Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a benchmark profile in Hitman 2 that is defined by extreme headroom and a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. With the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, and the GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, this combo sits at the high end of the tested database, ranking 55th out of 1,795 combinations. The measured frames per second data reveals how this pairing behaves across four quality presets and three resolutions, and the results are instructive for understanding where each component’s limits lie.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor built on the TSMC 7 nm process, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3, which is substantial for a desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38,607 and a single-core score of 5,450, while its Geekbench multicore and single-core results are 12,084 and 2,211, respectively. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,810 and max-thread score of 11,597 indicate strong scaling across its many threads, though the single-thread score of 944 in 3DMark shows that per-core performance is more modest relative to the multicore might.

For Hitman 2, which is a stealth game that relies on AI-driven crowd and NPC simulation, the CPU’s multicore throughput is relevant. The game is not a pure single-thread workload, but it also does not fully utilize 32 threads. The measured data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 305 FPS, which is the highest value in the entire dataset. At that resolution and quality level, the CPU is likely the primary limiter, because the RTX 4090 is capable of far more than the game engine can request. The Ryzen 9 5950X’s 3.40 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide the necessary frequency headroom for such high frame rates, but the architectural efficiency of Zen 3, with its 7 nm process, is what allows the CPU to keep up with the GPU’s output. The CPU’s percentile rank of 93 among all CPUs indicates that it outperforms the vast majority of processors, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K (with an average score delta of -0.2%) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (delta -1.1%). These rivals have similar average benchmark scores, but the Ryzen’s 16-core layout gives it a distinct advantage in threaded workloads that Hitman 2 can leverage during busy scenes with many NPCs.

The fact that the 1080p Low preset reaches 305 FPS while the 1080p Ultra preset drops to 142 FPS shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher quality settings; rather, the GPU’s workload increases with each preset. The CPU’s role is to maintain a floor of performance, and the data indicates that floor is extremely high, as even the lowest FPS in the dataset (47.3 FPS at 4K Ultra) is well above playable thresholds.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and the balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset yields 305 FPS, Medium produces 251.5 FPS, High drops to 194.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 142 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs about 17.5% of the frame rate, while the jump from High to Ultra costs about 26.9%. For a 1080p display, the High preset at 194.2 FPS is a strong choice because it retains significant visual quality while still delivering frame rates far above any standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor’s refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 142 FPS is also viable for high-refresh displays, but the drop from High to Ultra is substantial for the visual gains.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low produces 212.5 FPS, Medium 160.7 FPS, High 119.5 FPS, and Ultra 89.6 FPS. Here, High at 119.5 FPS is the recommended preset for most users, as it provides a smooth experience on 120 Hz monitors while maintaining higher detail. The Ultra preset at 89.6 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the difference between High and Ultra in visual quality is marginal in many scenes, making High the more efficient choice. For 4K, the measured rows show Low at 116.7 FPS, Medium at 88 FPS, High at 63.5 FPS, and Ultra at 47.3 FPS. The High preset at 63.5 FPS is the only option that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best experience for 4K gaming without sacrificing too much quality. The Ultra preset at 47.3 FPS is below 60 FPS and may introduce noticeable stutter on standard displays, so High is the clear recommendation for 4K.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers a balanced middle ground, but the data suggests that High provides the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity. The RTX 4090’s raw power allows High to be playable even at 4K, which reflects its capabilities.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern at higher settings, but also shows the CPU’s influence at lower settings. At the Low preset, the frame rates are 305 FPS at 1080p, 212.5 FPS at 1440p, and 116.7 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 30.3% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 45.1%. This indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is still doing significant work, but the CPU is also contributing to the frame rate ceiling. The fact that 1080p Low hits 305 FPS suggests the CPU can sustain very high frame rates, but the GPU’s rendering load increases with resolution, pulling the frame rate down.

At the High preset, the frame rates are 194.2 FPS at 1080p, 119.5 FPS at 1440p, and 63.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 38.5%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46.9%. This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as resolution increases. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are ample for 4K textures, but the sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 demands more from the GPU’s compute units. The fact that High at 4K still maintains 63.5 FPS shows that the GPU is not overwhelmed, but it is clearly the bottleneck at that resolution.

At the Ultra preset, the frame rates are 142 FPS at 1080p, 89.6 FPS at 1440p, and 47.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 36.9%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 47.2%. This pattern is consistent with the High preset, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at Ultra settings across all resolutions. The CPU’s role diminishes as settings increase, because the GPU’s workload grows faster than the CPU’s. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo is CPU-bound, but by 4K Ultra, it is fully GPU-bound. This is expected for a high-end CPU paired with a flagship GPU, where the CPU provides a high frame rate floor and the GPU determines the ceiling at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 55th out of 1,795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 3.1% of all combos in the database, which is a strong result given the large number of tested configurations. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across the various resolution and settings rows, and this combo’s performance is consistently high across the board. The highest measured FPS of 305 at 1080p Low is among the top values in the dataset, and the lowest measured FPS of 47.3 at 4K Ultra is still above 45 FPS, which is a playable threshold for many users.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K with a delta of -0.2% in average benchmark score, are close in raw CPU performance, but the GPU’s dominance in this combo is what drives the ranking. The RTX 4090’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (delta -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (delta -0.9%), but those are workstation or older cards that do not match the RTX 4090’s gaming performance. The combo rank of 55 suggests that there are 54 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in Hitman 2, likely involving newer CPUs or more specialized configurations, but this pairing is still well above the median. The percentile ranks of 93 for the CPU and 91 for the GPU confirm that both components are in the top decile of their respective categories, which translates to a top-tier gaming experience.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, featuring 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and it has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 82.58 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is relevant for Hitman 2’s rendering features. The GPU’s percentile rank of 91 against all GPUs places it near the top of the database, and its average benchmark score of 66,473 is high, though its nearest rivals in the database are professional cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and Quadro P6000, which are not optimized for gaming.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s detailed environments, which include crowds, reflections, and lighting effects. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4090 excels at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 47.3 FPS. This is not a limitation of the GPU’s memory or bandwidth, as 24 GB of GDDR6X is more than sufficient for any game at 4K, but rather a reflection of the game’s engine demands at maximum settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz allows it to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 305 FPS at 1080p Low. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s indicate that the GPU has enormous raw throughput, which is why it can handle 4K High at 63.5 FPS without issue. The RTX 4090’s launch MSRP is 1,599 USD, but that figure is separate from its measured performance.

The GPU’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are not directly relevant to Hitman 2, as the game does not heavily utilize ray tracing in its default presets, but they contribute to the GPU’s overall compute capability. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, but it still delivers a playable frame rate, and at lower resolutions, the CPU is the bottleneck. This indicates that the RTX 4090 is a capable partner for the Ryzen 9 5950X, with neither component being significantly underutilized in this game’s workload.