Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

Hitman 2 shows a textbook GPU-bound scaling curve with this combination. The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 deliver 302 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an extraordinary ceiling for a stealth title from 2018. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 193 FPS, a 36% reduction that still leaves enormous headroom. At 4K Low, the average falls to 103 FPS — a further 47% drop from 1440p, confirming that resolution scaling is aggressive but the frame rates remain playable.

The High preset tells a more interesting story. At 1080p High, the system produces 172 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, that number drops to 110 FPS, a 36% decrease. At 4K High, the average collapses to 58 FPS, representing a 47% reduction from 1440p. This pattern — nearly identical percentage drops between Low and High presets across resolutions — indicates that the RTX 4080's rendering pipeline is the dominant factor. The CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution; the data shows a consistent GPU-limited scaling behavior.

Ultra settings amplify the trend further. The 1080p Ultra result of 126 FPS drops to 81 FPS at 1440p Ultra, then to 43 FPS at 4K Ultra. The percentage decline from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 47%. These are remarkably uniform scaling factors, suggesting that Hitman 2's rendering load scales linearly with pixel count plus preset complexity. The 4K Ultra figure of 43 FPS is the only sub-60 result in the entire measured set, indicating that this preset is the threshold where the RTX 4080 finally meets its match.

The Medium preset provides the most complete picture, with minimum and maximum frame times recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 227 FPS with a minimum of 193 and maximum of 261. At 1440p Medium, the average is 145 FPS with a spread from 123 to 167. At 4K Medium, the average is 77 FPS, ranging from 66 to 89. The consistency of these ranges — roughly 15% variance around the average at each resolution — suggests stable frame pacing without notable hitches.

What this scaling data reveals is that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component in every configuration tested. The Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, never appears to constrain the GPU. At 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most likely to surface, the system still achieves 302 FPS — a number that would strain most display refresh rates. The conclusion is straightforward: this combo is GPU-limited across all measured rows, and the CPU has headroom to spare.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and it carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 21,765 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,072 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 32,750 sits within 0.3% of rivals like the Intel Core i5-14600T, Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H.

For Hitman 2, the CPU role is secondary but not irrelevant. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low — 302 FPS — is a strong indicator that the 7400F's single-thread performance is ample. A processor with weaker single-core capability would likely create a bottleneck at such high frame rates, but the data shows no such limitation. The 3,072 Cinebench R23 single-core score corresponds to the kind of per-thread performance that keeps a game engine fed at extreme frame rates.

Multi-core performance matters less here, but the 21,765 Cinebench R23 multi-core score provides context. Hitman 2's engine, being a 2018 title, does not scale heavily across many threads. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient; even a 4-core part from that era could drive the game, but the 7400F's modern architecture ensures there is no contention with background tasks or system overhead.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, courtesy of dual-channel DDR5 support, is another factor. Hitman 2 is not a memory-bandwidth-sensitive title, but the 7400F's platform provides ample data throughput to the RTX 4080. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 CPU lanes offers more than enough bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 connection, ensuring no data transfer bottlenecks.

Comparing the 7400F to its nearest rivals in synthetic scores, the differences are negligible — within 0.3% either way. This means CPU choice among these competitors would have virtually no impact on Hitman 2 frame rates. The game is simply not demanding enough, in CPU terms, to differentiate between these modern processors. The data confirms that the 7400F's role in this combo is to stay out of the way, and it does so effectively.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F strong enough for Hitman 2 at high frame rates?

A: Yes. The data shows 302 FPS at 1080p Low and 172 FPS at 1080p High, indicating the CPU provides ample single-thread performance. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,072 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, which is far beyond what Hitman 2 requires.

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

A: The data shows 1440p High delivers 110 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K High, the average drops to 58 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays. The sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming is 1440p with High or Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 is within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6% and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.7% in average scores.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: The measured average at 4K Ultra is 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth play. While technically playable, the data suggests that 4K High (58 FPS) or 4K Medium (77 FPS) would provide a more consistent experience on a 60 Hz display.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 7400F bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: No. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows uniform percentage drops across all presets, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU never appears to constrain performance, even at 302 FPS on 1080p Low.

