Hitman 2

Hitman 2 on the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination shows a clear curve: the game scales heavily with resolution, but the relationship between settings and frame rate is not linear. At 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance across all presets, but the jump to 4K exposes the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and the inherent demands of ultra-high resolution, causing average frame rates to drop below playable thresholds on the highest settings. The data suggests that this pairing is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high refresh rates with the right preset, while 4K requires significant compromises in visual fidelity to remain smooth.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark resolution scaling pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 110 FPS to 70 FPS, a 36% drop. The transition from 1440p to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the High preset falling from 70 FPS to 38 FPS, a 46% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, with the RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth struggling to feed the massive 4K frame buffer.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still pronounced. The system achieves 194 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (36%) and 1440p to 4K (47%) are nearly identical to the High preset, suggesting that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of the quality level. However, the absolute numbers tell a different story: at 4K Low, the system remains playable at 66 FPS, whereas 4K High falls to 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider smooth.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, it delivers 81 FPS, which drops to 52 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is barely playable, and the 1440p Ultra result is marginal. This pattern indicates that Ultra settings in Hitman 2 impose a heavy load on the GPU, and the RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions with this preset. The measured data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires sticking to Low or Medium settings, while 1440p can handle High or Medium comfortably.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, is the dominant component in this system for Hitman 2. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a bottleneck at 4K with higher quality settings. The 4K Medium preset shows an average of 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, while 4K High drops to 38 FPS average. This degradation points to the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth being stretched thin at 3840x2160, particularly when textures and effects demand more than 8 GB of VRAM.

Clock speeds play a supporting role in the observed results. The GPU's base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1725 MHz, combined with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, deliver a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the card can push 194 FPS at 1080p Low, where the fill rate and texture throughput are more than sufficient. However, at 4K Ultra, the same hardware is overwhelmed, resulting in just 28 FPS average.

The RTX 3070's benchmark scores contextualize its position. With an average benchmark score of 17208 and a percentile ranking of 61 among all GPUs, it sits slightly above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, 0.7% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 1% delta), while trailing the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, -1.5% delta). These close margins in synthetic tests do not fully capture the gaming performance differences, but they do indicate that the RTX 3070 is a mid-to-upper tier card that can handle modern titles at 1440p but requires careful settings management at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its performance is more than adequate for Hitman 2 at all tested resolutions. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, this Comet Lake processor offers solid single-threaded performance that is crucial for game logic and AI. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s of dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth are sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns.

At 1080p, where CPU overhead is typically higher relative to GPU load, the i5-10400F demonstrates its capability. The system achieves 194 FPS at Low settings and 110 FPS at High settings, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at this resolution. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p (110 to 81 FPS) shows a GPU-driven reduction, not a CPU limitation, since the Ultra preset adds graphical complexity that taxes the RTX 3070 more than the processor.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its suitability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10283 in multicore and 1451 in single-core, while Geekbench shows 6257 multicore and 1420 single-core. The 3DMark results, including 4748 for 16 threads and 688 for single-thread, indicate balanced performance across workloads. With a percentile ranking of 68 among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 14185, the i5-10400F is positioned close to the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% delta) and AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% delta), though those are server-class chips.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Hitman 2 for this build. Even at 4K, where GPU load is highest, the frame rates are constrained by the RTX 3070's capabilities rather than the i5-10400F's processing power. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a 4.30 GHz boost clock provides enough headroom for the game's simulation and rendering tasks, making this an ideal pairing for Hitman 2 at 1440p and below.

FAQ

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

A: The 2560x1440 resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At High settings, it delivers 70 FPS average, while Medium achieves 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. This provides a smooth experience without the steep performance penalty seen at 3840x2160.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only with significant settings compromises. The 4K Low preset runs at 66 FPS average, and 4K Medium runs at 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. 4K High drops to 38 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 28 FPS, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083), 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037), and 1.5% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468). These are all within a narrow performance band, but the RTX 3070 offers modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate and ray tracing cores.

Q: Is the i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: No, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU keeps pace with the GPU at all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 194 FPS, and the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU load increases as resolution scales, indicating the i5-10400F is not limiting performance in Hitman 2.

Q: What settings provide the best experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The High preset at 70 FPS is also viable, but Ultra drops to 52 FPS, which may feel less fluid for fast-paced stealth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank overall for this game?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1601 out of 3711 combinations tested for Hitman 2. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, reflecting its capability at 1080p and 1440p while acknowledging its limitations at 4K with higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well across the board: Low settings deliver 194 FPS average, Medium delivers 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 FPS and maximum of 168 FPS, High delivers 110 FPS, and Ultra delivers 81 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the comfort zone of this hardware, with even the most demanding preset remaining well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU's growing load. Low settings produce 124 FPS, Medium produces 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, High produces 70 FPS, and Ultra produces 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a minimum frame rate above 75 FPS, which ensures consistent smoothness. The High preset at 70 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 52 FPS may cause noticeable stutter in crowded scenes.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the system's limitations. Low settings deliver 66 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Medium settings deliver 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which is borderline playable but may dip below 45 FPS in demanding areas. High settings drop to 38 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 28 FPS, both of which are below the playable threshold for most gamers. The data clearly shows that 4K requires either Low or Medium settings to maintain a reasonable frame rate.

The 1080p Medium preset's minimum of 124 FPS and maximum of 168 FPS demonstrates consistent frame pacing, while the 1440p Medium preset's range of 79 to 107 FPS shows a tighter but still smooth experience. The 4K Medium preset's range of 42 to 57 FPS indicates significant variance, which could lead to perceptible hitches during gameplay. This variance is a direct result of the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings strategy for this system varies by resolution. For 1920x1080, players can freely use Ultra settings at 81 FPS average, which provides excellent visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The High preset at 110 FPS offers a good balance for competitive play, while Medium at 146 FPS is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. Low settings at 194 FPS are unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS. This combination offers good visual quality with reliable performance. The High preset at 70 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate consistency. Ultra settings at 52 FPS should be avoided, as the performance dip makes gameplay feel less responsive. Low settings at 124 FPS are viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is significant.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 66 FPS is the only recommended option for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 50 FPS is playable but may cause issues in dense environments, as the minimum of 42 FPS approaches the edge of playability. High and Ultra presets at 38 FPS and 28 FPS respectively are not recommended, as they fail to maintain a consistent 30 FPS floor. Players who insist on 4K should accept the visual compromises of Low settings, while those who prioritize quality should consider dropping to 1440p.

The overall recommendation is to target 2560x1440 with Medium settings for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. This configuration leverages the RTX 3070's strengths while keeping the i5-10400F from becoming a limiting factor. For players with 1080p displays, the High preset provides an excellent experience, and for those with 4K displays, the Low preset is the only viable option for maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS.