Hitman 2

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER presents an interesting study in bottleneck dynamics for Hitman 2. This combination, ranking 2631st out of 3711 tested combos, demonstrates that the high-end processor is heavily restrained by the mid-range graphics card at nearly every resolution. The data shows a system where the CPU's potential is largely theoretical, as the GPU consistently dictates the playable experience across all measured settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a textbook case of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 82 FPS, but this drops to 52 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 28 FPS at 4K. This represents a 66% decrease in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern that clearly indicates the graphics card is the limiting factor. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is simply waiting for the RTX 2060 SUPER to feed it frames.

The pattern holds across all settings, though the severity changes. On Low settings, the system achieves 145 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop here is 66%, nearly identical to the High preset. This consistency across presets is telling—even when graphical load is reduced, the GPU cannot push significantly higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing to these limitations, though the data does not break down memory usage specifics.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing than 1440p to 4K. On Medium settings, 1080p yields 109 FPS while 1440p yields 69 FPS, a 37% drop. But moving from 1440p to 4K on Medium drops from 69 FPS to 37 FPS, a 46% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests the GPU hits a performance cliff somewhere between 1440p and 4K, likely related to memory bandwidth or the 256-bit memory bus of the RTX 2060 SUPER.

The Ultra preset tells the harshest story. At 1080p, the combo manages 60 FPS, but this falls to 39 FPS at 1440p and a barely playable 21 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop here is 65%, in line with other presets. What stands out is that even at 1080p Ultra, the system barely achieves the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that Ultra settings are simply too demanding for this GPU at any resolution.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER's specifications paint a picture of a card that was capable for its era but is now showing its age. With a boost clock of 1650 MHz and 2176 shading units, it produces 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 14 Gbps effective provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 256-bit bus. These numbers place the card at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the RTX 3060 Mobile and AMD Radeon Pro 5700.

The card's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Hitman 2 at higher resolutions. The 8 GB capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely strained at 4K, where the game's detailed environments and crowds demand more memory throughput. The measured FPS data supports this: at 4K Medium, the system achieves 37 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS, showing frame time inconsistency that suggests memory pressure. The 175 W TDP and dual-slot cooler design are typical for this class, but the card's end-of-life production status signals its limitations.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its in-game performance. A Passmark G3D score of 16462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011 indicate mid-range capability. The card's nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, which is 0.4% higher—an insignificant difference that suggests the RTX 2060 SUPER is performance-competitive with that mobile part. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 76957 and Vulkan score of 77402 are nearly identical, indicating consistent compute performance across APIs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data makes a clear case for Medium settings as the optimal balance point for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the system produces 109 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 125 FPS. This provides smooth, consistent gameplay with headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 36 FPS (145 to 109) but likely delivers substantially better visual quality, making it a worthwhile trade.

At 1440p, Medium settings yield 69 FPS with a 59 FPS minimum and 80 FPS maximum. This is still playable, though the minimum dips close to the 60 FPS line. For players with 1440p monitors, Medium is the highest preset that maintains playable frame rates. High settings at 1440p drop to 52 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay but risks stutter in crowded scenes.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. Even at 1080p, it only achieves 60 FPS average, and the drop to 39 FPS at 1440p makes it unsuitable for consistent play. The data suggests that Ultra settings on Hitman 2 are designed for more powerful GPUs, and the RTX 2060 SUPER simply lacks the pixel throughput and memory bandwidth to handle them effectively.

For 4K, the situation is dire. Low settings at 4K produce 49 FPS, which is the only preset approaching playability at that resolution. Medium at 4K drops to 37 FPS, and High falls to 28 FPS. Players with 4K displays should accept Low settings or consider dropping to 1440p for a better experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2631 out of 3711 tested combinations places it in the lower third of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the significant mismatch between the i9-14900K, which sits at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits at the 62nd percentile of GPUs. The CPU's performance is essentially wasted in this pairing for Hitman 2, as the game's frame rates are consistently limited by the graphics card.

The CPU's benchmark scores highlight this disparity. The i9-14900K achieves 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core, placing it among the top processors available. Its nearest rival, the i9-14900KF, scores 79371 in the average benchmark, just 0.3% higher. This CPU is capable of far more than this GPU can deliver in gaming scenarios.

The GPU's ranking at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival the RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159 average score, shows it is a solid mid-range card. However, for Hitman 2 specifically, the combination's 2631st place ranking out of 3711 suggests that many other GPU pairings deliver better frame rates. The data indicates this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can leverage the CPU's strength to maintain high minimum frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. With a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, it is one of the fastest processors available. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications place it at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is largely underutilized. The game's stealth mechanics and AI calculations can benefit from strong single-thread performance, and the i9-14900K's 6.00 GHz boost clock and 2262.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score should provide ample headroom. However, the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where CPU load would be highest relative to GPU load, the system only achieves 145 FPS. This is likely near the GPU's maximum output rather than a CPU limitation.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant for Hitman 2's background simulation. With 32 threads and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, the i9-14900K can handle any CPU-side workload the game throws at it. The Passmark multithread score of 58674 and integer math score of 210622 further confirm its processing power. In this pairing, the CPU is never the bottleneck—the data shows the GPU is consistently the limiting factor across all resolutions and settings.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with dual-channel configuration, provides flexibility for system builders. However, the measured FPS data does not differentiate between memory types, so conclusions about memory bandwidth's impact on Hitman 2 performance cannot be drawn from this pack.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the system delivers 145 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium, 82 FPS on High, and 60 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset provides the most balanced experience with a 92 FPS minimum and 125 FPS maximum, indicating stable frame pacing. The Ultra preset's 60 FPS average is exactly at the playability threshold, with no minimum or maximum data provided to assess consistency.

At 1440p, performance drops across all presets. Low settings yield 93 FPS, Medium produces 69 FPS with a 59 FPS minimum and 80 FPS maximum, High delivers 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, though the 59 FPS minimum shows it occasionally dips below that threshold.

At 4K, the system struggles. Low settings produce 49 FPS, Medium delivers 37 FPS with a 31 FPS minimum and 43 FPS maximum, High drops to 28 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 21 FPS. None of these averages are consistently playable, and the Medium preset's 31 FPS minimum indicates significant frame drops. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Hitman 2, regardless of settings.

The pattern across all resolutions shows a consistent relationship between presets: Low is roughly 33% faster than Medium, Medium is roughly 25% faster than High, and High is roughly 30% faster than Ultra. This scaling is consistent regardless of resolution, confirming that the GPU's performance characteristics are the primary driver of frame rates in this game. The i9-14900K's role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved of data, and the data shows it succeeds in this task—the limiting factor is always the RTX 2060 SUPER.