Hitman 2

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is built on Raptor Lake architecture, a 10 nm process from Intel, and it presents a hybrid configuration that matters for Hitman 2's workload distribution. The chip packs 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. These specifications position it as a high-end desktop part, and the benchmark data confirms it sits in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282.

The data reveals how this CPU scales across threaded workloads. In synthetic testing, the 3DMark suite shows a progression from 1136 points in single-thread to 2262 in 2-thread, 4469 in 4-thread, 8193 in 8-thread, and 10717 in 16-thread, finally peaking at 12412 in max-thread. The scaling from 8 to 16 threads is only about 31%, and from 16 to max threads just 16%, which suggests diminishing returns beyond 8 threads for this workload. Cinebench results tell a similar story: R15 multicore hits 3931 versus 554 single-core, R20 multicore reaches 16380 versus 2312 single-core, and R23 multicore lands at 39000 versus 5505 single-core. Geekbench adds 17731 multicore and 2850 single-core.

What does this mean for Hitman 2? The game, released in 2018, is not a modern multi-threaded monster. Its engine tends to favor fewer, faster cores. The i7-13700K's single-thread performance is strong—the 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 5505 are indicative of that. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the key enabler here. In a stealth game where AI logic, physics interactions, and rendering commands often bottleneck on one or two primary threads, that high single-core ceiling prevents the CPU from becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The nearest rivals provide context. The Intel Core i7-13700KF scores 47334 on average, a delta of -0.1% relative to the 13700K, making them effectively identical. The AMD EPYC 4364P scores 47131, a 0.3% delta, and the Intel Core i9-12900F scores 47081, a 0.4% delta. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 scores 47527, a -0.5% delta. None of these deltas exceed half a percent, which means the 13700K is in a tightly packed performance tier. For Hitman 2, this implies that any of these CPUs would deliver comparable frame pacing, and the 13700K's edge in single-threaded workloads—where it shines—likely gives it a slight, though measurable, advantage in CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p.

The chip supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it uses an Intel Socket 1700. Its TDP is 125 W, and it has ECC memory support. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache is ample for game data, reducing the need to fetch from system memory during intense scenes. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present, but it is irrelevant for gaming with a discrete GPU installed. The production status is Active, and the launch MSRP was $409, a figure noted once here.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It packs 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores. The chip, designated GB203, contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 120.6M per mm². Its compute capabilities are substantial: FP32 and FP16 both hit 56.28 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s.

Memory is a critical asset. The RTX 5080 carries 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1875 MHz, which translates to 30 Gbps effective. The base clock is 2295 MHz, and the boost clock is 2617 MHz. The GPU's TDP is 360 W, requiring a 750 W suggested PSU and a single 16-pin connector. It uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and outputs via 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

In benchmark results, the RTX 5080 shows a PassMark G3D score of 36565 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 21789. DirectX tests reveal variance: DirectX 9 scores 389, DirectX 10 scores 208, DirectX 11 scores 324, and DirectX 12 scores 151. Geekbench OpenCL scores 264461, and Vulkan scores 257942. The GPU sits in the 89th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M with an average score of 58239 (a 1.6% delta), the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (-1.9% delta), the Intel Arc A580 at 57756 (2.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X at 57661 (2.6% delta). The RTX 5080 is positioned slightly above the A570M and A580, and slightly below the Arc Pro A60, but these deltas are small, indicating a cluster of similarly performing GPUs in aggregate benchmarks.

For Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures, which were designed for 2018 hardware. The 960 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and draw calls are handled without stutter. The boost clock of 2617 MHz provides the raw throughput needed to push high frame rates, but as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 322.2 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 45.9 FPS. That is a massive range, and the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are what drive the upper end of that spectrum.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern. At 1080p, the combo produces 322.2 FPS on Low, 242.4 on Medium, 182.2 on High, and 137 on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, those figures drop to 204, 151.5, 114.5, and 89.2 respectively. At 4K, the numbers are 107.5, 83.8, 63.9, and 45.9 for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra.

