Hitman 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a combo rank of 604 out of 3,001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. That places this pairing in the top 20% of all combos tested for this game, which is a strong result for a 6-core processor mated to a current-generation GPU. The data shows this combo sits comfortably ahead of the median tested system, and the rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other in most scenarios.

Breaking down the rank further, the CPU itself holds an 89th percentile position versus all tested CPUs in general benchmark data, while the GPU sits at an 82nd percentile versus all tested GPUs. The fact that the combo rank (roughly 80th percentile) tracks closely with the GPU percentile suggests that in Hitman 2, the graphics card is the primary determinant of overall performance. The CPU's 89th percentile score means it has headroom to spare, and the GPU's slightly lower percentile becomes the limiting factor in this specific title.

When examining the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Ryzen 5 7500X3D posts an average benchmark score of 44,573, which is just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (44,466) and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44,342). It trails the Intel Core i5-14600 (44,889) by 0.7%. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning the 7500X3D trades blows with upper-mid-range and high-end mobile/desktop chips from both AMD and Intel. For Hitman 2 specifically, this level of CPU performance is more than adequate to feed the RTX 5070 at most settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern of tight clustering. The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40,377 is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40,318), 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40,063), and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40,870) by 1.2%. These are professional-grade cards, which is noteworthy — the RTX 5070's gaming-focused architecture still manages to outperform or match several workstation offerings in synthetic benchmarks, and in Hitman 2's real-world measurements, it demonstrates solid frame rates across all tested configurations.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 672.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2325 MHz and boosts to 2512 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). With 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, this card is built for high-throughput rasterization work. The 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores also provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and DLSS features, though Hitman 2's measured results here do not specifically isolate those workloads.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's memory configuration proves important at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 36 FPS average, which is the lowest measured result across all settings and resolutions. This suggests that at 4K with maximum settings, the game is demanding more from the GPU than the 12 GB frame buffer or the card's compute throughput can comfortably deliver. The 4K High preset fares better at 49 FPS average, while 4K Medium hits 65 FPS average with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74. The 4K Low setting produces 86 FPS average, showing that even at 4K, reducing settings provides significant headroom.

The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking versus all tested GPUs places it in the upper tier of available hardware. Its average benchmark score of 40,377 across multiple tests (including 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 5,077, Geekbench OpenCL at 172,660, and Passmark G3D at 29,137) indicates strong compute capabilities. The Passmark directX results — 320 for DX9, 277 for DX11, 180 for DX10, and 108 for DX12 — show the card handles legacy APIs well but really shines in modern workloads. The compute score of 15,787 in Passmark GPU Compute further confirms this is a capable card for both gaming and general compute tasks.

The RTX 5070's 250 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU rating mean it requires serious power delivery, but the performance per watt appears reasonable given the frame rates achieved. The card's dual-slot design and 245 mm length (9.6 inches) make it compatible with most mid-tower cases, though the 1x 16-pin power connector necessitates a modern power supply.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing Hitman 2 with this combo. Across all three resolutions, the Medium preset delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the added benefit of having reported minimum and maximum FPS figures that confirm frame time consistency.

At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 189 FPS average with a minimum of 161 and maximum of 218. This is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the 161 FPS minimum means even demanding scenes stay well above 144 Hz. The High preset at 1080p drops to 143 FPS average, still playable but with less headroom. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 105 FPS average, which is smooth but sacrifices significant performance for marginal visual gains. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 253 FPS average, which is useful only for competitive play or extreme refresh rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again provides the sweet spot at 121 FPS average, with a minimum of 103 and maximum of 139. This keeps gameplay comfortably above 100 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced stealth action where quick reactions matter. The High preset at 1440p drops to 92 FPS average, still playable on a 100 Hz or 120 Hz display. The Low preset at 1440p produces 162 FPS average, while the Ultra preset falls to 67 FPS average — the latter being the first sign of strain, as it approaches the 60 FPS threshold.

At 4K, the Medium preset delivers 65 FPS average with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74, making it the only 4K option that maintains playable frame rates throughout. The High preset at 4K produces 49 FPS average, which dips below 60 and may cause noticeable stutter in busy scenes. The Low preset at 4K achieves 86 FPS average, but the visual compromise is significant. The Ultra preset at 4K bottoms out at 36 FPS average, which is not recommended for anything beyond screenshots.

For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1440p or 1080p is the clear choice. The 121 FPS average at 1440p Medium provides excellent visual fidelity with smooth performance, and the 103 FPS minimum ensures no drops below the 100 FPS mark. At 1080p, the 189 FPS average with a 161 FPS minimum allows for maximum refresh rate utilization on high-end monitors. The Medium preset's inclusion of min/max FPS data in the measurements indicates it was tested more thoroughly, which suggests it represents a stable, well-balanced configuration.

