Hitman 2

Settings Recommendations

For Hitman 2, the measured data across the three resolutions shows a clear pattern: the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience, and the High preset is the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 177 FPS with a minimum of 151 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in dense crowd scenes. High at 1080p produces 134 FPS average, which is still well above the threshold for competitive play, but Medium provides a larger safety margin against frame drops. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out with 113 FPS average and a 96 FPS minimum, making it the recommended setting for high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution. The High preset at 1440p drops to 86 FPS average, which remains fluid but leaves less headroom for demanding sequences.

The Ultra preset is the outlier in the dataset. At 1080p, Ultra averages 99 FPS, which is playable but represents a substantial 44% reduction from Medium. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 63 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for a comfortable experience. The data suggests that Ultra's additional graphical effects impose a heavy cost that the RTX 4070 cannot consistently offset at higher resolutions. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, averaging 81 FPS, though this sacrifices most visual enhancements. The Medium preset at 4K yields 60 FPS exactly, which is borderline; the 51 FPS minimum indicates occasional stutter, making Low the safer choice for strict 60 FPS locking. In summary, Medium is the universal recommendation for 1080p and 1440p, while 4K users must choose between Low for performance or Medium for a compromise with occasional dips.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of Hitman 2's frame rates, and its specifications explain the scaling observed across settings. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In Hitman 2, a game from 2018 with relatively modest VRAM demands, 12 GB is more than sufficient at all tested presets, even at 4K. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed, which supports the texture streaming and draw distances typical of the game's large, detailed sandbox levels. The GPU's 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs, combined with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, provide the raw compute throughput needed for the game's lighting and shadow calculations. The 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is ample for a title of this era, and the data confirms that the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 4070's performance headroom varies significantly by preset. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 236 FPS, indicating that the rendering pipeline is far from saturated. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces frame rates by 25% (from 236 to 177), which is a typical cost for enabling additional post-processing effects. The High preset further reduces performance to 134 FPS, and Ultra to 99 FPS. This progression demonstrates that each settings tier adds measurable GPU load, with Ultra being disproportionately expensive. At 4K, the GPU's limits become apparent: Ultra drops to 34 FPS, which is a 86% reduction from 1080p Ultra (99 FPS). This severe scaling indicates that the RTX 4070's VRAM bandwidth and compute resources are stretched thin at 4K with maximum settings. The GPU's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648, places it in the upper tier, but Hitman 2's Ultra preset at 4K exceeds its comfortable operating range.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. For Hitman 2, a game that primarily relies on single-thread performance for game logic and AI, the CPU's strong single-core capabilities are more relevant than its multi-core throughput. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 4648 points in single-core and 32924 in multi-core, indicating a balanced design that favors single-threaded workloads. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache provides fast access to frequently used game data, reducing latency in scenarios with many NPCs or complex scripting. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, suggests it is well-equipped to feed the RTX 4070 in most gaming scenarios.

The measured FPS data indicates that the CPU does not bottleneck the RTX 4070 at any tested resolution or preset. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 236 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that even a modest CPU would struggle, but the Core Ultra 5 245 sustains it without issue. The fact that frame rates scale linearly with resolution (236 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, 81 at 4K for Low settings) confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery. The CPU's 14 threads are more than adequate for Hitman 2's engine, which typically uses fewer than 8 threads. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly overwhelmed at 34 FPS, the CPU is unlikely to be the cause, as the frame rate is dictated by GPU rendering time rather than CPU logic. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 with a deltaPct of -0.5%, show that the Core Ultra 5 245 is competitive in raw compute, but in Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU's headroom is never tested to its limit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 716th out of 3001 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 24% of all configs. This ranking reflects the balance between a high-end CPU and a upper-midrange GPU. The CPU's 90th percentile standing and the GPU's 81st percentile standing combine to produce a system that excels in CPU-bound scenarios but is constrained by GPU performance at high resolutions. The 716th rank out of 3001 indicates that while this combo is strong, there are many configurations with more powerful GPUs (e.g., RTX 4080 or above) that achieve higher frame rates in Hitman 2, particularly at 4K.

