Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a fundamentally balanced 1080p experience in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a sharp performance cliff as resolution climbs. The combo ranks in the 61st percentile of all tested configurations, a position that reflects its strength at lower resolutions and its limitations at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS rows show a system that can easily drive high-refresh 1080p displays but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum settings, making it a compelling case study in where CPU and GPU bottlenecks shift.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Hitman 2?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 at High settings producing an average of 93.3 FPS, while 2560x1440 at High drops to 56.9 FPS. For a smooth experience, 1080p High is the sweet spot, as it provides a substantial frame rate cushion above 60 FPS without the massive performance hit seen at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 34.1 at High settings and plummets to 22.5 at Ultra, indicating that the memory subsystem and raw compute are overwhelmed by the pixel count at this resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz are sufficient to drive high frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU is the primary limiter. However, the pattern of FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with resolution.

Q: What kind of performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 105 at Low settings down to 41.4 at Ultra. This represents a substantial 60.6% drop in performance, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy load on the RTX 2070 SUPER, which features 2560 shading units and a boost clock of 1770 MHz.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1102 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This rank is consistent with the CPU's 73rd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU's 65th percentile, suggesting a well-matched pair that performs above average but not at the top tier.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at all?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 56.7 at Low settings, which is playable, but it drops to 22.5 at Ultra. The 4K High preset offers only 34.1 FPS, indicating that serious compromises are needed for 4K gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a rank of 1102 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 61st percentile, a solidly above-average result that reflects the balanced nature of the pairing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 puts it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 22206 lands in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, illustrating that neither component dramatically overshadows the other.

The rank suggests that this system is competitive with a wide range of hardware, but it is not a top-tier performer. The data implies that the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it falls behind more powerful configurations at 4K. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7552 with a 0.4% higher score and the Intel Core i5-8500 with a 1.1% lower score, show that the i5-10400F sits in a tightly contested performance band, where small differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to negligible in-game variation. On the GPU side, the RTX 2070 SUPER is within 2.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile and 2.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 5700, suggesting that the measured FPS results are representative of a mid-range to upper-mid-range graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant factor in Hitman 2's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, running at 1750 MHz with a 256-bit bus, provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for 1080p and 1440p but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, combined with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS, which is the engine behind the measured frame rates.

The data shows that the GPU's workload scales directly with resolution and settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 161, which reflects the card's raw power at lower loads. However, at 3840x2160 Ultra, the FPS collapses to 22.5, a 86% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This dramatic drop indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's compute and memory resources are exhausted by the 4K Ultra preset, which likely activates heavy effects and high-resolution textures that demand more than 8 GB of VRAM and the available bandwidth. The GPU's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are relevant for future titles, but in Hitman 2, the standard rasterization performance is what drives the results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows strong performance across all settings. The average FPS ranges from 161 at Low to 119.3 at Medium, 93.3 at High, and 65.1 at Ultra. This progression shows a smooth degradation as settings increase, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a playable 65.1 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 95.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops significantly. Low settings produce 105 FPS, Medium delivers 75.2, High achieves 56.9, and Ultra falls to 41.4. The 1440p results show that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the increased pixel count reduces performance by roughly 35-40% compared to 1080p at the same settings. The Ultra preset at 1440p is borderline playable, but the High preset's 56.9 FPS is below the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a severe hit. Low settings yield 56.7 FPS, Medium drops to 40.6, High falls to 34.1, and Ultra plummets to 22.5. The 4K results are largely unplayable except at Low settings, where the system just manages to stay above 50 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 2070 SUPER can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K is only viable at the lowest settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the 1920x1080 High preset is the clear choice. With an average FPS of 93.3, it provides a significant frame rate buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 119.3 FPS offers a higher frame rate but with reduced visual fidelity, which is unnecessary given the High preset's strong performance.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most practical option. The 75.2 FPS average is comfortably above 60 FPS, while the High preset's 56.9 FPS is just below the threshold but still playable for most users. The Ultra preset at 41.4 FPS is not recommended, as it introduces noticeable stutter and a less responsive feel. For 4K, the Low preset at 56.7 FPS is the only viable option, but it requires significant visual compromises. The data suggests that users should prioritize 1080p High or 1440p Medium for the optimal experience, as these settings provide the best trade-off between visual quality and frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, plays a supporting role in Hitman 2's performance. The CPU's base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, combined with a 12 MB shared L3 cache, provide sufficient processing power to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The synthetic benchmarks show a single-thread score of 688 in 3DMark and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297, indicating strong per-core performance that is well-suited for gaming workloads.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution. At 1080p, where the GPU is less taxed, the i5-10400F is able to keep up, as evidenced by the high FPS at Low and Medium settings. At 4K, the CPU's load decreases relative to the GPU, as the graphics card becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is a capable performer, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7552 and Intel Core i5-8500, show that it sits in a competitive performance tier. The CPU's 65W TDP and 14 nm process node are secondary considerations, as the focus is on its ability to maintain high frame rates without stuttering.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the limiting component. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 93.3, but this falls to 56.9 at 1440p High and 34.1 at 4K High. This represents a 39% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 63% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, with the 4K Ultra preset showing the largest absolute drop from 65.1 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 22.5 FPS.

This data strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering, particularly at higher settings. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, as the workload shifts almost entirely to the GPU. The 4K Low preset, at 56.7 FPS, is the only playable option, and even then, it is only marginally above the 60 FPS target. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can leverage its raw compute power without being overwhelmed by pixel count, and the CPU can maintain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck.