Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, shows remarkable scalability on this modern hardware pairing. The measured data reveals a configuration—the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D—that delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, with performance characteristics that shift dramatically based on resolution and quality preset.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is the clearest indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 207 at 1920x1080 to 132 at 2560x1440, then further to 71 at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, suggesting the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

The Low preset tells a similar story with even higher absolute numbers. The average frame rate drops from 365 FPS at 1080p to 234 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 124 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% and 47% respectively, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling pattern. This consistency across presets indicates that resolution scaling behavior is stable regardless of the graphical load.

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different magnitudes. Starting at 274 FPS in 1080p, the average falls to 175 FPS in 1440p (a 36% drop), then to 93 FPS in 4K (a 47% drop). The Ultra preset follows suit, with 153 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p (36% lower), and 52 FPS at 4K (47% lower).

The uniformity of these percentage drops—roughly 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K across all four presets—points to a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU has sufficient headroom at 1080p, as evidenced by the very high frame rates, but the RTX 5090 D's workload scales predictably with pixel count. At 4K, even the Low preset's 124 FPS average indicates the GPU is still managing the load efficiently, though the jump to Ultra (52 FPS) shows the cost of maximum quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is clearly the primary driver of performance in this game, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Hitman 2's assets at any tested resolution. The data shows no evidence of memory capacity being a limiting factor, as even the 4K Ultra setting maintains a consistent 52 FPS average without reported minimum frame rate drops.

The GPU's clock behavior, with a base of 2017 MHz and boost up to 2407 MHz, contributes to its strong showing. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (365 average) approaches the refresh rate limits of most displays, suggesting the GPU is operating near its full potential at lower resolutions. The Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 92,200 million transistors, delivers 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which directly translates to the high frame counts observed.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its in-game performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326 and Passmark G3D score of 44065 indicate strong synthetic performance, though the Passmark DirectX 12 score of 219 is notably lower. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end positioning, even if its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with a 1.1% deltaPct—do not directly represent its gaming peers.

At 4K Ultra, the 52 FPS average shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample compute headroom. The fact that 4K Low produces 124 FPS while 4K Ultra produces 52 FPS—a 58% reduction—demonstrates how much of the GPU's resources are consumed by the Ultra preset's additional effects and draw distance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience at each resolution, balancing frame rate against visual quality. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 150 FPS on average, making the choice purely about visual preference. The High preset's 207 FPS average is more than adequate for competitive play, while Ultra's 153 FPS still provides smooth motion. The Medium preset's 274 FPS average with a 233 FPS minimum offers the highest consistent frame rate for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the High preset stands out as the optimal balance. Its 132 FPS average comfortably exceeds the 100 FPS threshold commonly associated with smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset's 98 FPS average is slightly below that mark. The Medium preset's 175 FPS average is tempting for those prioritizing frame rate, but the visual upgrade from Medium to High is generally more impactful than the frame rate difference at these levels.

For 3840x2160, the High preset's 71 FPS average is the sweet spot for quality-focused play, though the Medium preset's 93 FPS average provides additional headroom. The Ultra preset's 52 FPS average is borderline for a stealth game where consistent frame pacing matters more than peak output. The Low preset's 124 FPS average at 4K demonstrates that even maximum resolution can produce high frame rates when visual effects are minimized, but the reduced detail level may compromise the game's atmospheric stealth elements.

The Medium preset at 4K offers the most interesting data point: a 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum and 107 FPS maximum. This narrow band (28 FPS spread) indicates stable performance, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays that support variable refresh rates.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with High settings provides the best combination of frame rate (132 FPS average) and visual quality. The 3840x2160 High preset is also viable at 71 FPS average, but the 1440p result offers a more comfortable margin above typical 60 FPS targets.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces a 52 FPS average, which is 27% lower than the High preset's 71 FPS average. This significant drop suggests that Ultra's additional effects are disproportionately expensive at 4K resolution.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced. The Low preset's 365 FPS average, which is 76% higher than the High preset's 207 FPS, indicates that both components have headroom, but the GPU still processes the graphical load. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample compute for the game's AI and simulation at these frame rates.

Q: What minimum FPS can be expected at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows a 149 FPS minimum for the 2560x1440 Medium preset, with a 175 FPS average and 201 FPS maximum. This tight range (52 FPS spread) suggests consistent performance without significant frame time spikes.

