Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache. The processor sits at the 85th percentile against all CPUs tracked in the database, with an average benchmark score of 28631. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, scores 28654, putting the Ryzen 7 3700X a negligible 0.1% behind. Conversely, it leads the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT by 0.1% (28591) and the AMD EPYC 7203P by 0.2% (28583).

For a game like Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The measured frame rates show a clear trend: at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to produce very high frame counts, with the Low preset reaching 233.2 FPS. However, the processor’s single-thread performance, indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2694, is moderate by modern standards. This becomes relevant because Hitman 2 can be sensitive to single-core performance in certain scenes. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the frame rate of 233.2 FPS is substantially higher than at higher settings, but it still represents a practical ceiling for this processor in this title. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and the game’s threading model are handled without stutter, but the benchmark results suggest the Ryzen 7 3700X is not the limiting factor when paired with a high-end GPU at 1080p; it simply provides enough throughput to keep up. The multi-core scores, such as the Cinebench R20 multicore score of 8016, indicate strong parallel performance, but Hitman 2’s engine does not scale perfectly with all 16 threads, meaning the boost clock of 4.40 GHz is the more critical specification for peak frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 7 3700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for Hitman 2, which rarely uses more than a handful of threads. The game’s performance is more dependent on the CPU’s ability to execute single-threaded tasks quickly. With a boost clock of 4.40 GHz and a single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2694, the processor delivers solid, if not class-leading, performance. The benchmark data supports this: the deltaPct values against its nearest rivals are all within 0.2%, meaning the 3700X is effectively performance-equivalent to the Intel Core i5-12600 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT in synthetic aggregate scores. In Hitman 2, this translates to a system that can push well over 200 FPS at 1080p Low, but the scaling from 1080p to 1440p suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The biggest drop in frame rate occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, which is a GPU-bound shift. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 106.4 FPS, which is a 54.4% drop from the 1080p Low result. This drop is primarily due to increased GPU load, but the CPU still manages to keep the frame rate above 100 FPS, indicating it has enough headroom for High and Ultra settings at 1080p. The processor’s L3 cache of 32 MB helps with game asset streaming, but the overall picture is that the 3700X is a capable mid-range CPU that will not hold back the RTX 5070 in this title except perhaps in the most CPU-intensive, low-detail scenarios.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process, featuring 6144 shading units, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. It has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock is 2512 MHz, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. The RTX 5070 sits at the 83rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41687. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, scores 41610, a 0.2% difference, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 41441, meaning the RTX 5070 is 0.6% faster. The GPU’s memory bandwidth and 12 GB VRAM are sufficient for Hitman 2 at all tested settings, as the game does not exceed 12 GB even at 4K Ultra. The measured results show the GPU is the dominant performance factor once resolution increases beyond 1080p. At 4K Ultra, the system manages 38 FPS, which is a demanding load, but at 4K Low, it jumps to 84.7 FPS, showing the GPU’s raw compute power. The RTX 5070’s 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance is substantial, and the data indicates that the GPU’s clock speed and memory bandwidth are the key drivers of frame rate differences between settings. The 672.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming at 4K does not cause stuttering, and the 12 GB VRAM capacity prevents any memory-related frame drops. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary limiter at 1440p and above, while at 1080p, the CPU starts to become a factor at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 233.2 FPS, which drops to 164.3 FPS at 1440p Low, a 29.5% decrease. Moving to 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 84.7 FPS, another 48.4% drop. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting component as pixel count rises. The same trend is visible at High settings: 145.2 FPS at 1080p, 90.9 FPS at 1440p (a 37.4% drop), and 52.7 FPS at 4K (a 42.0% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these drops across settings suggests that the GPU’s rendering workload scales predictably with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to allow the GPU to reach high frame rates, but the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (68.9 FPS difference) is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K at the same settings (79.6 FPS difference), indicating that the GPU is already under significant load at 1440p. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system produces 38 FPS, which is the lowest result, confirming that the RTX 5070 is the bottleneck at this resolution. The percent changes between resolutions are not linear, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate become critical. The RTX 5070’s 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is the key specification here, and the results show that the GPU’s performance degrades gracefully as resolution increases, with no sudden cliff, which points to adequate VRAM and bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 233.2 FPS on Low settings, 193.1 FPS on Medium, 145.2 FPS on High, and 106.4 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Medium is 40.1 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 47.9 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 38.8 FPS. This shows that each settings tier has a roughly similar impact on performance at 1080p. The CPU is able to maintain high frame rates across all settings, but the Ultra preset’s 106.4 FPS suggests that the GPU is starting to feel the load. Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 164.3 FPS on Low, 122.8 FPS on Medium, 90.9 FPS on High, and 67.5 FPS on Ultra. The percentage drops from 1080p are significant: Low drops by 29.5%, Medium by 36.4%, High by 37.4%, and Ultra by 36.6%. This uniformity indicates that the GPU is consistently the limiting factor at 1440p, as the relative performance penalty is similar across all settings. At 3840x2160, the system produces 84.7 FPS on Low, 64.8 FPS on Medium, 52.7 FPS on High, and 38 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 48.4% for Low, 47.2% for Medium, 42.0% for High, and 43.7% for Ultra. The 4K results show that even the Low preset cannot maintain 100 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls below 40 FPS. This data suggests that for smooth 4K gameplay, the High preset is the maximum viable option, while at 1440p, High is comfortable, and at 1080p, Ultra is playable with a high refresh rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo to achieve 144 FPS?

A: The data shows that only the 1920x1080 Low preset (233.2 FPS) and 1920x1080 Medium preset (193.1 FPS) exceed 144 FPS. The 2560x1440 Low preset achieves 164.3 FPS, which also meets this target, but the 1440p Medium preset falls to 122.8 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5070 compared to its nearest rival, the RTX 3090?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, while the RTX 3090 scores 41441. This puts the RTX 5070 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3090, according to the deltaPct value.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the system produces 38 FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU has more than enough headroom to handle the lower frame rate. The CPU’s performance is not the primary constraint at 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p High and 1440p High?

A: The 1080p High preset averages 145.2 FPS, while the 1440p High preset averages 90.9 FPS. This is a difference of 54.3 FPS, representing a 37.4% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 5070 cause any issues in Hitman 2?

A: The measured results show no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or frame drops, as the game runs consistently at all tested settings. The 12 GB capacity is sufficient for Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra, which is the most demanding configuration.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to the Intel Core i5-12600 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X scores 28631, while the Intel Core i5-12600 scores 28654. The Ryzen 7 3700X is 0.1% behind the Intel chip, making them effectively performance-equivalent in aggregate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the target refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 145.2 FPS is the best balance, as it provides a high frame rate suitable for 144 Hz monitors while maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset at 106.4 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, but the incremental visual gains over High are not worth the 38.8 FPS loss. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 90.9 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the highest setting that remains above 90 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on 1440p panels. The Medium preset at 122.8 FPS is an alternative for gamers prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 67.5 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced stealth action. For 3840x2160, the High preset at 52.7 FPS is the highest playable option, though it does not reach 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 64.8 FPS is the better choice for 4K, as it exceeds 60 FPS and provides a smoother experience. The Low preset at 84.7 FPS is the only 4K option that offers a high frame rate, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. The Ultra preset at 38 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Overall, the data suggests that High settings are the sweet spot for this combo, providing a balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions.