Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

This mobile combo pairs a 16-core Zen 4 flagship CPU with a 12 GB Ada Lovelace GPU, and the measured results show a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but capable of excellent frame rates at 1080p. The data indicates that Hitman 2's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the RTX 4070 Mobile pulling most of the weight once you move past 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 72 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding settings preset tested at this resolution, and it drops from the 97 FPS High average and 129 FPS Medium average.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 76,212 in average benchmark score, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76,155). It trails the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76,492) and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76,513) by 0.4% each, but leads the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75,779) by 0.6%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4070 Mobile sits at the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,648. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628), which it beats by just 0.1%.

Q: Is the system playable at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, High settings yield 33 FPS and Medium yields 44 FPS, which is borderline. Low settings hit 58 FPS, which is playable, but Ultra drops to 24 FPS. For a smooth experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance like?

A: The CPU scores 6,030 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3,907 in Passmark single-thread. These scores put it at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong single-thread capability that helps in game logic and physics.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and does it matter here?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The measured FPS data doesn't show VRAM exhaustion at any tested setting, so 12 GB is sufficient for Hitman 2 at these resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is built on the AD104 chip with 5,888 shading units, 184 tensor cores, and 46 RT cores. Its boost clock reaches 2,475 MHz, with a base clock of 1,920 MHz. The memory runs at 1,313 MHz with an effective speed of 21 Gbps, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus. This configuration places the GPU at the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,648.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than adequate for Hitman 2, a game that released in 2018, and the measured results show no indication of memory-related stutters or issues at any resolution or settings preset. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 26,927 and DirectX 12 score of 103 demonstrate its capability in modern rendering workloads. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 Mobile is remarkably close to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628 avg score, +0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507 avg score, +0.4% delta), while trailing the RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135 avg score, -1.3% delta).

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's role becomes dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput becomes the limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is stark: 58 FPS versus 24 FPS, a 34 FPS gap that shows how much the GPU struggles with the highest preset at that resolution. The data suggests that the GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance is well-matched to the game's engine at 1440p, where High settings produce 62 FPS and even Ultra maintains 46 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows an expected pattern, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 97 at 1080p to 62 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 33 at 4K (a 66% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline at 4K indicates that the GPU is being pushed well beyond its comfort zone.

Low settings show the most dramatic scaling: 171 FPS at 1080p drops to 110 FPS at 1440p (36% reduction) and then to 58 FPS at 4K (66% reduction). The percentage drops are nearly identical to High settings, which suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints dominate regardless of the visual complexity. Medium settings follow the same pattern: 129 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K.

Ultra settings exhibit the most severe scaling: 72 FPS at 1080p falls to 46 FPS at 1440p (36% reduction) and then to 24 FPS at 4K (67% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is notable. It indicates that resolution scaling in Hitman 2 is primarily a function of pixel count and GPU throughput, not a settings-dependent effect. The limiting component at 1440p and 4K is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample processing headroom.

The 1080p to 1440p transition is the most interesting for practical use. The FPS drops by roughly one-third across all presets, which is a substantial but manageable reduction. The 1440p to 4K transition is harsher, cutting FPS nearly in half again. For this combo, 1440p represents the sweet spot where the GPU can still deliver playable frame rates on High settings (62 FPS) without requiring a drop to Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured results show a narrow range of playability. High settings produce an average of 33 FPS, which is technically playable but below the 60 FPS target most PC builders prefer. Medium settings improve to 44 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, showing that the frame rate is relatively consistent but still sub-60. Low settings reach 58 FPS, which is close to smooth but not quite there. Ultra settings drop to 24 FPS, which is not playable for a stealth game that requires precision timing.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves substantially. High settings deliver 62 FPS average, which is right at the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings hit 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, providing a consistently smooth experience. Low settings reach 110 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh displays. Ultra settings produce 46 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement.

At 1920x1080, this combo shines. High settings achieve 97 FPS average, which is great for most displays. Medium settings hit 129 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS, making it suitable for 144 Hz monitors. Low settings reach 171 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play even though Hitman 2 is single-player. Ultra settings produce 72 FPS, which is smooth and playable.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max values recorded. At 4K Medium, the 37-50 FPS range shows a 13 FPS variance, which is relatively tight for a demanding resolution. At 1440p Medium, the 70-95 FPS range has a 25 FPS variance, indicating more fluctuation but still within acceptable bounds. At 1080p Medium, the 109-148 FPS range shows a 39 FPS variance, which is noticeable but expected at higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Low settings (58 FPS) are the only viable option for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 44 FPS may be acceptable for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, but the 37 FPS minimum could cause noticeable hitches in crowded areas. High settings at 33 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are not recommended for this resolution.

At 1440p, High settings (62 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. Medium settings (82 FPS) are a strong alternative for players who want extra headroom for dips in busy scenes, given the 70 FPS minimum. Low settings (110 FPS) are unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rates. Ultra settings (46 FPS) are playable but not ideal.

At 1080p, Ultra settings (72 FPS) are the clear recommendation for the best visual experience. The game still maintains a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium settings (129 FPS) are the choice for high-refresh displays, as the 109 FPS minimum ensures no drops below triple digits. High settings (97 FPS) are a solid middle ground, while Low (171 FPS) is overkill for this game's genre.

The overall recommendation across all resolutions is to prioritize High settings as the default. It provides the best visual fidelity per frame rate cost, with 97 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and a playable 33 FPS at 4K. For players with 144 Hz or higher displays at 1080p, Medium settings (129 FPS) offer the best combination of smoothness and image quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on Zen 4 architecture (Dragon Range codename) built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The cache configuration includes 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 MB L3 total. This mobile powerhouse supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In benchmark terms, the CPU scores 42,713 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,030 in single-core, placing it at the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its Passmark multithread score is 51,405, with a single-thread score of 3,907. The nearest rival comparison shows this CPU is extremely competitive: it matches the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76,155 avg score, +0.1% delta), slightly trails the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76,492, -0.4% delta) and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76,513, -0.4% delta), and beats the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75,779, +0.6% delta).

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics calculations. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive by modern standards, and this 16-core processor provides far more headroom than needed. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 171 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's limit for frame generation. However, at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K.

The single-thread performance of 6,030 in Cinebench R23 is particularly important for Hitman 2, as the game engine relies heavily on a few main threads for simulation and rendering setup. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures that these threads have the single-core speed needed to avoid becoming a limiting factor. The 32 threads available are overkill for this game, but they provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming.

The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of desktop and mobile processors. In this combo, it is not the bottleneck at any tested resolution or settings preset. The data clearly shows that upgrading the GPU would yield more FPS gains in Hitman 2, especially at 1440p and 4K, where the RTX 4070 Mobile's 81st percentile ranking is the constraining factor.