Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor posts a single-thread score of 688 in 3DMark and 1453 in Cinebench R23, while its multi-threaded results reach 4748 in 3DMark and 10297 in Cinebench R23. These numbers place the CPU in the 73rd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 14168. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher), the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% lower), the Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% lower), and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (1.2% lower). For a stealth title like Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable frame delivery pipeline, and the 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient to feed the GPU at most settings, though the data suggests that at higher resolutions and quality presets, the CPU becomes less of a bottleneck relative to the graphics card.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Core i5-10400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are the primary drivers of its multi-threaded throughput, which is relevant for Hitman 2’s simulation of AI, physics, and crowd behaviors. The processor’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz provides the single-thread responsiveness needed for the game’s frame pacing, and its 3DMark single-thread score of 688 indicates that it can handle the primary game thread without becoming a limiting factor in most scenarios. However, the benchmark results show a clear trend: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 225.5 FPS, but this drops to 115.4 FPS at Ultra, a 48.8% reduction that suggests the CPU is being stressed as the game’s workload increases. The CPU’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 and max-threads score of 4735 are nearly identical, indicating that the 12 threads are efficiently utilized, but the game’s engine does not appear to scale beyond this point, as evidenced by the relatively flat performance increase from 8-thread (3929) to 16-thread (4748) scores. Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s average score of 14168 is within 1.2% of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336) and 1.1% of the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332), meaning that in a CPU-bound scenario, this processor would trade blows with those parts. In Hitman 2 specifically, the data shows that the CPU is capable of pushing well over 200 FPS at 1080p Low, so the processor is not the primary constraint at lower settings; instead, the GPU takes over as the performance limiter when resolution and quality are increased.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 7680 shading units, 60 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. Its memory subsystem consists of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. The GPU’s compute capabilities include 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Ti scores 31624 in Passmark G3D and 205028 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (0.6% higher), the Intel Arc A730M (1.5% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (1.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (1.6% higher). For Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is dominant: the frame rates scale dramatically with resolution and settings, which is typical for a game that is heavily dependent on rasterization and shading. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 160.9 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, this falls to 41.4 FPS, a 74.3% reduction. The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this title, as the game’s textures at Ultra settings do not appear to exceed that capacity, given that the performance drop from 1440p Ultra (72.6 FPS) to 4K Ultra (41.4 FPS) is consistent with a pure compute and bandwidth limitation rather than a memory capacity issue. The RTX 4070 Ti’s boost clock of 2610 MHz allows it to sustain high utilization, but the data indicates that even this powerful GPU is insufficient to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, highlighting the game’s demanding nature at the highest settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average frame rates drop significantly across all settings. At Low settings, the combo delivers 225.5 FPS at 1080p, 177.8 FPS at 1440p (a 21.2% drop), and 95.8 FPS at 4K (a 57.5% drop from 1080p). At High settings, the progression is 160.9 FPS at 1080p, 101.6 FPS at 1440p (a 36.9% drop), and 55.9 FPS at 4K (a 65.3% drop). At Ultra settings, the numbers are 115.4 FPS at 1080p, 72.6 FPS at 1440p (a 37.1% drop), and 41.4 FPS at 4K (a 64.1% drop). This scaling behavior is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings. The fact that the FPS more than halves from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (from 225.5 to 95.8) suggests that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors, as the CPU is capable of sustaining over 200 FPS at 1080p. Conversely, the relatively modest drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (21.2%) compared to the larger drop at High settings (36.9%) indicates that the CPU can still keep up at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s workload increases disproportionately with quality settings. The data strongly suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti is the primary bottleneck in this combo for Hitman 2, especially at 4K, where even Medium settings (71.6 FPS) fail to reach 60 FPS, and only Low settings (95.8 FPS) provide a playable experience. At 1440p, the combo achieves 72.6 FPS at Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU has headroom to spare.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Hitman 2, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 225.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates that the CPU and GPU combination is more than capable of handling the game at high frame rates when graphical demands are minimal.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution in Hitman 2?

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the combo only exceeds 60 FPS on Low settings (95.8 FPS). At Medium settings, it drops to 71.6 FPS, but at High settings, it falls to 55.9 FPS, and at Ultra, it drops to 41.4 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-10400F compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115) and 0.8% higher than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277). It is also 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332) and 1.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336).

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all tested GPUs, and what does that imply?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900. This places it well above the median, indicating that it is a high-performance part, though its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile (0.6% higher) and the Intel Arc A730M (1.5% higher).

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo show the largest performance drop?

A: The largest drop occurs when moving from 1080p Ultra (115.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (41.4 FPS), a 64.1% reduction. This is accompanied by a similar drop at High settings, from 160.9 FPS to 55.9 FPS, a 65.3% reduction, highlighting the GPU’s struggle at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the limiting factor at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 101.6 FPS. Given that the CPU can deliver 225.5 FPS at 1080p Low and the GPU’s performance scales down with resolution, the data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution and quality level, as the CPU still has significant headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combo ranks 301st out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 16.8% of all combos. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU’s strong performance, as the RTX 4070 Ti is in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The combo’s rank of 301 suggests that there are 300 other combinations that achieve higher average frame rates in this game, likely featuring more powerful CPUs or GPUs. However, the data shows that this combo is still capable of delivering very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with the GPU being the primary limiting factor at 4K. The CPU’s performance is adequate for the game, but it is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that the combo’s rank is more influenced by the GPU’s capabilities. In comparison to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 Ti is only 0.6% slower than the RTX 5090 Mobile, but 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 580, which suggests that the combo’s ranking could vary significantly with a different CPU pairing. Overall, this combo is a strong performer for Hitman 2, particularly at 1440p, where it achieves 101.6 FPS on High settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is consistent with the GPU’s position in the overall performance hierarchy.