Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher settings, yet increasingly CPU-bound as resolution drops. At 4K Ultra, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces 47.6 FPS, while dropping to 4K High yields 67.2 FPS. This is a 41.2% performance uplift from simply reducing the preset, indicating that the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling pattern shifts dramatically. At 1440p Ultra, the combo delivers 87.9 FPS, which is 84.7% higher than the 4K Ultra result. However, the RTX 4090's immense rasterization power becomes evident at lower settings: 1440p Low hits 218.1 FPS, and 1440p High reaches 123 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (123 FPS vs. 87.9 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial shading and geometry load that begins to strain even this flagship GPU.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes unmistakable. The 1080p Low result of 334.3 FPS far exceeds what the GPU alone would need to render, and the 1080p Medium score of 251.2 FPS remains extremely high. Yet 1080p Ultra drops to 137.3 FPS, which is only 56.2% higher than the 4K Ultra score. This compression at the top preset indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700X's 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost of 5.50 GHz, are sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at low and medium settings, but the Ultra preset's additional draw calls and physics calculations create a more balanced workload.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting tells a clear story. For Low, the drop from 334.3 to 116.6 FPS (a 65.1% reduction) is purely GPU-driven. For Medium, the drop from 251.2 to 87.4 FPS (a 65.2% reduction) mirrors that pattern. For High, the drop from 192.8 to 67.2 FPS (a 65.1% reduction) again shows consistent GPU scaling. But for Ultra, the drop from 137.3 to 47.6 FPS (a 65.3% reduction) is nearly identical, suggesting that even at Ultra, the GPU remains the limiting factor across all resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is extraordinarily balanced, with no resolution/setting combination showing a sudden CPU cliff.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample headroom for Hitman 2's largest textures and crowd simulations. The base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, provide the raw throughput needed to sustain the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its performance. The PassMark G3D score of 38,194 places it in the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (deltaPct of -0.4), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (deltaPct of 0.5), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (deltaPct of -0.9). These are professional-grade cards, not gaming-focused alternatives, which underscores the RTX 4090's position as an enthusiast-tier product.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's role is most apparent in the 4K results. The 4K Ultra score of 47.6 FPS, while playable, is not the 60 FPS target many users expect. The 4K High score of 67.2 FPS crosses that threshold. The 4K Medium score of 87.4 FPS and 4K Low score of 116.6 FPS show that the RTX 4090 has substantial headroom once the preset is reduced. The memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is particularly relevant here, as Hitman 2's dynamic lighting and shadow systems benefit from fast memory access.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal preset for most users is High. At 1080p, High delivers 192.8 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate display, and it comes within 5.6% of the Low preset's 1080p performance. At 1440p, High produces 123 FPS, comfortably exceeding the 100 FPS mark for smooth gameplay. At 4K, High achieves 67.2 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for standard monitors.

The Ultra preset, while visually superior, costs a significant performance penalty. At 4K, Ultra drops to 47.6 FPS, which is 29.2% lower than High. At 1440p, Ultra yields 87.9 FPS, a 28.5% reduction from High. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 137.3 FPS, a 28.8% reduction from High. This consistent ~29% performance hit across resolutions suggests that Ultra's additional effects (likely including extra shadow cascades and ambient occlusion) are uniformly expensive.

Medium is the recommended fallback for users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 4K, Medium hits 87.4 FPS, which is 30.1% higher than High at the same resolution. At 1440p, Medium reaches 164.2 FPS, and at 1080p, it achieves 251.2 FPS. The Low preset, while delivering 334.3 FPS at 1080p, is only recommended for competitive play or esports scenarios where every frame matters. The data suggests that High offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the full range of results is as follows: Low delivers 334.3 FPS, Medium delivers 251.2 FPS (a 24.9% reduction from Low), High delivers 192.8 FPS (a 23.2% reduction from Medium), and Ultra delivers 137.3 FPS (a 28.8% reduction from High). This progression shows that each preset tier costs roughly a quarter to a third of the previous tier's performance.

