Hitman 2

Hitman 2’s measured performance with the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 reveals a pairing that is almost entirely constrained by the graphics card. The data indicates that the GPU consistently becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs, while the CPU’s substantial headroom goes largely unused in this stealth title. The following analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, component roles, and practical settings for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck at every measured setting. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 70 at 1920x1080 to 43.1 at 2560x1440, then plummets to 26.5 at 3840x2160. That represents a 62% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K on Low, which is a far steeper decline than what a balanced system would show. The pattern is consistent across all presets: High settings drop from 41.8 FPS at 1080p to 26 at 1440p and finally to 11.5 at 4K. Ultra settings are even more punishing, starting at 30.7 FPS at 1080p and collapsing to 10.4 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The GTX 1650’s 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in Hitman 2. The data shows that even at 1440p, the card struggles to maintain playable frame rates on High or Ultra presets, with averages of 26 and 16.5 FPS respectively. The only resolution where the combo delivers a consistently smooth experience is 1080p, and even then, only on Low or Medium settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 39.3 FPS (70 vs 30.7), which suggests that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are saturated long before the CPU becomes relevant. For a 4K display, this combo is effectively unusable for Hitman 2, as even the lowest preset fails to reach 30 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is built on the TU117 chip using a 12 nm process, with 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its memory configuration is 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost of 1665 MHz, and the card draws 75 W with no external power connectors. In the context of Hitman 2, these specifications explain the measured results almost perfectly. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is a particular concern at higher resolutions, as the game’s texture data can exceed that limit, forcing the card to swap data through the relatively narrow 128-bit interface. This is likely why the 4K Ultra result is so poor at 10.4 FPS — the card is not only compute-bound but also memory-constrained.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 43 places it in the lower half of all graphics cards. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), which are essentially performance peers. The data shows that the GTX 1650 is not a card designed for high-fidelity gaming at modern resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p High (41.8) and Medium (54.9) are the only results that approach a playable standard, and even those are modest by contemporary expectations. The card’s DirectX 12 benchmark score of 35 (PassMark) further underscores its limited capability in modern API workloads, though Hitman 2’s engine does scale with the 896 shading units when settings are reduced. The 32 ROPs and 53.28 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p but become a clear bottleneck at 1440p and beyond.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is an entirely different class of component. With 16 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, this CPU has far more compute headroom than Hitman 2 can utilize. The processor’s architecture is Raptor Lake-S on a 10 nm process, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark results are exceptional: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 39000, and single-core scores 5505, while Geekbench multicore hits 17731. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 confirm that multithreaded workloads are handled with ease.

In Hitman 2, however, the game’s engine does not heavily tax the CPU, especially when the GPU is this weak. The measured FPS is nearly identical across resolutions when the GPU is the limiter, which is the case here. The CPU’s percentile of 93 versus all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700KF (deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (deltaPct 0.3). The data implies that the i7-13700K is contributing almost nothing to the frame rate in this pairing; it is simply waiting for the GTX 1650 to finish rendering each frame. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are irrelevant to the game’s performance here, as the bottleneck is unambiguously on the graphics side. If the GPU were upgraded, the CPU could easily handle much higher frame rates, but with the GTX 1650, the processor’s capabilities are effectively dormant.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Hitman 2 is 1702 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 5% of all systems. This ranking reflects the fundamental mismatch between the high-end CPU and the low-end GPU. The data shows that this system performs worse than 94.8% of other tested combos in this specific game, which is a direct consequence of the GTX 1650’s limitations rather than any deficiency in the i7-13700K. The GPU’s percentile of 43 and the CPU’s percentile of 93 highlight the disparity — the processor is a top-tier part, while the graphics card is below average.

When compared to other combos, the ranking suggests that most systems with a similarly capable CPU would be paired with a far stronger GPU, yielding much higher frame rates. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (70) is the only result that exceeds 60 FPS, which is a playable threshold, but it requires the lowest settings. At 1440p, even Low settings drop to 43.1 FPS, and at 4K, all presets are below 30 FPS. This ranking is a clear signal that the GTX 1650 is the weak link. If the goal is to play Hitman 2 at higher resolutions or with better visual quality, the data suggests that a GPU upgrade would be the only meaningful change, as the CPU is capable of supporting far more demanding graphics hardware without becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides 54.9 FPS, which is close to a 60 FPS target and offers a reasonable balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset achieves 70 FPS, which is the only fully smooth experience, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. High settings at 1080p drop to 41.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced stealth action where smooth camera movement matters. Ultra at 1080p is not recommended, as the 30.7 FPS average will feel stuttery.

At 2560x1440, the data strongly advises against anything above Low settings. The Low preset yields 43.1 FPS, which is borderline playable, while Medium drops to 32.5 FPS and High to 26 FPS. Ultra at 1440p is a poor choice at 16.5 FPS. For 4K, the results are uniformly bad, with the best option being Low at 26.5 FPS, which is still below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable playability. The practical recommendation is to stick with 1080p and use Medium settings for the best experience, or drop to Low if frame rate consistency is the priority. There is no measured scenario where this combo delivers a good experience at 1440p or above, so users should treat those resolutions as off-limits for Hitman 2.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 with Medium settings is the best balance, delivering 54.9 FPS. Low settings at 1080p offer 70 FPS, which is the only result above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: No. Even at Low settings, the 4K average is only 26.5 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. Ultra at 4K drops to 10.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i7-13700K has a 93rd percentile ranking and high multithreaded scores, while the GTX 1650 only ranks in the 43rd percentile, and the frame rate scaling reflects GPU constraints.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems in Hitman 2?

A: It ranks 1702 out of 1795 combos, placing it in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations. This is due to the weak GPU, not the CPU.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this setup?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 70 at 1080p with Low settings. No other resolution or preset combination exceeds that value.

Q: Would upgrading the CPU improve performance in this game?

A: No. The current CPU is far more powerful than needed, as shown by its high benchmark scores. The game’s performance is entirely limited by the GTX 1650, so a CPU upgrade would yield no measurable FPS increase.