Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination ranks 1653rd out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested. This low ranking reflects a pairing that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, which sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, performs at the 79th percentile among all processors, demonstrating a significant capability gap between the two components. This disparity dictates the system's behavior across all resolutions and settings, with frame rates consistently limited by the GPU's throughput rather than the processor's computational headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1653 out of 1795 indicates that the vast majority of tested hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates in Hitman 2. This position is primarily attributable to the GPU's modest standing; the RX 580's average benchmark score of 13559 places it near parity with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (0.1% delta), while it trails the AMD Radeon Pro 455 by 1.1%. The CPU, however, is a far stronger performer, with an average benchmark score of 20875 that sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12600T and within 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 7J13. This contrast means the system's low rank is not a measure of overall component quality but rather a reflection of how the GPU bottleneck suppresses the CPU's potential in this specific title. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 79.3 FPS, but this figure drops sharply with increased graphical demands, illustrating that the ranking is driven by the GPU's inability to maintain high throughput when pixel load increases.

GPU Role

The RX 580's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Hitman 2's texture streaming at lower settings but becomes a limiting factor at higher presets. The GPU's base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, combined with 2304 shading units, yield a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s. These specifications translate into a raw compute capacity of 6.175 TFLOPS. Benchmark results show the GPU scores 8813 in Passmark G3D and 1005 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 53rd percentile overall. In Hitman 2, this hardware produces a 42.5 FPS average at 1080p High, which is playable but far from smooth. The GPU's end-of-life production status and 185 W TDP indicate an older design, and the data confirms it is the primary constraint: at 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 11.8 FPS, a 72% reduction from 1080p High, demonstrating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading capacity are exhausted long before the CPU's limits are reached.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a consistent and steep decline as resolution increases, which is the definitive signature of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 79.3 FPS, but this drops to 52 FPS at 1440p Low and 27.8 FPS at 4K Low. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 65% performance loss. At High settings, the pattern is similar: 42.5 FPS at 1080p, 29.9 FPS at 1440p, and 16.6 FPS at 4K, a 61% loss. The Medium preset shows 56.3 FPS at 1080p, 37.9 FPS at 1440p, and 22.8 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with 34 FPS at 1080p falling to 18.4 FPS at 1440p and 11.8 FPS at 4K. These numbers reveal that the frame rate is almost entirely dependent on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, which halve as pixel count quadruples. The CPU's ample single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319, is never the bottleneck, as even the weakest GPU results at 4K do not show the CPU struggling to feed frames.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS in Hitman 2?

A: Only at 1080p with Low settings, where the measured average is 79.3 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 56.3 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. No other resolution or preset combination reaches 60 FPS, with 1440p Low being the next highest at 52 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score of 13559 is essentially identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (13549, 0.1% delta). It is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (13416) but 1.1% slower than the NVIDIA P106-090 (13716).

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a balanced experience?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where the combo maintains playable frame rates across multiple presets. At Medium settings, it achieves 56.3 FPS, while High settings yield 42.5 FPS. At 1440p, even Low settings only produce 52 FPS, and High settings fall to 29.9 FPS, indicating that 1080p is the practical ceiling.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The CPU's average benchmark score of 20875 places it at the 79th percentile, while the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile. The frame rate drops from 79.3 FPS at 1080p Low to 27.8 FPS at 4K Low, a 65% decrease, which is far larger than any CPU limitation would cause. The Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate for Hitman 2's workload.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rival processors?

A: The CPU's average score of 20875 is within 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20845) and within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900). It trails the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) by 0.1% and the Intel Core i5-12600T (20917) by 0.2%, making these four processors virtually identical in overall benchmark performance.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is severely limited regardless of settings. At 4K Low, the average is 27.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is 11.8 FPS. While 8 GB of VRAM may be enough for the assets, the GPU's 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are inadequate for 4K rendering, as evidenced by the sub-30 FPS results across all 4K presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 provides 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319 and a multi-core score of 16429. The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Hitman 2's engine, which does not demand excessive memory throughput. In the context of this combo, the CPU's capabilities far exceed what the GPU can utilize. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 79.3 FPS, but this is the GPU's limit, not the CPU's, as evidenced by the steep drop to 27.8 FPS at 4K Low, a resolution where CPU load typically decreases relative to GPU load. The CPU's percentile rank of 79 versus the GPU's 53 confirms that the processor has significant headroom, and the benchmark results show that even at the highest settings, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The 3DMark scores, including 5411 for max threads and 836 for single thread, further indicate a processor capable of handling game logic and draw calls without bottlenecking, making the GPU the sole constraint on performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the optimal experience is found at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 56.3 FPS. This represents the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, as the GPU maintains a playable average without the major quality reductions seen at Low settings. At 1080p High, the frame rate drops to 42.5 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less smooth, while Ultra settings at 34 FPS are on the edge of acceptable for a stealth game that benefits from consistent frame pacing. At 1440p, the choices are more constrained: Low settings yield 52 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 37.9 FPS and High to 29.9 FPS, making these presets less suitable for smooth gameplay. At 4K, no settings are recommended, as even Low produces only 27.8 FPS and Ultra falls to 11.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for a playable stealth experience. For players prioritizing frame rate, 1080p Low at 79.3 FPS is the smoothest option, but the 23 FPS gain over Medium does not justify the significant visual downgrade. The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, offering 56.3 FPS while retaining enough graphical detail for Hitman 2's intricate environments.