Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing produces a predictable pattern in Hitman 2: the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution climbs, while the CPU’s substantial thread count ensures headroom at lower settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveal a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1080p play but struggles to maintain fluid motion at 4K Ultra. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, component roles, and optimal settings based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent, indicating a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 98.5 at 1080p to 65.8 at 1440p, a reduction of 33.2 FPS, and then to 34.8 at 4K, a further drop of 31.0 FPS. This halving of performance from 1440p to 4K strongly suggests that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the increased pixel count.

Looking at Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The system achieves 169.8 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 110.2 at 1440p and then to 58.9 at 4K. The fact that 4K Low (58.9 FPS) is nearly identical to 1440p High (65.8 FPS) highlights how much headroom the CPU provides; the Ryzen 9 9900X is not the bottleneck here. Instead, the data implies that the RTX 4060’s raw shading power, rated at 15.11 TFLOPS FP32, is the limiting factor, as lowering settings does not fully compensate for the resolution increase.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (169.8 FPS) and Ultra (74.7 FPS) is 95.1 FPS. At 4K, that gap narrows to 33.1 FPS (58.9 vs 25.8). This compression suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings cannot escape the GPU’s pixel throughput ceiling, whereas at 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to make settings changes more impactful.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pair holds a combo rank of 997 out of 1795 for Hitman 2. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is surprising given the high-end CPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X ranks in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, while the RTX 4060 sits in the 66th percentile for GPUs. The data suggests that the GPU’s lower percentile is dragging the overall combo ranking down, as the CPU is clearly capable of more.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 54681, which is just 0.4% higher, making the performance difference negligible. The Intel Core i7-14700F is 0.7% behind, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.5% ahead. These sub-2% deltas indicate that the CPU choice among these models would not materially change the Hitman 2 experience.

For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with an average score 0.6% higher, and the Intel Arc B580 is 0.7% behind. These tiny margins suggest that the RTX 4060 is competitively positioned in its class, but its 66th percentile ranking shows it is not a top-tier performer. The combination’s mid-pack rank (997th) reflects a system where the CPU is overqualified for the GPU’s capabilities in this title.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X brings 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This is a powerful processor, and its benchmark scores confirm this. In Cinebench R23, it scores 46438 multicore and 6555 single-core, while in Geekbench it reaches 19827 multicore and 3341 single-core. These numbers indicate exceptional multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

In Hitman 2, a game from 2018, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain a high minimum frame rate and to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 169.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this title. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra still achieves 74.7 FPS suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor even with more demanding settings. The 24 threads are likely underutilized, as Hitman 2 is not known for heavy multi-threading, but the high single-core performance (6555 in Cinebench R23) ensures that the game’s primary simulation thread runs efficiently.

The CPU’s 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game’s AI and physics systems. The data implies that the 9900X is never the bottleneck in these tests; the GPU is the clear constraint, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 169.8 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 997 out of 1795 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the middle of the database.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as even Low settings (58.9 FPS) cannot reach 60 FPS, while the CPU is capable of much higher scores.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 110.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 47.9 FPS, a difference of 62.3 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s high core count benefit Hitman 2?

A: The 12 cores and 24 threads are likely underutilized, but the high single-core performance (6555 in Cinebench R23) is more critical for this game’s engine.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 42.9.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this pairing. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, it has a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it features 3072 shading units. The GPU’s percentile ranking is 66th, and its average benchmark score is 23181, with nearest rivals like the Intel Arc B580 (0.7% behind) and AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% ahead) showing it is a mid-tier card.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s VRAM capacity is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 25.8, which is barely playable. The 8 GB frame buffer is likely exhausted at this resolution and settings, causing a significant performance hit. Even at 4K High (34.8 FPS), the system struggles, indicating that the GPU is not designed for 4K gaming in this title.

The GPU’s performance scaling is more linear with settings than with resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 95.1, but at 4K, the reduction is only 33.1. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overloaded that changing settings has diminishing returns. The data points to the RTX 4060 being a solid 1080p and capable 1440p card, but not a 4K solution.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience, the data suggests that 1920x1080 with High settings (98.5 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality. If a higher refresh rate is desired, Low settings at 1080p (169.8 FPS) provide an extremely fluid experience, but with a notable visual downgrade.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings (84.7 FPS) offer a good balance, while High (65.8 FPS) is still playable. Ultra at 1440p (47.9 FPS) dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for fast-paced action.

For 4K, the data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for high settings. Low settings (58.9 FPS) are the only playable option, and even then, the frame rate is below 60 FPS. Medium (42.9 FPS) and High (34.8 FPS) are not recommended, while Ultra (25.8 FPS) is effectively unplayable. The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p High for quality or 1440p Medium for a balance of resolution and speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 169.8 (Low) to 74.7 (Ultra), with Medium at 129.1 and High at 98.5. This resolution provides the full range of playable settings, with all presets above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 110.2 (Low), 84.7 (Medium), 65.8 (High), and 47.9 (Ultra). The drop from High to Ultra is 17.9 FPS, showing a steep cost for the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 58.9 (Low), 42.9 (Medium), 34.8 (High), and 25.8 (Ultra). No setting at 4K reaches 60 FPS, confirming the GPU’s limitations. The difference between Low and Medium is 16.0 FPS, and between Medium and High is 8.1 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.