Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018-11-12, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The data for this combination of an Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a system that is capable of very high frame rates at 1080p but is progressively limited by the GPU as resolution increases. The measured results reveal a clear performance hierarchy across the four settings presets, allowing for a straightforward analysis of how to balance visual fidelity against frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 225.8 FPS on Low settings to 97.8 FPS on Ultra. This represents a significant 128 FPS reduction, indicating that the Ultra preset is substantially more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, average frame rates range from 80 FPS on Low settings to 33.7 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low and Medium presets achieve an average above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168. This places it 0.4% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552, 0.8% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, and 1.1% behind the Intel Core i5-8500, indicating very similar overall processing power.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 scores in the 81st percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37283 places it 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5300M.

Q: What is the most significant factor limiting performance at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows a substantial drop in frame rates at 4K compared to lower resolutions. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are likely saturated by the Ultra preset's demands, making it the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest average frame rate at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 yields the highest average frame rate of 150.6 FPS. This is followed by the Medium preset at 117.2 FPS, then High at 87.9 FPS, and finally Ultra at 63.2 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and is the primary driver of frame rates in Hitman 2, especially as resolution increases. Its performance is underpinned by a boost clock of 2475 MHz and a memory configuration of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory subsystem is critical for feeding the 5888 shading units at high resolutions.

The benchmark data shows a direct correlation between the GPU's workload and frame rate. At 1080p, the GPU is able to render frames at a very high rate, from 97.8 FPS on Ultra to 225.8 FPS on Low. However, the strain becomes evident at 4K, where the average frame rates across all settings are significantly lower. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields only 33.7 FPS, suggesting that the combination of high resolution and maximum visual effects creates a workload that the RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute cannot handle at a fluid pace. The GPU's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end status, but the data shows it has clear limits in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data illustrates a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average frame rate for the High preset drops from 131.5 FPS to 87.9 FPS, a decrease of 43.6 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the same preset falling to 43.6 FPS, a further reduction of 44.3 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities are being taxed more heavily with each pixel count increase.

The scaling is consistent across all settings. For instance, the Low preset goes from 225.8 FPS at 1080p to 150.6 FPS at 1440p and finally to 80 FPS at 4K. This trend strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The fixed performance gap between presets at each resolution also points to a GPU bottleneck; the CPU's role becomes less significant as the resolution increases, as the time to render a frame is dominated by the graphics card's processing and memory bandwidth. The data shows the RTX 4070's 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the demands of 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 33.7 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured results provide 12 distinct data points for analysis. At 1920x1080, the system excels, with average frame rates of 225.8 FPS on Low, 177.1 FPS on Medium, 131.5 FPS on High, and 97.8 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that the i5-10400F and RTX 4070 combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, even with the most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limitations. The average frame rates are 150.6 FPS on Low, 117.2 FPS on Medium, 87.9 FPS on High, and 63.2 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra preset at this resolution is still playable, but the margin for error is reduced. At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained. The Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, while Medium drops to 58.6 FPS. The High preset falls to 43.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 33.7 FPS. These figures show that 4K gaming is only viable with the Low or Medium presets for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this system. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it is a capable mid-range processor. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz allow it to handle the game's logic and AI. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297, indicates a solid level of multi-threaded capability.

However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint in Hitman 2 at higher resolutions. The significant frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 places it in the 73rd percentile, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C with a 0.8% higher score, show it is in a competitive performance class. With a PassMark single-thread score of 2541, it provides sufficient single-core performance for the game's primary thread, but the data indicates that the RTX 4070's graphics processing is the deciding factor in overall frame rates, particularly at 1440p and above.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear guide for optimizing the gameplay experience in Hitman 2. For users prioritizing the highest possible frame rates on a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, the Low preset offers an average of 225.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset still provides a highly playable 97.8 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset offers a good balance with an average of 87.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset is still viable at 63.2 FPS for those who prefer maximum visual quality.

The most challenging scenarios are at 4K. The data shows that the Ultra preset is not a viable option for smooth gameplay, yielding an average of 33.7 FPS. The High preset is also marginal at 43.6 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience at 3840x2160, the Medium preset, with an average of 58.6 FPS, is the recommended choice. The Low preset provides a more comfortable margin at 80 FPS. Considering the overall data, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, providing an average frame rate of 87.9 FPS that is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while the Ultra preset at 1080p is the best option for those who want maximum detail without compromising on smoothness.