Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination in Hitman 2 delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU becomes the decisive bottleneck at 4K, where even Low settings only reach 45 FPS. This pairing ranks 2360th out of 3001 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower third of the database. The data shows a clear pattern: the CPU has ample headroom while the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and Turing architecture limit performance as resolution and settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 75 FPS, while the same settings at 1440p yield 48 FPS, and at 4K the average falls to 25 FPS. This represents a 67% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p (48 FPS) to 4K (25 FPS) is a 48% drop, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%. This accelerating decline indicates that the GPU is running out of resources as pixel count increases.

Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 132 FPS, which drops to 84 FPS at 1440p and 45 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still above the 30 FPS threshold for basic playability, but the 1080p Low to 4K Low change is a 66% reduction. Medium settings show 99 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a measured minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 39 FPS, showing that frame times are inconsistent at this resolution.

Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 55 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 35 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 19 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is a 65% reduction, almost identical to the Low and High settings reductions. This consistency across all settings suggests that the limiting factor is resolution-dependent pixel throughput rather than a specific setting’s complexity.

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p. The CPU’s benchmark scores—such as 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core—are far higher than what Hitman 2 requires, given that even at 1080p Low the combo achieves 132 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain flat across resolutions at a given setting. Instead, FPS declines consistently with each resolution step, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the GPU still manages 75 FPS on High, but the rapid falloff at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for 4K rendering in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the GPU at the 58th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 15,290.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with an average score of 15,283 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15,270 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15,199 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15,171 (0.8% delta). These deltas are all under 1%, meaning the RTX 2060 sits in a very tight performance cluster. The GTX 580 is a much older card, so the 0% delta is surprising but reflects that the RTX 2060’s absolute compute throughput is not drastically different from that legacy part in aggregate benchmarks.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is decisive. At 1080p, the combo achieves 132 FPS on Low, 99 FPS on Medium, 75 FPS on High, and 55 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 77 FPS, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to respond to settings changes. At 1440p, the spread narrows: 84 FPS on Low, 63 FPS on Medium, 48 FPS on High, and 35 FPS on Ultra. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 49 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming more constrained.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. The Low setting yields 45 FPS, Medium drops to 34 FPS, High falls to 25 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 26 FPS, meaning that even the lowest settings cannot compensate for the pixel count. The 6 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor; Hitman 2 at 4K with Ultra textures would exceed this capacity, forcing the driver to manage memory more aggressively, which explains the sub-20 FPS result.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1680 MHz is modest by modern standards, but the data shows that the architecture’s FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS is the real limiter. The RTX 2060’s nearest rival, the RX 7600, is only 0.8% behind in average benchmark score, yet in this game the RTX 2060 still manages 75 FPS at 1080p High. The measured FPS data is specific to this combo, so the GPU’s performance in Hitman 2 is what it is, regardless of how other cards might compare in other workloads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, codenamed Arrow Lake Refresh. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. This CPU sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 84,003.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average score of 83,807 (0.2% delta), the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83,090 (1.1% delta), the AMD EPYC 9135 at 82,980 (1.2% delta), and the AMD EPYC 7F72 at 85,072 (-1.3% delta). The 290K Plus is effectively tied with the 285K, which is expected given they share the same architecture family. The EPYC rivals are server parts, so the 1% or so deltas are negligible in gaming contexts.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is secondary. The game is not heavily threaded, so the 24 cores are not fully utilized. The single-core performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 single-core at 7,303 points, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at any resolution. The evidence is in the FPS scaling: if the CPU were limiting, we would see similar FPS at 1080p and 1440p because the same number of game logic frames would be produced. Instead, FPS drops by 36% from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, which is a GPU-driven change.

The CPU’s multi-core scores—such as 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 60,860 in Passmark multithread—are far above what Hitman 2 needs. The game’s stealth genre typically relies on AI and scripting, but the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 132 FPS, which is likely near the game’s engine limit rather than a CPU ceiling. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.80 GHz provides high single-thread throughput, which is more relevant for Hitman 2 than the core count.

