Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a wide performance envelope in Hitman 2, scaling from high-refresh-rate 1080p play to demanding 4K Ultra settings. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy where resolution and preset choices dramatically alter the experience, with the system ranking in the 72nd percentile of all tested combinations for this title. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, examines the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides actionable recommendations based on the data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 227 FPS, indicating the CPU and GPU are both operating at high efficiency with minimal graphical load. Moving to Medium at 1080p drops the average to 170 FPS, and High settings yield 128 FPS. This relatively modest decline from Low to High at 1080p suggests the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately, though the 99 FPS gap between Low and Ultra (227 vs 95) shows the GPU workload is already increasing significantly.

At 2560x1440, the scaling becomes steeper. Low settings produce 145 FPS, which is a 36% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium drops to 109 FPS, High to 82 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a 46 FPS loss (128 to 82), indicating the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as pixel count rises. The data shows this trend continues at 4K, where the demands on the RTX 3080’s 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become pronounced.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens considerably. Low settings achieve 77 FPS, Medium 58 FPS, High 44 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 45 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap but at much lower absolute numbers. The step from 1440p High (82 FPS) to 4K High (44 FPS) represents a 46% reduction, confirming that resolution scaling is nearly linear for this GPU. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth, indicating the RTX 3080 is fully saturated at this extreme setting. The data strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU’s 12 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than adequate to keep frame rates high.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The highest measured average is 227 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the system has substantial headroom at lower graphical loads.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K with Low settings, the average is 77 FPS, and at Medium it is 58 FPS. High and Ultra settings fall to 44 FPS and 32 FPS respectively, so 60 FPS is only achievable at Low settings or by reducing resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 128 at 1080p High to 82 at 1440p High, a loss of 46 FPS or approximately 36%. This indicates a significant GPU workload increase from the higher pixel count.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 109 FPS average, while Ultra produces 61 FPS. This 48 FPS difference (44% reduction) shows the heavy cost of Ultra presets on the RTX 3080.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game based on the data?

A: The data shows the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 227 FPS result suggests strong CPU performance, but at 4K Ultra the 32 FPS average points to the RTX 3080 struggling with the graphical load.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 49 FPS at 4K, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 144 FPS at 1080p. These minimums indicate frame pacing stability at this preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings substantial processing power to Hitman 2, a game that can leverage multiple threads for AI, physics, and world simulation. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the CPU has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The 128 MB of L3 cache is particularly relevant for gaming workloads, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access patterns. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs tested.

The data from Hitman 2 suggests the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, except possibly at very high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the 227 FPS average demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently without introducing a frame rate ceiling. The Passmark multithread score of 56154 and the 3DMark max threads score of 13795 further indicate strong parallel processing capabilities. However, the Passmark single-thread score of 4646 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 show that per-core performance is also robust, which is important for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 1.3% higher, and the Intel Core i7-14700F, which scores 2.1% higher. These differences are minor in synthetic tests, but in gaming, the 9900X3D’s large L3 cache can provide an advantage. In Hitman 2, the measured FPS at 1080p Low (227 FPS) versus 1440p Low (145 FPS) shows a 36% drop, indicating that while the CPU handles the draw calls and game logic easily, the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s on DDR5 dual-channel memory is sufficient for the game’s data streaming needs, as evidenced by the stable performance across resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and playable frame rates. For a 60 FPS target, the system can achieve this at 1080p with Ultra settings (95 FPS average), 1440p with High settings (82 FPS average), and 4K with Low settings (77 FPS average). If the goal is to maximize visual fidelity while maintaining smooth gameplay, 1440p High appears to be the sweet spot, offering 82 FPS with substantial graphical improvements over Low settings.

For players with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, the Medium preset at 170 FPS and High preset at 128 FPS both provide excellent experiences. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 95 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and allows for some headroom. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 109 FPS is a strong choice for competitive play, while the High preset at 82 FPS balances quality and speed. The Ultra preset at 1440p (61 FPS) is borderline, sitting just above 60 FPS but leaving little margin for drops.

At 4K, the recommendations are more constrained. The Low preset at 77 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, while the Medium preset at 58 FPS is close but may dip below 60 in demanding scenes (minimum FPS is 49). The High preset at 44 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS are best suited for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate smoothness. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings shows 49 FPS at 4K, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 144 FPS at 1080p, which suggests that Medium is a stable preset across all resolutions, with the 1080p and 1440p results offering substantial margins above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Hitman 2, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 840th out of 3001 tested combos. This places the system in the 72nd percentile of all configurations tested for this game, indicating it performs better than the majority of systems but is not in the top tier. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the data shows that the system is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions but falls behind at 4K Ultra due to the GPU’s limitations.

The CPU itself ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, which is significantly higher than the combo’s overall game rank. This discrepancy suggests that the GPU is holding back the system in Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The RTX 3080 ranks in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU’s percentile, reinforcing the idea that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing for this game. The combo rank of 840 out of 3001 means that roughly 28% of tested configurations perform better in Hitman 2, likely those with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3090 or newer cards.

When comparing to the CPU’s synthetic rivals, the 9900X3D’s average benchmark score of 54762 is slightly below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093, which is 0.6% higher) but above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053, which is 1.3% lower). These differences are small and unlikely to cause major FPS variations in Hitman 2, as the game’s performance is more dependent on the GPU at the tested resolutions. The combo’s rank suggests that while the CPU is excellent, the overall system performance is limited by the RTX 3080’s 10 GB memory and 320 W TDP, which may not be sufficient for the most demanding 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 227 FPS average, Medium 170 FPS (with a minimum of 144 and maximum of 195), High 128 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, showing a 51 FPS range that indicates some frame variability.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 145 FPS, Medium to 109 FPS (minimum 92, maximum 125), High to 82 FPS, and Ultra to 61 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 33 FPS is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting slightly more stable frame pacing at this resolution. The High setting at 1440p shows a 36% reduction from 1080p High, which is a significant but expected decline given the 1.78x increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 77 FPS, Medium 58 FPS (minimum 49, maximum 67), High 44 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 18 FPS is the narrowest of all resolutions, indicating that the GPU is more consistently loaded at 4K. The step from Medium to High at 4K is a 14 FPS drop (24%), while the step from High to Ultra is a 12 FPS drop (27%). These incremental decreases show that each settings tier has a measurable impact on performance, with the Ultra preset being particularly demanding on the RTX 3080.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of Hitman 2’s graphical performance, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. The GPU features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, running at a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s demonstrate its raw computational capability.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 3080 shows its strengths at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings. However, the 4K results reveal the GPU’s limitations. The 32 FPS average at 4K Ultra is particularly telling, as it indicates that the 10 GB VRAM may be insufficient for the highest quality textures at this resolution, or that the GPU’s compute units are fully saturated. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 25086 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are notably less powerful cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and the NVIDIA P106-100, which have much lower specifications.

The RTX 3080’s performance in Hitman 2 is consistent with its hardware profile. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames quickly enough to keep up with the CPU’s draw call processing, resulting in 227 FPS at Low settings. At 4K, the pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s becomes a limiting factor, as the GPU must process over four times as many pixels as at 1080p. The memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s is also strained at 4K Ultra, where large texture sets and high-quality effects demand more data throughput. The GPU’s TDP of 320 W and suggested PSU of 700 W indicate that it draws significant power, but the benchmark results show that this power translates into performance primarily at lower resolutions. For players seeking higher 4K frame rates, the data suggests that reducing settings to Medium or Low is necessary, as the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS at High or Ultra in this title.