Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 places 23rd out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2, putting it in the top 1.3% of all configurations in the database. This is an exceptionally strong result, though not the absolute pinnacle, indicating that a handful of other CPU-GPU pairings extract slightly more frame rate from this particular title. The ranking reflects a combination that is clearly capable of running Hitman 2 at very high performance levels across all tested resolutions.

The CPU itself sits at the 93rd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 49,062. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 49,166 (a delta of -0.2%), and the Intel Core i5-14600KF at 49,367 (-0.6%). On the other side, the AMD EPYC 4345P posts 49,595 (-1.1%) and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H reaches 48,698 (+0.7%). These deltas are all within roughly one percentage point, meaning the Ryzen 9 5950X is statistically indistinguishable from these competitors in general compute workloads — the differences are negligible for gaming purposes.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090 sits at the 94th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D at 84,241 (delta 0.1%), followed by the RTX 5050 Mobile at 84,171 (0.2%) and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 at 83,209 (1.3%). The NVIDIA CMP 40HX trails slightly at 85,637 (-1.6%). The RTX 5090's position here underscores that it is among the fastest GPUs available, though the margin over these specific rivals is slim in synthetic benchmarks.

The combo's 23rd-place finish in Hitman 2 suggests that while the hardware is elite, the game's engine may not fully saturate the capabilities of either component, or that certain other pairings have a slight edge in this specific workload. The data indicates a high-performing duo that should deliver smooth gameplay, but the ranking also hints that there is headroom for other configurations to edge ahead.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, while memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These specifications give the card a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the measured frames across settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 50.8 FPS average, which is the lowest figure recorded. This is a demanding configuration for the card, and the data suggests that the RTX 5090's raw throughput is being taxed heavily at this extreme setting. The GPU's 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what Hitman 2 requires, even at 4K, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor; instead, the rendering workload itself drives the frame rate down.

The card's high boost clock and massive shader count (21,760 shading units) are what enable it to push 308.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The architecture's efficiency at lower resolutions and settings is evident in the scaling, where the GPU is clearly the dominant component. At 4K High, the card still manages 66.3 FPS, showing that it can handle high-fidelity rendering at ultra-high resolutions, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K (119.5 vs 50.8 FPS) highlights how much headroom the settings menu controls.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of how this combo scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 308.9 FPS average. Moving to Medium drops it to 258.1 FPS, High to 196 FPS, and Ultra to 144.7 FPS. At 1440p, the same progression yields 223 FPS Low, 169.5 FPS Medium, 127.9 FPS High, and 94.4 FPS Ultra. At 4K, the numbers fall to 119.5 FPS Low, 90.8 FPS Medium, 66.3 FPS High, and 50.8 FPS Ultra.

The resolution scaling indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly the bottleneck as resolution rises. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the frame rate drops by 61.3% (308.9 to 119.5 FPS). From 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the drop is 64.9% (144.7 to 50.8 FPS). This consistent decline — roughly a 60-65% reduction across all settings when moving from 1080p to 4K — points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames at 1080p, but the RTX 5090's workload scales with pixel count.

At 1080p, the combo is clearly CPU-bound in some scenarios, as evidenced by the 308.9 FPS Low result — a figure that suggests the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output. However, by 4K, the GPU's rendering load dominates, and the CPU's influence diminishes. The data shows that for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p or 1440p with lower settings delivers the highest frame rates, while 4K is reserved for visual fidelity at more modest FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 196 FPS average offers a strong balance, delivering well above the 144 Hz threshold commonly found in high-refresh monitors. The Ultra preset at 144.7 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, and it provides the maximum visual quality without dropping below that refresh rate. For 1440p, High at 127.9 FPS is recommended for 120 Hz displays, while Ultra at 94.4 FPS suits 60-100 Hz monitors. At 4K, High at 66.3 FPS is the best choice for a 60 Hz display, as it provides a smooth experience with high fidelity; Ultra at 50.8 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid on higher refresh panels.

The Low preset at 4K (119.5 FPS) is not advisable for visual quality, but it demonstrates the combo's ability to push high frame rates even at ultra-high resolution if needed. Medium at 4K (90.8 FPS) is a compromise for 60 Hz displays with better visuals than Low. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot across all resolutions, offering a significant performance uplift over Ultra (about 30% at 4K, 35% at 1440p, and 35% at 1080p) while maintaining much of the visual polish. For users prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, Medium delivers a solid boost — 78.6% over Ultra at 4K, 79.6% at 1440p, and 78.3% at 1080p — making it a strong choice for high-refresh gaming.

FAQ

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 23rd out of 1,795 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.3% of configurations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 5950X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 49,062, which is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-14600K (49,166), 0.6% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367), 1.1% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P (49,595), and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698).

Q: What is the best frame rate achievable at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 308.9 FPS average. The High preset delivers 196 FPS, and Ultra drops to 144.7 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration impact performance?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. This far exceeds Hitman 2's requirements, so memory size is not a limiting factor; the rendering workload itself determines performance.

Q: Is the combo CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 4K?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the limiting component. The frame rate drops by 61-65% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, indicating that the RTX 5090's pixel throughput is the bottleneck rather than the Ryzen 9 5950X.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best experience at 1440p?

A: High at 2560x1440 gives 127.9 FPS average, which is well-suited for 120 Hz displays. Ultra delivers 94.4 FPS, appropriate for 60-100 Hz monitors, while Low at 223 FPS is excessive for most displays.