Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers a wide range of frame rates in Hitman 2, from a playable 45 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 314 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing of an 8-core Zen 5 processor with a Blackwell 2.0 GPU produces results that shift between CPU-bound and GPU-bound depending on the resolution and quality preset, making it a versatile option for both high-refresh-rate monitors and 4K displays. The data shows a clear hierarchy: performance scales dramatically as resolution drops, but the magnitude of that scaling depends heavily on the selected settings preset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values reveal a pronounced resolution scaling pattern that is typical of a game where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant at higher pixel counts. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 178 FPS to 114 FPS, a reduction of approximately 36%. The subsequent jump from 1440p to 3840x2160 at High settings brings the average down to 61 FPS, which is roughly 47% lower than the 1440p result and 66% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that at 4K, the RTX 5080 is the primary limiting component, as the pixel throughput requirements outpace the CPU's ability to feed frames.

The scaling curve steepens at lower settings. At Low preset, the 1080p result of 314 FPS drops to 201 FPS at 1440p and then to 107 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% and 47% respectively, which is nearly identical to the High preset scaling. This consistency suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU remains the bottleneck at higher resolutions, though the absolute headroom is larger. At Medium settings, the pattern repeats: 235 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K, with min FPS values of 200, 128, and 68 respectively. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling of all, with 131 FPS at 1080p falling to 84 FPS at 1440p and then to 45 FPS at 4K.

The fact that the 1080p-to-4K drop is consistently around 65-66% across all four presets indicates that the RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are not being saturated at lower resolutions. Instead, the limiting factor shifts: at 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as evidenced by the relatively smaller gap between Low and Ultra settings at that resolution (314 vs 131 FPS) compared to the larger gap at 4K (107 vs 45 FPS). This resolution scaling behavior is characteristic of a game that scales well with GPU compute but also has significant CPU overhead per frame.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture with a Granite Ridge codename, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz place it among the faster desktop processors, and the 96 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial for a gaming workload. The CPU's benchmark results bear this out: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228 indicate strong all-around performance, while the PassMark single-thread score of 4704 shows excellent per-core capability. The processor sits at the 92nd percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 314 FPS, which is a figure that likely approaches the CPU's frame-generation limit for this game. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 183 FPS (314 vs 131), which is substantial, but the fact that even Ultra manages 131 FPS suggests the CPU is not completely bottlenecking even under heavy settings. At 1440p, the CPU still exerts influence, as the Low preset achieves 201 FPS while Ultra drops to 84 FPS, a 117 FPS spread. By 4K, the CPU's impact diminishes; the Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 62 FPS (107 vs 45), confirming that the GPU has taken over as the dominant constraint.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (avg score 58323, deltaPct 0.1), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 (avg score 58504, deltaPct -0.2), and the Intel Core i9-14900 (avg score 58115, deltaPct 0.5). These deltas are all within 1% of the Ryzen's score, indicating that the 9850X3D performs on par with these high-end server and desktop parts, though none of those rivals are specifically tuned for gaming. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 120 W TDP and DDR5 memory support (dual-channel, 89.6 GB/s bandwidth) provides a solid foundation for Hitman 2's threading model, which appears to benefit from the high clock speeds and large cache.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 10752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines, along with 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, yield a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The card's compute capabilities are impressive: 56.28 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, with a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 5080's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution rises. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the steep drop in frame rates across all settings. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS suggests that the card's raw shading and rasterization throughput is being heavily taxed, while the 4K Low result of 107 FPS shows that even at minimal settings, the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are still significant constraints. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is not a bottleneck at any tested configuration, as Hitman 2 from 2018 does not appear to require more than that at these settings.

