Hitman 2

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT brings a 6-core, 12-thread configuration built on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne codename) using TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz place it firmly in the mid-range desktop segment, supported by a 65 W TDP and socket AM4 compatibility. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and a 16 MB L3 cache, which is typical for this generation of Ryzen processors.

In Hitman 2, a stealth game that relies heavily on discrete NPC simulation and crowd logic in dense environments, the 5600GT's thread count and clock speeds matter substantially. The 3DMark multi-threaded benchmarks show a score of 5,554 at max threads, while the single-thread score is 913. This disparity — a roughly 6:1 ratio between max-thread and single-thread performance — indicates that while the CPU scales well with additional threads, individual core performance remains the bottleneck for lightly-threaded game logic.

The Cinebench R23 results further contextualize this: a multicore score of 17,272 versus a singlecore score of 2,438. The ratio here is approximately 7:1, suggesting that Hitman 2's engine can effectively utilize the 12 threads when needed, but the per-core efficiency (measured by the singlecore score) will determine how smoothly the game handles its simulation-heavy scenes. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,348 and multithread score of 20,325 reinforce this profile — the chip is competent but not exceptional in single-core workloads, which matters for a game like Hitman 2 where AI pathfinding and line-of-sight calculations often run on a single main thread.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 5600GT sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-12490F (average score 20,802 vs. 20,733), and within 0.5% of the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20,845). This places it in a narrow performance band where no single rival has a decisive edge. The CPU's percentile rank among all CPUs is 74, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of tested processors, which is respectable for a mid-range part.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 achieves a combo rank of 1,837 out of 3,001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the 61st percentile of all tested combos — meaning it outperforms about 61% of tested systems but lags behind roughly 39% of them. The rank is not stellar, but it is respectable given that this pairing sits at the lower end of modern hardware.

To interpret this rank meaningfully, consider that Hitman 2 is a moderately demanding title that benefits from both strong CPU single-thread performance and adequate GPU throughput. The combo's position suggests that neither component is severely bottlenecking the other, but there is room for improvement if one were to pair either part with a stronger counterpart. The CPU's performance band (within 0.5% of its nearest rivals) and the GPU's performance band (within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT) both indicate that this combination is balanced — neither component dramatically outclasses the other, which typically results in a well-rounded gaming experience.

The data shows that this combo outperforms the 39% of tested systems that fall below it, but it also trails the upper 39% of systems. For a 1080p-focused gaming setup, this rank is adequate; for 4K gaming, the limitations become more apparent, as detailed in the resolution scaling section below. The rank suggests that users should not expect top-tier performance at maximum settings, but rather a solid mid-range experience.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear resolution scaling patterns that indicate where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 152 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 97 FPS (a 36% decrease), and at 4K Low it falls to 52 FPS (a 66% decrease from 1080p). This steep drop-off as resolution increases is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario — the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but the RTX 5050 cannot sustain the same frame rates as pixel count rises.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but the absolute numbers are lower: 86 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p (36% decrease), and 29 FPS at 4K (66% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of the percentage drops across settings indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth (320.0 GB/s) and pixel rate (82.30 GPixel/s) are the limiting factors as resolution increases. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus becomes increasingly stressed at 4K, where higher resolution textures and larger frame buffers consume more VRAM.

At Ultra settings, the pattern intensifies: 64 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p (36% decrease), and 22 FPS at 4K (66% decrease). The fact that the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical (66% for Low, 66% for High, 66% for Ultra) suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not settings complexity. This is a clear indication that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p)

At 1080p, the combo delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 152 FPS, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings drop to 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS — the min-max spread of 34 FPS indicates some scene-to-scene variability, but the minimum remains comfortably playable. High settings yield 86 FPS average, still smooth for most users. Ultra settings bring the average down to 64 FPS, which is playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

2560x1440 (1440p)

At 1440p, the frame rates begin to show the GPU's limitations. Low settings average 97 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive or fast-paced play. Medium settings average 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and maximum of 84 FPS — the 22 FPS spread is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint. High settings drop to 55 FPS average, which is marginal for smooth gameplay but acceptable for a stealth title. Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target and may be noticeable in fast camera movements.

3840x2160 (4K)

At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates except at Low settings. Low settings average 52 FPS, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold for acceptable playability. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 45 FPS — the 12 FPS spread indicates significant variability, and the minimum of 33 FPS would be noticeable in action sequences. High settings drop to 29 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Ultra settings fall to 22 FPS average, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution and settings combination.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (chip GB207) using TSMC's 5 nm process with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 2317 MHz and boost of 2572 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The shading units number 2,560, with 80 texture mapping units and 32 ROPs, producing peak rates of 205.8 GTexel/s and 82.30 GPixel/s respectively.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as settings and resolution increase. The FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS provides adequate compute for the game's lighting and shadow calculations, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where the game's texture streaming and geometry buffers can exceed this capacity. The GPU's percentile rank among all GPUs is 66, and its average benchmark score of 21,035 places it within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20,713) and within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21,153).

The measured data shows that the RTX 5050 is capable of high frame rates at 1080p Low (152 FPS) but degrades rapidly as resolution increases. The 66% frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings is consistent with a GPU that is bandwidth-limited — the 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to feed the rendering pipeline at 4K. The GPU's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS workloads, but Hitman 2 (released in 2018) does not heavily utilize these features, so their impact on measured FPS is minimal.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings strategy depends on the target resolution.

At 1080p, High settings (86 FPS average) provide an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The 152 FPS at Low is overkill for most displays, and the 64 FPS at Ultra is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Medium settings (114 FPS) are also viable if higher frame rates are preferred, but High offers better visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, High settings (55 FPS average) are borderline for 60 FPS displays, so Medium settings (73 FPS average) are recommended for consistent playability. The 22 FPS min-max spread at Medium (62-84 FPS) is acceptable, whereas High's 55 FPS average may dip below 50 FPS in busy scenes. Low settings (97 FPS) are viable if frame rate is the priority, but Medium provides a better visual experience at minimal performance cost.

At 4K, only Low settings (52 FPS average) are recommended for playable frame rates. Medium settings (39 FPS) are technically playable but the 33 FPS minimum could be problematic in action sequences. High (29 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) are not recommended for a smooth experience. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering to 1440p for better results, or accepting Low settings at 4K.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at High settings or 1440p gaming at Medium settings. Pushing beyond these configurations results in diminishing returns where visual improvements are outweighed by significant frame rate losses.

# FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1080p provides the most consistent performance, with 86 FPS average at High settings. At 1440p, High settings drop to 55 FPS, and at 4K, only Low settings (52 FPS) remain playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The frame rate drops by 66% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which is consistent with GPU bandwidth limitations (320.0 GB/s) rather than CPU processing constraints.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 64, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 41 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 22 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21,035 is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20,713) and 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21,153). Its percentile rank is 66 among all GPUs.

Q: What is the frame rate variability at Medium settings?

A: The data shows min-max spreads of 34 FPS at 1080p (97-131), 22 FPS at 1440p (62-84), and 12 FPS at 4K (33-45). The variability decreases as resolution increases, indicating GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1,837 out of 3,001 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the 61st percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-range ranking, indicating balanced but not exceptional performance.