Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth classic from 2018, presents an interesting test for the pairing of AMD's Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080. The measured data reveals a combination capable of delivering high frame rates, but the path to the best experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. The benchmark results show a system that scales predictably, with the CPU proving its strength at lower resolutions and the GPU's capabilities being the primary factor at higher ones.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the ideal settings preset is highly dependent on the target resolution. At 1080p, the data shows the system is exceptionally capable. The Medium preset delivers a strong 170 FPS average, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. However, the High preset at 128 FPS is also a solid choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity without sacrificing the high refresh rate experience. The Ultra preset, while visually demanding, still manages a playable 95 FPS average, showing the headroom of this combination at this resolution.

For 1440p gaming, the data indicates a need to balance visual quality with performance. The High preset at 82 FPS is the recommended sweet spot, providing a significant visual upgrade over Medium (109 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Pushing to Ultra results in a 61 FPS average, which is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 145 FPS shows the potential for high refresh rates if visual fidelity is not a priority, but for most users, High offers the best overall experience.

At 4K, the data reveals the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The High preset yields a 44 FPS average, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. To achieve a smoother experience at this resolution, dropping to the Medium preset is advisable, as it brings the average up to 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, making it the most balanced option for 4K. The Low preset at 77 FPS is the only path to a truly smooth 4K experience, but it requires a significant compromise in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 32 FPS is not recommended for general play. Therefore, the data points to Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and High or Medium at 1080p as the best settings presets for a balanced experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a powerful GPU with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 320-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Its architecture, Ampere, is built on Samsung's 8 nm process and features 8704 shading units. With a boost clock of 1710 MHz, the data suggests the card is well-suited for high-resolution gaming. The GPU's performance, as measured in this test, plays a decisive role in the higher resolution results. The gap between the 1440p and 4K results is stark, indicating that the RTX 3080's compute and memory resources are being heavily taxed at 3840x2160.

Looking at the 4K results, the difference between Low (77 FPS) and Ultra (32 FPS) is 45 FPS, a massive swing that shows how sensitive the game is to GPU load. This sensitivity is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is a notable specification, and the data suggests that at 4K with higher settings, the game's memory demands are significant. The performance drop from Medium (58 FPS) to High (44 FPS) at 4K could be partially attributed to the increased memory pressure and shader complexity. At 1440p and 1080p, the RTX 3080 has more headroom, as evidenced by the higher frame rates, allowing the CPU to play a more significant role in determining overall performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s make it a strong modern contender. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 21765 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3072 points in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i5-14600T, which is a mere 0.1% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, which is 0.2% slower, indicating a highly competitive performance tier.

In gaming, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames quickly. At 1080p, the CPU is not the bottleneck, allowing the RTX 3080 to produce frame rates as high as 227 FPS on the Low preset. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is significant, with the High preset jumping from 82 FPS to 128 FPS, a 56% increase. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 7400F is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to keep it fully utilized, preventing a CPU-bound scenario. The high single-thread performance, as indicated by the 3072-point Cinebench R23 score, is crucial for this game's engine, which often relies on a few primary threads. The data implies that the CPU's strong performance is a key enabler for the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 840 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 28% of all tested systems, a respectable position. The data shows that this pairing is well-balanced for this game, though not at the very top tier. The CPU's performance, ranking in the 83rd percentile overall, is a strong contributor. The GPU, ranking in the 68th percentile, is good but not exceptional, which likely holds the combo back from a higher rank.

This ranking suggests that while the CPU is a high performer, the GPU is the more limiting factor in this specific game. The combo's position in the rankings is a result of the synergy between these two components. A system with a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher, but the RTX 3080 provides a solid foundation. The rank of 840 indicates that many other combinations, likely those with newer or higher-end GPUs, can outperform this setup. However, it also means this pairing is far from a low-end option and is capable of delivering a high-quality gaming experience in Hitman 2, as evidenced by the FPS measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance decreases as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the system averages 128 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 82 FPS, a 36% decrease. At 4K High, the average falls to 44 FPS, a further 46% decrease from 1440p. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. The magnitude of these drops is a key indicator of the system's bottleneck.

The significant drop from 1080p to 1440p (46 FPS) and the further drop to 4K (38 FPS) points heavily toward the GPU being the limiting factor. The GPU is responsible for rendering the additional pixels, and as the resolution increases, the workload on the RTX 3080 grows exponentially. The CPU's performance, while strong, cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to process the increased pixel count at the same rate. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are well-matched, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's workload becomes the primary constraint. The frame rate scaling is not linear, and the performance per pixel decreases at higher resolutions, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The measurements indicate that to maintain a consistent frame rate across resolutions, a more powerful GPU would be required.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: Based on the measured data, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 provides an average of 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, making it the only preset above Low that comes close to the 60 FPS target.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1080p compared to 4K on the High preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 128. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 44. This means the 1080p result is approximately 2.9 times higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, which is a typical sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's strong performance is shown by the high frame rates at 1080p.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T?

A: The average benchmark score for the Ryzen 5 7400F is 32750, while the Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32707. This makes the AMD processor 0.1% faster in this comparison.

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

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 227 FPS, which was achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate measured is 32 FPS, which was recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination in Hitman 2. Where available, minimum and maximum FPS values are also included.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :---------- | :---------- |

| 3840x2160 | High | 44 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 77 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 58 | 49 | 67 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 32 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | High | 82 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 145 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 109 | 92 | 125 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 61 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | High | 128 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 227 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 170 | 144 | 195 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 95 | N/A | N/A |