Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination lands at rank 1266 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. This pairing of a 20-core Arrow Lake desktop processor with an Ampere-generation GPU produces a balanced platform that hits playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, though 4K Ultra demands more than the GPU can deliver. The data shows a system where CPU headroom is abundant while the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the primary constraints at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1266 out of 3001 tested combinations means it sits above roughly 58% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in this game. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 itself performs at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (avg score 64823, delta -0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (avg score 64438, delta +0.3%), the AMD EPYC 7343 (avg score 64202, delta +0.7%), and the AMD EPYC 9124 (avg score 65104, delta -0.7%). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the 265 sits in a tightly clustered performance band where no single competitor holds a meaningful lead in synthetic CPU workloads.

The RTX 3070, meanwhile, ranks at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (avg score 17083, delta +0.7%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (avg score 17037, delta +1%), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (avg score 17019, delta +1.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (avg score 17468, delta -1.5%). Again, the deltas are minimal, suggesting the 3070 performs competitively with these cards in general GPU benchmarks, though none of these rivals appear in the Hitman 2 measured FPS data.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the rank is determined by the measured FPS across all tested settings and resolutions. The 1080p Ultra score of 81 FPS and 1440p High score of 70 FPS demonstrate that this combo handles the game’s stealth sandbox without major bottlenecks at mainstream resolutions. However, the drop to 28 FPS at 4K Ultra reveals that the combo falls well short of high-refresh 4K gaming. The fact that the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile while the GPU sits at the 61st percentile suggests the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor in this pairing for Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions where GPU load increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz, while memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU houses 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores, giving it a peak FP32 throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS. The card’s pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s. These specifications indicate a mid-range-to-upper-mid-range GPU from the Ampere generation, built on Samsung’s 8 nm process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role becomes clear when examining the FPS scaling across settings at each resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low (194 FPS) to Ultra (81 FPS) shows a 58% performance drop, which is substantial but still leaves the game playable at high refresh rates. At 1440p, the same settings transition yields 124 FPS on Low versus 52 FPS on Ultra, a 58% reduction that mirrors the 1080p pattern. At 4K, Low produces 66 FPS while Ultra drops to 28 FPS, a 58% decrease as well. This consistent percentage drop across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s rendering workload scales predictably with settings, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a factor at 4K Ultra where the game likely requires more memory than available.

The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM is a notable constraint. At 1080p and 1440p, the measured FPS suggests the card can handle the game’s textures and geometry without hitting memory limits, as evidenced by the playable frame rates even at Ultra settings. At 4K, however, the Ultra preset’s 28 FPS average suggests the GPU is both compute-bound and potentially VRAM-limited, as higher resolution textures and effects demand more memory bandwidth and capacity. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p workloads, but at 4K the combination of higher pixel count and memory pressure reduces throughput significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows clear resolution scaling patterns. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 110 at 1080p to 70 at 1440p and 38 at 4K. That represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. The 4K High result of 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that most gamers consider smooth, indicating that this resolution is only viable at lower settings.

For Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 194 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 36%, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 47%. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes increasingly strained as resolution rises, though 66 FPS at 4K Low is still playable. At Medium settings, the averages are 146 FPS (1080p), 93 FPS (1440p), and 50 FPS (4K), with min/max values only recorded for this preset: 124/168 at 1080p, 79/107 at 1440p, and 42/57 at 4K. These min FPS figures show that 4K Medium can dip to 42 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in busy scenes.

Ultra settings produce the steepest decline: 81 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 36%, and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 46%. At 4K Ultra, the 28 FPS average is well below playable for most users. The consistent pattern across all four settings—roughly a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 46-47% drop from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS drop would be less uniform across settings, as lower settings would reduce GPU load and expose CPU limits. Instead, the proportional scaling across all settings points to the RTX 3070’s rendering capacity as the constraint.

