Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is an older stealth title, but it still presents a meaningful challenge to modern hardware at its highest settings. The benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination reveals a system that is heavily balanced toward high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, with a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate at 4K. The measured results show that the best experience depends entirely on the user's display resolution and preference for smoothness over graphical extremes.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 132 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 86.7 FPS, still firmly in the playable range for most users, and even at 3840x2160, the system manages a respectable 48.8 FPS average. This preset provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium without the steep performance penalty seen at Ultra.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear choice. It delivers an average of 236.2 FPS at 1080p, which is more than double the High preset's output, and 151.9 FPS at 1440p. Even at 4K, the Low preset maintains an average of 80.6 FPS, making it the only setting that approaches high-refresh-rate territory at that resolution. The Medium preset sits between these two, offering 177.9 FPS at 1080p and 116.4 FPS at 1440p, but its 59.4 FPS average at 4K is less compelling than the High preset's 48.8 FPS given the small visual gap.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, pushing the system to its limits. At 1080p, it still produces a strong 97.8 FPS average, but the 1440p result of 60.5 FPS is borderline for competitive play, and the 4K average of 33.7 FPS is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The performance cost of Ultra is substantial: it represents a 26% reduction from High at 1080p, a 30% reduction at 1440p, and a 31% reduction at 4K. Given these numbers, High is the recommended preset for most users, with Low reserved for those with 240Hz displays or higher at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for Hitman 2's asset streaming at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, built on the 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture, allows it to push frame rates that are consistent with its 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs. The data shows that the GPU's performance is the primary driver of the frame rate differences between settings, as the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested configuration.

The scaling from Low to Ultra illustrates the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 delivers 236.2 FPS on Low, dropping to 97.8 FPS on Ultra, a 59% reduction in performance. This pattern holds at 1440p, where the Ultra preset's 60.5 FPS is 60% lower than Low's 151.9 FPS. At 4K, the GPU's limits become apparent, with Ultra averaging just 33.7 FPS. The RTX 4070's benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 168006, indicate it is a high-end part, but Hitman 2's Ultra settings at 4K still exceed its comfortable range. The GPU's closest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, show a deltaPct of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4070 is slightly ahead in synthetic benchmarks, which aligns with its real-world frame rate advantages.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 provides a solid foundation for this GPU. With 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, it offers sufficient processing power for Hitman 2's game logic and AI. The CPU's Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319. This is crucial for a stealth game where NPC behavior and crowd simulation can be CPU-intensive.

In this benchmark data, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The frame rates scale almost exclusively with GPU settings, suggesting the Ryzen 5 5500 is not a limiting factor. Its multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a Passmark multithread score of 19330, ensure consistent frame delivery even in complex scenes. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it slightly below the RTX 4070's 81st percentile, but this gap does not manifest as a bottleneck in Hitman 2. The CPU's closest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, has an average benchmark score of 20897, a deltaPct of -0.1% compared to the Ryzen's 20875, meaning they perform within a rounding error of each other. This parity in synthetic tests translates to similar real-world gaming performance, confirming the Ryzen 5 5500 is more than adequate for this GPU pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 491st out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all systems. This is a strong result, indicating the combo outperforms the majority of tested configurations. The ranking is influenced by the GPU's 81st percentile standing, which pulls the combo upward, while the CPU's 79th percentile provides a nearly equivalent contribution. The high ranking is particularly notable given that the combo is not using top-tier components from either manufacturer, yet it still lands in the top 27% of all systems tested.

The combo's rank reflects its ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, where it excels, while being less exceptional at 4K Ultra. The 491st rank suggests there are many combos with faster CPUs or GPUs that achieve higher average frame rates, but the Ryzen 5 5500 + RTX 4070 pairing offers a balanced approach. It outperforms systems with weaker GPUs, such as those paired with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, but falls short of systems using higher-end 40-series cards. The data shows this combo is positioned for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it achieves 86.7 FPS on High and 151.9 FPS on Low, making it a capable choice for that target.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The High preset offers the best balance at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 86.7 FPS. For higher refresh rates, the Low preset provides 151.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 60.5 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 48.8 FPS, and the Low preset averages 80.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it averages only 33.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500's 20897. This places them as near-identical performers.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average score of 37283, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56's 37507. The RTX 4070 is slightly ahead in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 236.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 97.8 FPS. This represents a 59% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest settings.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests no. Frame rates scale consistently with GPU settings across all resolutions, indicating the Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient headroom for the RTX 4070.