Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing in Hitman 2 presents a fascinating case of generational mismatch. The data places this combo at rank 2631 out of 3711 tested configurations, which initially suggests a mid-pack result, but the resolution scaling tells a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 145 FPS average, but this drops to 93 FPS at 1440p and further to 49 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 47% loss from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is remarkably linear across all settings presets, suggesting a predictable scaling behavior rather than any unexpected bottleneck shifting.

The High settings preset shows the same trajectory: 82 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 37% and 46% respectively, nearly identical to the Low preset scaling. This consistency indicates that the performance limiter is scaling proportionally with pixel count, which typically points to GPU-bound behavior. However, the absolute numbers at 4K — 21 FPS on Ultra and 28 FPS on High — are far below playable thresholds, indicating the RTX 2060 SUPER simply lacks the raw throughput for this game at that resolution.

What makes this interesting is that the 7700's 3DMark single-thread score of 1049 and multi-thread score of 8479 suggest substantial CPU headroom. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see diminishing returns as resolution drops, but instead the FPS scales almost perfectly with pixel count. The data implies that even at 1080p Low, the RTX 2060 SUPER is likely the primary constraint, though the 145 FPS result shows it can still deliver high refresh rates when pushed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Turing architecture GPU runs at a base clock of 1470 MHz with a boost of 1650 MHz, and the benchmark data shows this card sits at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rival comparisons show it trading blows with the RTX 3060 Mobile (0.4% slower) and Radeon Pro 5700 (0.5% slower), while the RX 460 and Arc A770M trail by 1.5% and 1.6% respectively.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the VRAM capacity appears adequate for the tested settings. The fact that FPS scales so predictably with resolution suggests the 8 GB frame buffer is not being exceeded at any of the measured points. If VRAM were spilling over, we would expect to see anomalous drops at 4K Ultra that don't follow the linear pattern — instead, the 4K Ultra result of 21 FPS is exactly what the trend would predict from the 1080p and 1440p results.

The 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate provide the theoretical foundation for these results. The 64 ROPs and 136 TMUs handle the pixel and texture work, but at 4K the sheer volume of fragments overwhelms the card. The 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate means the card can theoretically fill 105.6 million pixels per second, yet 4K Ultra demands processing for 8.3 million pixels per frame at 60 FPS — a task clearly beyond this GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so dramatically from 1080p to 4K?

A: The measured data shows that performance scales nearly linearly with pixel count. At High settings, FPS drops from 82 at 1080p to 52 at 1440p and then to 28 at 4K — each step represents roughly a 40-50% reduction. This linear scaling indicates the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, as its 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is simply insufficient to maintain higher frame rates as resolution increases.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700 holding back this GPU in Hitman 2?

A: No, the data does not support CPU bottlenecking. The 7700's 3DMark multi-thread score of 8479 and single-thread score of 1049 place it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see the FPS gap between 1080p and 4K shrink as GPU load increases — but the scaling remains constant, suggesting the CPU has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The 1440p Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, delivering 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum and 80 FPS maximum. This is the only measured configuration that combines a resolution above 1080p with a frame rate above 60 FPS. The 4K results are all below playable thresholds, with the best 4K result being 49 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The benchmark data shows this card is extremely competitive with its peers. It scores 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile, 0.5% lower than the Radeon Pro 5700, but 1.5% higher than the RX 460 and 1.6% higher than the Arc A770M. This puts it in a tightly contested mid-range tier where small percentage differences separate the competitors.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 4K?

A: The data suggests VRAM capacity is not the limiting factor. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a smooth, predictable curve at every settings preset. If the 8 GB frame buffer were being exceeded at 4K Ultra, we would expect to see a disproportionate drop at that specific configuration — but the 21 FPS result at 4K Ultra follows the established trend from the other presets.