# FAQ

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: The combo achieves an average of 36 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This is the lowest measured result across all settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this setup?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p provides 121 FPS average with a minimum of 103 FPS, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, the Medium preset reaches 189 FPS average with a 161 FPS minimum.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Medium settings, the drop is from 189 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 4K, representing a significant reduction of 124 FPS. At High settings, the drop is from 143 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 4K, a 94 FPS reduction.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D sufficient for this GPU in Hitman 2?

A: Yes. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 44,573 place it well above the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking. The combo rank of 604 out of 3,001 suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck.

Q: What is the CPU's cache configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500X3D features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 cache per core and 1 MB L2 cache per core. This large L3 cache helps with game data reuse, though Hitman 2's measured results do not isolate cache-specific effects.

Q: Does the GPU's 12 GB VRAM cause any issues in Hitman 2?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS suggests that at maximum settings and resolution, the 12 GB VRAM or the card's compute throughput becomes a limiting factor. However, at 4K Medium (65 FPS) and lower, the VRAM capacity is not an evident constraint.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern in how this combo scales across resolutions. Starting at 1080p and moving to 1440p, the performance drop is moderate but noticeable. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 189 at 1080p to 121 at 1440p — a 36% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 143 to 92 FPS, a 35.7% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 253 to 162 FPS, a 36% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 105 to 67 FPS, a 36.2% reduction. This consistency across all settings — right around 36% — strongly indicates that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is primarily driven by the increased pixel count, not by any component bottleneck.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper and less consistent. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 121 to 65, a 46.3% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 92 to 49 FPS, a 46.7% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 162 to 86 FPS, a 46.9% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 67 to 36 FPS, a 46.3% reduction. Again, the consistency is striking — all settings show approximately a 46% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. This suggests that the GPU is handling the increased pixel workload in a uniform manner, regardless of the visual complexity of the scene.

The total scaling from 1080p to 4K shows the cumulative effect. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 189 to 65, or 65.6% lower. At High settings, the drop is from 143 to 49 FPS, or 65.7% lower. At Low settings, the drop is from 253 to 86 FPS, or 66% lower. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 105 to 36 FPS, or 65.7% lower. The uniformity of these percentages across all four settings presets is remarkable — it indicates that resolution scaling in Hitman 2 is almost purely a function of pixel count, with no setting-specific effects altering the pattern.

This scaling behavior reveals that the GPU is the limiting component when moving to higher resolutions. The CPU's performance headroom remains consistent regardless of resolution, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drops are purely proportional to the pixel count increase. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing FPS drops at higher resolutions (as the CPU would limit frame rates regardless of GPU workload). Instead, the consistent percentage drops indicate that the RTX 5070's compute throughput and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors at 1440p and 4K.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Raphael codename using TSMC's 5 nm process node. It contains 11,270 million transistors on a 71 mm² die, which is notably small for a desktop CPU. The processor runs at a base clock of 4.00 GHz and boosts to 4.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP that keeps cooling requirements modest. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, and includes Radeon integrated graphics as a fallback.

The defining feature of this CPU is its 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This is an unusually large L3 pool for a 6-core chip, and it directly contributes to gaming performance by reducing memory latency and improving data reuse. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 25,047 and single-thread score of 3,494 reflect solid performance for its core count. The data compression score of 271,649 and encryption score of 15,797 show strong integer performance, while the floating point math score of 43,594 and extended instructions score of 20,455 indicate good compute capabilities.

In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU's 89th percentile ranking versus all tested CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general benchmark workloads. Its average benchmark score of 44,573 places it in close competition with the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (44,466, 0.2% slower), Intel Core i9-13950HX (44,342, 0.5% slower), and AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44,309, 0.6% slower). It edges past these rivals while trailing the Intel Core i5-14600 (44,889, 0.7% faster) by a narrow margin. This positioning suggests the 7500X3D is competitive with high-end mobile and desktop chips from both AMD and Intel.

The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for Hitman 2's engine, which does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded based on the measured results. The fact that this combo achieves 253 FPS at 1080p Low and 105 FPS at 1080p Ultra demonstrates that the CPU is capable of driving frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates. The Passmark physics score of 2,779 and find prime numbers score of 221 indicate moderate compute throughput per thread, which is adequate for this game's simulation and AI workloads.

The 7500X3D's 65 W TDP is notably low for a desktop processor, which allows for more compact cooling solutions and lower system noise. The CPU's lock to AMD Socket AM5 and PCIe Gen 5 support with 24 lanes (CPU only) means it pairs well with the RTX 5070's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, ensuring no bandwidth limitations between the two components. The 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 is sufficient for Hitman 2's memory access patterns, especially given the large L3 cache that reduces reliance on system memory.

In summary, the Ryzen 5 7500X3D provides ample CPU performance for Hitman 2, with enough headroom that the RTX 5070 becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The 89th percentile CPU ranking versus the 82nd percentile GPU ranking confirms this relationship. For this game, the CPU is not the bottleneck — the data shows that resolution scaling follows pixel count almost exactly, which would not occur if CPU limitations were intervening. The 6-core configuration with 96 MB L3 cache is a well-matched partner for the RTX 5070, delivering strong frame rates without excessive power draw or cooling requirements.