Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER presents a distinct bottleneck dynamic in Hitman 2. The data shows a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, working alongside a GPU that posts a Passmark G3D score of 34245. The benchmark results, measured across three resolutions and four settings presets, reveal how this combination behaves in a stealth title that is sensitive to both CPU and GPU throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly delineates the shift in system limitation. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low settings producing 199.3 FPS. This figure suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames far faster than the processor can issue draw calls. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 28.2 FPS (171.1 FPS), a 14.1% reduction, while the subsequent drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low is 68.6 FPS (102.5 FPS), a 40.1% reduction. The scaling is non-linear, with the most severe performance penalty occurring when moving to 4K.

Analyzing the High preset, the pattern is similar but with a sharper initial decline. The 1080p High result of 162.2 FPS drops by 49 FPS to 113.2 FPS at 1440p, a 30.2% reduction. The transition from 1440p High to 4K High sees a further drop of 55.1 FPS to 58.1 FPS, a 48.7% reduction. This indicates that while the CPU is still a limiting factor at 1080p, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role as pixel count increases. At 4K High, the 58.1 FPS average suggests the system is now heavily GPU-bound, as the RTX 4080 SUPER’s processing power is consumed by the higher resolution workload.

The Ultra preset data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 125.9 FPS, which is notably lower than the 162.2 FPS of High. This 36.3 FPS gap is due to the increased CPU workload from higher-quality settings. However, the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is a stark indicator of GPU saturation. The scaling from 1440p Ultra (80.7 FPS) to 4K Ultra (44 FPS) represents a 45.5% performance drop. This shows that the most demanding settings combined with 4K resolution place an insurmountable load on the GPU, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset offers the most consistent frame rates across all resolutions. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 78.2, which is smooth and playable. The jump from Medium to High at 4K incurs a 20.1 FPS penalty (78.2 to 58.1), a 25.7% reduction, which is substantial for a visual quality increase that may be marginal in a stealth game. At 1440p, Medium delivers 143.1 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-refresh monitors. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combination, as it provides high frame rates without the steep performance cost of higher presets.

The Low preset is only recommended for maximum frame rate at 1080p, where it achieves 199.3 FPS. However, at 4K, Low still yields 102.5 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates the GPU is not fully utilized even at this resolution with minimal settings. The Ultra preset is not advisable for this pairing. At 4K, it produces 44 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. Even at 1440p, Ultra only achieves 80.7 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for a game where precision is key. The measured data indicates that the visual fidelity gains from Ultra do not justify the 50.4% performance drop from High to Ultra at 1440p.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1440p. This provides 143.1 FPS, which is a high refresh rate experience that maintains fluidity. For users with 4K displays, Medium at 4K is the most viable option, as it balances the load on the RTX 4080 SUPER without falling into the sub-60 FPS territory that plagues higher presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. Its base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The 4K Low preset, which minimizes CPU overhead, still achieves 102.5 FPS, showing the GPU can handle the pixel throughput. However, the 4K High and Ultra presets reveal the GPU’s limits, with scores of 58.1 and 44 FPS respectively.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Hitman 2, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited based on the measured FPS. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 and the Passmark G3D score of 34245 place the GPU in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, has an average score of 53489, which is a 0.2% delta. This shows the RTX 4080 SUPER is marginally faster than that competitor. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 134 suggests that the GPU’s raw compute power is not the primary bottleneck in this game; rather, the rendering overhead at higher settings creates the performance ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rate progression across presets is as follows: Low 199.3 FPS, Medium 178.9 FPS, High 162.2 FPS, and Ultra 125.9 FPS. The gap between Medium and Low is 20.4 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 36.3 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 171.1 FPS, Medium 143.1 FPS, High 113.2 FPS, and Ultra 80.7 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with the Ultra preset showing the largest absolute drop of 45.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 102.5 FPS, Medium 78.2 FPS, High 58.1 FPS, and Ultra 44 FPS.

The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, with a 44 FPS average. The High preset at 4K is close, at 58.1 FPS, but still playable. The data shows that the system can handle 4K with lower presets, but the higher settings cause a rapid decline in performance. The combination rank in game is 300 out of 1795 combos, placing it in the top 16.7% of tested configurations, which is a strong result for this pairing.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p with Medium settings provides the best balance, achieving 143.1 FPS. This is high enough for a smooth experience without the steep performance drop seen at 4K Ultra.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 162.2 at 1080p High to 58.1 at 4K High, a reduction of 104.1 FPS, which is a 64.2% performance loss.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS indicates the GPU is heavily saturated. The CPU is less of a factor at this resolution, as the pixel workload dominates.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 2600 bottleneck the RTX 4080 SUPER at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low average of 199.3 FPS suggests a CPU limitation, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates. The CPU’s 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz appears to cap performance at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT’s score of 53489.

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

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 78.2 FPS, which is a smooth and playable experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. It has 16 MB of shared L3 cache and a dual-channel DDR4 memory bus with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. In the Cinebench R23 multicore test, it scores 11186, and its single-core score is 1579. The Passmark multithread score is 13160, with a single-thread score of 2239. These scores place the CPU in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19616.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 199.3 FPS result suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU is far from maxed out. The CPU’s single-thread performance is crucial for this game, and the 1579 Cinebench R23 single-core score is moderate by current standards. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-10700F, has an average score of 19485, which is a 0.7% delta, indicating the Ryzen 5 2600 is slightly slower in overall benchmark performance.

When moving to 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The 4K Low score of 102.5 FPS is still high, but the 4K High and Ultra scores are dictated by the GPU’s rendering limits. The data shows that the CPU does not prevent high frame rates at 1440p Medium (143.1 FPS), but it does prevent the system from reaching the 200+ FPS territory at 1080p that a stronger processor might allow. The CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient for the game’s workload, as the frame rates remain consistent across the 1440p presets, with the drop from Low to Ultra being 90.4 FPS, which is more attributable to GPU load than CPU limits.