Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 holds the rank of 1136 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the configuration in the upper third of all tested pairings, indicating a strong capability for this stealth title. The ranking reflects a balanced system where the GPU is modern and powerful, while the CPU, though older, still provides sufficient throughput to avoid being a severe bottleneck.

Benchmark data shows this combo is not at the top tier but is far from entry-level. The percentile standing of the individual components supports this: the CPU sits at the 71st percentile among all tested CPUs, and the GPU is at the 69th percentile among all GPUs. When combined, the system delivers a performance profile that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and smooth 1440p gaming, with 4K being achievable only at lower settings presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1136 out of 3711 places this pairing in the top 30% of all configurations tested for Hitman 2. This is a strong position, but the data suggests there is headroom above it. The ranking is influenced by the fact that the GPU is significantly more capable than the CPU in raw synthetic terms. The GPU's average benchmark score is 23877, while the CPU's average benchmark score is 17035. This gap indicates that in many scenarios, especially at lower resolutions, the CPU may be the limiting factor.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals clarifies its standing. The Ryzen 5 3600 scores within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P and the AMD EPYC 7742, and within -0.2% of the Intel Core i5-11400 and the AMD EPYC 7573X. This means the processor is functionally equivalent to a range of laptop and server chips in average synthetic performance. For the GPU, the RX 9070 is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, while being -0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800S and -1.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER. These deltas are minor, suggesting the GPU is in a tightly contested mid-to-high tier.

The measured FPS data directly reflects this ranking. At 1080p, the combo excels, but the gap between settings presets is large. This suggests that while the GPU can push very high frame rates, the CPU's single-thread performance (with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 696) starts to limit the maximum output at lower settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a 16 GB GDDR6 card with a 256-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its clock speeds are a base of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The memory operates at an effective speed of 20.1 Gbps. These specifications make it a high-end part for Hitman 2, which is a game that scales well with GPU resources.

The GPU's role in this combo is dominant. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 223 FPS on average. This is a massive number that suggests the GPU is not being fully utilized and the CPU is likely the primary limiter at this point. As resolution increases to 1440p, the average FPS at Low settings drops to 143, which is still very high. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 76, indicating the GPU is still providing a playable experience even at the highest resolution.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Hitman 2, even at 4K with higher settings. The data shows that the bottleneck shifts from the CPU at low resolutions to the GPU at higher resolutions. For instance, at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 32, which shows the GPU is heavily loaded. The GPU's compute performance, measured at 14737 in Passmark's GPU compute test, is ample for the game's physics and AI calculations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average FPS of 81 at 2560x1440 with High settings, making it a very smooth experience for a stealth game.

Q: How much faster is the GPU compared to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data suggests so. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 223, which is exceptionally high. The jump from Low to Medium only reduces FPS to 167, indicating the CPU is limiting the maximum output.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p with Medium settings, the average FPS is 107, which is excellent. At 4K, the system can only manage 43 FPS on High and 32 FPS on Ultra.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2?

A: Yes, the 16 GB VRAM is more than adequate. The game's highest preset (Ultra) at 4K still achieves 32 FPS, which is a GPU compute limitation, not a memory capacity issue.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600's multi-threaded score is -0.2% compared to the Intel Core i5-11400, meaning it is essentially tied in performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For a 60 FPS target, the system can achieve it at 4K with Medium settings (57 FPS average). For higher refresh rates, the data shows that 1440p with High settings (81 FPS) is a better choice than 4K with Low settings (76 FPS) for visual fidelity.

At 1080p, the system is powerful enough to run Ultra settings at 93 FPS on average. This is the best experience for users with 1080p monitors. For those with 1440p monitors, the High preset (81 FPS) offers a good balance, while the Medium preset (107 FPS) provides a significant frame rate boost with a minor visual trade-off. The 4K resolution should be reserved for Medium settings (57 FPS) or lower, as the Ultra preset at 32 FPS is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p, all presets are playable; at 1440p, all presets are playable; at 4K, only Low and Medium are recommended for a smooth experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs excellently. The Low preset yields an average FPS of 223. The Medium preset has an average of 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 192 FPS. The High preset drops to 126 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 93 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high. The Low preset achieves 143 FPS. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS. The High preset reduces the average to 81 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance scales down significantly. The Low preset still manages 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset drops to 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 32 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU features a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory. Its TDP is 65 W. In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to manage the game's AI, physics, and draw calls.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a capable mid-range processor. Its single-thread score in 3dmark is 696, and its multi-thread score for 16 threads is 4605. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15045, while the single-core score is 2124. These numbers indicate that while the CPU is older, its per-core performance is still adequate for modern games.

However, the data reveals that the CPU is a limiting factor at low resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 223 FPS. The fact that it doesn't go higher suggests the CPU is hitting its maximum frame output capacity. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1260P, has a similar average score, indicating that this level of single-thread performance is the ceiling for this combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 167 at 1080p to 107 at 1440p, and then to 57 at 4K. This is a drop of 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% drop from 1440p to 4K.

This scaling pattern indicates that the system is CPU-bound at 1080p and GPU-bound at 4K. At 1080p, the GPU is so fast that it renders frames faster than the CPU can feed it, capping the performance. As the resolution increases, the GPU's workload increases, and the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor. At 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the low FPS at High and Ultra settings.

The data shows that the CPU can deliver up to 223 FPS, but the GPU can only push 32 FPS at 4K Ultra. This means the system is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where both components are working closer to their limits. The resolution scaling confirms that the RX 9070 is a powerful card, but it is paired with a CPU that cannot fully exploit its potential at lower resolutions.