Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination delivers a playable but constrained experience in Hitman 2, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and preset. The benchmark data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the 6-core, 12-thread processor provides a stable foundation at lower settings. The measured frame rates reveal a wide gulf between the playable 1080p experience and the slideshow-like performance at 4K, making the choice of settings the single most important factor for this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a classic GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 75.4 at 1920x1080 to 50.7 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 24.7 FPS, and then plummets to 25.4 at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, a trend that strongly indicates the RX 580's rendering pipeline is being overwhelmed by the pixel count.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the High preset. The system manages 46.5 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 26.3 FPS at 1440p and a nearly unplayable 16.1 FPS at 4K. The consistent halving of performance with each resolution step-up points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units as the limiting factors. The RX 580's 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

Interestingly, the scaling is not perfectly linear. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Low settings sees a 50% drop (50.7 to 25.4), while the 1080p to 1440p transition sees a 33% drop (75.4 to 50.7). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is not just pixel-bound but also hitting memory bandwidth limits, causing a steeper falloff. The data implies that the RX 580 is operating well outside its comfort zone at 4K, regardless of the graphical preset chosen.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 2600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to be a capable partner for this game, though its influence wanes as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 75.4 FPS average suggests the CPU is feeding the GPU adequately, but the processor's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1579, likely prevents higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz are modest by modern standards, which explains why the system does not push beyond the 75 FPS mark even at the lowest settings.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186, are less relevant in Hitman 2's typical gameplay, which rarely scales perfectly across 12 threads. The data suggests the processor is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is far too steep to be caused by the CPU. Instead, the Ryzen 5 2600 provides a stable baseline, with its 16 MB of shared L3 cache helping to maintain consistent frame pacing.

When compared to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 2600 sits within a narrow performance band. It trails the Intel Core i5-11600KF by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-1345U by 0.4%, while leading the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-10700F by 0.7%. These minuscule deltas (all under 1%) indicate that the CPU's performance is well-matched with its peers, meaning the differences in Hitman 2 frame rates are almost entirely attributable to the GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 2304 shading units, the GPU is a solid 1080p performer but struggles under the load of higher resolutions. The clock speeds of 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost are modest, and the 185 W TDP suggests the card is running near its thermal limits during intensive gaming sessions. The 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 1440p or 4K in Hitman 2.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is adequate for this game, as even at 4K Ultra the issue is not memory capacity but rather memory bandwidth. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is the same figure as the GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which shows a 0% delta in average benchmark score. This parity in memory throughput explains why the RX 580 cannot overcome the resolution scaling penalties observed in the measured FPS data.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 53 indicates it sits just above the median for all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in synthetic tests — the GTX 570 and GTX 950 — are all older or lower-tier cards. The RX 580's performance in Hitman 2 reflects this mid-range positioning: it delivers playable frame rates at 1080p with settings tuned down, but the Ultra preset at 4K yields a dismal 9.4 FPS, which is a 75% drop from the already low 16.1 FPS at High 4K. This shows the GPU's computational limits are reached very quickly when pixel count and graphical fidelity are both maximized.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing ranks 1671 out of 1795 combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 7% of all tested systems, a sobering statistic that underscores the age of both components. The rank is not surprising given the GPU's 53rd percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU's 77th percentile among all CPUs; the combination of two mid-range parts from 2017-2018 results in a system that struggles with modern game demands.

The ranking suggests that while the CPU is relatively stronger (77th percentile), the GPU drags the overall performance down. This is consistent with the resolution scaling data, which shows the GPU becoming the bottleneck at 1440p and above. The 1795 total combos tested likely include many modern systems with significantly more powerful GPUs, which is why this pairing finds itself near the bottom. The data implies that for Hitman 2 specifically, the RX 580 is the primary reason for the low rank, as a more capable GPU paired with the same CPU would likely score much higher.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets achieve playable frame rates, with Low hitting 75.4 FPS and High reaching 46.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (50.7 FPS) is playable, while 3840x2160 is not viable at any setting.

Q: How does the RX 580's performance compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559, which is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564), showing a 0% delta. It also edges out the GTX 950 (13549) by only 0.1%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 75.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit given its single-thread score of 1579 in Cinebench R23. However, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops are far too steep to be CPU-related.

Q: What is the most demanding preset for this system?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 9.4 FPS, which is the lowest measured score. This is a 71.7% drop from the High preset at the same resolution (16.1 FPS).

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

A: This combination ranks 1671 out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 7% of all systems benchmarked.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading help in this game?

A: The CPU has 12 threads and a multi-core score of 11186 in Cinebench R23, but given the GPU's dominance as the bottleneck, the extra threads do not translate into higher frame rates beyond what the GPU can render.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1920x1080 with the High preset as the optimal balance for this system. This configuration yields 46.5 FPS, which is smooth enough for a stealth game like Hitman 2, while still providing good visual quality. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 55.3 FPS, a 19% improvement over High, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the extra frame rate for this slower-paced game.

For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 75.4 FPS, which is excellent for a 60Hz+ monitor. However, this setting sacrifices significant graphical fidelity. At 1440p, the only viable option is Low (50.7 FPS), but the performance is borderline and would require a lower refresh rate monitor. The 4K resolutions should be avoided entirely, as even the Low preset (25.4 FPS) fails to hit playable levels, and Ultra (9.4 FPS) is effectively a slideshow. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is not worth using at any resolution, as it imposes a 29% performance penalty over High at 1080p (33.1 vs 46.5 FPS) for marginal visual gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of presets is usable. Low settings produce an average of 75.4 FPS, Medium yields 55.3 FPS, High reaches 46.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 33.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 26.6% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 15.9% reduction, and High to Ultra is a 28.8% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests that Ultra carries a disproportionately high cost.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease across the board. Low delivers 50.7 FPS, Medium falls to 35.4 FPS, High manages 26.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 23.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows significantly at this resolution (11.8% difference), indicating that both presets are pushing the GPU to its limits.

At 3840x2160, performance collapses. Low produces 25.4 FPS, Medium drops to 22.3 FPS, High manages a shaky 16.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to just 9.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is only 12.2%, and Medium to High is 27.8%, but the absolute numbers are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data confirms that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware combination, with even the lowest settings failing to reach 30 FPS.