Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is a stealth game from 2018, and the benchmark data for this AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination shows a system that is dramatically overqualified for the title at most settings. The results reveal a classic case of a modern flagship GPU being held back by the game's engine and the CPU at lower resolutions, while still delivering exceptional performance. The data set provides a clear picture of how the scaling works across resolutions and presets, making it easy to identify the optimal configuration for this specific pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data points to a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets. At every resolution, the "Low" preset delivers the highest average frame rate, followed by "Medium," then "High," and finally "Ultra" as the most demanding. For 1920x1080, the differences are stark: "Low" produces 260.9 FPS, "Medium" drops to 238.9 FPS, "High" reduces it further to 197 FPS, and "Ultra" falls to 146.2 FPS. This represents a substantial 114.7 FPS drop from the lowest to the highest preset, which is a significant amount of performance headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern holds. "Low" yields 219.8 FPS, "Medium" provides 168.4 FPS, "High" manages 124.5 FPS, and "Ultra" bottoms out at 91.3 FPS. At 3840x2160, the scaling is more linear and the GPU load becomes more apparent. The "Low" preset achieves 120.6 FPS, "Medium" reaches 89.5 FPS, "High" gets 68.4 FPS, and "Ultra" is the only setting that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 50 FPS.

Given these numbers, the recommendation is straightforward. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the "Low" preset is the only logical choice, as it is the only one that consistently pushes frame rates above 120 FPS at 4K and beyond 200 FPS at 1440p and 1080p. However, for a visually rich stealth game like Hitman 2, the "High" preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance, delivering a smooth 124.5 FPS average while maintaining a significant visual upgrade over "Low" and "Medium." The "Ultra" preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 50 FPS average is not ideal for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement. At 1080p and 1440p, "Ultra" is playable, but the performance cost is high relative to the visual gain. The data suggests that "High" at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combination, providing a premium experience without sacrificing fluidity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a behemoth of a graphics card, and its specifications reflect that. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its core is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and runs at a base clock of 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. This card is clearly built to handle the most demanding modern titles at extreme resolutions, but in Hitman 2, its role is nuanced by the game's age.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 5090 is rarely the bottleneck, except at the highest settings in 4K. At 3840x2160 with "Ultra" settings, the GPU is pushed hard, resulting in a 50 FPS average. This suggests that the game's "Ultra" preset includes effects that are exceptionally taxing on the GPU, even for a card with 32 GB of VRAM. The large memory pool is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this game, as Hitman 2 from 2018 will not require anywhere near 32 GB of video memory. The 512-bit memory bus and high bandwidth are more relevant, as they help maintain performance when the game does stress the GPU.

The data indicates that the RTX 5090's performance in this title is almost always sufficient. At 1080p and 1440p, even the "Ultra" preset yields frame rates above 90 FPS, showcasing the card's raw power. The GPU's role becomes dominant only when the resolution and settings are maximized. The difference between "High" and "Ultra" at 4K is 18.4 FPS, a significant margin that highlights how much more work the "Ultra" preset demands from the graphics processor. The card's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than enough for this game, and the bottleneck at lower resolutions shifts entirely to the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on "High" settings provides an excellent balance, with an average of 124.5 FPS. This resolution is high enough to be visually sharp while still allowing the system to produce frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold, unlike 3840x2160 on "Ultra," which drops to 50 FPS.

Q: Is the "Ultra" preset worth using for this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, "Ultra" is playable, with average FPS of 146.2 and 91.3 respectively. However, the performance cost is significant. At 4K, "Ultra" is not recommended as it is the only tested setting that fails to maintain a 60 FPS average, coming in at 50 FPS. The visual jump from "High" to "Ultra" is not worth the frame rate loss in this title.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM affect performance in Hitman 2?

A: The benchmark data does not indicate that VRAM capacity is a limiting factor. Given the game's 2018 release date, it is highly unlikely to require more than 32 GB of memory. The GPU's massive memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is more likely to contribute to consistent performance, but the frame rates are primarily determined by the settings preset and resolution.

