Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, exhibits a pronounced performance curve when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. The measured FPS data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution but shows dramatic swings based on graphics preset, pointing to a GPU-bound workload at higher settings. The combo’s rank of 667 out of 3711 tested configurations places it comfortably in the upper tier, though the data suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is frequently the limiting factor as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a steep drop in average FPS across all settings, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the system delivers 263 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 168 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 90 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a substantial decline that underscores the pixel-pushing demands on the RTX 4070 SUPER.

Moving to High settings, the scaling remains aggressive: 149 FPS at 1080p drops to 95 FPS at 1440p, then to 51 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result of 51 FPS is marginally above playable thresholds but shows the GPU struggling to maintain fluid motion. The Medium preset tells a similar story, with 197 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K — the latter being the only Medium result with min/max FPS data recorded (57 to 77 FPS), suggesting higher variance as the GPU nears its limits.

The Ultra preset reveals the most dramatic scaling: 110 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and just 37 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop of 36.4% is notable, but the 1440p-to-4K drop of 47.1% is even steeper, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K push the RTX 4070 SUPER beyond its comfortable operating range. Across all presets, the resolution scaling pattern points to a GPU-limited scenario — the CPU’s 20 cores and high boost clock are not the constraint, as evidenced by the massive 263 FPS at 1080p Low, which leaves headroom for the GPU to be the deciding factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on optimal presets. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 149 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth, while Ultra drops to 110 FPS — a 26.2% reduction for presumably marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 197 FPS is overkill for most displays, and Low at 263 FPS offers no practical benefit beyond competitive play. For 1080p, High represents the best balance, as it maintains well over 100 FPS while avoiding the steep cost of Ultra.

At 1440p, High yields 95 FPS, which is solidly playable, while Medium produces 126 FPS with recorded variance between 107 and 145 FPS. Ultra at 70 FPS is still smooth, but the gap from High to Ultra (26.3% reduction) suggests diminishing returns. The data supports High as the recommended preset at 1440p, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare and avoids the 30% penalty of Ultra.

At 4K, the choices become constrained. High delivers 51 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play; Medium provides 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that reliably stays above 60 FPS in the measured data. Ultra at 37 FPS is not recommended for gameplay. Low at 90 FPS is viable but sacrifices visual fidelity significantly. For 4K, Medium is the pragmatic choice — it offers the best combination of playability and quality, with the min FPS of 57 indicating only occasional dips below 60.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s specifications directly explain its behavior in Hitman 2. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the card has ample capacity for this 2018 title, which is not memory-hungry by modern standards. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is substantial, and the boost clock of 2475 MHz provides the raw throughput needed for high pixel rates. The GPU’s 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units drive the settings scaling observed, with the FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS being the theoretical ceiling that the measured FPS approaches at lower resolutions.

The percentile rank of 83 for this GPU versus all GPUs suggests it sits in the upper tier, and the nearest rivals — the Quadro M6000 24 GB and RTX 5050 Mobile — are within 0.2% of its average benchmark score, indicating that this card’s performance is well characterized. In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at 4K, where the 37 FPS at Ultra settings shows the card’s limits. The 5 nm process and Ada Lovelace architecture contribute to efficiency, but the data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not a 4K Ultra card for this title — it is a strong 1440p performer that can handle 4K only at reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 667 out of 3711 tested configurations places it in the top 18% of all combinations. This is a strong showing, though not elite. The CPU’s percentile of 93 versus all CPUs indicates that the Ultra 7 265 is a top-tier processor, while the GPU’s percentile of 83 means the RTX 4070 SUPER is slightly lower in relative standing. This divergence suggests that the combo’s rank is constrained by the GPU — a faster graphics card would likely push this combination higher in the rankings.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% lower average score) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% higher), showing that the processor is competitive with other high-end chips. The GPU’s nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is in a crowded performance band. In Hitman 2 specifically, the rank of 667 implies that many combinations with more powerful GPUs outrank this setup, but the measured FPS data shows that this combo still delivers excellent playability at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, with 4K requiring preset compromises.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows 37 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. This preset is not recommended for 4K gameplay.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings provide 95 FPS average at 2560x1440, which is well above 60 FPS. Medium offers 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Quadro M6000 24 GB has an average score 0.1% lower, the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.1% lower, and the Quadro M6000 is 0.2% lower. These are all effectively equivalent in benchmark performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 263 FPS, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. The CPU’s 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock are sufficient, and the GPU is the primary constraint even at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS in the measured data is 57 at 3840x2160 Medium settings. No min FPS data is available for other 4K presets or for 1080p/1440p High and Ultra presets.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 667 out of 3711 combos, placing it in the upper 18% of all tested systems for Hitman 2.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 263 FPS on Low, 197 FPS on Medium (with a range of 168 to 227 FPS), 149 FPS on High, and 110 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 1080p is well within the combo’s comfort zone, with even Ultra maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the FPS drops to 168 on Low, 126 on Medium (ranging from 107 to 145 FPS), 95 on High, and 70 on Ultra. The 1440p results demonstrate that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle high refresh rates at this resolution with preset tuning.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to 90 on Low, 67 on Medium (with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77), 51 on High, and 37 on Ultra. The 4K data reveals the GPU’s limits, with only Low and Medium presets achieving average FPS above 60.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 brings 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This Arrow Lake processor, built on a 3 nm TSMC process, delivers strong multi-threaded performance as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and single-core score of 5960. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data throughput for gaming workloads.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but at 1080p Low, the 263 FPS result shows the processor is not a bottleneck. The PassMark multithread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 indicate a well-rounded chip that handles both heavily threaded and latency-sensitive tasks. The CPU’s percentile of 93 places it above most processors, and its nearest rival EPYC 4464P is only 0.3% lower in average score, confirming its competitive position. The 65W TDP and active production status suggest this is a mainstream high-end part, and the benchmark data supports its capability to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER without holding it back in this title.