Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + AMD Radeon 8060S

This mobile combo pairs a 16-core Zen 4 flagship CPU with a high-end integrated GPU based on RDNA 3.5, and the measured frame rates show a system that is capable but clearly constrained by graphics performance at higher resolutions. The data reveals a predictable pattern: the AMD Radeon 8060S handles 1080p very well, but 4K requires significant settings sacrifices to stay playable. The CPU side is exceptionally strong, never appearing to bottleneck in any tested configuration, while the GPU's shared-memory design and integrated nature dictate the experience at 1440p and beyond.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 90 FPS at 1920x1080 to 58 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 31 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% drop moving from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior — the workload quadruples in pixel count from 1080p to 4K, and the integrated GPU simply cannot keep pace with that demand.

Looking at Low settings, the trend is similar but the absolute numbers are higher. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo hits 159 FPS, which drops to 102 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still playable, but the gap between 1080p and 4K Low is 105 FPS — a 66% performance loss. The Medium preset shows the same shape: 119 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The min FPS values at Medium are worth noting: 101 at 1080p, 65 at 1440p, and 35 at 4K. Those minimums indicate that even the frame dips stay within a reasonable range, suggesting consistent performance rather than spikes and stutters.

The Ultra preset is where the resolution scaling becomes brutal. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 66 FPS, which is smooth. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 23 FPS. That 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for most users. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is a 65% loss, very similar to the Low preset's percentage drop. This consistency across presets reinforces that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw throughput, not any specific setting feature. The pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K is 4x, but the performance loss is roughly 2/3, which indicates the GPU is not scaling linearly — it's hitting memory bandwidth or shader limits rather than pure fill-rate walls.

The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo in Hitman 2 if you want to maintain 60+ FPS, and that requires Low or Medium settings. At 1080p, the system is genuinely capable of high-refresh gaming, with Low hitting 159 FPS and Medium at 119 FPS. The 4K results are mostly academic for competitive play, though 4K Low at 54 FPS is usable for slower, stealth-oriented playthroughs where reaction time matters less.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76212. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, scores 76155 — a delta of just 0.1%, meaning these two are effectively tied. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX both score slightly higher at 76492 and 76513 respectively, but the deltas are -0.4% in both cases, which is within noise. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 75779, putting the 8945HX 0.6% ahead.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is mostly about maintaining frame pacing and handling AI, physics, and game logic. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 159 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would stress many desktop CPUs. The fact that the integrated GPU can push that many frames without the CPU holding it back indicates the 8945HX has ample headroom. The single-threaded performance is also strong, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6030 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3907. Hitman 2 is not particularly CPU-heavy compared to simulation titles, but it does benefit from strong single-core performance for its stealth AI and crowd systems.

The multi-threaded capabilities of the 8945HX are substantial — Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 42713, and Passmark multithread scores 51405. These numbers suggest that even if Hitman 2 were to use additional threads for background tasks or streaming, the CPU would not break a sweat. The L3 cache is 64 MB, which is generous for a mobile chip and helps with game world data. The CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant for a game like Hitman 2, which has moments of heavy single-threaded load during NPC interactions and stealth calculations.

The fact that the 8945HX sits at the 95th percentile of all CPUs means it is among the top 5% of processors ever tested on this site. For a mobile part, that is remarkable. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is paired with the Radeon 8060S as an integrated GPU, but the CPU itself has its own integrated graphics — the Radeon 610M — which is not used in this configuration. The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel, providing 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth. For a game like Hitman 2, which streams large level data, that bandwidth is adequate and not a limiting factor in the measured results.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is the integrated GPU in this combo, based on the Strix Halo chip with RDNA 3.5 architecture on a 4 nm process. It has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 40 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 1295 MHz with a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU's memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the CPU's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical design choice that affects performance, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth demand increases.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 55757. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which scores 55698, a delta of 0.1% — essentially identical. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 scores 56083, putting the 8060S 0.6% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which the 8060S beats by 1.7%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scores 54247, meaning the 8060S is 2.8% ahead. These rival comparisons are based on average benchmark scores, not gaming-specific tests, so they provide context for overall compute capability rather than direct Hitman 2 comparisons.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's performance is the defining factor of this combo. The FP32 throughput is 14.85 TFLOPS, which is respectable for a mobile integrated solution, but the shared memory system creates a bottleneck at high resolutions. The pixel rate is 185.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 464.0 GTexel/s, which are strong numbers on paper. However, the "System Dependent" memory bandwidth means the actual performance is tied to the CPU's dual-channel DDR5, which provides 83.2 GB/s. Dedicated GPUs with GDDR6 or GDDR6X memory typically have bandwidth in the hundreds of GB/s, so this is a significant limitation.

