Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination produces 194.4 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 125.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 68.7 FPS, which is about 45% below the 1440p figure and roughly 65% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that at lower settings, the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises, while the CPU has ample headroom.

The pattern shifts when examining higher settings. At Ultra preset, 1080p yields 81.3 FPS, 1440p yields 51.8 FPS, and 4K yields 30.5 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36%, and from 1440p to 4K it is about 41%. This consistent scaling across all settings suggests that Hitman 2's rendering load scales fairly linearly with resolution, and the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed progressively harder. The data indicates that the 4K Ultra result of 30.5 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, while 4K Low at 68.7 FPS is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays.

The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution reveals the GPU's workload envelope. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 113.1 FPS (from 194.4 down to 81.3). At 1440p, the spread narrows to 73.6 FPS (125.4 down to 51.8). At 4K, the spread is 38.2 FPS (68.7 down to 30.5). This narrowing spread at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound scenarios, where the cost of additional shading and memory traffic from higher settings becomes proportionally larger relative to the total frame time.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 20655, and the 3DMark 16-thread score is 6628. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2916 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 901. The processor sits in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27220.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS at 1080p Low. The 194.4 FPS average suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700's single-thread and multi-thread capabilities are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where the rendering load is lighter. The processor's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game's AI and simulation systems. The nearest rival comparisons show the Ryzen 7 5700 is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i9-9900K, 0.8% of the Intel Core i7-12700H, and 1.2% of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 in average benchmark scores, indicating it is competitive with those parts in general compute tasks.

However, the data does not show a CPU bottleneck at any resolution in Hitman 2. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent across all settings, which implies the GPU is the limiting component throughout the tested range. The Ryzen 7 5700's 8 cores and 16 threads are likely more than enough for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, which typically relies on a few heavily utilized threads for game logic and AI rather than massively parallel workloads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, featuring 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, with base and boost clocks of 1500 MHz and 1725 MHz respectively. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's compute capabilities include 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s.

The RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 28238, placing it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1% faster), and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (1.1% slower). These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not Hitman 2 specifically, but they provide context for the GPU's overall performance tier.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant, as evidenced by the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the 194.4 FPS result is likely near the upper limit of what the game engine can produce given the CPU, but the 4K Ultra result of 30.5 FPS shows the GPU struggling with the highest settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a factor at 4K Ultra, where texture and geometry data can exceed that amount, potentially causing the GPU to rely on slower memory paging. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the demand on memory bandwidth increases substantially, contributing to the 30.5 FPS floor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 194.4 FPS, Medium 147.1 FPS, High 112.1 FPS, and Ultra 81.3 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a drop of 47.3 FPS, from Medium to High a drop of 35.0 FPS, and from High to Ultra a drop of 30.8 FPS. These diminishing returns indicate that each higher preset adds progressively more visual complexity without a proportional increase in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 125.4 FPS, Medium 94.6 FPS, High 73.7 FPS, and Ultra 51.8 FPS. The differences between presets are: Low to Medium 30.8 FPS, Medium to High 20.9 FPS, and High to Ultra 21.9 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 51.8 FPS is just above the 50 FPS threshold, making it viable for mid-range refresh displays but not for 144 Hz panels.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 68.7 FPS, Medium 51.6 FPS, High 38.9 FPS, and Ultra 30.5 FPS. The differences are: Low to Medium 17.1 FPS, Medium to High 12.7 FPS, and High to Ultra 8.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 30.5 FPS is below the 30 FPS standard for cinematic feel, making it unsuitable for competitive play. The 4K High result of 38.9 FPS is closer to playable but still sub-optimal.

The combination's overall rank in Hitman 2 is 801 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of the database. This rank reflects the balance between CPU and GPU performance for this specific title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows 1440p provides the best balance, with 73.7 FPS on High and 51.8 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are smooth on most displays, whereas 4K Ultra at 30.5 FPS is below playable thresholds and 1080p Ultra at 81.3 FPS does not leverage the full potential of higher-resolution displays.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low?

A: The 1080p Low result is 194.4 FPS, while the 4K Low result is 68.7 FPS. This represents a reduction of 125.7 FPS, or approximately 65% lower performance at 4K compared to 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Hitman 2?

A: The FPS scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. From 1080p to 4K, FPS drops consistently across all settings, and the CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 4.60 GHz boost clock is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Hitman 2?

A: No. The highest 4K result is 68.7 FPS on Low settings, but Medium drops to 51.6 FPS, High to 38.9 FPS, and Ultra to 30.5 FPS. None of the 4K presets above Low reach 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 28238. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is 0.9% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 1% faster, and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X is 1.1% slower.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1440p High and 1440p Ultra?

A: The 1440p High result is 73.7 FPS, and the 1440p Ultra result is 51.8 FPS. This is a difference of 21.9 FPS, or roughly 30% lower performance on Ultra compared to High.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target display refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays with 144 Hz or higher refresh rates, the High preset at 112.1 FPS is the best choice, as it clears the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay while providing better visual fidelity than Medium (147.1 FPS) or Low (194.4 FPS). The Ultra preset at 81.3 FPS is still playable on 60 Hz displays but sacrifices performance for marginal visual gains.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 73.7 FPS is the recommended choice for 60 Hz monitors, offering a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 94.6 FPS is suitable for 75 Hz or 100 Hz displays, while Ultra at 51.8 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz and not recommended for competitive play. The Low preset at 125.4 FPS is only advisable if the user prioritizes frame rate over all visual quality.

For 4K displays, the data suggests that only the Low preset at 68.7 FPS provides a playable experience, and even then, it is only suitable for 60 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 51.6 FPS might be acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay, but the High (38.9 FPS) and Ultra (30.5 FPS) presets fall below the 40 FPS minimum for comfortable play. Given that Hitman 2 is a stealth game where precision matters, a stable frame rate is more important than visual fidelity, so 4K Low is the safest recommendation for this resolution.

The best overall experience in the measured data is the 1440p High preset at 73.7 FPS. This setting balances visual quality with performance, staying above the 60 FPS threshold while providing the enhanced detail that the game's environments benefit from. The combination's rank of 801 out of 1795 indicates it is a capable setup for Hitman 2, but users should match settings to their display capabilities rather than maxing out every option.