Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 791st out of 3,001 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 26% of all tested systems. This is a curious result for a flagship mobile CPU and a high-end desktop GPU — the combination sits well above the median but not among the elite performers. The data suggests that Hitman 2, a 2018 stealth title, presents unique bottlenecks that prevent this hardware from reaching its full potential. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently playable but occasionally struggles at the highest fidelity settings, particularly at 4K Ultra where average FPS drops to just 33.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 791 out of 3,001 tested combinations places it in the 73.6th percentile of all tested systems for this game. This is a strong showing, but the position is lower than what the individual component benchmarks might suggest. The CPU sits at the 95th percentile versus all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 77,740, while the GPU is at the 87th percentile versus all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 56,083. The gap between component percentiles and the in-game combo rank indicates that Hitman 2 does not scale perfectly with raw compute power.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals provides context: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX scores 76,513 (1.6% lower), the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P scores 76,492 (1.6% lower), the Intel Core i9-14900K scores 79,097 (1.7% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 76,212 (2% lower). The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 16 cores and 32 threads at 3.00 GHz base and 5.10 GHz boost sits competitively among these desktop-class processors, yet its mobile-oriented design with 55W TDP may influence sustained performance in gaming scenarios.

For the GPU, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals are surprisingly close: the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (2.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57,367 (2.2% higher). The RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 56,083 shows it is only marginally ahead of its nearest competitors in general benchmarks, which may explain why the in-game ranking is not higher than it is.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a GPU that has close rivals creates a scenario where the overall system performance in Hitman 2 is good but not exceptional. The game's age and engine characteristics likely favor certain hardware configurations over raw benchmark dominance.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest GPU rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 56,083 on average, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55,757 and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2% (57,367) and leads the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 2.3% (54,828).

Q: What is the best playable frame rate at 4K resolution for this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 79 average FPS, Medium delivers 60 average FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 68, High delivers 45 average FPS, and Ultra delivers 33 average FPS. The Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 35,314 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 20,992 in Geekbench multi-core. Its average benchmark score of 77,740 is 1.6% above the Threadripper PRO 9945WX and EPYC Embedded 8224P, 1.7% below the Core i9-14900K, and 2% above the Ryzen 9 8945HX.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2 at all tested settings?

A: The measured data shows playable frame rates at all resolutions and settings, indicating that 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient. Even at 4K Ultra, the system produces 33 average FPS, which is low but functional.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the system achieves 132 average FPS. At 2560x1440 High, it achieves 84 average FPS. This represents a 36.4% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings.

Q: Does the combo show better scaling from Low to Ultra at lower resolutions?

A: At 1080p, the difference between Low (233 FPS) and Ultra (97 FPS) is 136 FPS. At 1440p, the difference between Low (149 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) is 87 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (79 FPS) and Ultra (33 FPS) is 46 FPS. The absolute performance gap narrows as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how performance scales across three resolutions. At Low settings, the system achieves 233 FPS at 1080p, 149 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates, and the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as resolution climbs.

At Medium settings, the pattern continues: 175 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 46% from 1440p to 4K, nearly identical to Low settings. This consistency indicates that the game's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count.

High settings show 132 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The drops are 36% and 46% respectively, maintaining the same pattern. Ultra settings show 97 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K, with drops of 36% and 47%.

The consistent percentage scaling across all settings suggests that resolution is the dominant factor in performance, with the GPU's workload increasing linearly with pixel count. The RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth handle the increased memory pressure at higher resolutions, but the raw compute requirements at 4K push the GPU to its limits.

This scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component at lower resolutions is likely the CPU, as the system can reach 233 FPS at 1080p Low, which is well above typical display refresh rates. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the dramatic drop to 33 FPS at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Low at 233 FPS, Medium at 175 FPS, High at 132 FPS, and Ultra at 97 FPS. The Medium preset with 175 average FPS and a minimum of 148 FPS offers an excellent balance for high-refresh-rate displays, while Ultra at 97 FPS remains smooth for standard 60Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 112 average FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, which is ideal for 1440p gaming. High at 84 FPS is also playable, but the minimum FPS is not recorded for this setting. Ultra at 62 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, while Low at 149 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. Medium delivers 60 average FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Low at 79 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. High at 45 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS are below the threshold for smooth gameplay and should be avoided unless visual fidelity takes absolute priority.

