Hitman 2

Hitman 2 presents an interesting case for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 pairing, as its age relative to the hardware means the performance ceiling is dictated by different components depending on the resolution and settings. The measured data reveals a clear progression where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's capability shines at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario at the highest resolution. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 185.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 118.1 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls to 63.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65.7% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the RTX 5080 is being pushed to its limits as pixel count increases.

The Low settings preset tells a different story. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 309.8 FPS, which drops to 204.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 110.1 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 105.5 FPS is substantial, but the 1440p to 4K drop of 94.2 FPS is slightly smaller in absolute terms. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU's performance ceiling is more relevant at lower resolutions, while the GPU still has headroom to scale.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The system produces 136.1 FPS at 1080p, 87.5 FPS at 1440p, and only 45.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result, reinforcing that the RTX 5080's rendering load at Ultra 4K is the limiting factor. The data indicates that resolution scaling is steeper at higher settings presets, which is typical for games where visual complexity increases with preset level.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 86th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the top 4.8% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result for a game released in 2018. The high ranking reflects the raw power of both components, even when paired with a game that predates them significantly.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 59188 puts it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M with an average score of 58239 (1.6% lower), the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (1.9% higher), and the Intel Arc A580 at 57756 (2.5% lower). The RTX 5080 sits between these competing products in raw compute performance, though the measured gaming results in Hitman 2 show the actual gameplay advantage.

For the CPU, the Ryzen 7 5800XT achieves an average benchmark score of 29774, placing it in the 86th percentile. Its closest competitors are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE at 29740 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 29856 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 29682 (0.3% lower). These deltas are minimal, suggesting that the 5800XT's synthetic performance is well-matched with other mid-range Ryzen parts.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 brings 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for Hitman 2's environments, which feature dense crowds and detailed interiors. The base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz provide the processing throughput needed to handle the game's lighting and shadow calculations.

The GPU's 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs contribute to its pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to the measured frame rates, particularly at 4K where fill rate demands are highest. The 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance allows the card to maintain playable frame rates even at Ultra settings, though the 45.9 FPS average at 4K Ultra shows the limits of this configuration.

The RTX 5080's memory clock of 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not become bottlenecks in Hitman 2's large levels. The 16 GB capacity provides ample headroom for the game's highest resolution textures, which is reflected in the relatively small performance gap between Medium and High settings at each resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the High settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, High produces 185.1 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors. Moving to 2560x1440 High yields 118.1 FPS, still comfortably playable. At 3840x2160 High, the average drops to 63.5 FPS, which is acceptable for 60 Hz displays.

The Medium preset provides a significant performance boost over High while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. At 4K, Medium achieves 80.7 FPS compared to 63.5 FPS at High, an improvement of 27.1%. At 1440p, Medium reaches 155.5 FPS versus 118.1 FPS at High, and at 1080p it hits 239.5 FPS compared to 185.1 FPS. For players targeting 4K at higher refresh rates, Medium is the recommended setting.

Ultra settings push the system to its limits. The 45.9 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay at that resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the 87.5 FPS average is playable, and 1080p Ultra at 136.1 FPS is excellent. Players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate can consider Ultra at 1080p or 1440p, but not at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 309.8 FPS average, Medium achieves 239.5 FPS, High reaches 185.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 136.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 70.3 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 54.4 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 49.0 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings yield 204.3 FPS, Medium produces 155.5 FPS, High achieves 118.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 87.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly one-third across most settings, with Low dropping by 105.5 FPS, Medium by 84.0 FPS, High by 67.0 FPS, and Ultra by 48.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5080 is heavily taxed. Low settings still produce 110.1 FPS, which is respectable for 4K. Medium achieves 80.7 FPS, High drops to 63.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.9 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows reductions of 94.2 FPS at Low, 74.8 FPS at Medium, 54.6 FPS at High, and 41.6 FPS at Ultra. This pattern indicates that lower settings presets are more sensitive to resolution increases, as the CPU becomes less of a factor.

FAQ

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

A: For 60+ FPS gameplay, 2560x1440 High is recommended, achieving 118.1 FPS average. For 4K, Medium settings at 80.7 FPS is the highest preset that maintains smooth frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 59188 is 1.6% higher than the Intel Arc A570M, 1.9% lower than the Intel Arc Pro A60, and 2.5% higher than the Intel Arc A580.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT sufficient for high frame rates?

A: Yes, the CPU's average benchmark score of 29774 places it in the 86th percentile. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 309.8 FPS, showing the CPU can support very high frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 136.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is smooth for high refresh rate displays.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and RTX 5080 combination ranks 86th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 5% of all pairings.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: Yes, at High settings the 4K average is 63.5 FPS, which is playable. At Ultra settings, the 45.9 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium or High the better choice for 4K.