Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In the context of Hitman 2, a stealth title released in late 2018, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic, AI, and physics. The high boost clock is particularly relevant here, as Hitman 2’s engine benefits from strong single-thread performance for frame pacing. The processor’s large 33 MB shared L3 cache and per-core 2 MB L2 cache help maintain low latency in complex crowd and AI scenarios typical of the game’s sandbox levels. Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i7-14700KF scores a multithreaded PassMark average of 70104, which places it 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. Its percentile ranking of 96 against all CPUs indicates that in synthetic workloads, this chip is among the top tier, though Hitman 2’s actual frame rates will be more dependent on the graphics card at higher resolutions.

The processor’s 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest it is designed for enthusiast desktops, but the measured FPS data in Hitman 2 shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU is not the bottleneck—the average frame rate reaches 238.8 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At Ultra settings across all resolutions, the CPU still provides enough headroom, as the frame rate drops are more closely tied to GPU load. The i7-14700KF’s performance in Cinebench R23 (44557 multi-core, 6290 single-core) further confirms that it can handle the game’s threading model without issue, but the game’s age means it does not fully utilize all 20 cores. In practice, the data shows that the CPU’s contribution to Hitman 2’s frame rates is secondary to the GPU, except at the lowest settings and resolutions where the CPU’s single-thread speed becomes more prominent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates in this combo, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1665 MHz and 10240 shading units provide substantial rasterization throughput, which is essential for Hitman 2’s detailed environments and dynamic lighting. The GPU’s 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are not directly relevant to this game, as Hitman 2 does not heavily utilize ray tracing, but the raw FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS ensures high fill rates. The measured FPS data shows a clear GPU-bound trend: at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 31.3 FPS, which is a demanding scenario, while at 1080p Low, the average jumps to 238.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated at lower resolutions.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3080 Ti’s average benchmark score of 41224 places it 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070, but it is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300. The GPU’s percentile of 83 against all GPUs indicates it is a high-end part, but not the absolute fastest. In Hitman 2, the 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, as the game’s texture requirements at 4K Ultra do not exceed this capacity. The memory clock of 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) provides ample bandwidth for high-resolution texture streaming, which is evident in the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting component at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 31.3 FPS, but at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU still delivers playable frame rates across all settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the balance between CPU and GPU load. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 238.8 FPS at 1080p to 148.4 FPS at 1440p, and then to 81.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.8% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU has less impact at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 98.5 FPS at 1080p to 61.7 FPS at 1440p, and then to 31.3 FPS at 4K, a 68.2% reduction. The consistency of this drop across settings suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti is the primary bottleneck, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid stalling.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU still has some influence, as the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 140.3 FPS, which is a larger spread than at 4K, where the difference is 50.4 FPS. This is because at 1080p, the GPU can render frames faster, but the CPU must keep up with draw calls, and the i7-14700KF’s high boost clock helps maintain that pace. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The scaling behavior confirms that for this game, the RTX 3080 Ti is the binding constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU is only marginally relevant at 1080p Low where it still achieves 238.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 238.8 FPS on Low, 179.3 FPS on Medium, 136.7 FPS on High, and 98.5 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium is a 59.5 FPS reduction, while the step from High to Ultra is 38.2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load due to increased shadow quality and draw distances. At 2560x1440, the averages are 148.4 FPS on Low, 112.0 FPS on Medium, 85.5 FPS on High, and 61.7 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is roughly a 35-40% reduction, which is consistent with the increased pixel count. At 3840x2160, the averages are 81.7 FPS on Low, 61.0 FPS on Medium, 49.1 FPS on High, and 31.3 FPS on Ultra.

The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls below 60 FPS, which is a concern for smooth gameplay, but at 4K High, it remains above 45 FPS. At 1440p, even the Ultra preset achieves 61.7 FPS, making it a viable resolution for high-quality settings. At 1080p, all presets are well above 60 FPS, with Low and Medium exceeding 170 FPS for fast-paced play. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 140.3 FPS, while at 4K it is 50.4 FPS, showing that the GPU’s performance ceiling is more pronounced at higher resolutions. The measured data is consistent with a game that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with no anomalies in the frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti achieves a combo rank of 474 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 26.4% of all combos, which is a strong showing given the game’s age and the GPU’s position in the market. The rank reflects that while the CPU is powerful, the RTX 3080 Ti is not the fastest GPU available, as indicated by its 83rd percentile ranking. In the context of the database, the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU’s performance at 4K Ultra, where it scores 31.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for competitive play.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, the CPU’s delta of 0.3% ahead of the EPYC 9115 and -0.4% behind the Ryzen 9 9950X suggests that the processor choice has minimal impact on the overall rank. The GPU’s delta of -0.5% versus the RTX 3090 and -1.1% versus the RTX 5070 indicates that swapping the graphics card for a slightly faster model would improve the rank. The combo’s rank of 474 out of 1795 is respectable, but it is not in the top 10%, which is reserved for combinations with faster GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generations. The data suggests that for Hitman 2, the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting factor at 4K, and the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that the combo does not suffer from CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions.

The rank also reflects the game’s optimization, as Hitman 2 is not a particularly demanding title compared to modern releases. The combo achieves playable frame rates at 1440p Ultra (61.7 FPS) and 4K High (49.1 FPS), which are acceptable for a stealth game that does not require high refresh rates. The overall percentile of the combo, when compared to all tested systems, shows that it is a balanced pairing, but the GPU’s end-of-life status and the CPU’s high core count are not fully utilized by this game. In summary, the combo ranks in the upper quartile, with the GPU determining the ceiling and the CPU providing ample headroom for future titles that may better utilize its 20 cores.