Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a wide performance envelope in Hitman 2, scaling from high-refresh 1080p play to playable, though not ideal, 4K performance. The data shows a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases and settings are cranked up, while the CPU holds its own even at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop-off from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and confirms that Hitman 2's demands shift heavily onto the graphics card as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 143 FPS at 1920x1080 to 92 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 49 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the game becomes exponentially more demanding on the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth at higher resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 253 at 1080p to 162 at 1440p and then to 86 at 4K. At Medium settings, the numbers are 189, 121, and 65 FPS respectively. At Ultra, the averages fall from 105 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p and finally to 36 at 4K.

This scaling behavior reveals that the RTX 5070 is the limiting component at 4K. The fact that even Low settings at 4K only reach 86 FPS, while the same settings at 1080p hit 253 FPS, points directly to the GPU being saturated by pixel throughput. The CPU's role is less pronounced here; if the processor were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not degrade so steeply with resolution increases. The data suggests that for 4K gaming with this combo, players will need to accept either lower settings or sub-60 FPS averages at higher presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the star of this pairing for raw graphical output. Its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a substantial amount for handling high-resolution textures and effects in Hitman 2. The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz allow it to maintain consistent performance across the board, though the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS shows that even this hardware has its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks are AMD Radeon Pro 580 (0.1% higher), AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (0.8% lower), and AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (1.2% higher). These are workstation-class cards, which highlights that the RTX 5070's gaming performance is strong but not exceptional when compared to its professional counterparts.

In practical terms for Hitman 2, the GPU's memory bandwidth is likely what enables the jump from 36 FPS at 4K Ultra to 49 FPS at 4K High. The difference between these settings is significant, and the data shows that dialing back from Ultra to High yields a 36% performance improvement at 4K. The GPU's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs also contribute to its texturing and pixel processing capabilities, which are critical for a game like Hitman 2 that features detailed environments and complex lighting.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 49, and at Medium it is 65. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, players should use Medium settings, as Ultra settings drop to 36 FPS, which is barely playable.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate monitors?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 253, and at Medium it is 189. For 1440p, Low settings yield 162 FPS, and High settings yield 92 FPS. These are the most viable options for 144Hz or higher displays.

Q: How does Ultra settings impact performance compared to High?

A: At 1080p, Ultra drops from 143 FPS (High) to 105 FPS, a 27% reduction. At 1440p, it drops from 92 to 67 FPS, a 27% reduction. At 4K, it drops from 49 to 36 FPS, a 27% reduction. The relative penalty is consistent across resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows that FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the graphics card is struggling to keep up. The CPU's role becomes more relevant at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 36 at 4K Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 55 at 4K Medium settings, and the lowest minimum at 1080p is 161 at Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its synthetic rivals?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5070 scores 40377 on average, placing it in the 82nd percentile. It is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 794th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 21% of all configurations tested, which is a solid result for a mid-range to upper-mid-range pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, and the data shows that while the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, the combo as a whole handles 1440p and 1080p very well.

The rank is not the absolute top tier, as there are 793 combos that perform better, but it is a respectable position given the hardware. The 5800XT's 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs and the RTX 5070's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs suggest that this is a well-matched pair. In Hitman 2 specifically, the combo's performance is strong enough to handle most settings and resolutions without major compromise, but it falls short of the absolute highest tier of performance that would be required for 4K Ultra at high frame rates.

The data indicates that this combo is better suited for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 92 FPS at High settings and 121 FPS at Medium. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the 1080p results are excellent, with 143 FPS at High and 189 FPS at Medium. The 4K results are playable at Medium and High, but not at Ultra, which is a clear limitation of the GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT serves as a capable foundation for this setup, providing 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its boost clock of 4.80 GHz and base clock of 3.80 GHz are respectable for a desktop processor, and the 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game-level data access. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show a multi-core score of 23794 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 3359, which puts it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p where frame rates are high. At 1080p Low, the average FPS hits 253, and at Medium it reaches 189. These high frame rates suggest that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to avoid becoming a bottleneck at these lower resolutions. The CPU's 3DMark scores support this: a 16-thread score of 7683 and a single-thread score of 959 indicate strong processing power that can keep up with the game's logic and AI.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (0% delta), AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (-0.3%), and AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (0.6%). These are all mobile or newer desktop chips, but the 5800XT holds its own, which reflects its efficiency. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Hitman 2 for most resolutions; the GPU is. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU's performance ceiling may be approached, as the frame rate is so high that any CPU overhead could start to matter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 253 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. Medium settings yield 189 FPS with a minimum of 161 and maximum of 218. High settings drop to 143 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 105 FPS. The data shows that even at Ultra, the frame rate is above 100 FPS, making 1080p a very strong option for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains solid. Low settings average 162 FPS, which is still high enough for fast-paced action. Medium settings average 121 FPS with a minimum of 103 and maximum of 139. High settings average 92 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 67 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, with High settings providing a smooth experience near 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 86 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience. Medium settings average 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74, which is the most balanced option at this resolution. High settings drop to 49 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 36 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is not viable, and even High settings require a tolerance for sub-60 FPS gameplay. For the best 4K experience, Medium settings at 65 FPS is the recommended choice based on the measured results.