Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

This pairing of a 6-core Comet Lake desktop processor with NVIDIA's entry-level Turing GPU lands near the very bottom of the database for Hitman 2, holding rank 3580 out of 3711 tested combos. That places it in the bottom 3.5% of all systems measured, a position that reflects the GTX 1650's modest 40th percentile standing among all GPUs rather than any deficiency in the CPU, which sits at the 68th percentile among all processors. The data tells a clear story: this is a combination built for 1080p playable framerates, not for pushing resolution boundaries, and the measured results across four settings levels and three resolutions confirm that expectation with striking consistency.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 3580 out of 3711 tested configurations places it firmly in the lower tier of systems evaluated for Hitman 2. This is not a surprising outcome given the component profiles, but the magnitude of the gap between this combo and the median system is worth examining. With only 131 combinations ranking below it, this setup outperforms just a sliver of the tested population — likely systems with integrated graphics or significantly older discrete GPUs.

What makes this ranking particularly telling is the asymmetry between the CPU and GPU contributions. The Core i5-10400F demonstrates solid synthetic performance, with an average benchmark score of 14185 across all tests, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher score), the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher), and the Intel Core 7 160UL (0.3% lower) — all within a rounding error of each other, suggesting the i5 sits at a genuine performance plateau. In contrast, the GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 7472 places it at just the 40th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals like the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (0.3% higher) and Intel UHD Graphics 750 (0.4% higher) showing that it barely edges out integrated solutions in aggregate benchmarks.

The implication is direct: the GPU is the limiting factor in this combo, and the rank reflects that bottleneck. The CPU has headroom that the GPU cannot exploit in Hitman 2's rendering workload.

GPU Role

The GTX 1650 brings 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth — sufficient for 1080p gaming but increasingly strained at higher resolutions. Its base clock of 1485 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz drive 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The memory runs at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective), which is modest by modern standards but appropriate for the card's entry-level positioning.

The pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align poorly with Hitman 2's demands at higher settings. The FP32 throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS places this GPU in a performance class where 1080p medium settings represent the realistic maximum for smooth gameplay. The card's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it a low-power solution, but that efficiency comes at the cost of raw performance headroom.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the measured data shows the GPU's memory capacity becoming a constraint at 4K, where even low settings yield only 24 FPS average. The 4 GB frame buffer is simply insufficient for the game's texture and geometry demands at that resolution, regardless of quality preset. At 1080p, the card shows its true capabilities, scaling from 29 FPS at ultra to 69 FPS at low — a range that brackets the playability threshold.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the medium preset delivers 52 FPS average with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, offering the best balance between visual quality and smoothness. The low preset achieves 69 FPS, which is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity; the high preset drops to 39 FPS, which is playable but begins to approach the edge of comfortable responsiveness for a stealth title where timing matters.

At 2560x1440, the choices become more constrained. Low settings produce 44 FPS average, which is playable, while medium falls to 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 — borderline for a game requiring precise timing. High and ultra at 25 and 18 FPS respectively are not recommended for serious play. The data suggests 1440p is viable only with low settings for this combo.

At 3840x2160, no setting yields playable framerates. The best result is 24 FPS at low, with medium at 18 FPS (minimum 15, maximum 20) and high at 13 FPS. Ultra produces 10 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow. The recommendation is unambiguous: 4K is not a viable option for this hardware in Hitman 2.

For the best overall experience, the 1080p medium preset stands out as the sweet spot — it maintains an average above 50 FPS while keeping minimums above 40, which should provide consistent gameplay without the visual compromises of low settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Hitman 2 at 1080p with high settings?

A: The measured data shows 39 FPS average at 1080p high, which is technically playable but below the 60 FPS target many players prefer. The medium preset at 52 FPS average (44 minimum, 60 maximum) offers a more comfortable experience.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 7472 is within 1% of several competitors. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447 (0.3% higher), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441 (0.4% higher), and the Intel Arc A310 scores 7550 (1% higher).

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware combination?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where this combo achieves consistently playable framerates across multiple settings. At 2560x1440, only low settings (44 FPS) reach acceptable levels, while 3840x2160 is not viable at any settings level.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, placing it at the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitors include the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% higher), Intel Core 7 160UL (14232, 0.3% lower), and AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% higher) — all essentially tied.

Q: Does the 4 GB VRAM on the GTX 1650 affect performance in Hitman 2?

A: The measured data suggests VRAM capacity becomes a constraint at 3840x2160, where even low settings only achieve 24 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the performance scaling across settings is more consistent with compute throughput limitations rather than memory capacity issues.

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

A: The GTX 1650 sits at the 40th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 7472. This places it below the median GPU but above the bottom quartile.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU that is heavily bandwidth and fill-rate limited. At low settings, the average framerate drops from 69 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 24 FPS at 4K (a further 45% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is roughly consistent with the pixel count increases — 1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 2.25x the pixels of 1440p — suggesting the GPU is operating near its theoretical limits at each step.

The medium settings tell a similar story with slightly steeper drops: 52 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction), and 18 FPS at 4K (45% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not settings complexity. This is characteristic of a GPU where memory bandwidth (128.1 GB/s) and pixel throughput (53.28 GPixel/s) are the binding constraints.

The fact that 4K performance collapses to 10-24 FPS regardless of settings strongly suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the sheer pixel throughput requirement. The 4 GB VRAM may also contribute, as texture swapping at 4K could cause additional stalls not captured in the average FPS figures.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for gaming workloads. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283, Geekbench multicore of 6257, and Passmark multithread of 12115. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with Cinebench R23 single-core at 1451 and Passmark single-thread at 2541.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p low (69 FPS) likely approaches the CPU's frame delivery limit, but at higher settings and resolutions, the GPU becomes the clear constraint. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all processors means it has substantial headroom relative to the GPU's 40th percentile standing.

The 3DMark thread scaling tests show the CPU's architecture: a single-thread score of 688 scales to 1350 at 2 threads (near-linear), 2560 at 4 threads, 3929 at 8 threads, and 4735 at max threads. This scaling pattern indicates good thread utilization up to 8 threads, with diminishing returns beyond that — a profile well-suited for games like Hitman 2 that use multiple threads but rarely saturate 12.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database — all within 0.6% of its average score — include server and mobile processors, which highlights that the i5-10400F delivers competitive compute performance for its class. The bottleneck in this combo is unambiguously the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings range was measured. Low settings produce the highest average at 69 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings yield 52 FPS average with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, providing the most stable measured range. High settings drop to 39 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS average. The 40 FPS spread between low and ultra demonstrates the GPU's sensitivity to quality presets at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance tiers compress significantly. Low settings achieve 44 FPS average, Medium drops to 33 FPS (minimum 28, maximum 38), High produces 25 FPS, and Ultra manages only 18 FPS. The gap between low and ultra narrows to 26 FPS, indicating that resolution, not settings, now dominates the performance equation.

At 3840x2160, all settings produce unplayable results. Low settings reach 24 FPS average, Medium falls to 18 FPS (minimum 15, maximum 20), High drops to 13 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 10 FPS. The progression from 1080p low (69 FPS) to 4K low (24 FPS) represents a 65% reduction in framerate, while the same settings comparison from 1080p ultra (29 FPS) to 4K ultra (10 FPS) shows a 66% reduction — nearly identical scaling regardless of preset.

The minimum FPS data points, available only for medium settings, show the frame time consistency: 44 minimum at 1080p, 28 at 1440p, and 15 at 4K. These figures suggest that medium settings maintain reasonably consistent framerates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the frame pacing becomes erratic enough to make the experience feel worse than even the average suggests.