Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a decisive performance tier in Hitman 2, with the data showing that the combination ranks in the 94th percentile for CPUs and the 87th for GPUs. The measured frame rates confirm that this system is capable of dominating the game at every resolution, though the scaling pattern reveals whether the CPU or GPU becomes the primary constraint as graphical load increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, but the magnitude of that drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset selected. At Low settings, the system delivers 314 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 201 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 107 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is being progressively loaded as pixel count grows.

The Medium preset tells a similar story with slightly different numbers: 235 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. The scaling here shows a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K as well, but the absolute frame rates are lower across the board, suggesting that the additional graphical features in Medium are consuming GPU resources that could otherwise be used for raw frame throughput. At High settings, the pattern continues with 178 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K, representing a 66% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling behavior, with 131 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is also around 66%, which is consistent with the other presets, but the absolute numbers reveal that Ultra at 4K falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The fact that all four presets show nearly identical percentage scaling from 1080p to 4K strongly suggests that the limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU, as the CPU workload does not scale with resolution in the same way.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound even at Ultra settings, as evidenced by the 131 FPS figure being well above what the GPU would need to produce at lower resolutions. As resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the GPU becomes progressively more saturated, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The 4K Low result of 107 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra result of 131 FPS is particularly telling — it shows that even at the lowest settings, 4K imposes a heavier load on the GPU than Ultra settings do at 1080p, confirming that resolution is the dominant factor in determining performance for this combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combination in Hitman 2?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 314 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling for this configuration, as no other resolution or settings combination comes close to matching this figure.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution with any settings preset?

A: Yes, but only with certain presets. The data shows 61 FPS at 4K High, 80 FPS at 4K Medium, and 107 FPS at 4K Low. However, the 4K Ultra preset falls short at 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69,996 on average in PassMark, placing it essentially neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69,875 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70,163 (0.2% lower). It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.7% and the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9%.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 150 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 84 FPS. This represents a 44% reduction in frame rate when moving from Medium to Ultra, which is a substantial trade-off for the visual improvements.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals in PassMark?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 56,083 on average in PassMark, placing it 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2% (57,367), but the differences are relatively small in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average at 1920x1080 with High settings is 178 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors and indicates that the system has significant headroom for higher refresh rate displays at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. This configuration is well-suited for Hitman 2, which is a stealth game that typically benefits from strong single-threaded performance but can also utilize multiple cores for AI and physics calculations. The CPU's base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide the high clock speeds that games in this genre often require.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9700F achieves a PassMark single-thread score of 4,691, which is a strong result that indicates excellent per-core performance for gaming workloads. The multithread score of 36,470 further demonstrates that the CPU can handle multi-threaded tasks effectively, which is relevant for Hitman 2's simulation of NPC behavior and crowd dynamics. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB shared across all cores provides a substantial pool of fast memory for game assets and instructions.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the PassMark database shows that it sits in a competitive position. With an average benchmark score of 69,996, it is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875, +0.2%) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163, -0.2%). It also outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.7% and the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9%. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F is a top-tier CPU that should not be a bottleneck in Hitman 2 at any resolution.

The measured FPS data supports this assessment. At 1080p Low, the system produces 314 FPS, which is far beyond what any game would require, and this high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain maximum output. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 131 FPS figure indicates that the CPU is not limiting performance, as this is still a very high frame rate. The fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution across all presets further confirms that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this system.

The Ryzen 7 9700F's 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC indicate that it is an efficient processor, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent performance without thermal throttling. The CPU's support for DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s ensures that the system has sufficient memory bandwidth for gaming workloads. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 5080's PCIe 5.0 x16 connection.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 provides a comprehensive view of how this system performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 314 FPS average, which is the highest measurement in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 235 FPS average, with a minimum of 200 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but still maintaining a very smooth experience. High settings at 1080p deliver 178 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 131 FPS. The 1080p results show that the system has substantial performance headroom, with even Ultra settings exceeding 120 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all presets but remain highly playable. Low settings achieve 201 FPS average, Medium delivers 150 FPS with a minimum of 128 FPS and maximum of 173 FPS, High produces 114 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84 FPS. The 1440p results show that Medium and High settings both exceed 100 FPS, which is an excellent result for this resolution. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and would provide a smooth experience on most displays.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained but still capable. Low settings produce 107 FPS average, which is a solid result for 4K gaming. Medium delivers 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, showing that frame times are relatively consistent. High settings achieve 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, with 45 FPS average.

