Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

Hitman 2, the stealth classic from late 2018, still presents a demanding workload for modern hardware at higher resolutions. The data for this combo—an Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070—reveals a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but begins to strain at 4K, particularly when settings are pushed to Ultra. The measured FPS across twelve configurations shows a clear narrative: this is a GPU-limited pairing at high resolution, while the CPU's massive 24-core, 24-thread configuration keeps frame rates fluid at lower resolutions where the graphics card is less burdened.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the measured data is how average FPS collapses as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the system delivers 134 FPS at 1080p, but that drops to 86 FPS at 1440p—a 35.8% reduction—and further to 46 FPS at 4K, which is 65.7% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline is a textbook indicator of GPU-bound performance: the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the pixel-pushing demands of 4K, while the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the scaling pattern becomes even more dramatic. The 1080p Ultra result of 99 FPS drops to 63 FPS at 1440p (a 36.4% decrease) and then to just 34 FPS at 4K—a 65.7% drop from 1080p, mirroring the High preset's relative decline. This consistency across presets suggests the limiting component is the GPU's raw rendering throughput, not memory bandwidth or CPU overhead. The RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance is simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, whereas the CPU's 51,731 Cinebench R23 multi-core score indicates it is not the bottleneck in these scenarios.

Low settings tell a different story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 236 FPS, and at 1440p Low it still manages 151 FPS—a 36.0% drop that aligns with the resolution scaling seen at other presets. However, at 4K Low, the average FPS is 81, which is 46.3% lower than the 1440p result. This larger relative drop at 4K Low compared to the 1080p-to-1440p transition hints that the GPU is approaching its limits even with reduced visual fidelity, though the 81 FPS figure remains playable. The data implies that for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p or 1440p Low is the sweet spot, while 4K requires accepting sub-60 FPS at all settings except Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's overall ranking in Hitman 2 places it at position 916 out of 3,711 tested combinations, putting it in the top 24.7% of all configs. This percentile ranking is respectable but not elite, reflecting the RTX 4070's mid-to-high tier status rather than the CPU's flagship positioning. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs in general benchmarks, with an average score of 84,003, which is only 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX. Yet the GPU's 81st percentile standing among all graphics cards, with an average score of 37,648, drags the combined system down relative to top-tier pairings.

The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where the 86 FPS High result and 113 FPS Medium result are strong showings. The ranking of 916 out of 3,711 combos indicates that many higher-end GPU pairings outperform it at 4K, where the 46 FPS High result is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider essential for smooth gameplay. Interestingly, the CPU's nearest rivals—all EPYC server processors or the 285K—have negligible performance deltas (ranging from -1.3% to +1.2%), meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this pairing. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, and the ranking reflects that.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, provides 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz are modest by flagship standards, but the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In Hitman 2, this configuration yields the measured FPS patterns described earlier, with the GPU's pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s being the likely determinants of 4K performance.

At 4K Ultra, the 34 FPS average suggests the GPU is heavily strained, likely due to the combination of high pixel count and demanding shader work. The 4K Medium result of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS shows some headroom, but the tight range indicates consistent GPU utilization rather than occasional spikes. In contrast, at 1080p Medium, the 177 FPS average with a minimum of 151 FPS and maximum of 204 FPS demonstrates that the GPU has significant spare capacity at lower resolutions. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,854 and Passmark G3D score of 26,927 place this GPU in the 81st percentile, which aligns with its mid-range market positioning.

The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is not thermally constrained in most scenarios, and the 16-pin power connector indicates modern power delivery. However, the fact that Hitman 2's 4K High result (46 FPS) is just barely above the 4K Medium result (60 FPS) in terms of playability, while 4K Ultra (34 FPS) falls well below, implies that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factors at this resolution. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Hitman 2's textures, but the 192-bit bus width appears to be a constraint at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 134 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, but the Medium preset at 177 FPS offers a better experience for high-refresh monitors (144 Hz or above). The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is still playable but represents a 26.1% reduction from High, suggesting diminishing returns for visual fidelity. For competitive play at 1080p, the Low preset at 236 FPS is the clear choice, though it sacrifices visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset's 86 FPS is the most balanced option, offering good visual quality while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 113 FPS provides a smoother experience for 144 Hz monitors, but the Low preset at 151 FPS is the only option that fully utilizes high-refresh displays. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is borderline, with its minimum FPS likely dipping below 60 in intense scenes, making it a risky choice for consistent performance. For 4K gaming, the data clearly indicates that Low settings at 81 FPS are the only playable option, as Medium at 60 FPS is marginal and High at 46 FPS or Ultra at 34 FPS will result in noticeable stuttering.

