Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018. The data provides a comprehensive look at how this combination behaves across three resolutions and four quality presets, with the combo ranking 33rd out of 3001 tested combinations. The RTX 5090 D, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, is the dominant component here, while the Ryzen 7 5800XT, an 8-core Zen 3 part, serves as the supporting processor. The measured results reveal a system that delivers exceptional frame rates at lower resolutions but begins to show the GPU's limits as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Hitman 2?

A: The combination ranks 33rd out of 3001 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.1% of all tested configurations for this game.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 312 FPS average, while 4K Ultra drops to 52 FPS average — a six-fold difference in performance.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712 across various synthetic tests.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT sits in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,879 across synthetic tests.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 4K, the gap from Low to Ultra is 72 FPS (124 down to 52), while at 1080p the gap is 159 FPS (312 down to 153). The relative drop is actually larger at 4K, with Ultra being 58% slower than Low.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77,712 is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, but 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling observed in Hitman 2. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive bandwidth is crucial for feeding the 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units that process the game's geometry and effects. The card operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at an effective 28 Gbps.

In Hitman 2, a stealth game that renders detailed environments with numerous NPCs and interactive objects, the GPU's role shifts dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, the RTX 5090 D is barely stressed — the 312 FPS low preset result shows the card has ample headroom. The GPU's compute capability of 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s allow it to process the game's scenes faster than the CPU can feed it at lower resolutions. However, at 4K, the pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s becomes the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS demonstrates that the card's raw pixel-pushing capacity is being fully utilized, as the 8.3 million pixels per frame at 4K demand substantial fill-rate resources.

The 32 GB VRAM capacity is far beyond what Hitman 2 requires — the game released in 2018 and its texture budgets are modest by current standards. The memory bandwidth, however, matters more. At 4K with Ultra settings, the GPU must read and write large amounts of texture and geometry data, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth prevents any memory bottleneck. The RTX 5090 D's dual-slot design and 575 W TDP indicate a high-power part, though the data shows it delivers performance proportionally to its thermal envelope. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) aligns with Hitman 2's DX12 rendering path, allowing the game to leverage the GPU's architectural features.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of how performance scales across resolutions in Hitman 2. Starting with the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 207 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p, then to 71 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear — the jump from 1440p to 4K (2.25 times the pixel count) produces a larger relative drop than the jump from 1080p to 1440p (1.78 times the pixel count), suggesting the GPU begins to hit efficiency limits at higher pixel densities.

The Low preset shows even more dramatic scaling: 312 FPS at 1080p drops to 234 FPS at 1440p and 124 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 25% is smaller than the High preset's 36%, indicating that at Low settings the system is less GPU-bound and more evenly balanced. At 4K Low, the 124 FPS result suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the reduced shading load allows the card to maintain a playable frame rate.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 274 FPS with a min of 233 and max of 315. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 175 FPS (min 149, max 201), and at 4K Medium, the average is 93 FPS (min 79, max 107). The frame time consistency, as indicated by the min-max spread, remains relatively tight across all resolutions — the 4K Medium spread of 28 FPS (79 to 107) is proportionally larger than the 1080p spread of 82 FPS (233 to 315), showing that higher resolutions introduce more frame time variance.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling curve: 153 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 47% drop from 1440p to 4K mirror the High preset's pattern. This consistency suggests that the RTX 5090 D's performance scaling is predictable and primarily pixel-bound, with settings affecting the base performance level rather than the scaling behavior.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 312 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium reaches 274 FPS with a minimum of 233 FPS, ensuring that even the lowest frames remain well above any display refresh rate. High preset drops to 207 FPS, still a strong result, while Ultra settles at 153 FPS. This 1080p data shows that the CPU, rather than the GPU, is likely the limiting factor — the Ryzen 7 5800XT's 8 cores and 16 threads at up to 4.80 GHz boost clock must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates.

At 1440p, the performance remains high but begins to show GPU scaling. Low preset delivers 234 FPS, Medium 175 FPS (min 149, max 201), High 132 FPS, and Ultra 98 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 26% reduction, from Medium to High a 25% reduction, and from High to Ultra a 26% reduction — remarkably consistent diminishing returns. The 1440p Medium min FPS of 149 indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains a smooth experience. The 4K Medium min of 79 FPS shows that the GPU can still hold reasonable frame times at this resolution, though the Ultra preset's 52 FPS average would be borderline for competitive play.

