Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Hitman 2. The combo ranks in the 1475th position out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The data indicates that while the CPU provides ample headroom, the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions and quality presets, with frame rates ranging from a fluid 132.1 FPS at 1080p Low to an unplayable 19.8 FPS at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset manages 53.5 FPS, while High reaches 75.4 FPS and Low hits 132.1 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?*

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 19.8 FPS on Ultra to 42.6 FPS on Low. Even the Low preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and the High preset's 24.1 FPS is well below acceptable smoothness standards.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X perform relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, which places it 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and the AMD Ryzen 5 230. It sits 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i5-14500T.

Q: What is the GPU's standing compared to similar graphics cards?

A: The RTX 2060 holds a percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 16074 is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 by 1.7%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. Evidence shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU can drive 132.1 FPS, but frame rates drop sharply as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, indicating the GPU's rendering capacity is the bottleneck.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 65.6 FPS, which is the highest frame rate above the 60 FPS target. The High preset drops to 46.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.2 FPS, making Medium the only viable option for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds the 1475th rank out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the lower 18% of all configurations, a modest position that reflects the age of the GPU relative to the modern CPU. The CPU itself is a strong performer with an 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs, but the GPU's 58th percentile standing drags the overall combo down.

The data suggests that this pairing is CPU-heavy, meaning the processor has more capability than the graphics card can utilize in this title. This is evident in the frame rate scaling: at 1080p Low, the system produces 132.1 FPS, but when the resolution increases to 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 42.6 FPS, a 68% reduction. The GPU's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are likely contributing factors to this performance ceiling, as Hitman 2's environments demand significant memory bandwidth at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, while the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: the RTX 2060 can handle 1080p with ease, delivering 132.1 FPS on Low settings, but struggles as pixel count increases. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 19.8 FPS. The GPU's 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate are insufficient for the game's high-resolution demands. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but Hitman 2 does not rely heavily on ray tracing, so these features have minimal impact on the measured results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves 132.1 FPS, Medium reaches 100.4 FPS, High hits 75.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53.5 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot, with even the most demanding preset staying above 50 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings produce 84.3 FPS, Medium drops to 65.6 FPS, High falls to 46.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 36.2 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets maintain playable frame rates above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system is overwhelmed. Low settings yield 42.6 FPS, Medium drops to 33.2 FPS, High manages only 24.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 19.8 FPS. None of these results are suitable for competitive or smooth gameplay, confirming that 4K is beyond the capabilities of this GPU in Hitman 2.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (132.1 FPS) to 1440p (84.3 FPS) represents a 36% drop, and the further drop to 4K (42.6 FPS) is a 68% reduction from the 1080p baseline. The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets, indicating that the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor rather than CPU performance.

This behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has more than enough processing power for this game. The CPU's 3.90 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock, combined with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, provide strong single-threaded performance that is not the constraint here. The data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops proportionally, which is the hallmark of a system limited by graphics processing capability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3363.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows this is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 132.1 FPS, which is near the upper limit for many displays. Even at 4K Low, the CPU can still push 42.6 FPS, indicating that the processor is not limiting the frame rate. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and 16-thread score of 7585 demonstrate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a game like Hitman 2 that relies on single-threaded game logic. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking against all CPUs further confirms its capability in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1920x1080, the High preset at 75.4 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (100.4 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 53.5 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional stutters on higher refresh rate displays. The Low preset at 132.1 FPS is ideal for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, but sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 65.6 FPS is the only option that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 46.5 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the Ultra preset at 36.2 FPS should be avoided for action-heavy sequences. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the clear recommendation.

At 3840x2160, no preset provides a satisfactory experience. The Low preset at 42.6 FPS is the best available, but even this falls short of the 60 FPS standard. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or accepting a lower frame rate. The data does not support any 4K preset as a viable option for this combo in Hitman 2.