Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a playable Hitman 2 experience at 1080p and 1440p, but the combination struggles to maintain fluid framerates at 4K. Benchmark results indicate this system is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s substantial headroom going unused as the graphics card becomes the bottleneck. The measured frames per second show a clear pattern: this combo ranks in the 58th percentile of all tested configurations, placing it solidly in the mid-to-upper tier for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals the underlying hardware balance. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 110 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 70 FPS, and at 4K High the average falls to 38 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a dramatic scaling curve that points directly at the GPU as the limiting factor. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the system delivers 194 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but barely, and the gap between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is 58 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than the 46 FPS difference seen at High settings. This suggests that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU cannot keep pace with the pixel throughput demanded by 4K resolution.

Medium settings show a similar trend with 146 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a min FPS of 42, which indicates noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding 81 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and just 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is unplayable for smooth action, and even 1440p Ultra dips below the preferred 60 FPS target.

The scaling behavior indicates that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the constraint. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731, the CPU has ample processing power for Hitman 2’s stealth gameplay mechanics. The game’s AI and physics calculations are easily handled by this processor, which sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested. The bottleneck is unequivocally the RTX 3070, whose 61st percentile ranking among GPUs is far below the CPU’s standing.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, is the primary determinant of framerates in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes increasingly inadequate as resolution rises. The GPU’s boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units deliver solid performance at 1080p, but the architecture’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute cannot overcome the memory bandwidth limitations at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Hitman 2’s performance at 4K. The game’s detailed environments and crowd simulations require substantial texture memory, and the measured results suggest the VRAM buffer is exceeded at 4K Ultra, causing the average FPS to collapse to 28. Even at 4K High, the 38 FPS average indicates the GPU is swapping textures or running out of memory bandwidth, as the performance falls well below what the raw compute power would suggest.

Comparing the RTX 3070 to its nearest rivals contextualizes its performance. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 0.7% higher on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M are 1% and 1.1% higher respectively. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c trails by 1.5%. These narrow margins place the RTX 3070 in a tightly contested performance band, but none of these rivals would meaningfully change the 4K outcome given the similar aggregate scores.

The GPU’s 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs means most tested graphics cards are slower, yet the 4K results remain suboptimal. This is because Hitman 2’s engine scales heavily with memory bandwidth and capacity at high resolutions, and the RTX 3070’s 8 GB frame buffer is a hard limit. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is standard for the era, but the 256-bit bus width constrains total bandwidth compared to wider-memory designs.

FAQ

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 66 FPS at Low settings, but Medium drops to 50 FPS average with a 42 FPS minimum, and High falls to 38 FPS. Ultra is unplayable at 28 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, the system produces 70 FPS average, and at Medium it reaches 93 FPS with a 79 FPS minimum. This resolution keeps framerates above 60 FPS while providing better visual fidelity than 1080p.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct predecessor?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K in aggregate benchmarks, making the performance difference negligible. The 290K Plus also edges out the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 the limiting factor?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile. The massive framerate drops from 1080p to 4K, regardless of settings, confirm the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The system achieves 81 FPS average at 1080p Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. This is the only Ultra preset that remains fully playable across all resolutions tested.

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

A: It ranks 1266th out of 3001 tested combos, placing it in the 58th percentile. This means roughly 42% of tested systems perform better in Hitman 2, while 58% perform worse.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution. At 1080p, Ultra settings are viable with an 81 FPS average, but High settings at 110 FPS offer a smoother experience with negligible visual penalty. For players prioritizing maximum framerates, Low settings at 194 FPS are excessive for Hitman 2’s stealth gameplay, where 60 FPS is generally sufficient for responsive controls.

At 1440p, High settings at 70 FPS provide the best experience. This preset maintains the 60 FPS threshold while delivering better visual quality than Medium (93 FPS) or Low (124 FPS). Ultra at 52 FPS falls below the 60 FPS target, so it is not recommended for consistent performance. The Medium preset’s 79 FPS minimum is also acceptable, but High offers a better visual experience for only a 23 FPS average cost.

At 4K, no settings achieve both visual quality and smooth framerates. Low settings at 66 FPS are the only playable option, but the visual compromise is substantial. Medium at 50 FPS average with a 42 FPS minimum will cause visible stuttering during busy scenes. High at 38 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS are not recommended for active gameplay. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution to 1440p or accept Low settings at 4K.

The optimal configuration across all resolutions is 1440p High, which balances the GPU’s capabilities with the CPU’s headroom. This setting produces a 70 FPS average, ensuring smooth gameplay while utilizing the RTX 3070’s features without exceeding its memory capacity. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p High at 110 FPS is the better choice, offering double the framerate of 4K High with only a modest reduction in resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a rank of 1266 out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places the system in the 58th percentile, meaning it outperforms more than half of all tested configurations. The ranking reflects the CPU’s exceptional performance (96th percentile) combined with the GPU’s mid-range standing (61st percentile), resulting in a system that is stronger than the average but limited by its graphics card.

The rank is surprising given the CPU’s top-tier status. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores, 36 MB of L3 cache, and 5.80 GHz boost clock, is among the fastest processors available, as evidenced by its 51731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score. However, Hitman 2 is not a CPU-intensive title, and the game’s performance is dominated by GPU capabilities. Consequently, the combo’s rank is dragged down by the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM limitation at high resolutions.

Compared to the CPU’s rival systems, the ranking makes sense. The nearest CPU rivals—the Core Ultra 9 285K, EPYC 4584PX, and EPYC 9135—all have similar aggregate scores, differing by only 0.2% to 1.2%. If paired with the same RTX 3070, these CPUs would produce nearly identical Hitman 2 results. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the RX 7600 XT and GTX 690, also fall within a 1.5% performance band, so swapping the GPU for one of these would not significantly change the combo’s rank.

The 58th percentile ranking indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the RTX 3070 can fully utilize its 8 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At these resolutions, the system delivers framerates that rival higher-ranked combos, as the CPU’s headroom prevents any processor-related slowdowns. The rank is a fair assessment of the system’s overall capability in Hitman 2, accurately reflecting its mid-to-upper tier status.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest framerates across all settings. Low settings produce 194 FPS average, which is the maximum measured result for this combo. Medium settings achieve 146 FPS average with a minimum of 124 FPS and maximum of 168 FPS, showing consistent performance. High settings yield 110 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 81 FPS average. All 1080p results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most comfortable for the RTX 3070.

At 2560x1440, performance drops notably but remains playable. Low settings deliver 124 FPS average, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings achieve 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with good visual quality. High settings produce 70 FPS average, just above the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS average, dipping below the preferred threshold.

At 3840x2160, performance degrades significantly. Low settings are the only option that maintains 60 FPS, achieving 66 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS, which will cause noticeable stuttering. High settings fall to 38 FPS average, and Ultra settings plummet to 28 FPS average. None of the 4K results except Low are suitable for consistent, smooth gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces framerates by approximately 36-45%, and each increase from 1440p to 4K reduces framerates by approximately 46-54%. This compounding effect means that the RTX 3070’s performance envelope is exhausted at 4K, regardless of settings. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel throughput required, confirming the GPU as the definitive bottleneck in this configuration.