At 4K, the RTX 5090 D's limits become evident. Low preset achieves 124 FPS, which is still highly playable. Medium drops to 93 FPS, High to 71 FPS, and Ultra to 52 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly associated with smooth gameplay. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 58% total reduction, compared to a 51% reduction at 1440p and a similar 51% reduction at 1080p, indicating that the most demanding settings tax the GPU more heavily at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, any preset delivers excellent performance — even Ultra's 153 FPS average is far above refresh rate requirements for most displays. The Medium preset's 274 FPS with a 233 FPS minimum offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom, while High at 207 FPS provides a more visually rich experience without sacrificing smoothness.

For 1440p, the High preset at 132 FPS is the recommended choice for most users, as it delivers strong visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates above the 120 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS remains playable and provides the best image quality, but the 26% performance cost over High may not justify the marginal visual improvements in a game like Hitman 2, where stealth mechanics prioritize clarity and responsiveness. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, though the visual downgrade from High is noticeable.

At 4K, the trade-offs become more significant. The High preset at 71 FPS is the highest quality setting that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is technically playable but may feel less responsive in action sequences. The Medium preset at 93 FPS offers the best combination of visual quality and performance for 4K, providing a smooth experience while retaining enough graphical detail to appreciate the game's environments. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 124 FPS is viable, though the visual compromises are substantial. The data suggests that 4K High is the sweet spot for this combination, offering a 37% improvement over Ultra while still delivering strong visual quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT serves as the processing foundation for this combination. This 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 5000 series uses the Zen 3 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 512 KB L2 per core provide the low-latency data access that gaming workloads benefit from. The processor supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, which is adequate for feeding the GPU at lower resolutions.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU has spare capacity. The 312 FPS Low preset result at 1080p suggests the Ryzen 7 5800XT can deliver frame rates approaching its practical limit for game logic and draw call processing. The single-thread performance, as indicated by the 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,359, is critical for the game's main thread. The multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 23,794 and 3DMark 16-thread of 7,683) show that the CPU can handle background tasks without interfering with game performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29,868, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29,955, -0.3% delta). This places the 5800XT in a performance band where differences are negligible — the 0.6% advantage over the Ryzen 5 9600X (29,713) is within measurement noise. The CPU's 81st percentile ranking among all processors indicates it is a strong performer, though not at the absolute top of the range. For Hitman 2, the 5800XT's 8 cores provide sufficient thread count for the game's parallel tasks, and the high boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but at 1080p, the CPU's capabilities set the upper boundary for frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 33rd out of 3,001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 1.1% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's dominant performance contribution — the RTX 5090 D's 92nd percentile standing among GPUs is the primary driver of this high position. The CPU's 81st percentile ranking is respectable but not exceptional, suggesting that other processors could potentially extract slightly more performance from the RTX 5090 D in CPU-bound scenarios.

The combo's ranking is particularly notable given that Hitman 2 is a 2018 title. Older games often show more CPU sensitivity at high frame rates, and the 5800XT's strong single-thread capabilities help maintain the high 1080p frame rates measured. The 312 FPS Low preset at 1080p is a direct result of this CPU-GPU balance — the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls, so the CPU becomes the limiting factor. The ranking would likely be lower in a more GPU-intensive game, but in Hitman 2, this combination excels.

The data shows that the RTX 5090 D is the clear performance leader in this pairing. Its nearest GPU rivals — the Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% slower) and Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% faster) — are mobile parts that would not typically be paired with a desktop CPU like the 5800XT. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of tested graphics cards, and its 77,712 average benchmark score reflects its position near the top of the performance hierarchy.

The combo's 33rd place ranking out of 3,001 tested configurations indicates that only 32 other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in Hitman 2. These would likely feature newer processors with higher single-thread performance or more aggressive boost clocks, as the GPU's capabilities are already near the top of the range. For the 5800XT, the 4.80 GHz boost clock and Zen 3 architecture provide sufficient performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck at most settings, though the 1080p Low result suggests the CPU is nearing its limit. Overall, this combination delivers top-tier performance in Hitman 2, with the 4K Medium and 1440p High presets offering the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for most users.