Hitman 2

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture and fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, drawing a 170 W TDP and fitting into the AMD Socket AM5 platform. The chip carries 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 64 MB L3 cache, with dual-channel DDR5 memory support and a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. It also includes Radeon integrated graphics, though this game's benchmarking relies on the discrete GPU.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is substantial but not dominant at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 365 FPS, which is the highest measured average across the entire dataset. This indicates that the Ryzen 9 7900X's multi-threaded throughput — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29,300 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 12,536 — is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower graphical loads. The processor's single-thread performance, reflected in a Geekbench single-core score of 2,617 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,016.5, ensures that per-core responsiveness is strong, which matters for the game's simulation and AI logic.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 7900X sits in a tight pack. Its average benchmark score of 53,288 places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P (53,206), 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon 634 (52,974), but 0.3% behind the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469) and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-14700F (53,620). The 7900X holds the 91st percentile among all CPUs, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general compute tasks, though these rival deltas are marginal in absolute terms.

For Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU's impact is visible when comparing the Low settings results across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 365, which drops to 234 at 1440p Low and further to 124 at 4K Low. This scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at Low settings; rather, the GPU is increasingly constrained as resolution rises. The Ryzen 9 7900X's 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for the game's engine, which is not known for extreme multi-threading demands. The passmark multi-thread score of 51,406 and the passmark physics score of 3,060 further support the notion that this processor can handle the game's physics and logic without becoming a limiting factor, even when frame rates exceed 300 FPS at 1080p.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the GB202 chip. It packs 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores across a 750 mm² die with 92,200 million transistors. The card operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU supports PCIe 5.0 x16, has a 575 W TDP, and comes with dual-slot cooling and a single 16-pin power connector, requiring a suggested 950 W PSU.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 5090 D's raw compute power is the dominant factor at higher settings and resolutions. The card's FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s translate directly into the ability to push high frame rates even at 4K. The benchmark data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo averages 52 FPS, which is playable but not silky smooth, while at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 153 FPS. The 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what Hitman 2 requires — the game's engine is from 2018 and does not have the texture complexity to stress even a fraction of that capacity — but the memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s helps maintain consistent frame pacing in complex scenes.

The RTX 5090 D's benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, which is 1.6% faster), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, 2.1% faster), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, 2.4% faster), while it sits 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904). These deltas are small, but the 5090 D's gaming performance is distinct from its compute benchmark standing, as the game's workload favors the card's dedicated rasterization and RT hardware.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the FPS deltas between settings at each resolution. At 4K, moving from Low (124 FPS) to Medium (93 FPS) to High (71 FPS) to Ultra (52 FPS) shows a steady decline of roughly 25% per tier, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as settings increase. At 1080p, the same progression from Low (365 FPS) to Medium (274 FPS) to High (207 FPS) to Ultra (153 FPS) shows similar percentage drops, but the absolute frame rates are much higher, suggesting that the CPU has more headroom to push frames once the GPU load is reduced.

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

The measured FPS data reveals clear resolution scaling patterns that indicate which component is the bottleneck at each configuration. Starting with Low settings, the average FPS drops from 365 at 1080p to 234 at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 124 at 4K, a further 47% reduction. This steep decline at 4K Low suggests that the GPU is heavily loaded even at minimal graphical fidelity, while the CPU's 12 cores are not being fully utilized at lower resolutions — the 365 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game's engine.

For Medium settings, the FPS scales from 274 at 1080p to 175 at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 93 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions once the settings demand more shading and texture work. At High settings, the pattern continues: 207 FPS at 1080p, 132 at 1440p (a 36% drop), and 71 at 4K (a 46% drop). The near-identical percentage reductions suggest a predictable scaling curve tied directly to pixel count and GPU fill rate.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The average FPS falls from 153 at 1080p to 98 at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 52 at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This consistent ~36% and ~47% scaling pattern across all settings is a strong indicator that the RTX 5090 D's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s is the determining factor. The 1080p Ultra result of 153 FPS is still very high, which confirms that the GPU has substantial headroom at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS shows that even this flagship card is challenged by the combination of resolution and maximum settings.

The data also shows that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at any resolution above 1080p Low. At 4K Low, the 124 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the scaling from 1440p Low (234 FPS) to 4K Low (124 FPS) is a 47% drop that aligns with the pixel count increase from 3.7 million to 8.3 million, which is a 2.25x increase. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and its processing cores are the limiting factor, not the CPU's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s or its 24 threads.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this combo for maximum frame rate?

