Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Hitman 2 with this combination of an Intel Core i7-14700KF and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 show a steep decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 37.6. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 27.4, a reduction of roughly 27%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 12.1 average FPS, meaning the 4K result is less than one-third of the 1080p figure. This steep scaling curve indicates that the graphics card is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the workload on the GPU increases with pixel count far faster than the CPU's capabilities become a factor.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with larger absolute numbers. The 1080p Low average is 71.3 FPS, which falls to 42.2 at 1440p and then to 25.1 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 41%, and from 1440p to 4K is another 41%. This consistent proportional decline points to a GPU that is saturated across the resolution range, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed frames. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial — 71.3 versus 30.8 FPS — which reinforces that the GTX 1650's rendering throughput, not the processor, dictates performance.

The data suggests that for playable frame rates above 60 FPS, only 1080p with Low settings achieves that threshold. Every other configuration falls short, with 1080p Medium at 52.6 and 1080p High at 37.6. The 4K results, ranging from 12.1 to 25.1 FPS, are all well below any smooth gameplay threshold, indicating that this resolution is not viable for this pairing in Hitman 2. The scaling behavior across all settings shows a GPU that hits its memory bandwidth and shading limits quickly as resolution climbs, with the CPU's 20 cores and high boost clock doing little to alleviate the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture part built on a 12 nm process, with a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Its memory configuration is 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. These specifications place the card in the lower tier of the GeForce 16 series, and its benchmark scores reflect that positioning. In the Passmark G3D test, the card scores 7880, with a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 35 and a DirectX 11 score of 58. The average benchmark score across all tests is 8713, and the GPU sits in the 43rd percentile among all graphics cards.

In Hitman 2, the GTX 1650's VRAM capacity and bandwidth are likely to be constraining factors, especially at higher settings. The 4 GB frame buffer is modest by modern standards, and at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the game's textures and effects can exceed this capacity, leading to the very low averages of 12.1 and 12.8 FPS respectively. The boost clock of 1665 MHz is relatively low compared to newer cards, which limits the raw shader throughput. The card has 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, giving a pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s. These numbers translate to a fill-rate that struggles to keep up with the demands of 4K rendering in a stealth title with dynamic lighting and shadows.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the GTX 1650's average score of 8713 is within 0.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8671) and about 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon 550X (8749). The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 8746, which is 0.4% higher. This tight clustering indicates that the GTX 1650 performs in a narrow band around these competitors, and in Hitman 2, the measured FPS reflects this mid-to-low tier status. The card's end-of-life production status and its 75 W TDP suggest a design focused on efficiency rather than high-end performance, which aligns with the observed frame rates that rarely exceed playable thresholds at 1080p Medium or above.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a Raptor Lake Refresh part with 20 cores and 28 threads, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This is a high-end desktop processor, with a launch MSRP of $384, and it ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 44557, and the single-core score is 6290, demonstrating exceptional multi-threaded and single-threaded capability. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and its 33 MB shared L3 cache provides ample fast storage for game data.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and with 20 cores, it is far more than sufficient for this task. The game is not known for being heavily CPU-bound on modern hardware, and the measured FPS data confirms this — the bottleneck clearly lies with the GTX 1650. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push the GPU to 71.3 FPS, but even this is well below what the i7-14700KF is capable of in other titles. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz provides excellent per-core performance, which is crucial for games that rely on a few threads for main loop logic, but Hitman 2's engine appears to scale well across multiple cores, and the CPU's 28 threads remain mostly idle.

The CPU's benchmark scores relative to its nearest rivals show a tight grouping. The i7-14700K scores 70074, which is essentially identical (0% deltaPct), while the AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887 (0.3% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420 (0.4% lower). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, and for Hitman 2, the CPU's performance is not a limiting factor. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, the FPS is capped by the GPU's rendering speed, not the CPU's frame generation rate. The processor's 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform are standard for high-end desktop builds, and its 10 nm process node allows for high clock speeds without excessive power draw.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combination performs across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 30.8 at Ultra to 71.3 at Low. The Medium setting yields 52.6, and High produces 37.6. This means that at 1080p, only the Low setting achieves a frame rate above 60 FPS, while Medium comes close at 52.6. High and Ultra fall short of smooth gameplay, with 37.6 and 30.8 respectively, indicating that the GTX 1650 cannot handle higher quality presets at this resolution without significant frame drops.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 16.4 at Ultra, 27.4 at High, 30.4 at Medium, and 42.2 at Low. The jump from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 27% at High settings (from 37.6 to 27.4) and by 41% at Low (from 71.3 to 42.2). None of the 1440p configurations reach 60 FPS, and the Ultra setting drops to 16.4, which is nearly unplayable. The Medium setting at 30.4 is barely acceptable for slow-paced stealth gameplay, but it lacks the smoothness expected from a modern title.

At 3840x2160, the results are 12.1 at High, 25.1 at Low, 20.7 at Medium, and 12.8 at Ultra. The 4K Low setting is the only one above 20 FPS, and even it is far from a playable experience. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 13 FPS, which shows that the GPU's shader and memory bandwidth limits are the primary constraints. The data indicates that for any reasonable performance, users must stick to 1080p with Low or Medium settings, and even then, the experience is marginal compared to what a higher-tier GPU would offer.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1720 out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 4% of all configurations, which is consistent with the measured FPS data showing severe performance limitations. The rank reflects that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU drags the overall combination down to a level where most other pairings would outperform it.

The comboRankInGame of 1720 out of 1795 means that only 75 other combos score lower, which is a stark indicator of how mismatched these components are for this title. The CPU's 96th percentile standing does not compensate for the GPU's 43rd percentile, and in a game like Hitman 2 that relies heavily on GPU rendering, the weak link dominates. For context, the GPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.5% of its average benchmark, so swapping the GTX 1650 for a similarly performing card would not change the rank significantly. However, pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would likely move the combo into a much higher percentile, as the processor has ample headroom to support faster graphics hardware.

The ranking data suggests that this is not a balanced build for Hitman 2. The CPU cost and capability are wasted at the frame rates observed, as the GTX 1650 cannot utilize the i7-14700KF's full potential. Users with this combination should expect to lower settings and resolution to achieve playable FPS, and even then, the experience will be limited by the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and modest compute performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings achieves 71.3 FPS, which is the only configuration above 60 FPS. Medium at 1080p yields 52.6, which is playable but not smooth.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K in Hitman 2?

A: No. The highest 4K average is 25.1 FPS at Low settings, and High and Ultra drop to 12.1 and 12.8 respectively. These are well below playable thresholds.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile, while the GPU is in the 43rd. The FPS scaling with resolution and settings confirms the GTX 1650 limits performance.

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

A: It ranks 1720 out of 1795 combos, placing it in the bottom 4% for Hitman 2. This is due to the GPU's low performance relative to the CPU.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and how does it affect results?

A: The GTX 1650 has a 128.1 GB/s bandwidth with 4 GB GDDR5. This limited bandwidth contributes to the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions, especially at 4K.

Q: Are there any settings where this combo exceeds 60 FPS?

A: Yes, only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 71.3 FPS. No other resolution or setting combination reaches 60 FPS.