Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a highly capable Hitman 2 experience, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and presets. The data shows this combination occupies the 925th position out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. At 1080p, the combo exceeds 100 FPS on High settings, while 4K Ultra remains the only configuration that drops below playable thresholds, indicating a balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The highest recorded average is 175.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 104 FPS at the same resolution with High settings, showing a 71.6 FPS swing between the lowest and highest graphical presets.

Q: How does the combo perform at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: At 1440p, the average frame rates range from 112.3 FPS on Low to 46.2 FPS on Ultra. The High preset delivers 66.3 FPS, which is the most balanced option for this resolution, offering a smooth experience without the steep performance cost of Ultra.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this processor and graphics card combination?

A: 4K performance is marginal. The Ultra preset yields only 22.6 FPS, which is not playable, while High settings produce 37.5 FPS. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 48.2 FPS, and Low settings reach 62.7 FPS, making Low the only 4K preset that consistently clears standard playability thresholds.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 104 FPS, while Ultra averages 77 FPS. This represents a 27 FPS reduction for the higher preset, a significant cost for the visual enhancements offered by Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K’s score of 70074, showing a delta of 0%. It also sits within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which scores 70420.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti holds a percentile ranking of 69 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, scores 25180, a difference of -0.2%.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the primary driver of Hitman 2’s frame rate at higher resolutions, and its specifications reflect a card designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective, while the base clock is 1410 MHz and the boost clock reaches 1665 MHz. These figures explain the performance curve seen in the measured data: the card’s 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is sufficient for 1080p High settings at 104 FPS, but the 4K Ultra results of 22.6 FPS indicate a hard limit when the fill-rate demands escalate.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s architecture, built on the Ampere design with 4864 shading units, handles Hitman 2’s stealth environments efficiently at lower presets. At 2560x1440, the drop from High (66.3 FPS) to Ultra (46.2 FPS) is a 20.1 FPS penalty, which is proportionally larger than the 27 FPS drop seen at 1080p between the same presets. This scaling suggests that the 8 GB VRAM capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become bottlenecks when texture quality and draw distances increase at higher resolutions. The GPU’s percentile rank of 69 places it above average, but the 4K results confirm that it is not a resolution for this card in this title, as even Medium settings only achieve 48.2 FPS.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s performance relative to its nearest rivals underscores its mid-range positioning. With an average benchmark score of 25120, it trails the AMD Radeon RX 6600 by -0.5% (score 25235) and the AMD Radeon 890M by -0.5% (score 25246). In Hitman 2, this translates to a card that can comfortably deliver high refresh rates at 1080p but requires careful preset selection at 1440p to maintain smooth gameplay. The data indicates that for this game, the GPU’s 8 GB memory pool is adequate for Low and Medium presets across all resolutions, but High and Ultra settings at 4K expose its limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF provides substantial headroom for Hitman 2, a title that is not particularly demanding on processor resources at lower resolutions. The CPU packs 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. In benchmark terms, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, indicating strong thread utilization and high per-core performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 2972 further confirms that the processor can feed the GPU efficiently in frame-bound scenarios.

The CPU’s impact on Hitman 2 becomes evident when examining the 1080p results. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 175.6 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s ceiling for frame generation. The High preset at 104 FPS shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor, as the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking against all processors suggests it has ample reserve. The Passmark single-thread score of 4480 and multithread score of 52425 indicate that even in busy stealth scenarios with many AI agents, the CPU should maintain stable frame pacing. The L3 cache of 33 MB helps with Hitman 2’s large open-ended levels, reducing memory latency for frequently accessed game data.

The CPU’s nearest rivals reinforce its position as a top-tier processor for gaming. Its average benchmark score of 70104 is within 0.3% of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887) and -1.3% of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71056). However, the 14700KF’s high boost clock of 5.60 GHz gives it an edge in single-threaded tasks, which are more relevant for Hitman 2’s core game logic. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as frame rates scale linearly with GPU load reductions. For example, at 2560x1440, dropping from High (66.3 FPS) to Low (112.3 FPS) yields a 46 FPS increase, which is a GPU-driven improvement, not a CPU limitation.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Hitman 2 experience with this combo. At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 104 FPS while maintaining visual fidelity. The Ultra preset offers 77 FPS, which is playable but represents a 27 FPS reduction for marginal visual gains. Medium at 135.1 FPS is an option for competitive play, but High provides the best balance of smoothness and image quality for most users. The Low preset at 175.6 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting extreme refresh rates.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is again the optimal selection, producing 66.3 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the Medium preset at 84.2 FPS offers extra headroom for systems with 144 Hz monitors. Ultra at 46.2 FPS should be avoided, as the drop below 60 FPS is noticeable in a stealth game that requires precise movement. Low at 112.3 FPS is viable but sacrifices too much visual detail for the resolution’s larger screen space.

At 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests avoiding High and Ultra presets, as they yield 37.5 FPS and 22.6 FPS, respectively, both of which are below playable standards. The Medium preset at 48.2 FPS is borderline, but Low at 62.7 FPS is the only 4K option that provides a consistently smooth experience. For the best overall experience, 1440p High is the recommended configuration, as it balances the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth with the CPU’s capability to maintain frame pacing. The 66.3 FPS result at this setting is more stable than the 104 FPS at 1080p High, which may exhibit larger frame time variance due to the GPU working harder.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 925th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 51st percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is a top-tier component with a 96th percentile ranking against all processors. The GPU’s 69th percentile ranking against all graphics cards drags the overall combo score down, despite the CPU’s excellent benchmark results.

The ranking becomes more meaningful when compared to the combo’s individual component strengths. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 70104 is 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, delta -0.4%), yet the GPU’s score of 25120 is 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235, delta -0.5%). This discrepancy highlights that the combo’s rank is determined by the slower component, which is the GPU in this case. In Hitman 2, the measured FPS data confirms this bottleneck: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 175.6 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 22.6 FPS, showing that the CPU cannot compensate for the GPU’s resolution limits.

The rank of 925 out of 1795 suggests that many combinations with less powerful CPUs but more capable GPUs outperform this setup in Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions. The data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB memory capacity is a limiting factor for Ultra settings, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops when moving from High to Ultra at all resolutions. For users prioritizing this game, the combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p with High settings, where the CPU’s strong single-core performance ensures stable frame delivery. The overall rank is a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range status, not the CPU’s capability, and the measured FPS results support this interpretation.