The 290K Plus’s memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 is ample for this game. The GPU’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than triple the CPU’s, but that is expected since the GPU handles much more data per frame. The CPU’s L3 cache of 36 MB is shared across all cores, which helps with game assets that are reused across frames. However, the measured FPS data does not show any CPU-specific anomalies, such as frame drops that correlate with complex scenes. The minimum FPS values are only available for Medium settings: 84 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. These minimums are not drastically lower than the averages, suggesting that the CPU maintains consistent frame pacing.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where all settings remain playable. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 55 FPS, while 1440p Ultra drops to 35 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 19 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1080p Medium (99 FPS) or 1080p High (75 FPS) are the safest choices.

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

A: Only at Low settings, where the average is 45 FPS. Medium settings at 4K average 34 FPS with a measured minimum of 29 FPS, which is borderline. High settings average 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS, both below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 15,290. Its nearest rival, the GTX 580, scores 15,283 (0% delta), while the Radeon 680M scores 15,270 (0.1% delta), the RTX 3050 OEM scores 15,199 (0.6% delta), and the RX 7600 scores 15,171 (0.8% delta). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark scores, including a 96th percentile ranking, are far above what Hitman 2 requires. The FPS drops consistently from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 132 FPS, while Ultra averages 55 FPS. That is a difference of 77 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution to handle increased graphical fidelity.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos for Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 2360th out of 3001 tested combinations. This places it in the lower third of the database, which is consistent with the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combo ranks 2360th out of 3001 tested combinations for Hitman 2. This places it in the 21st percentile of combos, meaning roughly 79% of tested combinations perform better in this specific game. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU, since the CPU is in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a lopsided system where the GPU is the clear performance ceiling.

The rank of 2360 is notable because the CPU alone would suggest a much higher position. The 290K Plus’s average benchmark score of 84,003 puts it in the top 4% of CPUs, but the RTX 2060’s average score of 15,290 puts it in the 58th percentile of GPUs. In a GPU-bound game like Hitman 2, the combo’s rank reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s capabilities. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the 285K with a 0.2% delta, would perform nearly identically in this game when paired with the same GPU.

The rank also means that many combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would outperform this pairing in Hitman 2. The game’s resolution scaling data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, so any combo with a faster GPU would see higher FPS regardless of CPU. The 2360th rank is not a judgment on the CPU, which is excellent, but rather a reflection that the RTX 2060 is an older, end-of-life GPU that cannot push high frame rates at higher resolutions in this game.

For context, the combo’s rank of 2360 out of 3001 means it beats about 641 other combos. Those combos would likely have slower CPUs and/or slower GPUs. The data shows that the RTX 2060’s nearest GPU rivals are all within 1% in average benchmark score, so the GPU is not uniquely weak; it is simply a mid-tier part from 2019 that has been surpassed by newer generations. The CPU’s 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock do not translate to higher FPS in this game because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to use the CPU’s headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Hitman 2 covers three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), with 12 total data points. Minimum and maximum FPS are only provided for Medium settings at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings average 132 FPS. Medium settings average 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. High settings average 75 FPS. Ultra settings average 55 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy: each step from Low to Ultra reduces the average by roughly 20-30 FPS, and even Ultra remains above 50 FPS, which is playable for most users.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low settings average 84 FPS. Medium settings average 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. High settings average 48 FPS. Ultra settings average 35 FPS. The 1440p results show that High settings dip below 50 FPS, and Ultra is at 35 FPS, which is on the edge of smoothness. The Medium setting’s minimum of 54 FPS suggests that even at this mid-level setting, there are frame dips that could be noticeable.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 45 FPS. Medium settings average 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 39 FPS. High settings average 25 FPS. Ultra settings average 19 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low settings approach 45 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings have a minimum below 30 FPS, and High and Ultra are simply not playable for a smooth experience.

The data reveals that the Medium settings are the only ones with full min/max information. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 84 FPS is 15% below the average of 99 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 54 FPS is 14% below the average of 63 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 29 FPS is 15% below the average of 34 FPS. This consistent pattern suggests that the game’s frame pacing is stable across resolutions, with dips occurring in the same proportion, but the absolute values at 4K are too low for comfort.

The overall takeaway from the measured FPS is that this combo is best used at 1080p, where it can handle High settings at 75 FPS. At 1440p, users should stick to Medium or Low settings to stay above 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings are viable, and even then the average of 45 FPS is not ideal for fast-paced gameplay. The GPU’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the likely culprits for the 4K performance, as the game’s high-resolution textures and effects require more memory and bandwidth than this card can provide.