The resolution scaling also reveals that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the 81 FPS average is smooth, and even 1080p High at 110 FPS provides headroom for high-refresh monitors. At 1440p, High (70 FPS) and Medium (93 FPS) are viable, but Ultra (52 FPS) falls short of 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (66 FPS) and Medium (50 FPS) approach playable territory, while High and Ultra are too demanding.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user’s target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, Ultra settings deliver 81 FPS average, which is above 60 FPS and suitable for standard 60 Hz displays, while still leaving some headroom for dips. For 144 Hz or higher refresh monitors, High settings at 110 FPS or even Low at 194 FPS provide the necessary frame rates, though High offers a better visual quality-to-performance balance. The data shows that 1080p Ultra is the best experience for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, as the 81 FPS average exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 93 FPS provide the best balance, offering smooth gameplay with higher visual quality than Low (124 FPS) and significantly better performance than High (70 FPS) or Ultra (52 FPS). The min FPS of 79 at Medium ensures that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above 60. High settings at 70 FPS are also acceptable for 60 Hz displays, but the 52 FPS average at Ultra makes that preset unsuitable for consistent smoothness.

For 4K, the recommendations shift to lower presets. Low settings at 66 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, though it sacrifices visual quality. Medium at 50 FPS is borderline, with a min FPS of 42 that could cause noticeable stutter in action sequences. High (38 FPS) and Ultra (28 FPS) are not recommended for 4K gaming with this combo. Users with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The measured data suggests that Medium settings offer the most consistent experience across all resolutions in terms of min-to-max FPS spread. At 1080p Medium, the min/max range is 124-168 FPS, a 44 FPS spread that indicates stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 79-107 FPS, a 28 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 42-57 FPS, a 15 FPS spread. These tighter ranges at higher resolutions suggest that Medium settings provide more predictable frame pacing, which is valuable for a stealth game where smooth camera movement matters.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 194 FPS, representing the absolute ceiling of this pairing in Hitman 2. Medium settings average 146 FPS with a min of 124 and max of 168, offering a substantial performance buffer above 60 FPS. High settings average 110 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for most displays. Ultra settings average 81 FPS, which is playable but represents a 42% drop from High and a 58% drop from Low. The progression from Low to Ultra shows that each settings tier costs roughly 25-35% performance, with Ultra being the most demanding.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 124 FPS, which is 64% of the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 93 FPS (min 79, max 107), providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings average 70 FPS, which is playable but approaching the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 52 FPS, which falls below 60 FPS and may result in noticeable frame drops during intense action sequences. The 1440p data shows that this combo is best suited for Medium or High settings, with Ultra being marginal.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. Low settings average 66 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings average 50 FPS (min 42, max 57), which is borderline playable but with dips below 45 FPS. High settings average 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings average 28 FPS, which is too low for a title like Hitman 2 where precise movement and timing are important. The 4K results clearly indicate that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming, particularly at higher settings.

The data also shows that the min FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the min of 124 FPS and max of 168 FPS indicate a stable experience. At 1440p, the min of 79 FPS and max of 107 FPS show tighter variance. At 4K, the min of 42 FPS and max of 57 FPS reveal that even Medium settings can dip below 45 FPS, which may be noticeable. This lack of min/max data for other presets suggests that Medium is the most thoroughly validated setting for this combo, likely because it provides the best balance of performance and stability.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Hitman 2?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 1266 out of 3001 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which is within 0.7% of its closest rivals. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64823 (-0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64438 (+0.3%), the AMD EPYC 7343 scores 64202 (+0.7%), and the AMD EPYC 9124 scores 65104 (-0.7%).

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1080p as the best resolution, with Ultra settings achieving 81 FPS average and High settings reaching 110 FPS. At 1440p, Medium (93 FPS) is recommended, while 4K only becomes playable at Low settings (66 FPS).

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 3070 have, and does it matter in this game?

A: The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the 28 FPS average suggests the VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor, though at 1080p and 1440p the game runs smoothly, indicating adequate memory for those resolutions.

Q: What settings preset provides the most stable experience?

A: Medium settings offer the most consistent performance, with min/max FPS recorded at all three resolutions: 124-168 (1080p), 79-107 (1440p), and 42-57 (4K). This preset provides a good balance between visual quality and frame rate stability.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 61st percentile. The consistent FPS drop across all settings at each resolution (roughly 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and 46% from 1440p to 4K) indicates the RTX 3070’s rendering capacity, not the CPU, constrains performance.