The RTX 5080's benchmark scores place it at the 87th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S (avg score 55757, deltaPct 0.6), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (avg score 55698, deltaPct 0.7), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (avg score 54828, deltaPct 2.3). Interestingly, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores higher at 57367 with a deltaPct of -2.2, meaning the RTX 5080 trails that card by about 2.2% in average benchmark score. However, these are synthetic benchmark comparisons; in Hitman 2 specifically, the measured FPS data shows the RTX 5080 delivers strong performance, particularly at 1440p and below where the combination of high clocks and ample VRAM bandwidth shine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 314 FPS, which is the single highest measured result in this dataset. Medium settings yield 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS, providing a very consistent experience. High settings drop to 178 FPS, and Ultra settles at 131 FPS. All of these figures are well above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Ultra preset at 1080p exceeds what most high-refresh-rate monitors can display.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear reduction. Low settings produce 201 FPS, Medium averages 150 FPS with a min of 128 and max of 173, High reaches 114 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that this combination is well-suited for 144 Hz or even 165 Hz displays when using Medium or High presets, while Ultra still maintains a solid 84 FPS for smoother gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings average 107 FPS, which is still playable and smooth for most users. Medium settings average 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 and maximum of 92, providing a stable experience near the 60-75 Hz range. High settings drop to 61 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays but acceptable for most. Ultra settings average 45 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS standard and would require a VRR display or reduced settings for a consistently smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combination in Hitman 2?

A: The highest measured average is 314 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 201 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it further drops to 107 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM become a limiting factor in Hitman 2?

A: No. The measured data shows frame rates that scale consistently with resolution and settings, indicating that VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck. The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for all tested configurations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has an average benchmark score of 58386. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58323, 0.1% difference), Intel Xeon w5-2545 (58504, -0.2% difference), and Intel Core i9-14900 (58115, 0.5% difference). All are within 0.7% of each other.

Q: Is the combination better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: The data indicates it is best suited for 1080p and 1440p, where it achieves frame rates above 114 FPS at High settings and above 84 FPS at Ultra. At 4K, only Low and Medium settings exceed 80 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 61 FPS and 45 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings average 150 FPS with a minimum of 128 FPS, while High settings average 114 FPS. This represents a 36 FPS difference, or a 24% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Medium to High.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's benchmark score compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083. It is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (55757), 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698), and 2.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828). The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57367) is 2.2% ahead of it.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and display refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but Ultra at 131 FPS provides the best visual quality while still exceeding 120 FPS, making it the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. For 1440p, Medium settings at 150 FPS offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as High drops to 114 FPS and Ultra to 84 FPS; Medium also provides a narrow min-to-max range of 128-173 FPS, indicating good consistency. At 4K, Low settings at 107 FPS are the only preset that comfortably exceeds 100 FPS, but Medium at 80 FPS with a min of 68 FPS offers a better visual experience for users with 60-75 Hz displays. High at 61 FPS is usable but marginal, while Ultra at 45 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1440p (84 FPS) is a better choice than Ultra at 4K (45 FPS), as the former maintains a smoother experience. Conversely, those with 4K displays who cannot tolerate frame rates below 60 FPS should select Medium, as it is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at that resolution. The measured data shows no scenario where High or Ultra at 4K provides an adequate experience for competitive play, but for cinematic single-player stealth gameplay, 45-61 FPS may be acceptable to some users.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 179th out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 6% of all tested configurations. This is a strong ranking, though it may seem modest given the high-end nature of both components. The rank reflects that Hitman 2 is a game that benefits as much from CPU performance as GPU performance, and while this combination excels in both areas, there are 178 other combinations that achieve even higher frame rates in this specific title.

The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking versus all processors and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking versus all GPUs both contribute to this result, but the combination's overall rank of 179 suggests that the game responds well to even faster components or differently balanced systems. The nearest CPU rivals (Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, Intel Xeon w5-2545, Intel Core i9-14900) all have benchmark scores within 0.7% of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, indicating that processor choice has a relatively small impact on raw computing performance. Similarly, the GPU's closest rivals are within 2.3% in benchmark scores, meaning that the specific combination's rank is more a function of how Hitman 2 utilizes the hardware rather than the absolute performance of individual components.

The fact that this combination achieves 314 FPS at 1080p Low and 107 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that it is capable of extremely high frame rates when settings are lowered, but the 45 FPS result at 4K Ultra shows the limits of even this high-end pairing under maximum load. For users who own this combination or are considering it, the data suggests that 1440p with High or Ultra settings provides the best overall experience, balancing the CPU's strong single-thread performance with the GPU's ample compute resources.