Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 presents a striking imbalance in Hitman 2, where the GPU’s immense raw power is frequently held back by the CPU’s architectural limits. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is exceptionally fast at high resolutions but whose performance curve flattens dramatically as resolution drops, exposing a clear processor bottleneck. This analysis walks through the data to show exactly where this combo excels, where it struggles, and what settings provide the most sensible experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about which component dominates in Hitman 2. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 143.7 FPS, which sounds strong until compared to the 296.4 FPS achieved at Low settings. That gap of over 150 FPS at the same resolution indicates the CPU is the limiting factor when graphical load is light. The Ryzen 5 5600GT, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, simply cannot feed the RTX 5090 enough frames at lower resolutions.

Moving to 1440p, the pattern continues but with a smaller spread. Low settings produce 222.4 FPS, while Ultra drops to 95.1 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 127.3 FPS difference, still substantial but narrower than at 1080p. At 4K, the spread compresses further: Low yields 119.2 FPS, Medium 92.2 FPS, High 68.2 FPS, and Ultra 49.4 FPS. The 4K numbers indicate the GPU is finally taking over as the primary bottleneck, since the absolute frame rates are lower and the relative differences between settings are more moderate.

The resolution scaling reveals that this combo is GPU-bound only at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU constrains performance, particularly at Low and Medium settings where the GPU could theoretically render far more frames. The data suggests that users with high-refresh 1080p or 1440p monitors will not fully utilize the RTX 5090’s capabilities in this title, as the processor becomes the ceiling. At 4K, however, the combination behaves more predictably, with the GPU’s workload dominating the frame time budget.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimal playability. At 4K, High settings deliver 68.2 FPS, which is comfortably playable, while Ultra drops to 49.4 FPS, which may feel less smooth for fast-paced stealth action. The 18.8 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K is significant, but High retains much of the visual fidelity while nearly crossing the 70 FPS threshold. Medium at 4K (92.2 FPS) and Low (119.2 FPS) are both viable, but they sacrifice noticeable visual quality for diminishing returns in frame rate.

At 1440p, High settings hit 124.8 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, while Ultra manages 95.1 FPS. The jump from Ultra to High provides a 29.7 FPS improvement, making High the sensible choice unless visual maximums are non-negotiable. Medium at 165.1 FPS and Low at 222.4 FPS are overkill for most displays, as they exceed typical refresh rate capabilities while reducing visual detail.

At 1080p, High settings produce 197.8 FPS, which is far beyond what most monitors display. Ultra at 143.7 FPS still exceeds 144 Hz displays, making Ultra the recommended setting at this resolution for users with high-refresh panels. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU bottleneck means even Ultra settings leave performance headroom, so there is no reason to lower quality. Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is High at 4K for visual quality, Ultra at 1440p for a balance, and Ultra at 1080p for maximum fidelity without sacrificing frame rate.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5600GT’s specifications directly explain the performance ceiling observed in the resolution scaling. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, this processor is a capable mid-range part but not designed to keep pace with a flagship GPU. The Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne, uses a 7 nm process and features 16 MB of L3 cache, which is adequate for most games but not exceptional for high-frame-rate scenarios.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 78th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 20740. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-10700 (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12490F (deltaPct -0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (deltaPct 0.3). These near-identical scores indicate the 5600GT is well-matched against other mid-range CPUs from its generation, but none of these processors would be expected to drive an RTX 5090 to its limits.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role becomes evident when comparing Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 296.4 FPS, but this is likely near the CPU’s frame-generation ceiling. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration must handle game logic, AI, and draw calls, and Hitman 2’s crowds and complex scenes stress these threads. The single-thread performance, indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 913 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2438, is decent but not elite, which explains why frame rates plateau despite the GPU’s massive headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the full database of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 29th out of 1795 combos for Hitman 2. That places it in the top 2% of all tested systems, which is impressive given that the CPU is a relatively modest part. The high rank is almost entirely attributable to the RTX 5090, which sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 84306. The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (deltaPct 0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (deltaPct 0.2), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (deltaPct 1.3), all of which score similarly in synthetic benchmarks.

The rank of 29 suggests that in actual gaming performance, the combo outperforms many systems with more balanced pairings, purely because the GPU is so overwhelmingly powerful. However, the rank also reflects the CPU’s limitation: if the 5600GT were replaced with a stronger processor, the combo would likely climb higher. The data indicates that this pairing is not optimal for low-resolution gaming, where the CPU bottleneck is most severe, but it excels at 4K where the GPU’s workload dominates.

FAQ

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600GT bottleneck the RTX 5090 in Hitman 2?

A: The data strongly indicates yes at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 296.4 FPS, but at 4K Low it drops to 119.2 FPS, showing the CPU limits frame rates when the GPU is underutilized. At 4K, the bottleneck shifts to the GPU.

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 4K with High settings (68.2 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 1440p, High settings hit 124.8 FPS, and at 1080p, Ultra reaches 143.7 FPS, all of which are viable depending on display capabilities.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score is 84306, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D at a deltaPct of 0.1. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is 1.3% behind, and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is 1.6% ahead.

Q: Is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance sufficient for this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600GT scores 17272 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 20325 in Passmark multithread. These scores place it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs, but the 6-core/12-thread configuration still limits frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in Hitman 2.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1440p Ultra is 95.1. This is slightly below the 100 FPS mark but remains smooth for most players, especially given the high visual settings.

Q: Does lowering settings from Ultra to Low provide a significant boost?

A: Yes, at all resolutions. At 1080p, Low hits 296.4 FPS versus 143.7 FPS at Ultra, a 152.7 FPS difference. At 4K, the difference is 69.8 FPS (119.2 vs 49.4), showing that lower settings have a larger impact at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

For the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Hitman 2, the complete measured data is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 296.4 FPS average
• Medium: 259.1 FPS average
• High: 197.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 143.7 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 222.4 FPS average
• Medium: 165.1 FPS average
• High: 124.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 95.1 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 119.2 FPS average
• Medium: 92.2 FPS average
• High: 68.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 49.4 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern where the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread is 152.7 FPS; at 1440p, it is 127.3 FPS; and at 4K, it is 69.8 FPS. This trend confirms that the CPU bottleneck diminishes at higher resolutions, allowing the GPU’s power to shine. The 4K Ultra result of 49.4 FPS is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS, making it the sole setting where the combo fails to meet a standard smoothness target. All other settings across all resolutions exceed 68 FPS, with most far exceeding 90 FPS. This makes the pairing highly capable for 4K gaming at High settings, and exceptionally strong for high-refresh-rate 1440p or 1080p play, provided the user accepts the CPU-induced frame ceiling.