Q: What frame rate variance can be expected at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the range is 193 to 261 FPS with an average of 227. At 1440p Medium, the range is 123 to 167 FPS with an average of 145. At 4K Medium, the range is 66 to 89 FPS with an average of 77. The variance is roughly consistent at about 15% around the average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the RTX 4080 and Ryzen 5 7400F combination produces exceptional results across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 302 FPS, which is near the practical limit for most monitors. Medium settings reduce the average to 227 FPS, with a measured range of 193 to 261 FPS. High settings bring the average to 172 FPS. Ultra settings still maintain a very playable 126 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 176 FPS, representing a 58% reduction, which highlights the rendering cost of Ultra's additional effects.

At 1440p, the performance remains strong but shows the expected resolution penalty. Low settings average 193 FPS, a 36% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 145 FPS, with a range of 123 to 167 FPS. High settings average 110 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS standard. Ultra settings average 81 FPS, maintaining smooth playability on high-refresh displays. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 1440p is 112 FPS, a 42% reduction, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p pattern.

At 4K, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 103 FPS, which is playable but no longer in the extreme high-refresh territory. Medium settings average 77 FPS, with a range of 66 to 89 FPS. High settings average 58 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 43 FPS, which is the only sub-60 result in the entire measured set. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 4K is 60 FPS, a 42% reduction, consistent with the scaling observed at lower resolutions.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum data at all three resolutions, providing the most detailed view of frame pacing. At 1080p, the 193 FPS minimum is still exceptionally high. At 1440p, the 123 FPS minimum maintains smoothness. At 4K, the 66 FPS minimum dips close to the 60 FPS line, indicating occasional stutters but no severe drops. The data suggests that Medium is the most predictable preset in terms of frame delivery.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of Hitman 2's performance in this combo. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, it features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and its 9,728 shading units handle the game's rendering workload with ease. The 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores are largely unused in this 2018 title, but they contribute to the synthetic benchmark scores that place the GPU in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards.

The RTX 4080's measured performance in Hitman 2 aligns with its synthetic standing. Its average benchmark score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (within 0.1%), and it sits 1.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 reflect strong raw compute, which translates to the high frame rates observed across all measured rows.

Memory capacity and bandwidth play a role at higher resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2, even at 4K Ultra, where the game's texture and shadow requirements are modest by modern standards. The 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data transfer between the GPU memory and compute units is never a limiting factor. The data supports this: the uniform scaling pattern across resolutions indicates that the GPU's shading throughput, not memory bandwidth, is the constraint at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's power characteristics — a 320 W TDP and a suggested 700 W PSU — position it as a high-end part, but the benchmark results justify this. Hitman 2's 4K Medium result of 77 FPS and 4K High result of 58 FPS demonstrate that the RTX 4080 can handle demanding 4K workloads, though not at the highest preset without compromise. The 43 FPS at 4K Ultra is the single data point where the GPU's capabilities are exceeded.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS at 4K, the data points to Medium as the optimal preset. The 77 FPS average at 4K Medium, with a minimum of 66 FPS, provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K drop to 58 FPS, which is marginal for a 60 Hz display and would produce visible frame drops during busy scenes. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 43 FPS average falls well below playable standards.

For 1440p displays with high refresh rates, High settings are the best choice. The 110 FPS average at 1440p High offers a balance between visual quality and smoothness, and it stays above the 100 FPS mark that many high-refresh monitors target. Ultra at 1440p delivers 81 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices 26% of the frame rate for marginal visual gains. Medium at 1440p yields 145 FPS, which is better suited to 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays.

At 1080p, the recommendation depends on the display's refresh rate. For 144 Hz displays, High settings at 172 FPS provide a smooth experience with excellent visual fidelity. For 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays, Medium settings at 227 FPS are the better option, as the frame rate approaches the display's maximum. Low settings at 302 FPS are only necessary for the most extreme refresh rates, and the visual compromise is unlikely to be worth it for a stealth game where detail matters. Ultra at 1080p, at 126 FPS, offers no advantage over High for most players.

The overall best experience across all resolutions is High settings. It delivers playable frame rates at every resolution — 172 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K — while providing the visual quality that Hitman 2's stealth gameplay benefits from. The only exception is 4K, where Medium is the safer choice for a locked 60 FPS experience. The data clearly shows that High is the default recommendation, with Medium as the fallback for 4K users.