The measured FPS data reflects this. At 1080p Medium, the GPU delivers 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS. That's a solid result for an integrated GPU. At 1080p High, it drops to 90 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, 66 FPS. These are all playable numbers. The 1440p results show the GPU starting to struggle: 76 FPS at Medium, 58 FPS at High, and 43 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results are where the shared memory becomes a clear liability: 41 FPS at Medium, 31 FPS at High, and 23 FPS at Ultra. The gap between 1440p Medium and 4K Medium is 35 FPS, which is a 46% drop — larger than the resolution scaling alone would suggest, indicating memory bandwidth saturation.

The GPU's boost clock of 2900 MHz is high, and it likely sustains that in lighter scenes. The fact that Hitman 2 is a 2018 title with manageable graphics demands helps — a newer, more demanding game would likely show worse results. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility mean it can handle modern rendering features, but the hardware limits are clear. For this game, the Radeon 8060S behaves like a mid-range desktop GPU from a few generations ago, with the caveat that its performance degrades more sharply at high resolutions due to memory sharing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At 1080p, the combo achieves 159 FPS on Low, 119 FPS on Medium, and 90 FPS on High, all of which are smooth. At 1440p, only Low (102 FPS) and Medium (76 FPS) maintain 60+ FPS, while 4K requires Low settings to hit 54 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. The measured results show 4K Low averages 54 FPS, which is playable, and 4K Medium averages 41 FPS. 4K High drops to 31 FPS, and 4K Ultra is 23 FPS, both of which are below ideal playability. The 4K Medium result has a minimum FPS of 35, indicating occasional dips.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, placing it in the 95th percentile. It is effectively tied with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which scores 76155 (0.1% delta). It trails the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX by 0.4% each, and it is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

Q: How does the Radeon 8060S compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The 8060S has an average benchmark score of 55757, placing it in the 87th percentile. It is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which scores 55698 (0.1% delta). It is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, and it leads the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.7% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 by 2.8%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Hitman 2?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at all resolutions. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs with 16 cores and a 5.40 GHz boost clock, and it shows no signs of limiting frame rates. The GPU, despite being in the 87th percentile, is an integrated solution with shared memory, which limits its performance at higher resolutions.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: At 1440p, the measured averages are 102 FPS on Low, 76 FPS on Medium, 58 FPS on High, and 43 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 65, which means it stays above 60 FPS in most scenes. High and Ultra will dip below 60 FPS, so Medium is the recommended preset for consistent 60+ FPS at 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + AMD Radeon 8060S combo ranks 1739 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. That places it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems — slightly below the median. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component strengths. The CPU is in the 95th percentile and the GPU is in the 87th percentile, yet the combined system ranks near the middle of the pack. This discrepancy highlights how the integrated GPU's shared memory limits gaming performance relative to its compute benchmarks.

The rank of 1739 out of 3001 means there are 1262 combos that perform worse and 1738 that perform better. For a mobile system with an integrated GPU, this is a reasonable result. The combo outranks roughly 42% of all tested systems, which includes many desktop configurations with dedicated GPUs. The fact that an integrated solution lands in the upper half of all tested combos speaks to the strength of the RDNA 3.5 architecture and the high-power design of the 8060S.

In the context of Hitman 2 specifically, this combo's ranking reflects the game's moderate GPU demands. Hitman 2 is not a particularly heavy title by modern standards, which allows the integrated GPU to perform better than it would in a newer, more demanding game. The combo's rank would likely be lower in a more graphically intensive title. The CPU's high performance does not translate directly into a higher combo rank because the game is GPU-bound in most scenarios. The 1739 rank is a useful data point for comparing this mobile combo against a wide range of systems, but the per-resolution FPS data is more actionable for making settings decisions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Hitman 2 experience on this combo. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. It averages 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS, which means the experience is consistently smooth with no dips below 100 FPS. The High preset at 1080p averages 90 FPS, which is still excellent, but the 29 FPS gap between Medium and High is significant. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 66 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game where stealth and precision matter. For 1080p users, Medium is the recommended preset — it provides 119 FPS and leaves headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best choice. It averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS, which keeps the experience above 60 FPS in almost all situations. The Low preset at 1440p hits 102 FPS, which is smoother, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. The High preset at 1440p averages 58 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold and may cause noticeable stutter in crowded areas. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 43 FPS, which is too low for comfortable play. For 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset because it maintains 60+ FPS while retaining acceptable visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the options are more limited. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that approaches playability. The Medium preset at 4K averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which is marginal. The High preset at 4K averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS — both are effectively unplayable for most users. If you must play at 4K, the Low preset is the only reasonable choice, providing 54 FPS. For the best overall experience with this combo, the data strongly suggests sticking to 1080p or 1440p with the Medium preset. This combination delivers high frame rates with consistent minimums, which is the most important factor for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, where frame drops can ruin precise timing and movement.