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM provide any advantage in this game?

A: In Hitman 2, the 32 GB GDDR7 memory is not a limiting factor at any tested setting. Even the 4K Ultra preset, which typically uses the most video memory, maintains stable performance without reported minimum FPS drops, indicating the game does not exceed the available VRAM capacity.

Q: How does the combo rank among other tested configurations?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks first out of 3,001 tested combos for Hitman 2. This top ranking is consistent with the high frame rates observed across all resolution and settings combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves the top rank in Hitman 2, placing first out of 3,001 tested combos. This is a definitive result, showing that this pairing delivers the highest measured performance among all configurations in the database.

The CPU's individual standing supports this ranking. With a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 93,785, the Ultra 7 270K Plus sits just behind the AMD EPYC 4564P (95,183, deltaPct -1.5%), AMD EPYC 9175F (95,615, deltaPct -1.9%), and AMD EPYC 4565P (95,764, deltaPct -2.1%). The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, scores 93,786 with a 0% deltaPct, meaning the Ultra 7 270K Plus performs essentially identically to that server chip in synthetic benchmarks.

The GPU's ranking is more nuanced. The RTX 5090 D sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, deltaPct 1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, deltaPct -1.6%), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, deltaPct -2.1%), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, deltaPct -2.4%). These deltaPct values indicate that the RTX 5090 D is within a narrow performance band in synthetic tests, though the in-game results clearly favor this consumer GPU.

The combination's first-place ranking in Hitman 2, despite the GPU's 92nd percentile and the CPU's 96th percentile, suggests that this pairing is particularly well-optimized for this specific game. The high frame rates across all settings, from 365 FPS at 1080p Low to 52 FPS at 4K Ultra, confirm that neither component is a significant bottleneck in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides the computational foundation for these results, though its role varies by resolution. With 24 cores and 24 threads, the CPU is well-equipped to handle Hitman 2's simulation and AI workloads, which are typically not the primary bottleneck in a stealth game.

The CPU's clock behavior—a 3.70 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost clock—enables strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,439 and Passmark single-thread score of 5,068. These results are crucial for a game like Hitman 2, where frame pacing often depends on the main game thread. The multi-core performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 and Passmark multithread score of 68,574.

At 1080p, the CPU's influence is most apparent. The difference between Low (365 FPS average) and Ultra (153 FPS average) suggests that while the GPU handles the graphical load, the CPU maintains the game logic at high frame rates. The 24 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's background processes, and the 36 MB of shared L3 cache reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 is sufficient for this game's demands. At 4K, where frame rates drop to 52-124 FPS depending on settings, the CPU has significant headroom, as indicated by the consistent performance drops that track GPU load rather than CPU limitations.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and 3 nm process from TSMC allow it to sustain high boost clocks without throttling, which is essential for maintaining the frame rates observed in the measured data. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is irrelevant for this gaming scenario, as the discrete RTX 5090 D handles all rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data set provides a comprehensive view of performance across all tested configurations:

At 1920x1080, the results are uniformly high. The Low preset averages 365 FPS, Medium averages 274 FPS with a 233 FPS minimum and 315 FPS maximum, High averages 207 FPS, and Ultra averages 153 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum-to-maximum range of 82 FPS (233 to 315) indicates stable frame delivery under this configuration.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. Low averages 234 FPS, Medium averages 175 FPS with a 149 FPS minimum and 201 FPS maximum, High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. The Medium preset's range here is 52 FPS (149 to 201), a tighter band than at 1080p, suggesting improved frame consistency at the higher resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop to more moderate levels. Low averages 124 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a 79 FPS minimum and 107 FPS maximum, High averages 71 FPS, and Ultra averages 52 FPS. The Medium preset's range is 28 FPS (79 to 107), the narrowest of any resolution, indicating that 4K Medium provides the most consistent frame delivery of all configurations.

Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra follows a consistent pattern: Ultra produces roughly 42-44% of the Low preset's frame rate at each resolution. Specifically, at 1080p, 153/365 = 42%; at 1440p, 98/234 = 42%; at 4K, 52/124 = 42%. This proportional scaling suggests that the game's settings affect GPU load uniformly regardless of resolution.