Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a robust Hitman 2 experience across all tested resolutions, with the measured data showing a clear pattern: the system is GPU-limited at 4K, CPU-limited at 1080p, and balanced at 1440p. Across the four settings presets and three resolutions tested, average frame rates range from 34 FPS at 4K Ultra to 236 FPS at 1080p Low, giving players a wide operational envelope depending on their display and performance priorities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The processor features a substantial 128 MB L3 cache, 80 KB L1 cache per core, and 1 MB L2 cache per core, which contributes to its strong gaming performance in cache-sensitive titles like Hitman 2. Memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, along with ECC support.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 47737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6739 in single-core, with a 3DMark max-threads score of 13795 and single-thread score of 1269. Its PassMark multithread score reaches 56154, and the average benchmark score is 54762, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs tested. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 9900X3D trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by 0.6% in average score (55093 vs 54762), but leads the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K by 1.3% (54053), the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2% (53701), and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1% (53620). These narrow margins indicate that the 9900X3D sits at the top tier of desktop processors for this benchmark suite, with no single rival dominating it.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU’s role becomes evident when examining the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 236 FPS average, which is 57% higher than the 1080p High result of 134 FPS. This substantial gap between Low and High settings at 1080p suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with frames far beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings, but the Low preset removes GPU bottlenecks enough to expose the CPU’s headroom. The 1080p Medium result of 177 FPS and Ultra result of 99 FPS further illustrate that the CPU maintains high throughput even when thread utilization increases with more complex scenes and AI calculations typical of stealth gameplay.

The 12-core configuration with 3D V-Cache (indicated by the "X3D" suffix) is particularly relevant for Hitman 2, which is known to benefit from large L3 caches for its open-ended level design and dynamic NPC simulations. The 128 MB L3 cache likely helps maintain consistent frame pacing in crowded environments, though the measured data does not include frame time variance. The CPU’s single-thread performance, scoring 4646 in PassMark single-thread and 3041 in Geekbench single-core, ensures that the game’s primary simulation thread does not become a limiting factor at higher resolutions where GPU load dominates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC, with the AD104 chip containing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Hitman 2’s texture-heavy environments at 4K resolution.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 scores 26927 in PassMark G3D and 14720 in PassMark GPU compute, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152 and OpenCL score of 154858. Its average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs tested. The nearest rivals show very tight competition: the NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628 (0.1% behind), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.4% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (1.3% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157 (1.3% behind). This clustering indicates that the RTX 4070 is positioned in a highly competitive mid-to-high tier, with no dominant advantage over its immediate peers in aggregate benchmarks.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is most apparent in the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates drop from 81 FPS at Low to 60 FPS at Medium (with min/max of 51/69), 46 FPS at High, and 34 FPS at Ultra. This scaling shows a 58% reduction from Low to Ultra, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario where the render resolution and settings directly impact pixel throughput and shading complexity. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Hitman 2’s highest texture quality at 4K, as the Ultra preset’s 34 FPS result does not indicate any memory-related stutters or texture pop-in (though the data does not capture such transient issues).

The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance provide the raw compute needed for the game’s lighting and shadow effects. The 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate are well-matched to the game’s art style, which relies on detailed environmental textures and dynamic lighting in its sandbox levels. The RTX 4070’s 46 RT cores are not heavily utilized in Hitman 2, as the game’s DX12 renderer primarily uses traditional rasterization, but the tensor cores contribute to any DLSS or AI-based upscaling that players might enable (though the measured data does not include such settings).

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings presets at each resolution, and the optimal choice depends on the target frame rate and display refresh rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 236 FPS, Medium delivers 177 FPS (with min/max of 151/204), High delivers 134 FPS, and Ultra delivers 99 FPS. For players with a 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitor, the Low or Medium presets are the only options that can fully utilize the refresh rate, as High and Ultra fall short of 144 FPS. However, for a standard 60 Hz display, even the Ultra preset’s 99 FPS provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate, allowing for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, the results are: Low at 151 FPS, Medium at 113 FPS (min/max 96/130), High at 86 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for the RTX 4070, as it balances GPU load with the CPU’s ability to feed frames. The Medium preset’s 113 FPS average is well-suited for 120 Hz displays, while High’s 86 FPS works for 90 Hz or 100 Hz panels. The Ultra preset’s 63 FPS is adequate for 60 Hz displays but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, as the min FPS of 51 at Medium suggests that Ultra could dip below 60 FPS in busy areas.

At 4K, the results are: Low at 81 FPS, Medium at 60 FPS (min/max 51/69), High at 46 FPS, and Ultra at 34 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best balance, providing an average of 60 FPS exactly matching the standard 60 Hz refresh rate, though the 51 FPS minimum indicates occasional dips below that threshold. The Low preset’s 81 FPS is smoother but sacrifices visual quality, while High and Ultra are only suitable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate and can tolerate 46 FPS or 34 FPS averages.

