Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER sits at rank 1120 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific title, indicating that while the hardware is competent, it is far from the top tier for this particular game's demands. The rank reflects a pairing where the CPU is a modern high-end part, but the GPU is a previous-generation mid-range offering, creating a noticeable performance ceiling.

The data shows that this combo's position is primarily constrained by the graphics card. The GPU's average benchmark score of 22206 places it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 93rd percentile. This mismatch is the defining characteristic of the combo's ranking. In the measured FPS data, the system never achieves a truly dominant performance envelope, struggling to maintain high frame rates at the most demanding settings and resolutions. The rank of 1120 out of 1795 suggests that a significant portion of tested combinations, likely those with more modern or higher-tier GPUs, outperform this setup in Hitman 2's specific rendering environment.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial processing power to this pairing. With 16 cores and 24 threads, based on a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU is well-equipped to handle the game's simulation and AI logic. The architecture, Raptor Lake, is built on a 10 nm process node and features a substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's synthetic benchmark results are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, indicating strong performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

In Hitman 2, a stealth game that requires complex NPC behavior and reaction systems, the CPU's 24 threads are likely sufficient to prevent the processor from becoming the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU's raw power is not the limiting factor in this combo's overall ranking. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 158.1 FPS, showing that the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU load is light. The CPU's performance percentile of 93 versus the GPU's 65 reveals that the processor has significant headroom left untapped, as the GPU is unable to keep pace with the CPU's processing capabilities in more demanding scenarios. The data suggests that the i7-13700K is a future-proof component in this pair, capable of supporting a more powerful graphics card in a potential upgrade.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve in Hitman 2?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 158.1 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 22.2 FPS on Ultra settings to 53.2 FPS on Low settings, with High settings producing 28.8 FPS and Medium producing 38.7 FPS.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. The substantial gap in performance percentiles indicates the graphics card prevents the system from reaching higher frame rates.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 99.8 FPS on Low settings to 41 FPS on Ultra settings, a significant reduction of 58.8 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K scores 47282 on average, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700KF's score of 47334, making the two processors nearly identical in performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across various settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across the board. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 158.1 FPS, providing a highly fluid experience. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 120.1 FPS, still excellent for competitive play. High settings yield an average of 94 FPS, which is very smooth for a stealth title. The most demanding preset, Ultra, brings the average down to 69 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold for a consistent experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of 89.1 FPS, indicating the game is highly sensitive to graphics settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades notably. The Low preset delivers an average of 99.8 FPS, maintaining high fluidity. Medium settings produce 77.2 FPS, which is still respectable. High settings lower the average to 59.4 FPS, right at the edge of the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset, however, drops the frame rate to an average of 41 FPS, which begins to feel less responsive. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 58.8 FPS, a substantial performance cost for the highest visual fidelity. This resolution appears to be the practical ceiling for high-quality gameplay, with only the top preset falling below the ideal threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. The Low preset averages 53.2 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Medium drops to 38.7 FPS, and High further reduces to 28.8 FPS. The Ultra preset delivers a mere 22.2 FPS, which is essentially unplayable for a responsive experience. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 31 FPS. These numbers clearly show that 4K resolution is beyond the comfortable capabilities of the RTX 2070 SUPER in this title, even with the powerful i7-13700K driving the system.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights into the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 94 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of 36.8%. Further scaling to 3840x2160 results in 28.8 FPS, a 69.4% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This aggressive drop-off is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. As the resolution increases, the pixel count grows exponentially, placing a heavier load on the rendering hardware. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant, but the GPU must work significantly harder, causing the frame rate to plummet.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 158.1 FPS at 1080p to 99.8 FPS at 1440p, a 36.9% decrease, and then to 53.2 FPS at 4K, a 66.4% reduction from 1080p. At Ultra settings, the fall from 69 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p represents a 40.6% drop, and the final step to 22.2 FPS at 4K is a 67.8% decline from the 1080p result. The consistent percentage drops across different settings indicate that the resolution scaling is the dominant factor, independent of the graphical complexity.

This data confirms that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck in this pairing. The i7-13700K's high single-thread and multi-thread scores suggest it can easily feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth limitations come to the forefront. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth is insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in Hitman 2. The system is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver strong performance, but it is not suited for 4K unless the user is willing to compromise heavily on visual settings.