The Medium preset stands out as the most versatile choice across resolutions. At 1080p it delivers 177 FPS, at 1440p it achieves 113 FPS, and at 4K it maintains 60 FPS—the only preset to hit the 60 FPS mark at 4K. The minimum FPS values for Medium (151 at 1080p, 96 at 1440p, 51 at 4K) also show less variance than other presets, indicating more consistent frame pacing. For users with adaptive sync displays, the Medium preset at 1440p appears to be the sweet spot for this combo, balancing visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Only at Low settings, which achieves 81 FPS on average. At Medium settings, the average is exactly 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, so dips below 60 FPS are possible. High and Ultra settings fall short at 46 FPS and 34 FPS, respectively.

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal resolution. At High settings it delivers 86 FPS, and at Medium it reaches 113 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS. 1080p offers higher frame rates (up to 236 FPS at Low) but does not utilize the CPU's full potential.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135. It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These deltas are minimal, indicating the CPU is not a performance differentiator.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2?

A: The measured data does not indicate VRAM limitations. The 12 GB capacity of GDDR6X memory is not mentioned as a constraint in any resolution or settings combination. The bottleneck appears to be compute throughput rather than memory capacity.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 4K Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 60, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. This 18 FPS spread suggests moderate frame time variance, which could be noticeable on a fixed 60 Hz display.

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

A: It ranks 916th out of 3,711 combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 24.7% of tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-high tier performance rather than the CPU's top-tier positioning.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz are complemented by 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is largely supportive, as the game's stealth mechanics and AI systems are not heavily multi-threaded. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system achieves 236 FPS—suggesting the CPU can feed frames well above typical display refresh rates.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and single-core score of 7,303 indicate strong overall performance, but Hitman 2's engine appears to be primarily GPU-bound. At 4K Ultra, the 34 FPS result is almost certainly due to GPU limitations, as the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 threads provide more than enough processing power for the game's simulation. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,823 and multi-thread score of 60,860 further confirm that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing.

The 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for gaming workloads. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003, places it just ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% delta) and AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% delta). These negligible differences mean that swapping to a rival CPU would not meaningfully change Hitman 2 performance, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values, organized by resolution and settings, is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system delivers 46 FPS on High, 81 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69), and 34 FPS on Ultra. These results show that 4K gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings, with High and Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 86 on High, 151 on Low, 113 on Medium (with a minimum of 96 and maximum of 130), and 63 on Ultra. This resolution provides the best balance, with all presets except Ultra maintaining at least 86 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system reaches 134 FPS on High, 236 FPS on Low, 177 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 151 and maximum of 204), and 99 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p results show the combo's full potential, with even Ultra settings remaining above 60 FPS.

Comparing the settings across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently offers the highest frame rates, with a 41.5% improvement over High at 1080p (236 vs 134 FPS), 43.2% at 1440p (151 vs 86 FPS), and 43.2% at 4K (81 vs 46 FPS). The Medium preset provides a middle ground, with improvements over High of 24.3% at 1080p, 23.9% at 1440p, and 23.3% at 4K. Ultra settings exact a significant toll, reducing FPS by 26.1% compared to High at 1080p (99 vs 134), 26.7% at 1440p (63 vs 86), and 26.1% at 4K (34 vs 46).

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows that frame pacing is tighter at lower resolutions: the 1080p minimum of 151 FPS is 14.7% below the average, the 1440p minimum of 96 FPS is 15.0% below, and the 4K minimum of 51 FPS is 15.0% below. This consistent variance suggests that Hitman 2's frame time distribution is stable across resolutions, with the GPU's workload scaling proportionally with pixel count.