Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is a stealth title where the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination delivers a playable experience, but the data shows that performance is highly dependent on resolution and settings. The combo ranks in the 71st percentile (2631 out of 3711 tested combos), indicating a mid-to-upper tier position that is capable of smooth frame rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain playability at 4K. The benchmark results reveal a clear performance hierarchy across the four settings presets, with the CPU providing a solid foundation and the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This configuration places it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its performance is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower). In essence, the i5-9400 sits in a tightly contested performance band where no single competitor holds a meaningful advantage.

For Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, particularly in crowded stealth scenarios where AI and physics calculations are heavy. The 6-core/6-thread layout is sufficient for this game, as evidenced by the fact that the combo achieves 145 FPS average at 1080p Low settings. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower graphical loads, where the GPU has ample headroom. However, as settings increase to Ultra, the frame rate drops to 60 FPS at 1080p, suggesting that the CPU's single-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) and multi-core throughput (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629) are adequate but not exceptional for sustaining very high frame rates under maximum load.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU effectively, but the performance ceiling is reached when the GPU is under heavy load. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps in single-threaded tasks, which is often the bottleneck in game logic. The 9 MB shared L3 cache is also beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times. Overall, the CPU performs its role competently, but the measured FPS drops at higher resolutions are primarily attributable to the GPU, as the CPU's relative performance remains constant regardless of resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a clear verdict on settings selection. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 60 FPS, which is exactly the threshold for smooth gameplay in most titles. This is the recommended setting for a balanced experience, as it offers the highest visual fidelity while maintaining playable frame rates. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 109 FPS average (with a minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 125 FPS), which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual upgrade to Ultra is worth the 49 FPS average reduction for most players.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 52 FPS average. The Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay, while Medium offers 69 FPS but at reduced visual quality. The High preset strikes the optimal balance between fidelity and performance at this resolution. For 4K (3840x2160), the data shows that no preset is truly ideal: High averages 28 FPS, Medium averages 37 FPS (with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 43), and Low averages 49 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at 21 FPS average. For 4K, the Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, but even then, the 49 FPS average is marginal for a stealth game where precision timing matters.

The recommendation is clear: for the best experience, play at 1080p Ultra for 60 FPS, or 1440p High for 52 FPS. If the player prioritizes frame rate over visual quality, 1080p Medium at 109 FPS is superior to 1440p Medium at 69 FPS. The data indicates that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a viable but less optimal alternative. 4K gaming should be avoided unless the player is willing to accept sub-50 FPS averages.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pair in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Ultra settings provides 60 FPS average, which is the recommended configuration for a balanced experience. At 2560x1440, High settings yield 52 FPS average, while 4K resolution is only playable at Low settings with 49 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U, 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER capable of running Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: The measured data indicates that 4K performance is limited. At 4K High, the average FPS is 28, at Medium it's 37, and at Low it's 49. Only the Low preset approaches playable frame rates, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 21 FPS, making it unplayable.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data includes minimum FPS values only for the Medium preset across all resolutions. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 92 FPS; at 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 59 FPS; and at 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 31 FPS. No minimum FPS data is provided for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.4% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, 0.5% slower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, 1.5% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 460, and 1.6% slower than the Intel Arc A770M. These are all within a narrow performance band.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck the system in Hitman 2?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS, indicating the CPU can handle high frame rates. As resolution increases to 4K, the frame rate drops significantly (e.g., 28 FPS at High), which is consistent with GPU-bound performance. The CPU's performance remains constant across resolutions, confirming it is not the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2631 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 71st percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 71% of all tested hardware combinations in this game. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, indicating that the combo delivers respectable performance but is not among the top-tier configurations.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-9400, being in the 47th percentile of CPUs, is a mid-range processor, while the RTX 2060 SUPER, in the 62nd percentile of GPUs, is slightly above average. Together, they form a coherent pairing that excels at 1080p but falls short at 4K. The combo's rank suggests that it is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the measured FPS data, but it would struggle against higher-end combos that feature more powerful CPUs and GPUs.

The rank also indicates that this combo is not an outlier; it performs as expected given the individual components' benchmark scores. The CPU's nearest rivals all have similar average scores, and the GPU's nearest rivals are within 1.6% of its score. Therefore, the combo's position in the rankings is predictable and consistent with the hardware's synthetic performance. For a stealth game like Hitman 2, which relies on consistent frame delivery, this rank suggests a reliable experience at mainstream resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with the TU106 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. Its memory clock is 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.181 TFLOPS, and it has 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, though these are not heavily utilized in Hitman 2.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 18093. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (0.4% slower), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (0.5% slower), AMD Radeon RX 460 (1.5% slower), and Intel Arc A770M (1.6% slower). These deltas are minor, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER sits in a crowded performance tier.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is critical at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity become limiting factors. The measured FPS data shows a steep decline from 1080p to 4K: at High settings, the average FPS drops from 82 at 1080p to 52 at 1440p and 28 at 4K. This is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The boost clock of 1650 MHz helps maintain performance at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully saturated, but at 4K, the raw compute power (7.181 TFLOPS) is insufficient to maintain high frame rates.

The GPU's performance is also reflected in its DirectX benchmarks: Passmark DirectX 11 score of 130 and DirectX 12 score of 61. These scores indicate that the GPU is more efficient in older APIs, which aligns with Hitman 2's release in 2018 and its use of DirectX 12. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a key asset for texture-heavy scenes, but it is not enough to overcome the computational demands of 4K rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance in Hitman 2 across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 145 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset averages 109 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The High preset averages 82 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages exactly 60 FPS, making it the recommended setting for a balanced visual and performance experience. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a linear decline in FPS, with no unexpected drops.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 93 FPS, which is still playable but a 36% reduction from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 52 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold but acceptable for a stealth game. The Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which is not recommended for a satisfying experience. The data indicates that 1440p is best paired with Medium or High settings, but not Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playability. The Low preset averages 49 FPS, which is the only preset that comes close to a playable frame rate. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The High preset averages 28 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS, both of which are unplayable for a game that requires precision. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to deliver consistent 60 FPS performance.

The overall pattern is consistent: the combo excels at 1080p, is adequate at 1440p, and is inadequate at 4K. The Medium preset provides the most consistent frame delivery, as evidenced by the minimum FPS values being relatively close to the averages (e.g., 92 minimum vs. 109 average at 1080p, 59 minimum vs. 69 average at 1440p, and 31 minimum vs. 37 average at 4K). This suggests that Medium is the most stable preset in terms of frame pacing, making it a safe choice for players who prioritize consistency over visual fidelity.