Hitman 2

Hitman 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti presents a classic balancing act. The data shows a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution, with the GPU taking the lead role in dictating performance at higher presets. The combination ranks 1361st out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid range of the database, which reflects its capability to handle the game smoothly at 1080p but struggle at 4K with maximum settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 3060 Ti is the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 81.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 53.7 FPS, a 34% reduction, and then to 4K High it falls to 30.3 FPS, a 63% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU's rendering load is scaling predictably with pixel count.

The Ultra preset tells an even more telling story. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 59.6, which is already below the 60 FPS threshold many builders target. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 39.2 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, the system collapses to just 19.3 FPS. This 4K Ultra result is particularly significant because it is less than half the 4K Low result of 47.8 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset's additional effects are disproportionately expensive on this GPU.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (145 FPS) and Ultra (59.6 FPS) is 85.4 FPS. At 4K, the spread between Low (47.8 FPS) and Ultra (19.3 FPS) is only 28.5 FPS in absolute terms, but the relative impact is similar. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even the lower settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count, whereas at 1080p the CPU has more headroom to push higher frame rates when the GPU load is lighter.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5500 brings 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 16429 multicore and 2319 single-core, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs in the database. This is a solid mid-range part, but its performance in Hitman 2 is largely secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling pattern.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 145 FPS, which is the highest measured result. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to hit high frame rates when the graphical load is minimal. However, the single-thread score of 2319 in Cinebench R23 indicates that the CPU is not a top-tier performer for lightly-threaded workloads, which can matter in a game like Hitman 2 that relies on AI and physics calculations.

The CPU's nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-12500, which has an average benchmark score of 20897 compared to the Ryzen's 20875, a delta of -0.1%. This places the two processors in a dead heat for general compute, but the Ryzen's 16 MB of L3 cache and Zen 3 architecture may give it a slight edge in gaming scenarios. The data does not show a CPU bottleneck at 1080p High, where the 81.5 FPS result is likely still GPU-limited given the 4K High result of 30.3 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p High delivers 81.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. For higher fidelity, 1080p Ultra provides 59.6 FPS, just below the threshold. At 1440p, High settings yield 53.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 47.8, which is playable. At 4K Medium, it drops to 34.9 FPS, and at 4K High it falls to 30.3 FPS. 4K Ultra is not recommended, as it produces just 19.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct competitors?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 20875 on average benchmarks, placing it 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20845). It also trails the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE by 0.1% and the Intel Core i5-12600T by 0.2%.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this build?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops by 63% from 1080p High to 4K High, while the CPU's performance remains constant. At 1080p Low, the 145 FPS result shows the CPU can push high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed.

Q: What settings should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: For 1440p, Low settings provide 91 FPS and Medium provides 68.3 FPS, both of which are smooth. High settings at 53.7 FPS are playable, but Ultra at 39.2 FPS will be noticeable to users expecting high refresh rates.

Q: How does the GPU's performance rank among its peers?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120, putting it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180) and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235). It also trails the AMD Radeon 890M by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP by 0.7%.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1361 out of 1795 tested combinations places this system in the 24th percentile of all tested builds for Hitman 2. This is a low ranking, but it must be interpreted with context. The rank considers all combinations, including those with far more powerful components. For a mid-range CPU and GPU pairing, this position is not surprising.

The ranking suggests that while this system is capable of playing Hitman 2, it will not excel at high resolutions or with maximum settings. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates. At 4K, the system falls below the 30 FPS threshold on High settings, which is the minimum for a playable experience for many users.

Compared to the CPU's 79th percentile ranking and the GPU's 69th percentile ranking, the combo's 24th percentile position in this game indicates that Hitman 2 is particularly demanding on this type of hardware. The game's stealth mechanics and large, detailed levels likely place a heavy load on the GPU, dragging down the overall performance relative to other games where these components might rank higher.

GPU Role

The RTX 3060 Ti is an 8 GB GDDR6 card with a 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1410 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. These specifications allow it to deliver 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is substantial for a 200 W card. The GPU's 4864 shading units and 152 texture mapping units provide the raw compute power necessary for Hitman 2's rendering.

The memory configuration is crucial for Hitman 2 at high resolutions. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 19.3 FPS suggests that the game may be exceeding the VRAM capacity or the memory bandwidth is insufficient for the texture loads at that resolution. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is ample for 1080p, but at 4K the GPU is likely hitting a wall in terms of both memory throughput and raw compute.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 69 places it above average, and its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, which scores 25180 versus the 3060 Ti's 25120. This close margin suggests that the 3060 Ti is a well-balanced card for its class. In Hitman 2, the data shows that the GPU's performance scales nearly linearly with resolution, indicating that it is the primary driver of frame rates in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce 145 FPS, Medium produces 106.3 FPS, and High produces 81.5 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 59.6 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with each higher preset costing roughly 20-25% of the frame rate. The 1080p results are all playable, with even Ultra remaining above 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings yield 91 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium drops to 68.3 FPS, and High to 53.7 FPS. Ultra falls to 39.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for slower-paced stealth gameplay. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p, but with a consistent 30-35% reduction in frame rate across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce 47.8 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 40 FPS. Medium drops to 34.9 FPS, High to 30.3 FPS, and Ultra to 19.3 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is heavily taxed, with the gap between Low and Ultra being only 28.5 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, even the lowest settings cannot fully relieve the GPU's load, and the CPU's role becomes minimal.