Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

This configuration pairs Intel's 16-core Raptor Lake flagship-class processor with NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace mid-range champion, and the data shows a system that is decisively GPU-limited at higher resolutions while maintaining exceptional headroom at 1080p. The measured frame rates across Hitman 2's four presets and three resolutions reveal a combo that can push past 260 FPS at the lowest settings but drops to just 37 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus become the primary constraint as pixel count climbs. With a combo rank of 667 out of 3,711 tested configurations, this pairing sits comfortably in the top 18% of all systems, though the specific bottlenecks shift dramatically depending on where the resolution dial lands.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate curve from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where this system's limits reside. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 263 FPS, which drops to 168 FPS at 1440p and 90 FPS at 4K — that is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the lowest preset. The scaling at High settings is even more revealing: 149 FPS at 1080p falls to 95 FPS at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 51 FPS at 4K (a further 46% drop from 1440p). This steep decline as resolution increases points squarely at the GPU as the limiting factor, since the Core i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample compute headroom that goes increasingly unused as pixel count rises.

The Medium preset shows the most linear scaling pattern, with 197 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 36% of performance, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs another 47%. This consistent degradation suggests that memory bandwidth — the RTX 4070 SUPER's 504.2 GB/s — becomes the dominant factor, as Hitman 2's environments require increasingly large texture and geometry buffers at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset tells the harshest story: 110 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and just 37 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra represents a 47% performance loss, the steepest relative decline across all presets, indicating that the combination of maximum settings and 4K resolution saturates the GPU's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more apparent. The jump from Low (263 FPS) to Ultra (110 FPS) at 1080p is a 58% performance swing, which is far larger than what pure GPU clock scaling would suggest. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the i7-13700K's 5.40 GHz boost clock can feed frames fast enough to expose the GPU's architectural limits, but the 125 W TDP and 30 MB shared L3 cache are not the bottleneck — rather, the GPU's 7168 shading units reach their throughput ceiling. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting component across all presets, while at 1080p, the system behaves as a balanced pairing where neither component dominates entirely.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER perform at 4K in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows playable but not ideal results. At 4K High, the combo averages 51 FPS, while Medium reaches 67 FPS and Low hits 90 FPS. Ultra drops to 37 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for most players.

Q: Is the Core i7-13700K holding back the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 263 FPS, suggesting the 16-core processor with 5.40 GHz boost clock can feed frames far faster than most displays can show. The GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

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

A: The sweet spot is 1440p High, delivering 95 FPS average. This balances visual quality with smooth gameplay. At 4K, only Medium (67 FPS) or Low (90 FPS) provide acceptable frame rates, while 1080p offers headroom well above 144 Hz at most presets.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 667th out of 3,711 tested configurations, placing it in the top 18% of all systems. This is a strong showing, though the ranking reflects the CPU's 89th percentile and GPU's 83rd percentile standings among their respective components.

Q: What frame rates can I expect with the Medium preset?

A: Medium settings yield 197 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result includes a measured minimum of 107 FPS and maximum of 145 FPS, indicating consistent performance without severe dips.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The data does not show VRAM capacity as a direct limitation, but the 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth correlate with the steep performance drop at 4K Ultra, where the GPU's texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s is likely saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial compute resources to this pairing, with 16 cores and 24 threads built on the Raptor Lake architecture. The processor's 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock provide the single-thread performance that Hitman 2's stealth gameplay logic and AI routines require, while the 30 MB shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores. The CPU's benchmark results reinforce its capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and single-core score of 2,116, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19,429 and single-core score of 2,529.

In the context of Hitman 2's measured frame rates, the CPU's role varies by resolution. At 1080p Low, the 263 FPS result is unlikely to be CPU-bound, as the 16-core processor can handle the game's thread scheduling with ease. However, at 1080p Ultra, the 110 FPS result suggests that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting, since the CPU's performance headroom is substantial. The 3DMark results show a single-thread score of 1,136 and a 16-thread score of 10,717, indicating that the CPU scales well with multi-threaded workloads but also excels at the lightly-threaded tasks common in Hitman 2's frame rendering.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors places it in the upper echelon, and its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (0.5% higher), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (0.5% higher). These margins are negligible, meaning the i7-13700K is competitively positioned, but the data shows that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's Hitman 2 performance. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking is the more relevant metric for explaining the measured frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the system achieves frame rates that would require a higher-tier GPU to exceed.