Considering all resolutions, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the most balanced experience: 113 FPS average with a 96 FPS minimum, which provides smooth gameplay across a wide range of scenes while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. For players with high-refresh 1080p displays, the Low preset at 236 FPS is the only way to fully leverage a 240 Hz panel, but the Medium preset’s 177 FPS is a strong alternative for 165 Hz monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 916th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 75th percentile of all system configurations. This rank is notably lower than what the individual component percentile scores might suggest (CPU at 91st percentile, GPU at 81st percentile), indicating that the specific pairing does not synergize as strongly as other configurations in this game, or that many higher-ranked combos use more powerful GPUs. The rank of 916 out of 3711 means that roughly 75% of tested combos achieve higher average frame rates in Hitman 2, which is a reflection of the game’s moderate GPU requirements rather than a criticism of this specific setup.

The gap between the combo’s rank and the components’ individual percentiles suggests that Hitman 2 is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance in this pairing. The RTX 4070, while strong in aggregate benchmarks, is not a top-tier GPU for 4K gaming, and the measured 4K results (34-81 FPS across settings) confirm that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Conversely, the 9900X3D’s high percentile ranking does not translate into proportionally high in-game performance because Hitman 2 does not heavily stress multi-threaded CPUs; the game’s performance is more dependent on single-thread speed and GPU throughput.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is likely outranked by systems with higher-end GPUs (such as the RTX 4080 or 4090 series) paired with similar or weaker CPUs, as the GPU bottleneck at 4K and even 1440p would favor those configurations. Conversely, it outranks combos with similarly powerful GPUs but weaker CPUs at 1080p, where the 9900X3D’s strong single-thread performance helps maintain high frame rates. The 916th rank out of 3711 is a solid mid-upper tier position, indicating that this system delivers consistent 60+ FPS gameplay at 1440p High and 1080p Ultra, which covers most gaming scenarios for Hitman 2.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a clear scaling pattern that identifies the limiting component at each step. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by 36% at Low settings (236 to 151), 36% at Medium (177 to 113), 36% at High (134 to 86), and 36% at Ultra (99 to 63). This consistent 36% reduction across all settings indicates that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven (pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p, but frame rate drops by 36%, suggesting the GPU has headroom to partially absorb the additional pixel load).

From 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops by 46% at Low (151 to 81), 47% at Medium (113 to 60), 47% at High (86 to 46), and 46% at Ultra (63 to 34). This steeper drop (47% vs 36%) indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the pixel count increases by 125% from 1440p to 4K, and the frame rate drops nearly proportionally. The fact that the drop percentage is consistent across all settings (46-47%) at this step confirms that the GPU is fully saturated regardless of quality preset, meaning the RTX 4070’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor at 4K.

The scaling behavior suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution above 1080p, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound at Low settings (236 FPS) but becomes GPU-bound at Ultra (99 FPS), as the CPU can sustain higher frame rates than the GPU can render at higher quality. The 1080p Low result of 236 FPS is close to the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability, while the 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS is purely GPU-limited. This analysis indicates that players with 1080p displays can push quality settings without worrying about CPU limitations, while 4K players will always be GPU-bound.

FAQ

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

A: The 1440p Medium preset delivers 113 FPS average with a 96 FPS minimum, providing the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 4K, the Medium preset achieves exactly 60 FPS average but dips to 51 FPS minimum, making 1440p the safer choice for consistent performance.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 54762 average, which is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093), but 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053), 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701), and 2.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620).

Q: Is the RTX 4070 sufficient for 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: At 4K, the RTX 4070 achieves 60 FPS average on Medium settings with a 51 FPS minimum, and 46 FPS on High. For a locked 60 FPS experience, Medium is the highest viable preset, while players wanting 4K Ultra would need to accept 34 FPS average.

Q: How does the GPU rank against its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37648 average, which is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135), and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37157).

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

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 99 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay and sufficient for 90 Hz displays, though not enough for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck at any resolution in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 236 FPS, which likely approaches the CPU’s frame generation limit. However, at 1080p Ultra (99 FPS) and all higher resolutions, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured results are: Low settings average 81 FPS, Medium settings average 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, High settings average 46 FPS, and Ultra settings average 34 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at 4K that achieves a 60 FPS average, though its 51 FPS minimum means some scenes will dip below the standard refresh rate.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the measured results are: Low settings average 151 FPS, Medium settings average 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 130 FPS, High settings average 86 FPS, and Ultra settings average 63 FPS. The Medium preset’s 96 FPS minimum ensures consistent experience on 120 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset’s 63 FPS average is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the measured results are: Low settings average 236 FPS, Medium settings average 177 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS and maximum of 204 FPS, High settings average 134 FPS, and Ultra settings average 99 FPS. This resolution offers the widest range of playable settings, with Low and Medium being suitable for 240 Hz and 165 Hz displays respectively, while High and Ultra are comfortable for 60 Hz and 90 Hz panels.