Hitman 2

The data for Hitman 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 presents a clear picture of a system that is well-balanced but ultimately constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The measured results show a consistent scaling pattern that highlights where the performance ceiling lies for this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant and predictable shift in performance, driven primarily by the GPU’s workload. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 104 FPS, which drops to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 35 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The system delivers 76 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and only 26 FPS at 4K. The step from 1440p to 4K at Ultra produces a 47% performance loss, which is a steeper drop than the 36% decline seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling is typical of a scenario where the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power become increasingly saturated at higher resolutions.

The Low preset data confirms this trend. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 183 FPS, which is a 76% increase over the High preset at the same resolution. At 4K Low, the average is 62 FPS, still a playable number, but it represents a 66% drop from the 1080p Low result. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is less than half of the 1080p frame rate strongly suggests that the RTX 5060’s 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus are the primary bottlenecks in this scenario, rather than the CPU.

Looking at the medium preset, which is the only one with min and max FPS data, the scaling is consistent. At 1080p Medium, the average is 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, and at 4K Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS. The consistent gap between average and minimum FPS across these resolutions suggests that the frame pacing remains stable, but the overall headroom is reduced as resolution increases. The data indicates that the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are capable of feeding the GPU adequately at all tested resolutions, as the frame rate scales almost entirely with the GPU’s rendering load.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear basis for recommending a specific preset based on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 104 FPS is a strong choice, but the Medium preset at 137 FPS offers a substantial 32% improvement in frame rate. Given that Hitman 2 is a stealth game where smoothness matters, the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best balance, delivering a frame rate well above the 100 FPS threshold while still maintaining a relatively high visual quality level.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 66 FPS, which is generally acceptable for a stealth title, but the Medium preset at 88 FPS is the superior option. The jump from High to Medium at this resolution yields a 33% increase in average frame rate, and the minimum FPS of 75 on Medium ensures that the game remains fluid during scenes with multiple NPCs or complex lighting. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 117 FPS is unnecessarily low in visual fidelity for the hardware available. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset for 1440p.

For 4K gaming, the situation is more challenging. The High preset at 35 FPS is below the generally accepted playable threshold, and the Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not viable for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 62 FPS is the only option that delivers a fully playable frame rate, but it requires a significant reduction in graphical fidelity. The Medium preset at 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS is a compromise, but it may result in occasional dips that could be distracting. Consequently, the data suggests that for 4K, users should either accept the Low preset for smoothness or the Medium preset if they prioritize visual quality over a strictly consistent frame rate.

The overall recommendation is that the Medium preset offers the most consistent experience across all three resolutions, with the 1080p and 1440p configurations providing well over 60 FPS and the 4K configuration remaining playable. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where the 76 FPS average is still competitive, but it is not a good choice for higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a combo rank of 1313 out of 3001 combinations for Hitman 2. This places it in the 44th percentile of all tested combos, indicating that it performs better than a majority of systems but is not among the top performers. The rank suggests that while the CPU is highly capable, the GPU limits the overall performance in this game, preventing the combo from reaching a higher standing.

The CPU’s benchmark data supports this interpretation. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D has a percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs, placing it in the top 11% of processors. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and Intel Core i9-13950HX, have average scores within 0.5% of this AMD chip, indicating that the CPU’s performance is competitive with high-end mobile and desktop parts. However, the GPU’s percentile rank is only 72, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550, which are both lower-tier parts. This disparity between the CPU’s high standing and the GPU’s mid-range standing confirms that the graphics card is the weaker link in this combo, which is reflected in the overall rank.

The combo’s rank of 1313 out of 3001 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. In a game like Hitman 2, which is not heavily CPU-bound, the GPU’s performance is the primary determinant of the final score. The data shows that the RTX 5060, while capable at 1080p, struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, which drags the combo’s overall ranking down. If the GPU were paired with a weaker CPU, the rank might be similar, but with this strong CPU, the combo does not fully utilize its potential due to the GPU’s limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 183 FPS, the Medium preset yields 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS, the High preset yields 104 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 76 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the Ultra preset delivering 58% less performance than Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 117 FPS, the Medium preset averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, the High preset averages 66 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The relative performance gap between presets narrows slightly at this resolution compared to 1080p, with the Ultra preset delivering 58% less performance than Low, which is a similar ratio.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 62 FPS, the Medium preset averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, the High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers only 42% of the Low preset’s performance, illustrating the extreme pressure on the GPU at this resolution.

The data also shows that the difference between Medium and High presets is consistent. At 1080p, Medium is 32% faster than High, at 1440p, Medium is 33% faster than High, and at 4K, Medium is 34% faster than High. This consistency indicates that the Medium preset is a reliable middle ground that captures a significant portion of the performance headroom without the extreme reductions of the Low preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node, containing 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz, and it has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is paramount, as the frame rate scaling with resolution demonstrates. The 8 GB memory capacity is a critical factor, especially at 4K where the High preset only manages 35 FPS. While the game’s memory usage is not directly reported in the data, the significant performance drop at 4K suggests that the GPU is hitting memory bandwidth limits. The 128-bit bus, while paired with fast GDDR7 memory, may not provide enough bandwidth for the high-resolution textures and effects that the Ultra preset demands.

The GPU’s benchmark scores further contextualize its performance. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 20891, which places it at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, with the latter being 1.2% slower. This indicates that the RTX 5060 is a mid-range graphics card that competes with older high-end parts. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3628 suggests that the GPU is capable in modern APIs, but the Hitman 2 results show that it cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K with high visual settings. The GPU’s power requirements are modest, with a TDP of 145 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W, but these figures do not directly impact the game’s performance.

The data points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at 4K, particularly on the High and Ultra presets. The difference between the Low and High presets at 4K is 27 FPS, which is a 77% performance loss. This is a larger relative drop than at 1080p, where the difference is 79 FPS (a 76% loss). The consistent percentage loss across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s shading and texturing capabilities are the limiting factor, not the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 with the Medium preset achieves 88 FPS, and the High preset at 1440p achieves 66 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, with an average of 62 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to the Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 183 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. This means the Low preset is 141% faster than Ultra at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data indicates no CPU bottleneck. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads appear sufficient for the game’s demands.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 75 FPS, with an average of 88 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1313 out of 3001 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the upper half of all systems tested.

Q: Is the RTX 5060’s memory size sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The 8 GB memory capacity appears to be a limiting factor at 4K. The High preset only achieves 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 26 FPS, suggesting that memory bandwidth and capacity constrain performance at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a hallmark of the X3D series and is designed to improve gaming performance.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is less prominent than the GPU’s, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. The game is not heavily threaded, and the 6 cores with 12 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game’s logic and AI. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a Passmark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047, placing it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600, is 0.7% faster in average benchmark score, indicating that the 7500X3D is competitive with current mainstream desktop processors.

The large L3 cache does not appear to provide a significant advantage in this specific game, as the frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 183 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would test any CPU’s ability to feed the GPU. The fact that the system maintains this performance without a noticeable CPU bottleneck suggests that the 7500X3D’s processing power is more than adequate for Hitman 2. The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth also contributes to the overall system responsiveness, though this is not a direct factor in the measured FPS.

The CPU’s release date of 2025-11-11 and its launch MSRP of $269 position it as a modern mid-range part. Its production status is active, and it supports PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes, which is forward-looking. However, for Hitman 2, the CPU’s performance is sufficient to avoid being a bottleneck, and the combo’s overall rank is determined by the GPU’s limitations. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is a strong performer, but its capabilities are not fully utilized in this title due to the GPU’s constraints at higher resolutions.