Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers playable but not exceptional performance in Hitman 2, with the data showing a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The combo ranks 1606 out of 3001 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, and the measured frame rates reveal that 1080p is the only resolution where this pairing consistently exceeds 60 FPS across most settings. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors at 4K, where even Medium settings only produce 44 FPS on average, while the high-end CPU's computational strengths are largely underutilized in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 171 at 1920x1080 to 110 at 2560x1440, then to 58 at 3840x2160 — a reduction of 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 47% from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a graphics card operating near its memory bandwidth ceiling, as the RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s bandwidth struggles to feed the increasing pixel counts.

The Medium settings row provides the most complete data set with min and max FPS values, showing the scaling trend clearly. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 129 FPS with a range of 109 to 148 FPS; at 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 82 FPS with a range of 70 to 95 FPS; at 3840x2160 Medium, the average falls to 44 FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS. The consistency of the drop — roughly 47-48 FPS between each resolution step — suggests a linear relationship between pixel count and frame time, which is typical of fill-rate-limited scenarios in a 2018 stealth title.

High settings tell a similar story: 97 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 35 FPS is proportionally larger than the 1440p to 4K drop of 29 FPS, indicating that the GPU is approaching its architectural limits as resolution increases. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 72 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and just 24 FPS at 4K — the latter being unplayable for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the limiting factor in this title. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4823 and multi-thread score of 60860 are more than sufficient for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay mechanics, which typically rely on single-core performance. The fact that FPS scales so dramatically with resolution confirms that the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are the determining factors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, demonstrates its capabilities and limitations in Hitman 2 through the measured FPS data. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the most likely constraint at 4K resolutions, where the game's texture and geometry data exceeds what this memory configuration can efficiently handle. The boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz provide adequate compute throughput, but the memory subsystem becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 780M, which is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560, which is 0.5% behind — indicating the RTX 4060 is in a tightly contested performance band. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 175 and DirectX 12 score of 76 show that the card handles both APIs, but the lower DirectX 12 score suggests diminishing returns with newer graphics APIs in this title.

At 1080p, the RTX 4060 delivers strong performance: 171 FPS on Low, 129 FPS on Medium, 97 FPS on High, and 72 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at lower resolutions, the GPU has enough headroom to handle Hitman 2's demands without hitting memory bandwidth walls. The 1440p results show a noticeable degradation, with Low dropping to 110 FPS and Ultra to 46 FPS, but the card remains competitive in the mid-range segment.

The 4K results expose the RTX 4060's limitations most clearly. Low settings produce 58 FPS, which is barely playable, while Medium drops to 44 FPS and High to 33 FPS. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 24 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for 4K texture loads in Hitman 2, forcing the card to rely on slower memory fallbacks. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are respectable for the segment, but they cannot compensate for the memory bandwidth constraint at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1606 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking is notably lower than what either component achieves individually in their respective benchmark pools — the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The discrepancy suggests that the CPU's high-end performance is wasted in this pairing for this particular game.

The CPU's nearest rivals in general benchmarks provide context for its potential: the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83807 on average, just 0.2% behind, while the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, 1.1% behind. The AMD EPYC 7F72, at 85072, is 1.3% ahead. These margins are small, indicating that the Ultra 9 290K Plus's 84003 average benchmark score is competitive but not dominant. In Hitman 2, however, the bottleneck is clearly the GPU, so the CPU's positioning among rivals has minimal impact on actual gameplay performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals in general benchmarks include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (0.5% behind). These rival GPUs would likely produce similar frame rates in Hitman 2, given the tight score margins. The combo's rank of 1606 out of 3001 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve better performance in this title, likely due to more balanced configurations where the GPU's capabilities align better with the game's demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a comprehensive view of performance across 12 distinct configurations. At 1920x1080, the results range from a maximum average of 171 FPS on Low settings to a minimum average of 72 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, shows an average of 129 FPS with a range of 109 to 148 FPS, indicating good frame pacing and consistency at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains playable across most settings. Low settings average 110 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS with a range of 70 to 95 FPS, High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. The 1440p Medium results show a wider variation between min and max FPS compared to 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is working harder and frame times are becoming less consistent as resolution increases.

The 3840x2160 results are the most demanding, with Low averaging 58 FPS, Medium averaging 44 FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS, High averaging 33 FPS, and Ultra averaging 24 FPS. The Medium settings at 4K show the largest relative variation between min and max FPS, with the min being 84% of the average, indicating occasional frame drops that could affect gameplay smoothness in a stealth title where precise timing matters.

Across all resolutions, the jump from Low to Medium settings costs approximately 25-30% of the average FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 25-35%, and the jump from High to Ultra costs 25-35% more. This consistent scaling suggests that the game's settings are well-calibrated, with each preset level adding a similar computational load.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of running Hitman 2 at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, only Low settings achieve a playable average of 58 FPS. Medium averages 44 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS, making 4K gameplay challenging except at the lowest settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain above 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 171, Medium at 129, and High at 97. At 2560x1440, Low at 110 and Medium at 82 exceed 60 FPS, but High at 62 barely does and Ultra at 46 does not.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84003 on average, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135. The AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% ahead.

Q: What are the GPU's closest competitors in the benchmark database?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7790 is 0.2% ahead, the AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% behind the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 1606 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the lower-middle tier and indicating that many other configurations deliver better performance in this specific game.

Q: What is the most consistent frame rate configuration based on min and max FPS data?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 129 FPS with min 109 and max 148, giving a spread of 39 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 82 FPS with min 70 and max 95, a spread of 25 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 44 FPS with min 37 and max 50, a spread of 13 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing smooth gameplay, the 1920x1080 High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 97 FPS that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold with comfortable headroom. The Medium preset at 1080p, averaging 129 FPS, is the optimal choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, as the 109 to 148 FPS range indicates consistent frame delivery suitable for 144Hz monitors. Ultra at 1080p, at 72 FPS average, is viable but provides diminishing returns over High given the 25 FPS penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 82 FPS on average, which is the sweet spot for this resolution — it maintains playability while offering a reasonable visual upgrade over Low's 110 FPS. High at 1440p drops to 62 FPS, which is borderline for 60 FPS displays but acceptable for those who prioritize visual fidelity. Ultra at 1440p, at 46 FPS, is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the min FPS data from the Medium preset shows frame drops can occur under load.

For 4K, the data strongly suggests avoiding this resolution with this combo unless the player is willing to accept Low settings, which average 58 FPS. Medium at 4K, at 44 FPS average with a minimum of 37 FPS, will exhibit noticeable stutter in a stealth game where precise camera movements are important. The 24 FPS average on Ultra at 4K is unplayable by any standard.

The overall recommendation is to use 1080p High or Medium for the best experience, or 1440p Medium if a higher resolution is preferred. The CPU's capabilities are not the constraint in this title, so players should focus their settings adjustments on the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput limitations, which the measured data clearly identifies as the bottleneck.