At 1440p, the results are: Low at 218.1 FPS, Medium at 164.2 FPS (a 24.7% reduction), High at 123 FPS (a 25.1% reduction), and Ultra at 87.9 FPS (a 28.5% reduction). The percentage deltas between presets at 1440p are nearly identical to those at 1080p, confirming that the GPU's relative efficiency is consistent across these two resolutions.

At 4K, the results are: Low at 116.6 FPS, Medium at 87.4 FPS (a 25.0% reduction), High at 67.2 FPS (a 23.1% reduction), and Ultra at 47.6 FPS (a 29.2% reduction). The 4K results show a slightly larger drop from High to Ultra than at lower resolutions, indicating that the Ultra preset's memory footprint is beginning to press against the RTX 4090's capabilities, though the 24 GB frame buffer prevents any outright capacity issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 34th out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 1.9% of all configurations tested, which is consistent with the hardware's premium positioning. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, weighted toward the highest playable configurations.

This ranking is notable because the CPU itself, the Ryzen 7 9700X, holds an 89th percentile position among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 36,029. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14500HX (deltaPct of 0.2), the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (deltaPct of -0.4), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (deltaPct of 0.6), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H (deltaPct of -0.8). These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the 9700X is tightly clustered with other high-end processors.

The GPU, with its 91st percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 66,473, is similarly well-positioned. The 34th overall combo rank suggests that Hitman 2 is not a title where this pairing excels beyond its hardware pedigree; rather, it performs as expected given the components' individual standings. The gap between the combo's rank (34th of 1,795) and the hardware's individual percentiles (89th and 91st) indicates that some other combinations edge it out in this specific game, likely due to different CPU/GPU balance points.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High delivers 123 FPS, which balances visual quality and performance. 4K High at 67.2 FPS is also playable, while 1080p High at 192.8 FPS suits high-refresh displays.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low, 1080p (334.3 FPS) is 2.87x faster than 4K (116.6 FPS). At Medium, the ratio is 2.87x (251.2 vs. 87.4). At High, it is 2.87x (192.8 vs. 67.2). At Ultra, it is 2.89x (137.3 vs. 47.6).

Q: Is the RTX 4090 a bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes. The 4K Ultra result of 47.6 FPS is the lowest measured score, and the consistent ~29% drop from High to Ultra across all resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36,029, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i5-14500HX, 0.4% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and 0.8% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations?

A: It ranks 34th out of 1,795 combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 1.9% of all tested systems.

Q: Does the 24 GB VRAM make a difference at 4K?

A: The measured results show no VRAM-related performance cliffs; the 4K Ultra score of 47.6 FPS is limited by compute, not memory capacity. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth supports smooth scaling across settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with 8 cores and 16 threads from the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), provides the processing foundation for this combo. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, combined with a 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core, enable strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node from TSMC, with 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die, indicate high efficiency.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 334.3 FPS result suggests the GPU is not the limiting factor. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,280 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4,654 demonstrate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a game that relies on draw call submission and game logic. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31,588 further confirms the CPU's capability to handle streaming and AI workloads.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures that game assets load without stutter, even at high frame rates. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 CPU lanes (though the GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x16) provides ample bandwidth for storage and expansion. The integrated Radeon Graphics, while not used for gaming in this configuration, offers a fallback for basic display output.

Comparatively, the 9700X's average benchmark score of 36,029 places it just 0.2% above the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.4% below the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. These rivals are mobile or hybrid processors, whereas the 9700X is a desktop part, suggesting that its desktop-oriented design (with higher sustained clocks) yields competitive gaming performance. The 89th percentile ranking across all CPUs confirms that this is a top-tier processor, though not the absolute fastest available. In Hitman 2, the CPU never becomes a bottleneck at any measured resolution or setting, as evidenced by the smooth scaling curves from 1080p to 4K.