Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark data for Hitman 2 shows a clear and dramatic drop in frame rates as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, this system produces 191.9 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average frame rate falls to 119.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 38%. Stepping up to 4K High yields just 64.7 FPS, which represents a further decline of approximately 46% from the 1440p figure. In total, the jump from 1080p to 4K at High settings cuts performance by about 66%.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the system delivers 272.6 FPS at 1080p, 214.5 FPS at 1440p, and 114.7 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset follows suit with 241.4 FPS at 1080p, 159 FPS at 1440p, and 85.7 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the most severe drop: 137.6 FPS at 1080p, 89.3 FPS at 1440p, and just 48.2 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system becomes progressively more GPU-limited as resolution rises. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to suggest that the CPU is playing a more significant role in limiting performance, particularly at lower quality settings where the GPU has less work to do. At 4K, the pixel throughput demands dominate, and the frame rates compress into a narrower band across settings, with Ultra dropping below 50 FPS.

Notably, the relative ordering of settings remains intact at every resolution: Low produces the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra bringing up the rear. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 135 FPS; at 1440p, it is 125.2 FPS; at 4K, it shrinks to 66.5 FPS. This tightening spread reinforces the interpretation that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, compressing the performance envelope.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It features a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 79th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 20875.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and quality settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 272.6 FPS, which is a very high frame rate but still below what the GPU alone might be capable of in less CPU-bound scenarios. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates across Medium (241.4 FPS) and High (191.9 FPS) are still exceptionally high, suggesting the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately at these settings. However, the fact that Ultra at 1080p drops to 137.6 FPS indicates that the game's draw calls and simulation work at higher quality presets are placing additional load on the processor.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429, suggests it has sufficient headroom for Hitman 2's engine. The single-thread score of 2319 in the same test is also relevant, as Hitman 2 is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and 2-thread score of 1645 provide additional context, showing that the CPU's per-core performance is solid for a 2022 release.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the overall CPU benchmark database, the Ryzen 5 5500 sits within a tight cluster. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 20897, a delta of -0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE scores 20900, also a -0.1% delta. The AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845, a +0.1% delta, and the Intel Core i5-12600T scores 20917, a -0.2% delta. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500's performance is essentially on par with these alternatives, differing by less than a quarter of a percent in any direction. At 1080p High, the system's 191.9 FPS is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors, so the CPU is not a limiting factor for most players at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines. It comes with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clocks are listed at a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Its benchmark results place it in the 91st percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 4090's dominance is evident at every resolution and setting combination. At 4K Ultra, the most demanding configuration tested, the card still manages 48.2 FPS. This is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience. Dropping to 4K High improves things to 64.7 FPS, and 4K Medium reaches 85.7 FPS. At 4K Low, the card produces 114.7 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K gaming.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are interesting comparisons. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 66733, a delta of -0.4%, while the NVIDIA Tesla P40 scores 66127, a +0.5% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 scores 67097, a -0.9% delta, and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 scores 67320, a -1.3% delta. These deltas are all within 1.3% of the RTX 4090's average score, which is surprising given the RTX 4090's reputation, but the data is the data.

The 24 GB of VRAM is far more than Hitman 2 requires, so memory capacity is not a constraint in this game. The GPU's raw compute power, as evidenced by its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is the primary driver of the high frame rates observed. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are also relevant, as Hitman 2's levels feature dense geometry and detailed textures. At 4K, the pixel fill rate becomes the limiting factor, which explains why frame rates drop so significantly at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system achieves 191.9 FPS on average at 1080p High settings in Hitman 2.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-12500 at 20897, a delta of -0.1%.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: At 1440p High, the system produces 119.8 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 64.7 FPS, a reduction of approximately 46%.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's VRAM capacity a limiting factor in Hitman 2?

A: No. The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is far more than Hitman 2 requires at any of the tested settings.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the system delivers 48.2 FPS on average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA Tesla T4?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, while the Tesla T4 scores 66733, a delta of -0.4% in favor of the Tesla T4.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hitman 2, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 80th out of 1795 total combos. This places the system in the top 4.5% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU's ability to carry the system at higher resolutions, where the CPU's influence diminishes.

The ranking is particularly notable because the CPU is not a flagship part. The Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile among all GPUs. The combination of a mid-tier CPU with a top-tier GPU produces a system that ranks highly in this game, demonstrating that Hitman 2's performance is primarily GPU-bound at the resolutions tested.

The data shows that this combo's ranking is driven by the GPU's strength at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, and the system's frame rates, while high, are not as far ahead of lower-tier GPU pairings as they are at higher resolutions. At 4K High, the system's 64.7 FPS is respectable, and at 4K Medium it reaches 85.7 FPS, both of which are playable. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 48.2 FPS, which is the weakest result in the dataset.

The rank of 80 out of 1795 means there are 79 combinations that perform better in Hitman 2. These would likely include systems with faster CPUs paired with the RTX 4090, or possibly combinations with even more powerful GPUs. However, given that the RTX 4090 is already an end-of-life product with no direct successor in the data, the ceiling for improvement is limited. The Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, and its boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance. Overall, this combo represents a well-balanced pairing for Hitman 2, with the GPU doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions and the CPU providing enough throughput to avoid becoming a significant bottleneck at 1080p.