Q: Why is the frame rate at 1080p on "Low" so much higher than at 4K on "Low"?

A: The difference is due to the GPU's workload. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5090 can render frames far faster, achieving 260.9 FPS, because the GPU is not as heavily tasked with pixel generation. At 3840x2160, the GPU must process four times the number of pixels, which reduces performance to 120.6 FPS on the same "Low" settings, showing the resolution's direct impact on the graphics card.

Q: Can this system handle high refresh rate monitors?

A: Yes, for most settings. The data shows that the "Low" preset can achieve 219.8 FPS at 1440p and 260.9 FPS at 1080p, which is well beyond standard 144Hz and 165Hz monitors. Even the "High" preset at 1440p, with 124.5 FPS, is sufficient for a 120Hz display. Only the "Ultra" preset at 4K fails to provide a high refresh rate experience.

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

A: The data suggests that the CPU becomes the primary limiter at lower resolutions. For example, the jump from 1080p "Low" (260.9 FPS) to 1440p "Low" (219.8 FPS) is 41.1 FPS, which is a smaller relative drop than the jump from 1440p "Low" to 4K "Low" (120.6 FPS). This indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the frame rate is capped by the CPU's processing speed, while at 4K, the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 260.9 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire data set. The "Medium" preset follows with 238.9 FPS, a drop of 22 FPS. "High" hits 197 FPS, and "Ultra" manages 146.2 FPS. This shows that even with the most demanding settings at 1080p, the system is more than capable of delivering high refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but starts to show the expected scaling. The "Low" preset yields 219.8 FPS, a 41.1 FPS decrease from the 1080p "Low" result. "Medium" produces 168.4 FPS, "High" delivers 124.5 FPS, and "Ultra" drops to 91.3 FPS. The transition from "High" to "Ultra" here is a 33.2 FPS penalty, which is a substantial cost for the increased visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is finally challenged. The "Low" preset averages 120.6 FPS, which is still very smooth. "Medium" reaches 89.5 FPS, "High" gets 68.4 FPS, and "Ultra" is the only setting that falls below 60 FPS, with an average of 50 FPS. The scaling from "Low" to "Ultra" is a 70.6 FPS drop, highlighting the massive performance difference between the presets at this resolution. The data clearly shows that "Ultra" at 4K is the only configuration that fails to provide a consistently playable experience by modern standards.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hitman 2, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 holds the rank of 62 out of 1795 tested combos. This places it in the top 3.5% of all configurations, which is an outstanding result. The high rank reflects the raw power of both components, even when paired with a game from 2018. The percentile ranking of the CPU (82) and GPU (94) further confirms that both are high-performing parts in their respective categories.

The combo's rank of 62 is particularly impressive given the age of the game. It indicates that this system is not just good for Hitman 2, but that it would likely be among the top performers in many other titles as well. The data suggests that the performance is not limited by the individual components but rather by the game's engine itself, which cannot fully utilize the capabilities of such a modern CPU and GPU at lower resolutions. Despite this, the combination's overall score is high enough to secure a top-tier position in the rankings, proving that it is a formidable setup for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. A key feature is its large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a significant asset for gaming. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366 and a single-core score of 3157. These numbers indicate a well-rounded processor capable of handling both multi-threaded workloads and single-threaded game logic.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show that at 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates on "Low" settings are 260.9 FPS and 219.8 FPS, respectively. The relatively small gap between these two resolutions suggests that the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as it cannot push the frame rate much higher regardless of the decreased GPU load. However, the CPU's performance is more than adequate for a smooth experience. It ranks in the 82nd percentile against all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1360P, has a similar average score with a deltaPct of 0.2. This shows that the 5700X3D is a competitive processor.

The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are likely sufficient to handle the game's threading model. The high L3 cache is also beneficial, as it can help reduce memory latency, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame times in a stealth game with complex AI. While the CPU does become a limiter at very high frame rates, it is not a weakness in this system. The data indicates that the CPU can deliver well over 200 FPS at 1440p, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The performance at 4K, where the GPU takes over as the main constraint, shows that the CPU is not holding back the system's overall potential.