The ranking also suggests that the combo is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU's performance is the primary determinant of FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 99 FPS, which is respectable for a game of this era, but not top-tier. At 1440p High, the 86 FPS average is competitive with many other mid-range configs. The combo's weak point is 4K Ultra, where the 34 FPS result drags down its overall ranking. If the ranking were based solely on 1080p performance, the combo would likely rank higher, as the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no bottleneck. The data shows that the combo is a solid choice for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, but users targeting 4K should consider a more powerful GPU to improve the ranking. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K at +0.8%, indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo's ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K across all settings. For Low settings, the average FPS drops from 236 at 1080p to 151 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 81 at 4K (a 66% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels rendered quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The 1440p to 4K transition shows a 46% FPS reduction (151 to 81), which is less than the theoretical 56% reduction if scaling were perfectly linear, suggesting some efficiency gains at lower settings. For Medium settings, the FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 60 at 4K (a 47% reduction). The High preset follows a similar trend: 134 to 86 (36% reduction) to 46 (47% reduction). Ultra settings show the most severe scaling: 99 at 1080p to 63 at 1440p (36% reduction) to 34 at 4K (46% reduction).

The consistent 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the pixel count increases by 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million), but the frame rate drops by only 36%, suggesting some memory bandwidth headroom. The 4K step (from 3.69 million to 8.29 million pixels, a 125% increase) results in a 46-47% FPS drop, which is more severe and indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth (504.2 GB/s) and compute resources are becoming saturated. The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical across all settings (46-47%) confirms that the GPU is the sole bottleneck at 4K, regardless of graphical complexity. The CPU's role is minimal in this scaling, as evidenced by the linear relationship between pixel count and FPS. For users playing at 1080p, the high frame rates (99-236 FPS) indicate that the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors, while 4K users must accept significant compromises in settings to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 86 FPS is also playable but offers less headroom for frame drops.

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

A: At 4K with Low settings, the combo averages 81 FPS, which is playable. With Medium settings, it averages 60 FPS exactly, but the 51 FPS minimum may cause occasional stutter. High and Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as they produce 46 FPS and 34 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, Ultra averages 99 FPS compared to High's 134 FPS, a 26% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 63 FPS vs 86 FPS (a 27% reduction). At 4K, Ultra drops to 34 FPS vs High's 46 FPS (a 26% reduction).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rates scale from 236 FPS at Low to 99 FPS at Ultra, indicating that the GPU's rendering load is the limiting factor. The CPU's strong single-core performance (4648 in Cinebench R23) is sufficient to maintain these frame rates without bottlenecking.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 236 FPS while Medium averages 177 FPS, a 25% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 151 FPS vs 113 FPS (a 25% reduction). At 4K, Low averages 81 FPS while Medium averages 60 FPS (a 26% reduction). The consistent percentage drop indicates a uniform GPU workload increase.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 716th out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 24%. This ranking reflects the strong CPU (90th percentile) and solid GPU (81st percentile) performance, though higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful GPUs for better 4K performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 236 FPS
• Medium: Average 177 FPS, Minimum 151 FPS, Maximum 204 FPS
• High: Average 134 FPS
• Ultra: Average 99 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 151 FPS
• Medium: Average 113 FPS, Minimum 96 FPS, Maximum 130 FPS
• High: Average 86 FPS
• Ultra: Average 63 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 81 FPS
• Medium: Average 60 FPS, Minimum 51 FPS, Maximum 69 FPS
• High: Average 46 FPS
• Ultra: Average 34 FPS

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with measured minimum and maximum values, providing a complete picture of frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the 151-204 FPS range indicates stable performance with occasional dips, while at 1440p Medium, the 96-130 FPS range offers a playable experience. At 4K Medium, the 51-69 FPS range confirms the borderline nature of this setting, with the minimum falling just below the 60 FPS target. The absence of minimum/maximum values for other presets suggests that the benchmark focused on average frame rates for those configurations, but the available data for Medium indicates that this preset offers the most predictable performance across all resolutions.