The Medium preset at all three resolutions provides the most complete data, as it includes minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum demonstrate a 35% variance between the lowest and highest frame rates. At 1440p, the 128 FPS minimum and 173 FPS maximum show a 35% variance as well. At 4K, the 68 FPS minimum and 92 FPS maximum represent a 35% variance. This consistency in frame time variance across resolutions suggests that the game's performance characteristics are stable regardless of resolution.

The data also reveals that the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings is consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (314 FPS) and Ultra (131 FPS) is 183 FPS, representing a 58% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 117 FPS (201 to 84), also a 58% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 62 FPS (107 to 45), again a 58% reduction. This consistent scaling indicates that the settings presets have a uniform impact on performance regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the primary driver of graphical performance in this system, and its capabilities are well-matched to the demands of Hitman 2. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This ample memory capacity and bandwidth ensure that the GPU can handle the game's texture data and graphical effects without running into memory bottlenecks.

The RTX 5080's clock speeds include a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, which are substantial frequencies for a modern GPU. The GPU's 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units provide the computational throughput needed for high-resolution rendering. The pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s further demonstrate the GPU's ability to process the graphical data required by Hitman 2.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 36,565 and an average benchmark score of 56,083. Its performance relative to rivals shows that it is competitive with the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, +0.6%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, +0.7%), while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%. The GPU's PassMark DirectX 12 score of 151 and DirectX 11 score of 324 indicate strong API support.

The GPU's role in Hitman 2 is clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling data. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and frame rates drop accordingly. The fact that 4K Low (107 FPS) produces lower frame rates than 1080p Ultra (131 FPS) confirms that pixel count has a greater impact on GPU load than quality settings. This is expected behavior for a GPU-bound scenario.

The RTX 5080's 360W TDP and suggested PSU of 750W indicate that it is a power-hungry component, but this is typical for a high-end GPU. The dual-slot design and 304mm length make it a large card that requires adequate case space. The GPU's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 ensures compatibility with Hitman 2's rendering requirements.

The GPU's 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the PassMark database places it in the upper tier of available graphics cards. While its nearest rivals show similar synthetic benchmark scores, the measured FPS data in Hitman 2 demonstrates that the RTX 5080 is capable of delivering high frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra, where it falls just short of the 60 FPS target.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this system depends heavily on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 178 FPS provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, as it delivers frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The Ultra preset at 131 FPS is also viable for users with high refresh rate displays, as it still exceeds 120 FPS. The Medium preset at 235 FPS would be the choice for competitive players seeking maximum frame rates, while Low at 314 FPS is unnecessary for most users.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 114 FPS is the recommended choice for most users, as it provides a smooth experience that exceeds 100 FPS while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset at 150 FPS offers even higher performance for users with 144Hz or 165Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 84 FPS is still playable and would be suitable for users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate. The Low preset at 201 FPS is excessive for most use cases but would benefit competitive players.

At 3840x2160, the settings recommendation becomes more nuanced. The Medium preset at 80 FPS is the best overall choice for 4K gaming, as it provides a smooth experience that exceeds 75 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 61 FPS is also viable, as it barely clears the 60 FPS threshold and offers better visual quality than Medium. The Low preset at 107 FPS is an option for users with high refresh rate 4K displays, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for 4K gaming, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and would result in a less smooth experience.

For users who own displays with variable refresh rate technology, the Medium preset at 4K (80 FPS) or the Ultra preset at 1440p (84 FPS) could be acceptable even if they occasionally dip below the maximum refresh rate, as the variable refresh rate would mitigate the visual impact of frame rate fluctuations. The data shows that the Medium preset at all three resolutions provides the most consistent frame times, as evidenced by the minimum and maximum values being closer together relative to the average.

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700F and RTX 5080 is well-balanced for Hitman 2, with neither component appearing to be a significant bottleneck at any resolution or settings combination. The system's performance at 1440p High (114 FPS) and 4K Medium (80 FPS) represents the sweet spots for this game, offering the best trade-off between visual quality and performance. Users seeking the absolute highest frame rates should play at 1080p with Medium or High settings, while those prioritizing visual fidelity should choose 4K with Medium settings.