Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a broad performance envelope in Hitman 2, ranging from highly playable 4K experiences to extremely high refresh rate 1080p output. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures that even the highest frame rates remain attainable. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows, contextualizes the hardware's position against its nearest rivals, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the growing burden on the graphics card. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 236 FPS, which drops to 151 FPS at 1440p and then to 81 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing that the GPU is being pushed exponentially harder as pixel count rises.

Moving to Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 177 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar (36% and 47% respectively), indicating that the resolution scaling is consistent regardless of the quality preset. However, the absolute margins shrink, suggesting that at higher settings, the GPU is already working closer to its limit even at lower resolutions.

At High settings, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 134 at 1080p, to 86 at 1440p, to 46 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%, which is steeper than at Low or Medium. This indicates that the High preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at higher resolutions, likely related to shading complexity or texture filtering.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The combo manages 99 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and only 34 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 36%, but the 1440p to 4K drop is 46%. While the 4K result is technically playable, it sits below the 60 FPS threshold that many users target, making Ultra at 4K a marginal choice. The data suggests that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU’s influence on frame rate diminishes when the pixel workload becomes the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. In Hitman 2, this capacity proves sufficient even at 4K, as the measured FPS remains consistent with what would be expected from the GPU's compute capabilities. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz, combined with 5888 shading units, drive the raw pixel throughput.

The GPU's performance percentile of 81 versus all GPUs places it in the upper tier, and its average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 (a delta of 0.1%). This close margin suggests that in synthetic tests, the RTX 4070 performs almost exactly at its expected level. However, in Hitman 2, the real-world results are more telling.

At 1080p Low, the 236 FPS average indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor; the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU becomes fully saturated, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops. The 4K Medium result of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69 shows that the GPU is handling the workload consistently, without major frame time spikes. This stability is a sign that the 12 GB VRAM is not being exceeded, as a memory shortfall would typically manifest as severe stutters, which are not present in the data.

The RTX 4070’s 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs contribute to its texturing and pixel fill rates, which are critical for a game like Hitman 2 that features detailed environments. The GPU’s 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is ample for this title, which launched in 2018 and relies more on traditional rasterization than ray tracing. The data shows that the GPU is the scaling bottleneck at 4K, but it is not a weak link; it simply has a finite capacity that is reached at that resolution with higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 716 out of 3001 tested combos for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 24% of all systems. This percentile ranking is notable given that the individual components have lower percentiles (the CPU is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs). The combo rank being lower than either component’s individual percentile suggests that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for this specific game, or that other combos with slightly weaker parts achieve better results due to other system factors.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H scores 44466, a 0.2% difference, while the Intel Core i9-13950HX scores 44342, a 0.5% difference. These are extremely tight margins, indicating that the CPU is performing as expected. The negative delta of -0.7% against the Intel Core i5-14600 (which scores 44889) shows that the 7500X3D is slightly behind in synthetic multi-threaded tests, but this does not necessarily translate to a disadvantage in Hitman 2, which is more sensitive to single-thread performance.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070’s score of 37648 is within 1.3% of its rivals, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scoring 37507 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scoring 38135. The data shows that the desktop RTX 4070 performs nearly identically to the RTX 4080 Mobile in synthetic benchmarks, which is a strong indicator of its capability. The combo’s rank of 716 is a function of both parts working together, and the measured FPS suggests that the system is well-balanced for most resolutions, with only the 4K Ultra preset falling below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Hitman 2?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 236, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 200 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates when the GPU has minimal work.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, where the average FPS is 60, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. At High settings, the average drops to 46 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 34 FPS, so 60 FPS at 4K is only achievable with the Medium preset.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135).

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 151 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces an average of 63 FPS. This represents a 58% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality setting.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the 236 FPS average suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is not heavily taxed. The CPU’s single-thread score of 3494 in Passmark tests supports its ability to handle high frame rates, but the data shows that the GPU’s workload increases proportionally with resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems for Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 716 out of 3001 tested combinations, placing it in the 76th percentile of performance. This is a solid result, but it is lower than the individual component percentiles suggest, indicating that other factors may influence the game-specific ranking.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 4.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz, combined with a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, are critical for gaming performance. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3494 is a strong indicator of its ability to handle game logic and draw calls, which is essential for Hitman 2’s simulation-heavy gameplay.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all very close in score, with the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H being 0.2% faster and the Intel Core i9-13950HX being 0.5% slower. This tight grouping suggests that the 7500X3D is performing exactly as expected for its class. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs places it in the upper echelon of available processors.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p with lower settings, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The jump from 236 FPS at 1080p Low to 151 FPS at 1440p Low shows that the CPU can maintain a high frame rate ceiling, but the GPU’s workload limits the output as resolution increases. The 12 threads are sufficient for this game, which was released in 2018 and does not heavily utilize many cores. The 96 MB L3 cache likely helps with the game’s level streaming and NPC AI, though the data does not directly measure this effect. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 5 nm process make it efficient, but the benchmark data shows that its performance is squarely in line with its competitors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and performance target. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience, with an average of 60 FPS and a minimum of 51 FPS. The High preset at 4K drops to 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, while Ultra at 34 FPS is only suitable for cinematic play or screenshots.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers a strong 86 FPS average, which is well above 60 FPS and provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is also playable, but it is close to the 60 FPS threshold, and the High preset offers a more comfortable margin. For users with 144 Hz monitors, the Low preset at 151 FPS is the best choice, as it maximizes frame rate without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 1080p, the Medium preset provides 177 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate displays. The High preset at 134 FPS is also a strong option, offering better visual quality while still maintaining a high frame rate. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is the best-looking option and still clears the 60 FPS target by a wide margin, but it is not as smooth as the lower presets. For esports-style play, the Low preset at 236 FPS is the clear winner, though it sacrifices most visual effects.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this combo across all resolutions, as it provides a 60 FPS average at 4K, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 177 FPS at 1080p. The High preset is a reasonable alternative for those with 1440p monitors, as it offers improved visuals with only a moderate FPS penalty. Users should avoid Ultra at 4K unless they are willing to accept sub-60 FPS performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces a wide range of results depending on settings. Low settings yield an average of 236 FPS, which is the highest recorded. Medium settings deliver 177 FPS, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204, showing a stable frame time distribution. High settings drop to 134 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 99 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution, as even the Ultra preset exceeds 90 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 151 for Low, 113 for Medium, 86 for High, and 63 for Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 96 and maximum of 130 show a 34 FPS range, which is a tighter spread than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The High preset’s 86 FPS is a solid result, while the Ultra preset’s 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings produce 81 FPS, which is playable but not high refresh rate. Medium settings yield 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69, making it the only 4K preset that maintains a consistent 60 FPS average. High settings drop to 46 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS. The data shows a clear linear progression of performance degradation as settings increase at 4K, with each step up in quality costing roughly 14-15 FPS on average. This breakdown confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being viable only at Medium settings or lower.