2972 single-core scores. These figures place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores 70074 with a 0% delta, while the AMD EPYC 9115 comes within 0.3% at 69887. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X trails by 0.4% with 70420, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 leads by 1.3% at 71056.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 195.5 FPS, which is likely near the game engine's physics and AI limits. The fact that 1080p High produces 113.1 FPS while 4K High drops to 37.4 FPS demonstrates that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads provide sufficient parallelism for Hitman 2's simulation, but the game does not appear to scale beyond a handful of threads, leaving most of the CPU headroom unused.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset delivers the best experience. For 1080p users, High settings at 113.1 FPS offer the ideal balance of visual quality and smoothness. The drop to Medium (146.3 FPS) is noticeable but sacrifices graphical fidelity for a 33 FPS gain. Ultra at 80.6 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play, while Low at 195.5 FPS is excessive for the visual trade-off.

At 1440p, High settings at 74.6 FPS represent the sweet spot. This result stays above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay while maintaining the game's detailed environments. Medium at 94.4 FPS is a viable alternative for those prioritizing frame rate, but the visual difference between High and Medium in Hitman 2's crowd scenes is significant. Ultra at 51.4 FPS and Low at 127.6 FPS represent the extremes, with Ultra risking frame pacing issues and Low diminishing the game's atmosphere.

For 4K, the data shows that only Low settings (66.5 FPS) provide a smooth experience. Medium at 48.9 FPS is borderline playable, while High at 37.4 FPS and Ultra at 26.8 FPS fall below acceptable thresholds. Users with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider the 1440p resolution with High settings for a better overall experience. The 4K Ultra result of 26.8 FPS is the worst measured on this page and should be avoided.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 818 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the upper-middle tier of the benchmark database, which is consistent with the GPU's 73rd percentile standing. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking suggests that a more powerful GPU would likely improve the overall combo rank, as the processor has significant headroom.

The ranking reflects the GPU's position as the limiting component. While the i7-14700KF outperforms 96% of CPUs, the RX 7700 XT only exceeds 73% of GPUs. The combo rank of 818 out of 1795 indicates that approximately 45% of tested combinations outperform this pairing in Hitman 2. This is a solid result for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, but it also highlights the potential for improvement by upgrading the graphics card.

The delta between the GPU and its nearest rivals (RTX 5060 at 0% delta, RX 570 at -0.2%) suggests that the combo rank would shift only marginally with a different GPU in the same performance tier. The CPU's rivals show similar tight clustering, with all four nearest rivals within 1.3% of the i7-14700KF's average score. This indicates that the combo rank is stable within this hardware class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS spans from 80.6 (Ultra) to 195.5 (Low). The settings progression is: Low 195.5, Medium 146.3, High 113.1, Ultra 80.6. This represents a 58.8% drop from Low to Ultra, showing that the GPU is the binding constraint even at 1080p when maximum settings are enabled.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 127.6, Medium 94.4, High 74.6, Ultra 51.4. The spread from Low to Ultra is 59.7%, slightly wider than at 1080p. The High preset at 74.6 FPS is the only 1440p setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, with Medium close behind at 94.4 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 66.5, Medium 48.9, High 37.4, Ultra 26.8. The Low setting is the only 4K preset that achieves playable frame rates. The Ultra result of 26.8 FPS represents a 59.7% reduction from Low, consistent with the pattern seen at lower resolutions. The 4K High result of 37.4 FPS is below the 40 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while 4K Ultra at 26.8 FPS is effectively unplayable for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows 1440p High at 74.6 FPS as the best balance, with 1080p High at 113.1 FPS as the smoother alternative. 4K is only viable at Low settings (66.5 FPS).

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7700 XT scores 30097 on average, matching the RTX 5060 (30109, 0% delta) and trading within 0.2-0.6% of the RX 570 and RTX 5070 Mobile.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700KF holding back the GPU?

A: No. With a 96th percentile CPU rank and a 73rd percentile GPU rank, the processor has headroom. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 26.8 FPS, clearly showing the GPU as the bottleneck.

Q: Which settings preset should I avoid?

A: 4K Ultra at 26.8 FPS and 4K High at 37.4 FPS are below playable thresholds. 1440p Ultra at 51.4 FPS is also marginal for smooth gameplay.

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

A: It ranks 818 out of 1795 combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The CPU's high percentile suggests a better GPU would improve the ranking.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low delivers 195.5 FPS while Ultra produces 80.6 FPS, a 114.9 FPS gap. The High preset at 113.1 FPS offers the best visual-quality-to-performance ratio.