Q: What does the 87th CPU percentile mean for gaming performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it has substantial processing power. Its 8 cores and 16 threads with a 5.30 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance (1049 in 3DMark) and multi-thread capability (8479 in 3DMark), making it highly unlikely to be the bottleneck in any of the measured Hitman 2 scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS dataset reveals a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 145 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium (with 92 minimum and 125 maximum), 82 FPS on High, and 60 FPS on Ultra. These results show the GPU can handle full HD gaming even at the highest preset, though Ultra barely reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably: 93 FPS on Low, 69 FPS on Medium (59 minimum, 80 maximum), 52 FPS on High, and 39 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset here is the only 1440p configuration that maintains a 60+ FPS average, while Ultra drops below 40 FPS, indicating the GPU struggles with higher settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly below playable standards: 49 FPS on Low, 37 FPS on Medium (31 minimum, 43 maximum), 28 FPS on High, and 21 FPS on Ultra. Even the lowest settings fail to reach 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces a stutter-prone experience with an average that barely exceeds 20 FPS.

The Medium presets across all resolutions show the most consistent frame time behavior, as they are the only configurations with reported minimum and maximum values. At 1080p, the 92-125 FPS range indicates smooth gameplay, while at 1440p the 59-80 FPS range shows more variance but remains playable. The 4K Medium range of 31-43 FPS illustrates the GPU's struggle to maintain consistent frame pacing at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 architecture processor built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz boosts up to 5.30 GHz, and the 65W TDP makes it an efficient performer. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide solid memory performance for gaming workloads.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position as a high-end processor. It achieves 18760 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1930 in single-core, while Geekbench shows 15371 multicore and 2525 single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 34470 and single-thread score of 4063 further confirm its capability. With a 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, this processor is clearly not the performance limit in this Hitman 2 configuration.

The nearest CPU rivals show how tightly clustered the 7700's performance is: the Ryzen AI 9 365 is 0.1% faster, the Core 5 221E is 0.2% slower, the Ryzen 9 270 is 0.4% slower, and the Core i9-13905H is 0.6% slower. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, confirming that the 7700 provides ample processing headroom for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game.

The evidence from the FPS scaling pattern strongly suggests the CPU is underutilized. If the 7700 were the bottleneck, we would expect to see FPS values that plateau at lower resolutions regardless of GPU load. Instead, the FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the determining factor across all measured configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Hitman 2 experience with this combo. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 82 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 60 FPS is viable for those prioritizing image fidelity. The Low preset at 145 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset emerges as the clear recommendation. Its 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum keeps gameplay smooth, while the 80 FPS maximum shows there is headroom for occasional spikes. The High preset at 52 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid, and Ultra at 39 FPS falls below acceptable smoothness for most action sequences.

For 4K, the data suggests this combo is not suitable for a quality experience. Even the Low preset at 49 FPS feels marginal, and the Medium preset at 37 FPS (with a 31 FPS minimum) will produce noticeable stuttering. The Ultra preset at 21 FPS is effectively unplayable. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution or accepting significant visual compromises.

The overall recommendation is clear: 1440p Medium provides the best measured experience, offering the highest resolution with consistent frame rates. For users who prioritize frame rate over resolution, 1080p High delivers 82 FPS, which is 13 FPS higher than the 1440p Medium result while providing better visual quality than Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2631 out of 3711 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the 29th percentile of all tested configurations, which initially seems underwhelming for a CPU that ranks in the 87th percentile. The discrepancy highlights how the GPU limits the overall gaming experience.

The ranking makes sense when considering the GPU's 62nd percentile position among all GPUs. The RTX 2060 SUPER is a mid-range card that was released in 2019, and its performance in Hitman 2 reflects its age. The CPU's strong benchmark scores cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings.

The data suggests that this combo's ranking is primarily determined by the GPU. The 7700's performance in synthetic benchmarks places it among the top 13% of CPUs, but the 2060 SUPER's capabilities restrict the overall gaming experience. In Hitman 2, this results in a combo that excels at 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K.

For users considering this pairing, the implications are clear: the 7700 provides substantial headroom for future GPU upgrades. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking means it could drive a significantly more powerful graphics card without becoming a bottleneck. However, with the current RTX 2060 SUPER, the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers solid performance across all settings presets.