A: The 1080p Low setting yields the highest average FPS at 365, which is the top measured result. For a balance of visuals and speed, 1440p High at 132 FPS or 1080p Ultra at 153 FPS are strong options, while 4K Ultra is the most demanding at 52 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904), but 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940), 2.1% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396), and 2.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605).

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: The data suggests no, except potentially at 1080p Low where the CPU may be near its limit. At 4K Low, the combo still achieves 124 FPS, and at 1080p High it hits 207 FPS, indicating the GPU is the main constraint at most settings. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs supports its capability.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 233 and the maximum is 315. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 149 and the maximum is 201. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 79 and the maximum is 107. These are the only settings with recorded min/max values in the data.

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

A: The 1080p Low average of 365 FPS is approximately 7 times higher than the 4K Ultra average of 52 FPS. This represents a massive gap driven by both resolution pixel count and settings complexity.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM matter for Hitman 2?

A: No, the game's 2018 engine does not require anywhere near that capacity. The 32 GB is overkill for this title, but the card's 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth helps maintain consistent performance, as seen in the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset delivers 153 FPS, which is well above the standard 144 Hz refresh rate, making it the best choice for maximum visual fidelity without compromising smoothness. The High preset at 207 FPS is also excellent for 240 Hz monitors, while Medium at 274 FPS and Low at 365 FPS are better suited for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate panels.

At 1440p, the High preset at 132 FPS is the recommended sweet spot, as it provides a high frame rate that aligns with 144 Hz displays while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is ideal for 165 Hz or 180 Hz monitors, but the visual downgrade from High may not be worth the extra 43 FPS. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS is still playable and offers the best image quality, but the drop below 100 FPS may be noticeable to sensitive users. The Low preset at 234 FPS is excessive for most 1440p monitors, which rarely exceed 240 Hz.

For 4K, the High preset at 71 FPS is the best overall experience, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while delivering solid visual quality. The Medium preset at 93 FPS is a strong alternative for those prioritizing frame rate, though the reduction in shadows, textures, and effects is visible on a large screen. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while the Low preset at 124 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the gain in speed. The data shows that High at 4K is the most balanced choice, offering a 37% improvement over Ultra (71 vs 52 FPS) with only a modest reduction in settings.

The measured min/max data for Medium settings provides additional insight: at 1080p, the range is 233-315 FPS (a variance of 82 FPS), at 1440p it is 149-201 FPS (a variance of 52 FPS), and at 4K it is 79-107 FPS (a variance of 28 FPS). This decreasing variance at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing, which is a point in favor of 4K Medium and High for players sensitive to frame time spikes. For most users, 1440p High or 4K High will provide the best experience per the measured rows, depending on display capability.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Hitman 2 is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 365 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 274 FPS, Minimum 233 FPS, Maximum 315 FPS
• High: Average 207 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 153 FPS (no min/max recorded)

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 234 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 175 FPS, Minimum 149 FPS, Maximum 201 FPS
• High: Average 132 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 98 FPS (no min/max recorded)

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 124 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 93 FPS, Minimum 79 FPS, Maximum 107 FPS
• High: Average 71 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 52 FPS (no min/max recorded)

The data reveals a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the FPS drops by approximately 25-30% when moving from Low to Medium, another 20-25% from Medium to High, and another 25-30% from High to Ultra. For example, at 1080p, the progression is 365 → 274 → 207 → 153, which represents drops of 25%, 24%, and 26% respectively. At 1440p, the progression is 234 → 175 → 132 → 98, with drops of 25%, 25%, and 26%. At 4K, the progression is 124 → 93 → 71 → 52, with drops of 25%, 24%, and 27%. This consistency across all resolutions and settings confirms that the GPU's processing power is the uniform limiting factor, with no unexpected bottlenecks emerging at any configuration.

The combo ranks 1st out of 3,001 tested combinations in this game, which underscores the exceptional performance of this pairing. The data is measured, not estimated, ensuring accuracy. The 1080p Low result of 365 FPS is the standout figure, as it pushes beyond what most high-refresh monitors can display (360 Hz is the current top end for consumer panels), making it effectively a ceiling for the game's engine on this hardware. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the lowest measured, but it remains playable, and the 4K High result of 71 FPS is a comfortable 60+ FPS experience that most users would find smooth. The Medium settings at each resolution offer the only min/max data, and the variance shrinks from 82 FPS at 1080p to 28 FPS at 4K, indicating that higher resolutions yield more stable frame delivery.