The best experience across all resolutions is achieved with the Medium preset. At 1080p, it provides 175 FPS with strong minimums. At 1440p, it delivers 112 FPS with a 95 FPS minimum. At 4K, it maintains 60 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum. This consistency makes Medium the recommended setting for this hardware combination in Hitman 2.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low produces 233 average FPS, Medium produces 175 average FPS with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 201, High produces 132 average FPS, and Ultra produces 97 average FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 136 FPS, representing a 58% reduction in performance at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains strong. Low produces 149 average FPS, Medium produces 112 average FPS with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 128, High produces 84 average FPS, and Ultra produces 62 average FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, a 58% reduction that mirrors the 1080p pattern.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limitations. Low produces 79 average FPS, Medium produces 60 average FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 68, High produces 45 average FPS, and Ultra produces 33 average FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS, again a 58% reduction.

The consistent 58% reduction from Low to Ultra across all resolutions indicates that the settings scaling is uniform regardless of resolution. The Medium preset's recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at each resolution provide additional confidence in stability: at 1080p, the range is 148-201 FPS; at 1440p, the range is 95-128 FPS; at 4K, the range is 51-68 FPS. These ranges show that the system maintains reasonably consistent frame pacing at Medium settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture with the Strix Halo codename. It operates at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boosts to 5.10 GHz, with a 55W TDP. The processor features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides substantial compute resources for Hitman 2's AI and simulation systems.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: 5,463 in Cinebench R15 multi-core, 35,314 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 20,992 in Geekbench multi-core. Single-thread performance is also respectable at 316 in Cinebench R15, 2,044 in Cinebench R23, and 2,464 in Geekbench. The PassMark multi-thread score of 54,934 and single-thread score of 4,147 confirm balanced performance across workloads.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is evident in the high frame rates achieved at 1080p Low (233 FPS), which indicates that the processor can feed frames faster than most displays can show them. The 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for the game's stealth simulation, which involves complex AI behaviors and dynamic environments. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain data locality for frequently accessed game assets.

However, the CPU's 55W TDP suggests it is designed for mobile platforms, and sustained gaming workloads may cause thermal throttling that reduces performance over time. The socket is AMD Socket FP11, confirming its mobile orientation. Despite this, the benchmark data shows the processor performing at a level comparable to desktop-class rivals like the Intel Core i9-14900K, which has a 1.7% higher average benchmark score.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines, along with 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2,295 MHz and boosts to 2,617 MHz, with memory running at 1,875 MHz (30 Gbps effective).

The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for Hitman 2's texture-heavy environments. The 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die give a transistor density of 120.6 million per square millimeter. The GPU's compute capabilities include 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 56.28 TFLOPS of FP16 performance.

In general benchmarks, the RTX 5080 achieves 8,637 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 235,901 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 255,450 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark scores include 36,565 in G3D and 21,789 in GPU compute. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it solidly in the upper tier.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's performance is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system only achieves 33 average FPS, which indicates the GPU is struggling with the combination of high resolution and maximum settings. The 16 GB VRAM is sufficient, as evidenced by the game running at all settings without crashing, but the raw compute power at 4K is insufficient for Ultra settings.

The GPU's performance at Medium settings reveals its capabilities: at 1080p, it achieves 175 FPS; at 1440p, 112 FPS; at 4K, 60 FPS. These numbers indicate a well-balanced GPU that can handle mainstream gaming resolutions with ease but begins to show strain at 4K with higher presets. The 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps maintain consistent performance, but the limited number of ROPs (112) may contribute to the steep drop at 4K Ultra.