The percentage drops are telling. From 1080p to 1440p on Low settings, FPS falls from 322.2 to 204, a reduction of about 37%. From 1440p to 4K on Low, it goes from 204 to 107.5, another 47% drop. On High settings, the 1080p to 1440p transition goes from 182.2 to 114.5, a 37% drop, and then from 1440p to 4K it falls from 114.5 to 63.9, a 44% reduction. On Ultra, 1080p to 1440p is 137 to 89.2, a 35% drop, and 1440p to 4K is 89.2 to 45.9, a 49% decline.

These numbers indicate a system that is heavily GPU-limited as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the 322.2 FPS figure is so high that the CPU's single-thread performance is likely the gatekeeper, but even then, the GPU is still delivering over 300 frames. The fact that FPS scales nearly linearly with pixel count—1080p has about 2.07 million pixels, 1440p has 3.69 million, and 4K has 8.29 million—means the GPU is the primary constraint. Going from 1080p to 4K increases pixel count by 4x, and on Low settings, FPS drops from 322.2 to 107.5, which is almost exactly a 3x reduction, close to the 4x pixel increase but partially offset by other factors.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest decline, dropping from 137 FPS at 1080p to 45.9 at 4K, a 66% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra settings add significant GPU workload—likely through shadow quality, ambient occlusion, and anti-aliasing—that scales disproportionately with resolution. The CPU, with its high boost clock and strong single-thread scores, is not the limiting factor here; if it were, we would see FPS plateau or drop more sharply at lower resolutions where CPU load is relatively higher.

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

Looking at the measured rows, the sweet spot varies by target refresh rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 182.2 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh monitors and well above 60 Hz for standard displays. The Ultra preset at 137 FPS is still playable but sacrifices 25% of the frame rate compared to High. The Medium preset at 242.4 FPS is excessive for most displays, and Low at 322.2 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates for competitive play, which is not typical for a stealth game.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 114.5 FPS, which is excellent for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, providing a fluid experience. Medium at 151.5 FPS is also strong, but High likely includes visual refinements that matter for a game focused on environmental detail and crowd simulation. Ultra at 89.2 FPS is still smooth for a 90 Hz display but begins to dip below the high-refresh threshold. Low at 204 FPS is overkill.

At 4K, the choices narrow. High preset delivers 63.9 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for console-like smoothness but not ideal for high-refresh displays. Medium at 83.8 FPS is a better option for those with 4K 120 Hz panels, offering a 31% improvement over High. Ultra at 45.9 FPS dips below 60, which is noticeable in a stealth game where smooth camera panning matters. Low at 107.5 FPS is playable but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that relies on atmosphere.

The data suggests that High is the best overall preset across resolutions for balancing visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, it is far above any playability threshold. At 1440p, it hits 114.5 FPS, ideal for 120 Hz. At 4K, it reaches 63.9 FPS, just clearing 60. If the target is 4K high refresh, Medium at 83.8 FPS is the recommended fallback, offering a 31% FPS boost over High with likely modest visual trade-offs. Ultra, while visually rich, is only recommended for scenes where frame rate is less critical, given its sub-60 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 73rd out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 4% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing. The context of the ranking matters: Hitman 2 is a 2018 title, and many newer GPUs and CPUs may not have been tested, but the 1795 combos represent a wide field.

The rank of 73 indicates that this combo is near the top of the performance hierarchy but not the absolute best. Given that the GPU sits in the 89th percentile and the CPU in the 93rd percentile, the combo ranking slightly below the very top is expected—there are likely combos with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 5090 or faster CPUs that edge it out. However, the measured FPS data shows this combo is exceptionally capable, with 4K Ultra at 45.9 FPS being the only sub-60 result.

Comparing to the nearest rivals, the CPU's deltaPct values are all within 0.5% of its average score, meaning any of those CPUs would perform nearly identically in Hitman 2. The GPU's rivals show larger deltas, up to 2.6%, but those are still small in real-world terms. The combo's rank of 73 out of 1795 means it outperforms the vast majority of systems, and the data suggests that for a stealth game like Hitman 2, which does not demand the absolute latest hardware, this pairing is more than sufficient.

The percentile rankings reinforce this. The CPU at 93rd percentile and GPU at 89th percentile indicate both components are high-end, and their combination in a game that is not overly demanding results in a top-tier experience. The rank of 73 is a composite measure that accounts for both components' contributions, and it confirms that this combo is a strong choice for Hitman 2, delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and playable performance at 4K with adjusted settings.