Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 lands at rank 1497 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. That places this pairing in the lower third of all configurations, which is a direct result of the GPU being the limiting factor at most settings. The data shows this combo sits in a position where the CPU is clearly overqualified for the workload, while the GPU struggles to keep pace with modern demands. For context, the GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 places it at the 51st percentile among all GPUs, meaning roughly half of all GPUs tested outperform it. The CPU, however, is a different story—the i7-13700K scores an average of 47282, putting it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, which indicates it is far more capable than the GPU it is paired with here.

This ranking is not a reflection of poor engineering on either component, but rather a mismatch of generations. The i7-13700K is a Raptor Lake part from late 2022, while the GTX 1070 is a Pascal architecture card from mid-2016. The benchmark results make this disparity obvious: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 118.9 FPS, which is respectable, but at 4K Ultra it drops to just 15.4 FPS. The rank of 1497 suggests that most other tested combos either have more balanced hardware or a GPU that can handle higher resolutions and settings. If you are looking at this combo for a new build, the data indicates you would be leaving significant performance on the table—the CPU could easily drive a much faster GPU in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. Its base clock runs at 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, and the memory operates at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The card has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. For compute, it delivers 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 101.0 GFLOPS of FP16 (at a 1:64 ratio). These specifications are typical for a mid-range card of its era, but they are now dated. In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant—the game is not particularly CPU-heavy, so the GTX 1070's capabilities directly determine the framerate.

At 1080p Low, the GTX 1070 manages 118.9 FPS, which shows it can still deliver playable performance when settings are reduced. However, the moment you raise the preset to Medium at 1080p, the average drops to 92 FPS, and at High it falls to 68.2 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in this game, but the card's raw compute power is the bottleneck. The GTX 1070's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (0.7% slower), the GeForce GTX 880M (1.3% faster), and the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (1.4% faster), which shows it sits in a tight performance band. The data suggests that the GTX 1070 is a capable 1080p card for older titles, but it cannot handle Hitman 2 at higher resolutions without significant compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 118.9 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 76.2 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 42.8 FPS. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 44% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent across all settings, but the absolute numbers tell the real story. At 1080p High, the average is 68.2 FPS, which drops to 41.6 FPS at 1440p High (a 39% reduction) and then to 23.1 FPS at 4K High (a 44% reduction from 1440p). The trend indicates that the GTX 1070 is the limiting component—the CPU has plenty of headroom, but the GPU cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count.

The most telling data point is at 4K Ultra, where the combo manages only 15.4 FPS. This is unplayable by any standard, and it makes clear that 4K is not a viable resolution for this pairing. At 1440p Medium, the average is 58.8 FPS, which is borderline playable, but at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 32.6 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium shows a 36% drop (from 92 FPS to 58.8 FPS), which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario. The data suggests that if you want to play Hitman 2 with this combo, you should target 1080p for a smooth experience, or accept lower settings at 1440p. The CPU's performance is not the issue here—the GTX 1070 simply runs out of steam as resolution increases.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 68.2 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it reaches 92 FPS. Higher resolutions result in significant FPS drops, with 1440p High at 41.6 FPS and 4K High at 23.1 FPS.

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

A: Not at playable framerates. The best 4K result is at Low settings with 42.8 FPS, but even that is marginal. At 4K Medium, it drops to 30.9 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 23.1 FPS. 4K Ultra is unplayable at 15.4 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score is 12331. It is 0.7% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, 1.3% slower than the GeForce GTX 880M, and 1.4% slower than the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER. These are all very close performance deltas, so the card is firmly in a mid-range bracket.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The i7-13700K has a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282. The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions—the GPU's workload increases with resolution, while the CPU has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience?

A: At 1080p, Medium settings (92 FPS) or High settings (68.2 FPS) both provide smooth gameplay. At 1440p, Low settings (76.2 FPS) is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 58.8 FPS. For a balanced experience, 1080p High is recommended.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i7-13700K has an average score of 47282. It is 0.1% slower than the i7-13700KF, 0.3% faster than the AMD EPYC 4364P, and 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i9-12900F. These are negligible differences in real-world terms.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it features PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU. The chip's benchmark results are impressive: it scores 39000 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5505 in single-core, along with 16380 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 2312 in single-core. Its 3DMark scores range from 1136 in single-thread to 12412 in max-threads.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game is not heavily threaded, so the i7-13700K's 16 cores are largely underutilized. The benchmark data shows that the CPU has a 93rd percentile ranking, which means it outperforms 93% of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the i7-13700KF (0.1% faster), the AMD EPYC 4364P (0.3% slower), and the Intel Core i9-12900F (0.4% slower). These deltas are within noise, indicating the i7-13700K is at the top of its class. The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2850 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4333, which helps in games that rely on a few cores. However, in this specific combo, the GTX 1070 ensures that CPU performance is never the bottleneck—the framerate is always GPU-limited.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combo. At 1080p, the choice is between Medium (92 FPS) and High (68.2 FPS). Medium provides a smoother experience with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while High is still playable but closer to the edge. For most players, 1080p Medium is the recommended preset—it delivers high framerates without sacrificing too much visual quality. If you prefer visual fidelity over raw FPS, 1080p High at 68.2 FPS is acceptable, but you lose over 25% of the performance compared to Medium.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. Low settings (76.2 FPS) is the only preset that maintains a framerate above 60 FPS, while Medium (58.8 FPS) is borderline and High (41.6 FPS) is noticeably less smooth. If you are using a 1440p monitor, you should stick to Low or Medium settings, and be prepared to accept lower visual quality. At 4K, none of the presets are truly playable—even Low (42.8 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Medium (30.9 FPS) and High (23.1 FPS) are too choppy for a stealth action game where precision matters. The data suggests that 1080p Medium or High is the optimal configuration for this combo, balancing framerate and visual quality. Pushing to 1440p requires a significant settings compromise, and 4K is not viable for this pairing.