The processor's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory mean the platform can be configured flexibly, but the benchmark data does not indicate that memory bandwidth is a constraint in this game. The CPU's 10 nm process node and 257 mm² die size are architectural details that do not directly translate to gaming performance, but the 24 threads provide ample parallelism for Hitman 2's background simulation and AI systems.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 667 out of 3,711 tested configurations places this system in the 82nd percentile overall, meaning it outperforms roughly 82% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings. This is a strong result for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, and it reflects the RTX 4070 SUPER's ability to deliver high frame rates when paired with a processor that can keep up. The GPU's average benchmark score of 43,223 places it just behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (1% higher) and ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% lower), and NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (0.2% lower).

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46,881 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 just 0.2% lower and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX just 0.5% higher. This means the CPU is not the factor that differentiates this combo from others in the database; rather, the GPU's performance tier determines where the system lands in the rankings. The data shows that at 1080p, this combo outperforms many configurations with higher-tier GPUs but weaker CPUs, because Hitman 2's frame rates at lower resolutions benefit from the i7-13700K's strong single-thread performance.

At 4K, the combo's rank reflects the GPU's limitations. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus are sufficient for 1440p gaming but struggle at 4K Ultra, where the 37 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium result of 67 FPS is more respectable, and the 4K Low result of 90 FPS shows that the GPU can handle 4K when settings are reduced. The ranking of 667 out of 3,711 suggests that while this combo is not at the top of the heap, it offers consistent performance across most resolutions and settings, making it a versatile choice for Hitman 2 players who prioritize frame rate over maximum visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 263 FPS average, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate display. Medium settings yield 197 FPS with a minimum of 168 FPS and maximum of 227 FPS, showing minimal frame time variance. High settings drop to 149 FPS, while Ultra reduces the average to 110 FPS. These results indicate that at 1080p, the system has substantial headroom, and even the most demanding preset remains comfortably above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 168 FPS, Medium hits 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS and maximum of 145 FPS, High reaches 95 FPS, and Ultra settles at 70 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is particularly noteworthy because the minimum of 107 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during busy scenes, while the 70 FPS Ultra result is still playable on a 60 Hz display. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs between 36% and 44% of performance depending on the preset, which is consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations.

At 3840x2160, the results show a system that is clearly GPU-bound. Low settings average 90 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS, High drops to 51 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The 4K Medium result is the only preset that provides a consistently smooth experience, as the 57 FPS minimum stays above the 30 FPS threshold but dips below 60 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results are borderline playable at best, with the 37 FPS Ultra average indicating that maximum settings at 4K are not viable for this GPU.

The data reveals a clear pattern: the RTX 4070 SUPER is optimized for 1440p gaming, where it delivers between 70 and 168 FPS depending on settings. At 1080p, the system is CPU-limited in the sense that the GPU cannot fully utilize the i7-13700K's frame-feeding capability, but the frame rates are so high that this is irrelevant for practical purposes. At 4K, the GPU's 12 GB memory and 192-bit bus become the bottleneck, and players must compromise on settings to achieve playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1440p High as the optimal configuration for this combo, delivering 95 FPS average with the visual fidelity of the High preset. This setting strikes the best balance between image quality and performance, as it provides smooth frame rates that are well-suited for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, where consistent timing is important. The 1440p Medium preset at 126 FPS is the better choice for players with 144 Hz displays, as the minimum of 107 FPS ensures no drops below the refresh rate. For players who prioritize maximum visual quality, 1440p Ultra at 70 FPS is acceptable on a 60 Hz monitor, but the frame rate variance may be noticeable in crowded environments.

At 1080p, the recommendation depends on the display's refresh rate. For 144 Hz displays, 1080p Ultra at 110 FPS is the best choice, as it delivers the highest visual quality while staying close to the refresh rate. For 240 Hz displays, 1080p High at 149 FPS or Medium at 197 FPS are better options, with Medium providing the highest frame rate that still maintains a minimum above 168 FPS. The 1080p Low preset at 263 FPS is only useful for competitive play or esports scenarios, where every frame counts and visual fidelity is secondary.

At 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings at 67 FPS are the only viable option for a smooth experience, though the 57 FPS minimum may cause occasional stutter. The 4K Low preset at 90 FPS is a better choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, as it provides a significant performance boost while still offering a playable experience. The 4K High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as the 51 FPS and 37 FPS averages respectively fall below the smoothness threshold and would result in a degraded gameplay experience. Overall, the combo's best experience is at 1440p, where it can leverage the GPU's strengths without exposing its memory bandwidth limitations.