Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

This combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 341st out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations. The pairing leverages a processor that sits at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,824, while the GPU achieves the 84th percentile among all graphics cards. The performance envelope is strong but not class-leading, and the measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a system that excels at high-refresh 1440p gaming while remaining comfortably playable at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 341 out of 1,795 tested configurations indicates a solidly above-average pairing for Hitman 2, though not an elite one. The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scoring include the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 80,041 (a delta of -0.3%), the Intel Core i9-14900KF at 79,245 (delta of 0.7%), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF at 79,240 (delta of 0.7%). The i9-14900K's average benchmark score of 79,824 sits essentially at parity with these competitors, with the largest gap being a mere 0.9% against the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K at 79,102. This means the processor is not a differentiator in this game; its contribution to Hitman 2's frame rates is effectively equivalent to several other high-end chips.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 42,576 places it near the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42,653, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42,723, delta -0.3%), while it leads the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41,991, delta 1.4%) and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41,897, delta 1.6%) by modest margins. The GPU's 84th percentile standing among all GPUs suggests it is a capable performer for Hitman 2, but the measured FPS data shows that the game's engine and the combination's overall balance matter more than raw synthetic scores.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The chip is built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads (with boost clocks up to 6.00 GHz) are sufficient to feed the GPU, but at 4K the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game's texture demands at all settings, as evidenced by the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra presets. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile GPU ranking and its benchmark scores—including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,627 and a PassMark G3D score of 29,995—indicate it handles Hitman 2's engine efficiently, though the game's age means it does not stress newer ray tracing or DLSS features heavily.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data points to a clear sweet spot: the High preset at 1440p delivers 94.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay while still offering substantial visual fidelity over Medium. At 1080p, High produces 147.6 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra settings are playable at 1440p with 71.1 FPS, but the drop to 110.5 FPS at 1080p and 40.9 FPS at 4K suggests that Ultra's additional overhead is not justified for most users.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 66.9 FPS is the best balance, as High drops to 49 FPS and Ultra falls to 40.9 FPS. Low settings at 4K produce 87.4 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant. The data indicates that High at 1440p is the strongest overall recommendation—it provides a frame rate nearly double the 4K Ultra result while maintaining a quality level that is visually rich. At 1080p, even Ultra is viable for competitive play, but High offers a substantial margin above 144 FPS for high-refresh panels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 261.9 FPS, Medium yields 198.5 FPS, High achieves 147.6 FPS, and Ultra manages 110.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower presets—the jump from Low to Medium costs 63.4 FPS (a 24% reduction), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 37.1 FPS (a 25% reduction). The i9-14900K's strong single-thread performance (evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,040) helps maintain high minimums, though min FPS data was not captured.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain robust. Low settings produce 170.2 FPS, Medium drops to 127.3 FPS, High delivers 94.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 71.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 35% reduction at Low (from 261.9 to 170.2 FPS), a 36% reduction at Medium (198.5 to 127.3 FPS), a 36% reduction at High (147.6 to 94.4 FPS), and a 36% reduction at Ultra (110.5 to 71.1 FPS). This consistency suggests the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at 1440p, as the relative performance drop is uniform across presets.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates show more pronounced GPU-bound behavior. Low settings yield 87.4 FPS, Medium produces 66.9 FPS, High drops to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40.9 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper: Low drops by 49% (170.2 to 87.4 FPS), Medium by 47% (127.3 to 66.9 FPS), High by 48% (94.4 to 49 FPS), and Ultra by 42% (71.1 to 40.9 FPS). The slightly smaller drop at Ultra (42% versus 47-49% at other presets) hints that at 4K Ultra, the game's engine is hitting a compute ceiling that partially masks the GPU's bandwidth limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the 261.9 FPS result is extraordinarily high, suggesting the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER. The GPU's 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 554.4 GTexel/s texture rate are not stressed at this resolution, allowing the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R20 single-core score of 2,956) to dominate.

At 4K, the picture changes dramatically. The 87.4 FPS at Low represents a 67% reduction from 1080p Low, while the 40.9 FPS at Ultra is a 63% reduction from 1080p Ultra. This steep scaling indicates that the GPU's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus are the bottleneck, as Hitman 2's draw calls and texture streaming at 4K demand more memory throughput than the GPU can deliver. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient in capacity, but the bandwidth is the limiting factor.

The data also shows that the system is not CPU-limited at 4K even at Low settings, since the 87.4 FPS result is still well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Conversely, at 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-limited at Low and Medium presets, as the frame rates (261.9 and 198.5 FPS) far exceed what the GPU's pixel rate would suggest as a ceiling. This is a well-balanced pairing for 1440p gaming, where the 94.4 FPS High result represents the point where CPU and GPU contributions are most evenly matched. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 66.9 FPS is the highest quality setting that maintains smooth gameplay, while Ultra at 40.9 FPS is only suitable for cinematic play where frame rate is secondary to visual fidelity.