Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a robust Hitman 2 experience, with performance scaling predictably from high-refresh 1080p gaming to more demanding 4K territory. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded capabilities ensure the combo never falls behind in this stealth title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, highlighting how the graphics card carries the load as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 149.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 93.6 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37.4% reduction, and then to 53.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 42.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4070 SUPER’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.

The scaling is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding configuration measured. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 108.7, which drops to 73.2 at 1440p and then to a less comfortable 36.8 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below the 40 FPS threshold, suggesting that this preset is too heavy for the hardware at that resolution, despite the GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM being sufficient.

Interestingly, the Low preset shows a different scaling curve, indicating a shift toward CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 263.7 FPS, which drops to 172 at 1440p and 87.6 at 4K. The very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p Low suggest that the Ryzen 7 7700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates, but the gap between 1440p and 4K Low (172 to 87.6 FPS) shows the GPU still dictates the ceiling at higher pixel counts.

Data indicates that for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, users should target High settings at 1440p, where the 93.6 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 4K, High settings remain playable at 53.8 FPS, but Ultra is not recommended due to the significant performance cost.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of components ranks 340th out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations in the database. This percentile position reflects a strong pairing, though not an elite one, and it is important to contextualize this rank against the individual component performance.

The Ryzen 7 7700X holds an 89th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, demonstrating that its processing power is well above average. Its average benchmark score of 34313 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-13500 with a score of 34175 and a deltaPct of 0.4, and the Intel Core i7-12800HX with a score of 34136 and a deltaPct of 0.5. This means the 7700X is essentially tied with these alternatives in synthetic tests, offering no significant advantage or disadvantage in raw compute.

The GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER sits at the 84th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with a score of 42653 and a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE with a score of 42723 and a deltaPct of -0.3. These deltas are very small, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s raw compute performance is directly comparable to these professional and mid-range cards.

Given that both components sit in the 84th-89th percentile range, the combo’s 340th rank out of 1795 is consistent with expectations. The data suggests that this pairing is well-balanced, with neither component dramatically outpacing the other, which prevents one from bottlenecking the other in a title like Hitman 2.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s role in Hitman 2 is defined by its memory configuration and clock speeds. The GPU comes with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory subsystem is sufficient for the game’s textures and geometry at 4K, as evidenced by the playable 53.8 FPS at 4K High settings.

The card’s boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1980 MHz. These clocks, combined with 7168 shading units and 80 ROPs, allow the card to achieve a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s. These figures are crucial for handling the detailed environments and lighting effects in Hitman 2, which often features large crowds and complex reflections.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS places it in a strong position for this game’s DX12 rendering path. While the card’s performance is only 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000 in synthetic benchmarks, the measured FPS in Hitman 2 shows that the 4070 SUPER is capable of high frame rates at 1080p, where it averages 149.6 FPS on High settings. The 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that users can expect better-than-average performance in most titles, and the data confirms this is true for Hitman 2 as well.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 149.6 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the 93.6 FPS average is ideal for 144Hz displays, providing a smooth and responsive experience without the performance penalty of Ultra.

For 4K users, High settings are the recommended choice, as the 53.8 FPS average is playable, though not ideal for competitive play. The Ultra preset is not recommended at 4K, as the 36.8 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold most players consider standard, and even below the 40 FPS minimum for a consistent experience.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, delivering 196.3 FPS at 1080p, 123.9 FPS at 1440p, and 67.5 FPS at 4K. These numbers show that Medium is a viable alternative for 4K users who want a higher frame rate buffer than High provides, though it will come with a noticeable reduction in visual fidelity. The Low preset provides the highest frame rates (263.7 FPS at 1080p) but should only be used by players prioritizing maximum refresh rates over visuals.

The data indicates that the most efficient configuration is High at 1440p, where the hardware is utilized effectively without wasting performance on settings that provide diminishing visual returns.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 53.8 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is the highest quality preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable at 1440p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 73.2 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Hitman 2?

A: The combination ranks 340th out of 1795 tested combos. This places it in the top 19% of all configurations in the database.

Q: Which resolution provides the largest performance headroom for high-refresh monitors?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 263.7 FPS. Even at High settings, it delivers 149.6 FPS, which is sufficient for most 144Hz monitors.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 123.9 FPS, while High settings produce 93.6 FPS. The 30.3 FPS difference is the cost of the visual improvements in the High preset.

Q: Does the GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance issues. The combo achieves playable frame rates at 4K High settings, suggesting the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for this game’s requirements.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, capable of boosting up to 5.40 GHz. This core configuration is well-suited for Hitman 2, which benefits from the strong single-thread performance of the 7700X, as evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1090 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 4281.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are also strong, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 30325 and a geekbench_multicore score of 15538. This processing power ensures that the CPU does not become a bottleneck, even at high frame rates. The measured results support this, as the combo achieves 263.7 FPS at 1080p Low settings, a scenario where CPU overhead is most prominent.

The 7700X’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for the game’s AI routines and physics calculations. The processor’s performance in the passmark_physics test, scoring 2007, indicates it handles the game’s dynamic interactions efficiently. The 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that this is a high-performing processor, and its performance is virtually identical to the Intel Core i5-13500, which has a deltaPct of only 0.4.

In the context of this combo, the CPU’s role is to keep the RTX 4070 SUPER fed with data. The data shows that it does so effectively, as the GPU remains the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 7700X’s 16 threads are more than adequate for Hitman 2, and users should not expect any CPU-related performance limitations with this pairing.