Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing delivers a distinctly GPU-limited experience in Hitman 2, with the processor's substantial multi-threaded headroom going largely unused as frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. The measured data shows this combination ranks 2158th out of 3711 total combos tested for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field, and the 12-core, 24-thread CPU with its 4.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost clock provides far more compute capacity than Hitman 2's stealth gameplay can exploit at any resolution. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the binding constraint across all tested configurations, and the benchmark results make clear that players seeking high refresh rates will need to drop to 1080p and low settings, while 4K Ultra remains a 23 FPS proposition.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) desktop processor on the AMD Socket AM5 platform, built on a 4 nm TSMC process with 16,630 million transistors across two 70.6 mm² dies. Its 12 cores and 24 threads operate at a 4.40 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost clock, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a 64 MB L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and it ranks in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57,498. In the context of Hitman 2, the processor's raw capability is far beyond what the game requires; the data shows no scenario where CPU headroom appears to limit frame rates, as even at 1080p Low, the GPU still produces 159 FPS, which is well within the range where a weaker processor might begin to show bottlenecks.

The nearest rivals in CPU performance underscore the 9900X's positioning: it sits 0.2% above the AMD EPYC 7313 (average score 57,399) and 0.1% below the AMD EPYC 9015 (57,555), while trailing the Intel Core i9-14900 by 1.1% (58,115) and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M by 1.4% (58,323). These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming terms, and the measured FPS in Hitman 2 reflects this — the game's stealth-oriented AI and crowd simulation are not demanding enough to differentiate between such closely matched processors. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286 and multi-thread score of 13,929 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for games that rely on a few heavily utilized threads, but Hitman 2's engine appears to scale well enough that the GPU remains the primary determinant of frame rates.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores — 32,172 multi-core and 2,253 single-core — further reinforce that this is a processor built for productivity workloads, not specifically tuned for gaming. In Hitman 2, the practical takeaway is that the 9900X will never be the reason a frame is dropped; the bottleneck sits squarely with the GPU. This is evident in the scaling patterns: from 1080p Low (159 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (67 FPS), the CPU's role is passive, simply feeding the graphics card with draw calls and physics data without breaking a sweat. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,672 and multi-thread score of 54,643 confirm the processor's dominance, but gamers should recognize that this CPU's potential is untapped in this title, and the 120 W TDP is a modest price for that headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture graphics card on the 12 nm process, featuring the TU104 chip with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die. Its 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines work with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores to deliver 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The card's boost clock of 1770 MHz and base clock of 1605 MHz, combined with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, place it in the 65th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20,282. In Hitman 2, this GPU is the definitive limiter, and the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings reflects its mid-range positioning relative to the game's demands.

The GPU's nearest rivals show tight competition: the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M trails by 1% (20,480 average score), the RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.2% (20,534), the Intel Arc B570 by 1.3% (20,556), and the Intel Arc A750 by 1.5% (20,582). These delta values are small, meaning the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance in Hitman 2 is representative of its peer group, but the game's specific engine demands push the card to its limits. At 4K Ultra, the GPU delivers only 23 FPS, which is unplayable by any standard, and even at 4K High it reaches just 31 FPS — both figures indicate that the card's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game's high-resolution textures and effects. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,651 and PassMark G3D score of 18,169 provide synthetic context, but the real-world Hitman 2 numbers tell the story: this GPU is built for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant compromises.

The GPU's pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, and Hitman 2's detailed environments — crowds, lighting, and destructible objects — place heavy demands on both fill rate and texture bandwidth. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is adequate for 1440p, where the card achieves 58 FPS on High, but the jump to 4K exposes its limitations. The RTX 2070 SUPER's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) means it can handle the game's modern rendering paths, but the hardware simply lacks the raw compute to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with high settings. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 151 and DirectX 12 score of 67 further indicate that the card performs better in older API workloads, which aligns with Hitman 2's engine characteristics.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the game runs at 159 FPS at 1080p, drops to 102 FPS at 1440p (a 35.8% reduction), and falls to 54 FPS at 4K (a 66% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where each pixel count increase places proportionally more load on the graphics card while the CPU's workload remains relatively static. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are more than capable of handling Hitman 2's simulation at any resolution, so the frame rate collapse is entirely attributable to the RTX 2070 SUPER's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints.

