Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a highly playable experience in Hitman 2, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases, while the powerful 24-core processor ensures headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 87 FPS at 1080p to 55 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The transition from 1080p to 4K at High settings yields a total performance loss of 65%, indicating that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface are heavily taxed at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 153 FPS, which drops to 98 FPS at 1440p and 52 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p reduction of 36% is nearly identical to the High preset scaling, suggesting the CPU is keeping up with the GPU’s output at lower settings. However, the 1440p to 4K drop of 47% at Low settings is steeper than the High preset’s 45% drop, indicating the GPU is struggling more relative to the CPU as pixel count grows.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The 64 FPS average at 1080p falls to 41 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 22 FPS at 4K, a further 46% reduction. The total loss from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 66%, the largest percentage drop across all presets. This pattern suggests that at Ultra settings, the combination of higher geometric complexity and texture detail overwhelms the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capacity, making the RTX 4060 the definitive limiting component at 4K.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data set, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the average is 115 FPS with a range of 97 to 132 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 73 FPS with a range of 62 to 84 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 45 FPS. The frametime consistency, as measured by the spread between minimum and maximum, remains relatively stable across resolutions, with roughly a 30% variance at each setting.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are complemented by 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs. The 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance is substantial for a mobile-oriented chip, but the memory subsystem is the clear bottleneck in Hitman 2 at higher resolutions.

The importance of memory bandwidth becomes evident when examining the 4K results. At 4K Low, the system averages 52 FPS, which is 73% higher than the 30 FPS at 4K High. This difference cannot be attributed solely to shading workload; the lower texture quality at Low settings reduces memory pressure, allowing the GPU to operate more efficiently. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS, which is 27% lower than High settings, further confirms that memory capacity and bandwidth are critical at this resolution.

The RTX 4060’s 8 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU averages 64-153 FPS depending on settings. However, at 4K, the frame buffer becomes a limiting factor. The GPU’s pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p, but the 4K resolution demands more fill rate than the chip can consistently deliver, especially at higher presets.

The GPU’s 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 0.2% higher on average, while the AMD Radeon 780M scores 0.3% lower. This tight clustering indicates that the RTX 4060 performs as expected for its class, with no significant outliers in either direction. The GPU’s launch MSRP of 299 USD positions it as a mainstream option, but the performance data suggests it is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming than for 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS provides a smooth experience that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, while the 84 FPS maximum shows headroom for occasional demanding scenes. The 1080p Medium setting is also excellent, with a 115 FPS average and a minimum of 97 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option, delivering 52 FPS average. While this is below the 60 FPS target, it is playable for a stealth game where precision timing matters more than fast action. The 4K Medium preset at 39 FPS is marginal, and the 4K High and Ultra presets at 30 and 22 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 1080p, the High preset at 87 FPS is a strong choice for gamers who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is also acceptable, though the 23 FPS difference between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns. The 1440p High preset at 55 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth than the Medium preset, making Medium the more consistent choice at this resolution.

The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is best utilized at 1080p with High or Ultra settings, or at 1440p with Medium settings. Pushing to 4K requires the Low preset, which sacrifices significant visual quality to maintain acceptable performance. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset provides the best experience, balancing the 73 FPS average with the 62 FPS minimum ensuring minimal stutter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset achieves 153 FPS average, followed by Medium at 115 FPS, High at 87 FPS, and Ultra at 64 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS, demonstrating consistent frame pacing. The difference between Low and Medium is 38 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 28 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 23 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains playable. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 73 FPS with a range of 62 to 84 FPS, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 36% reduction at Low, 37% at Medium, 37% at High, and 36% at Ultra, indicating consistent scaling behavior across presets.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, Medium averages 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 45 FPS, High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 47% reduction at Low, 47% at Medium, 45% at High, and 46% at Ultra. The 4K Medium preset’s minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 45 FPS shows a 27% variance, which is slightly higher than the 1440p Medium variance of 30%.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 4K smoothly?*

A: The data shows 4K performance is limited. At Low settings, the average FPS is 52, which is playable but not smooth by 60 FPS standards. Medium settings drop to 39 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 30 and 22 FPS respectively, making 4K gaming challenging.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combination?

A: The 1440p Medium preset offers the best balance with a 73 FPS average and a 62 FPS minimum. The 1080p High preset at 87 FPS is also excellent, but 1440p provides a higher pixel density for a minimal performance cost.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17639 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790’s 17666, 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M’s 17588, and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560’s 17551.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 9 275HX sufficient for this game?

A: The CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provide ample processing power. The 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the 35589 Cinebench R23 multicore score indicate the processor is not a bottleneck in Hitman 2, as shown by the consistent scaling across resolutions.

Q: How does the 4K Medium preset compare to the 1080p Ultra preset?

A: The 4K Medium preset averages 39 FPS, while 1080p Ultra averages 64 FPS. The difference is 25 FPS, representing a 39% performance advantage for the 1080p Ultra setting, which also offers higher visual quality at the same preset level.

*Q: What is the maximum FPS this system can achieve in Hitman 2?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 153 at 1080p Low settings. The maximum FPS measured in any scenario is 132 FPS at 1080p Medium, indicating that the system can exceed 130 FPS in less demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 2.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz, combined with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, provide substantial compute headroom for Hitman 2. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 supports the GPU’s data demands without creating a bottleneck.

The processor’s benchmark results are impressive. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35589 and single-core score of 2204 demonstrate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multicore score of 20795 and single-core score of 2458 further confirm the CPU’s capabilities. The PassMark multithread score of 55759 and single-thread score of 4713 indicate that the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is evident from the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 153 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is consistent with GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints, as the same percentage drop appears at High settings where the GPU is more heavily loaded.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show similar performance levels. The Intel Xeon w5-3525 scores 0.3% higher on average, while the AMD EPYC 4484PX scores 0.5% higher, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX scores 0.6% higher. The Intel Xeon 6515P scores 0.7% lower. This clustering around the 67469 average benchmark score indicates the Core Ultra 9 275HX performs exactly as expected for its class.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1817th out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the 39th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 61% of combinations perform better in this specific game. The rank reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and mid-range GPU, where the processor’s strength cannot fully compensate for the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s 61st percentile standing among all GPUs. While the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile, the GPU’s more modest position drags the overall combo down. This disparity is evident in the performance data: at 1080p, the combo performs well, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, preventing the system from reaching higher frame rates that the CPU could support.

The combo’s rank of 1817 out of 3001 suggests that for Hitman 2, users would benefit more from a stronger GPU than a stronger CPU. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the game’s demanding 4K presets expose the GPU’s weaknesses. The system is best suited for gamers who prioritize CPU-heavy workloads or who game at 1080p or 1440p, where the combo’s performance is more competitive relative to other tested configurations.