Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable but demanding experience in Hitman 2, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows this combo ranks 1122nd out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, yet it still manages to hit high refresh rates at 1080p with the right settings. The RTX 2070 SUPER, sitting at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 7 9700X, at the 89th percentile of CPUs, provides ample headroom that never becomes the bottleneck in this stealth title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep performance cliff, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 90.8 FPS, but dropping to 1440p High reduces that to 58.9 FPS—a 35% loss. Moving to 4K High craters the frame rate to 29.4 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for playable action. This pattern confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. At Medium settings, 1440p yields 78.1 FPS, but 4K Medium drops to 38.5 FPS, a reduction of over 50%. Similarly, Low settings at 1440p deliver 99.3 FPS, while 4K Low falls to 57.2 FPS. The data suggests that the GPU’s 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply overwhelmed at 4K, regardless of the quality preset. For gamers targeting 4K, this combo is not viable unless they accept Low settings, which still only produce 57.2 FPS—playable but far from smooth. The sweet spot for this pairing is clearly 1080p, where even Ultra settings hit 65 FPS, and 1440p remains viable for those willing to dial back to Medium or High.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s specifications directly explain its performance ceiling in Hitman 2. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K Ultra textures. The GPU boosts to 1770 MHz from a 1605 MHz base, and its 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the theoretical peak that the game’s rendering engine can exploit. Benchmark results show the GPU scores 18169 in Passmark G3D, placing it at the 65th percentile, and it trails the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% in average score, while leading the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5%.

The VRAM capacity becomes a tangible factor at 4K Ultra, where the combo only manages 25.2 FPS. This is the lowest measured result across all settings and resolutions, suggesting the card is swapping textures due to the 8 GB limit. At 1440p Ultra, the frame rate improves to 40.3 FPS, still below the 60 FPS ideal but more acceptable. The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but underutilized in Hitman 2, as the game does not heavily rely on ray tracing or DLSS. The 215 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a card built for sustained load, but the data shows that high-fidelity 4K gaming is beyond its reach in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the data clearly points to 1080p Medium as the optimal balance. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 120 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and provides enough headroom for smooth gameplay. Dropping to 1080p Low yields 158 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is unnecessary given that Medium already achieves triple-digit frame rates. If the user prioritizes visual quality over raw speed, 1080p High at 90.8 FPS is also excellent, offering a 24% reduction in frame rate compared to Medium but with noticeable graphical improvements.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Medium, which delivers 78.1 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, as High drops to 58.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 40.3 FPS. 1440p Low at 99.3 FPS is an option for competitive play, but Medium provides better image quality without sacrificing playability. For 4K, the data suggests avoiding this resolution entirely unless the user accepts Low settings at 57.2 FPS. 4K Medium at 38.5 FPS and High at 29.4 FPS are both below playable thresholds, making 4K a poor choice for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which produce 78.1 FPS. High settings drop to 58.9 FPS, slightly below the 60 FPS mark, and Ultra falls to 40.3 FPS.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 65 FPS, which is playable but not exceptionally high. Lowering to 1080p High increases this to 90.8 FPS, and Medium reaches 120 FPS.

*Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM limit performance in Hitman 2?*

A: The data suggests yes, particularly at 4K Ultra where the frame rate drops to 25.2 FPS. At lower resolutions and settings, the VRAM is sufficient, as evidenced by 1080p Medium achieving 120 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested combinations?

A: It ranks 1122nd out of 1795 combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This is consistent with the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 65th GPU percentile, while the CPU sits higher at the 89th percentile.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with these components?

A: Only at Low settings, which produce 57.2 FPS. Medium (38.5 FPS), High (29.4 FPS), and Ultra (25.2 FPS) are all below playable framerates, so 4K is not recommended.

Q: What is the best preset for a balance of visuals and performance?

A: 1080p Medium at 120 FPS offers the best combination, as it provides triple-digit frame rates without the visual compromises of Low. For 1440p, Medium at 78.1 FPS is the optimal choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s 1122nd place out of 1795 tested combinations reflects a system that is CPU-heavy but GPU-light. This ranking, which falls in the 62.5th percentile of all combos, aligns with the RTX 2070 SUPER’s position at the 65th GPU percentile, while the Ryzen 7 9700X sits at the 89th CPU percentile. The data indicates that if the GPU were upgraded, this combo would likely rise significantly in the rankings, as the CPU has substantial headroom. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 36029 places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, but 0.4% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H.

In the GPU’s case, its average benchmark score of 22206 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A400 (0.5% slower), and it leads the GeForce GTX TITAN Z by 0.9%. This places the RTX 2070 SUPER in a competitive mid-range tier, capable of handling 1080p and 1440p gaming but not high-end 4K. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the combo’s performance at 1080p is strong, but the 4K results show the system struggling to maintain playable frame rates. For users seeking a better ranking, the data suggests prioritizing a GPU upgrade over a CPU upgrade.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with 8 cores and 16 threads, provides more than enough processing power for Hitman 2. Its Zen 5 architecture, running on a 4 nm process, boosts up to 5.50 GHz, and the 32 MB of shared L3 cache ensures that game logic and AI computations are handled efficiently. Benchmark results show the CPU scoring 31588 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4459 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 37161. These figures place it at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029.

The CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 158 FPS, which is close to the practical limit for many displays and indicates that the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14500HX (0.2% slower) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.6% slower), would likely yield similar frame rates in Hitman 2, as the game is not heavily multithreaded. The 9700X’s 16 threads and 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient for this title, and the data shows that reducing resolution or settings does not uncover a CPU bottleneck—the frame rate scales consistently with GPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results across all settings. Low settings produce 158 FPS, Medium hits 120 FPS, High reaches 90.8 FPS, and Ultra manages 65 FPS. These numbers show a smooth progression, with each step up in quality costing roughly 20-30 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 93 FPS, highlighting the GPU’s sensitivity to graphical fidelity at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings yield 99.3 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium falls to 78.1 FPS, and High drops to 58.9 FPS. Ultra is the weakest result at 40.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard and suggests that this preset is too demanding for the GPU at 1440p. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 59 FPS, a narrower range than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, performance is marginal. Low settings produce 57.2 FPS, which is barely playable, while Medium drops to 38.5 FPS and High falls to 29.4 FPS. Ultra is the worst measured result at 25.2 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical except at the lowest settings. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a drop from 90.8 FPS to 29.4 FPS, a 68% reduction, which clearly demonstrates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K in this title.