At High settings, the same pattern emerges: 90 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p (35.6% drop), and 31 FPS at 4K (65.6% drop). The uniformity of these percentage reductions across settings — roughly 36% for 1080p-to-1440p and 66% for 1080p-to-4K — indicates that the resolution scaling is consistent regardless of the graphical fidelity preset. This is a hallmark of a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels being shaded and textured dominates the performance equation. The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS figures that illustrate variance: at 1080p Medium, the range is 102 to 137 FPS around a 120 FPS average, while at 1440p Medium it's 65 to 88 around 76 FPS, and at 4K Medium it's 35 to 47 around 41 FPS.

The Ultra settings show the most severe scaling: 67 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure of 23 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable play, and even 1440p Ultra at 43 FPS is marginal for a stealth game where precise timing matters. The data suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor at 4K, as high-resolution textures can exceed that capacity, causing additional overhead beyond raw compute. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is also strained at 4K, where the memory system must feed more pixels per frame. In contrast, the CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and 64 MB L3 cache are never stressed, confirming that the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is not a factor in these scaling trends.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, High settings deliver 90 FPS, which is smooth for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, while Medium provides 120 FPS and Low reaches 159 FPS. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is still playable, but the 23 FPS drop from High to Ultra suggests diminishing returns for the visual quality increase. For most players at 1080p, High settings strike the best balance between fidelity and performance, offering a 90 FPS average that remains above the 60 FPS threshold with headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Medium settings, which produce 76 FPS with a min of 65 FPS, ensuring consistent performance throughout gameplay. High settings at 58 FPS are borderline — playable but with less margin for frame-time spikes — while Low at 102 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the extra speed. Ultra at 43 FPS is not recommended, as the stealth genre benefits from smooth camera movement, and sub-60 FPS can hinder precision aiming and observation. The Medium preset's min FPS of 65 indicates that even in heavy scenes, the frame rate stays above 60, making it the safest choice for 1440p.

At 4K, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS, so the recommendation depends on player preference. Low settings at 54 FPS are the most playable option, though the visual compromise is significant. Medium at 41 FPS is playable for a slower-paced stealth approach, but High at 31 FPS and Ultra at 23 FPS are not recommended for anything beyond screenshots. The data shows that 4K is not this GPU's territory for Hitman 2; players seeking 4K should consider lowering resolution or accepting frame rates in the 40-55 range. The 4K Medium data includes min/max figures of 35/47 FPS, indicating that even this preset has noticeable variance, which can be disruptive during tense stealth sequences. Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on the player's display resolution and preference for frame rate over visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER in Hitman 2?

A: No. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads at 5.60 GHz boost provide far more performance than Hitman 2 requires. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent and uniform across settings, indicating GPU-bound performance. The CPU ranks in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs, and its nearest rivals differ by only 0.1% to 1.4% in average score, showing that processor performance is not a differentiating factor in this game.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 159 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings, 1080p yields 120 FPS, and High settings produce 90 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p gives 67 FPS, which is the highest Ultra result across all resolutions.

Q: Can this combination handle 4K gaming?

A: Only with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 54, which is playable but visually reduced. Medium settings drop to 41 FPS, High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS standard, and only Low settings approach acceptable playability. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra in Hitman 2.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this title?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 20,282 is within 1.5% of its nearest rivals — the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20,480, -1%), RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534, -1.2%), Intel Arc B570 (20,556, -1.3%), and Intel Arc A750 (20,582, -1.5%). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER's Hitman 2 performance is representative of its performance tier.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: Medium settings provide the best experience at 2560x1440, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 65 FPS. This keeps frame rates above 60 even in demanding scenes. High settings at 58 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 43 FPS is not smooth enough for stealth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance translate to Hitman 2?

A: It doesn't meaningfully. The 9900X's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,172 and 3DMark max-thread score of 13,929 are impressive in productivity workloads, but Hitman 2 doesn't utilize that capacity. The measured FPS data shows no CPU-related bottlenecks, as the game's performance scales entirely with GPU load across resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 159 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 137 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. High settings reduce the average to 90 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 67 FPS. These figures show that 1080p is well within the RTX 2070 SUPER's comfort zone, with even Ultra settings maintaining playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades predictably. Low settings average 102 FPS, which remains smooth for high-refresh displays. Medium settings deliver 76 FPS with a range of 65 to 88 FPS, providing consistent performance above 60 FPS. High settings drop to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable for a stealth game. Ultra settings fall to 43 FPS, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay. The 1440p High and Ultra results suggest that players should prefer Medium for the best balance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become stark. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is the only 4K preset approaching playability. Medium settings produce 41 FPS with a range of 35 to 47 FPS, showing noticeable dips below 40 FPS during intense scenes. High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 23 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for acceptable gameplay. The 4K data confirms that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming, with even Low settings failing to maintain 60 FPS. Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X's substantial CPU headroom goes unused in Hitman 2.