Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a 2018 stealth title, remains a demanding benchmark for modern hardware. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, based strictly on measured data. The combination ranks 1837th out of 3001 tested configurations for this game, placing it in the 39th percentile overall. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial power becomes more relevant at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate drops from 86 FPS at 1920x1080 to 55 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative effect is a 66% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

These scaling characteristics indicate that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit memory bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are likely strained by the increased pixel count and texture data at 4K. The RTX 5050's raw compute throughput of 13.17 TFLOPS is simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160, even on a 2018 title with relatively moderate geometry complexity.

At 1080p, the scaling is more favorable for the GPU. The jump from "Low" (152 FPS) to "High" (86 FPS) shows a 43% reduction in performance, which is a substantial cost for visual fidelity. However, the 1080p results are notably higher than at other resolutions, suggesting that the CPU's capabilities are sufficient to feed the GPU adequately at this resolution. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is not the primary constraint at 1080p, but rather the RTX 5050's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are still the limiting factors.

The data suggests that 4K gaming with this configuration is only viable at "Low" settings, where the average FPS reaches 52. Even then, the frame rate is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. The 1440p resolution presents a more balanced picture, with "Medium" settings achieving 73 FPS and "High" reaching 55 FPS, indicating a playable experience for most users. The 1080p resolution is where this combo truly shines, with all presets except "Ultra" exceeding 86 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this configuration is the "Medium" preset. At 1920x1080, "Medium" achieves 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. The "High" preset at 86 FPS is also playable, but the 28 FPS difference between "Medium" and "High" represents a significant cost for incremental visual improvements.

At 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is sufficient for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The "High" preset drops to 55 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the "Medium" preset provides a safer margin against frame rate dips. "Low" at 1440p achieves 97 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that can look good at moderate settings.

For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The "Low" preset at 52 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it will require compromises in visual fidelity. The "Medium" preset at 39 FPS is borderline, with a minimum FPS of 33, which will result in noticeable stuttering. The "High" and "Ultra" presets at 29 and 22 FPS respectively are not recommended for serious gameplay, as they fall well below the threshold for smooth motion.

The "Ultra" preset is consistently the worst performer across all resolutions. At 1080p, it drops to 64 FPS, which is 44% lower than the "High" preset. At 1440p, it falls to 41 FPS, and at 4K, it is nearly unplayable at 22 FPS. For this hardware combination, the "Ultra" preset appears to introduce rendering features or effects that disproportionately tax the RTX 5050's 32 ROPs and 80 TMUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the dominant performance factor in Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is a key specification, and the data suggests it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at Medium to High settings. However, at 4K, the memory capacity and bandwidth are likely insufficient to handle the texture streaming demands, explaining the significant performance drop.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest, with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 2560 shading units, produce a theoretical FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS. This is a relatively modest figure for a modern GPU, and it is reflected in the benchmark scores. The RTX 5050 scores 2502 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and its passmark G3D score is 17326, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s is a potential bottleneck. This is a consequence of the 128-bit memory bus and the 2500 MHz memory clock (20 Gbps effective). In Hitman 2, which features large, detailed environments, the memory bandwidth is critical for streaming textures and geometry. The data indicates that at 4K, the bandwidth is insufficient, causing the average FPS to plummet to 29 at "High" settings and 22 at "Ultra."

The RTX 5050's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, which are significantly older and less powerful parts. The RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is only 0.6% higher than the RX Vega M GL and 1% higher than the HD 8970M. This suggests that while the RTX 5050 is a modern part, its performance class is comparable to older mid-range GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration shows a wide range of performance. "Low" settings produce an average of 152 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. "Medium" settings reduce this to 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS, providing a very stable experience. "High" settings further reduce the average to 86 FPS, while "Ultra" settings are the most demanding, yielding 64 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. "Low" settings still manage 97 FPS, which is very playable. "Medium" settings achieve 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, making it the sweet spot for 1440p. "High" settings drop to 55 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. "Ultra" settings are the most demanding, with an average of only 41 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. "Low" settings are the only viable option, with an average of 52 FPS. "Medium" settings drop to 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS, indicating significant frame time inconsistency. "High" settings are nearly unplayable at 29 FPS, and "Ultra" settings are the worst, with an average of just 22 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs approximately 20-30% of performance, with the "Ultra" preset being disproportionately expensive.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the most effective resolution, with "Medium" settings achieving 114 FPS and "Low" settings reaching 152 FPS. At 2560x1440, "Medium" settings provide a playable 73 FPS, but 4K is only playable at "Low" settings with 52 FPS.

Q: Why is the performance at 4K so poor?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an 8 GB GDDR6 memory capacity and a 128-bit memory bus providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The data suggests this is insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in Hitman 2, as the average FPS drops to 29 at "High" settings and 22 at "Ultra."

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems for this game?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1837th out of 3001 tested configurations for Hitman 2. This places it in the lower half of tested systems, reflecting the GPU's mid-range performance class.

Q: Is the "Ultra" preset worth using?

A: No. The "Ultra" preset is the worst performer at every resolution. At 1080p, it drops to 64 FPS, at 1440p it falls to 41 FPS, and at 4K it is nearly unplayable at 22 FPS. The performance cost is disproportionate to the visual gains.

Q: What is the CPU's impact on performance?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, is not the limiting factor in this game. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by a 4697 passmark single-thread score, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p.

Q: What is the minimum FPS I can expect at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with "Medium" settings, the minimum FPS is 62, providing a stable experience. At "High" settings, the average is 55 FPS, but no minimum FPS is provided in the data. "Low" settings achieve an average of 97 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 32 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its boost clock reaches 6.00 GHz, which is among the highest available. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. Its passmark single-thread score is 4697, and its Geekbench single-core score is 2655.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to prepare frames for the GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the performance scales heavily with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound factors. The CPU's high single-thread performance is beneficial for this game, as Hitman 2 uses a traditional game engine that relies on a few primary threads for game logic and draw call submission.

The CPU's multi-core performance is also relevant, as the game can utilize multiple threads for background tasks such as physics, AI, and audio. The i9-14900K's 32 threads ensure that these tasks do not interfere with the main rendering thread. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.3% higher, indicating that the i9-14900K performs nearly identically.

The CPU's large 36 MB shared L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming. This cache can store frequently accessed game data, reducing the need to access slower system memory. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, which allows for flexible system configuration. However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU's capabilities are not fully utilized at higher resolutions, where the GPU's limitations dominate the performance profile. At 1080p "Low" settings, the 152 FPS result shows the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU effectively, but even then, the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at "Ultra" settings with 64 FPS.