Hitman 2

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform. The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s provide the foundational data throughput for game logic and physics in Hitman 2.

Benchmark results indicate the Ryzen 5 5500 positions itself in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20875. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897, deltaPct -0.1) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900, deltaPct -0.1), showing the chip sits squarely in a competitive mid-range tier. The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are demonstrated by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429, while its single-core score of 2319 in the same test suggests adequate per-thread performance for older game engines.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 269.3 FPS average, which drops to 118.3 FPS at Ultra settings. The CPU's ability to feed the GPU at lower resolutions is critical; the data shows a substantial performance headroom in less demanding settings, where the Ryzen 5 5500's six cores handle the game's AI and scripting without bottlenecking the frame rate. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5386 and max-thread score of 5411 indicate near-linear scaling up to 12 threads, which is relevant for Hitman 2's multi-threaded level streaming.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, combined with a base clock of 2310 MHz and boost clock of 2610 MHz, delivers substantial rasterization throughput. The GPU's 7680 shading units and 80 ROPs drive the pixel fill rate of 208.8 GPixel/s, which is directly relevant to Hitman 2's detailed environments at high resolutions.

The RTX 4070 Ti sits in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152 (deltaPct -0.6), while the Intel Arc A730M trails at 45592 (deltaPct -1.5). The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 31624 and DirectX 12 score of 116 illustrate its DirectX 12 Ultimate support, which Hitman 2 leverages for its rendering pipeline.

In practical terms, the GPU's VRAM capacity proves sufficient across all tested settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 38.2 FPS average, while 4K High reaches 55.8 FPS. The memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) ensures the 12 GB frame buffer can keep pace with the high-resolution textures Hitman 2 displays. The GPU's 40.09 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability handles the game's lighting and shadow calculations, though the data shows that at Ultra settings, the combination struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K, suggesting the GPU is the primary constraint in that configuration.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 269.3 FPS average, which represents the peak performance ceiling. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 181 FPS, a reduction of approximately 33%, and at 4K Low the average falls to 94.4 FPS, roughly half of the 1440p figure. This scaling indicates that at lower settings, the CPU and GPU work in balance, with neither component fully saturating the other.

The High settings tier tells a similar story: 159.9 FPS at 1080p, 99.4 FPS at 1440p, and 55.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is approximately 65%, which is substantial but expected for a graphically demanding title. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 118.3 FPS at 1080p, 72.7 FPS at 1440p, and 38.2 FPS at 4K — a drop of nearly 68% from the lowest to highest resolution.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU becomes the limiting factor in some scenarios. The Ryzen 5 5500's single-thread score of 836 in 3DMark and 2319 in Cinebench R23 single-core indicate that the processor's per-thread performance can cap frame rates in less demanding settings. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's workload becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 38.2 FPS result — a figure that aligns with the RTX 4070 Ti's position relative to higher-tier GPUs. The Medium settings tier shows intermediate scaling: 210.3 FPS at 1080p, 136.1 FPS at 1440p, and 72.3 FPS at 4K, reinforcing that neither component is entirely dominant across all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

This AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination ranks 232nd out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 13% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's mid-range compute capabilities and the GPU's high-end rasterization performance. The percentile gap between the CPU (79th) and GPU (85th) suggests that the graphics card is the stronger component in this pairing.

The combo's ranking is particularly notable given the CPU's modest synthetic scores. The Ryzen 5 5500's average benchmark score of 20875 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900), yet the GPU's 44900 average score pushes this combination into a competitive position. The 4K Ultra result of 38.2 FPS and 1440p Ultra result of 72.7 FPS show that the combo handles high-fidelity settings at mainstream resolutions, while the 1080p High result of 159.9 FPS demonstrates strong performance for high-refresh-rate displays.

The data indicates that this combo outperforms many configurations with higher-tier CPUs but weaker GPUs, highlighting the importance of GPU selection for Hitman 2's rendering load. The rank of 232 places it well within the top quartile of all tested combinations, making it a viable option for players targeting high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with acceptable performance at 4K on reduced settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pairing in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 1440p High delivers 99.4 FPS average, which balances visual quality with smooth gameplay. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 159.9 FPS, suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors, while 4K High falls to 55.8 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for competitive play.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 20875 in average benchmark tests, which is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900). The AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845, placing the Ryzen 5 5500 slightly ahead by 0.1%.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: The measured results show 4K High at 55.8 FPS and 4K Ultra at 38.2 FPS, indicating the 12 GB GDDR6X memory is adequate for the game's texture requirements. The GPU's 504.2 GB/s bandwidth supports high-resolution assets without evident memory-related performance drops.

Q: What does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K indicate about the system bottleneck?

A: At Low settings, the drop from 269.3 FPS (1080p) to 94.4 FPS (4K) shows a 65% reduction, suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the drop from 118.3 FPS to 38.2 FPS (68% reduction) reinforces that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 232nd out of 1795 total combinations, placing it in the top 13% of all tested systems. This position reflects the GPU's strong performance (85th percentile) relative to the CPU's mid-tier standing (79th percentile).

Q: What are the frame rates at 1440p across different quality settings?

A: At 1440p, the combo delivers 181 FPS on Low, 136.1 FPS on Medium, 99.4 FPS on High, and 72.7 FPS on Ultra settings. These figures show a consistent scaling pattern where each quality tier reduces performance by roughly 25-30%.