Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a playable but not flawless Hitman 2 experience, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-limited at 4K, but which becomes increasingly CPU-bound at lower resolutions, revealing a balanced yet not exceptional pairing for this stealth title. The combo ranks 1166 out of 1795 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, a position that aligns with its mid-range component specifications.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected decline in performance as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline varies significantly by settings preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 147.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 95.8 FPS, a reduction of approximately 35%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 52.5 FPS, which is a further 45% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling curve at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU frames at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor as pixel count rises.

The scaling pattern changes dramatically at higher settings presets. With Ultra settings, the 1080p average is 64.5 FPS, which drops to 37.8 FPS at 1440p (a 41% decrease) and then to just 22.1 FPS at 4K (a 42% decrease from 1440p). This severe drop at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate falls below playable thresholds, indicates that the RX 7600 XT's 16 GB of VRAM and 288.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are insufficient for the combined load of high resolution and maximum graphical detail. The data shows that the limiting component transitions from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Ultra, with the latter representing a hard wall for this hardware combination.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary bottleneck in this configuration at higher resolutions and settings. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus is a defining characteristic, providing ample capacity but constrained bandwidth. In Hitman 2, the benchmark results show that the GPU’s raw compute throughput, rated at 22.57 TFLOPS FP32, is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K when visual fidelity is maximized. The card’s boost clock of 2755 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are standard for the RDNA 3.0 architecture, but they do not compensate for the rendering demands of the game’s dense environments at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 63 places it below the median of all tested graphics cards, which is reflected in its 4K Ultra score of 22.1 FPS. At 1440p High, the card manages 56.5 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for a stealth game that benefits from fluid camera movement. The nearest rival data confirms this positioning: the RX 7600 XT’s average benchmark score of 20146 is only 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 and 1.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. This tight grouping indicates that the 7600 XT offers performance within a narrow band of its immediate competitors, and the measured Hitman 2 results align with that expectation. The GPU’s 16 GB VRAM does not appear to provide a tangible advantage in this title, as the frame rates at 4K Ultra are still critically low.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve playable frame rates. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings exceed 60 FPS, while 4K is only playable at Low settings, with an average of 52.5 FPS.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its closest rival, the RX 7600?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20146, which is 0.6% lower than the RX 7600's score of 20258. In practical terms, this difference is negligible, and the measured FPS in Hitman 2 would be nearly identical between the two cards.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: Yes, the evidence suggests so. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 147.5 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. Given that the GPU is less stressed at this resolution and settings level, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are likely the limiting factor in achieving even higher frame rates.

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

A: Only with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 52.5, which is playable. However, at 4K Medium (38.7 FPS), High (29.3 FPS), and Ultra (22.1 FPS), the frame rates drop below acceptable levels for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1166 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the 35th percentile of all systems evaluated. This indicates that the majority of tested combos deliver higher performance in this game.

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

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 74.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37.8 FPS. This represents a 49% reduction in frame rate when moving from Medium to Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a clear picture of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 147.5 FPS on Low, 112.3 FPS on Medium, 87.9 FPS on High, and 64.5 FPS on Ultra. These figures show that even the most demanding preset at 1080p remains comfortably above 60 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for this hardware. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs 83 FPS, a substantial penalty for increased visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 95.8 FPS on Low, 74.4 FPS on Medium, 56.5 FPS on High, and 37.8 FPS on Ultra. Here, the High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that users targeting 1440p must choose between Medium settings for smoothness or accept lower frame rates for higher fidelity. At 3840x2160, the results are 52.5 FPS on Low, 38.7 FPS on Medium, 29.3 FPS on High, and 22.1 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset approaches playability, while the Ultra preset delivers a near-unplayable experience. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same settings shows a consistent pattern: Low settings lose approximately 64% of performance, Medium loses 66%, High loses 67%, and Ultra loses 66%. This uniform percentage drop across presets confirms that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, with the GPU's capabilities dictating the final frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F provides a solid foundation for this gaming configuration, with its Zen 4 architecture and 6 cores / 12 threads. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz are competitive for modern games, and the 16 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency. In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 951 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, is adequate for the game’s AI and physics calculations. The CPU’s overall benchmark percentile of 82 places it above the vast majority of tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 25064 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which scores 25057.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at 1080p with lower settings, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 147.5 FPS, but the 3dmark 16-thread score of 6091 and the max-thread score of 6165 suggest that the CPU is nearing its limits. The 12 threads are sufficient for Hitman 2, but the game’s engine does not seem to scale perfectly with additional cores, as the 8-thread score of 5275 is only 14% lower than the max-thread score. This indicates that the CPU’s single-core performance is more critical than its multi-core capabilities for this title. The memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s for DDR5 is another factor, though the game’s performance at higher resolutions shows that the GPU is the primary constraint, not memory throughput.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers an average of 64.5 FPS while providing the highest visual quality. This frame rate is above the 60 FPS threshold considered smooth for most players, and the performance headroom is sufficient for minor fluctuations. If a higher frame rate is desired, the High preset at 87.9 FPS offers a 36% improvement over Ultra with a modest reduction in graphical fidelity.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 74.4 FPS is the best balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset drops to 56.5 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset maintains a safe margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 37.8 FPS is not recommended for 1440p gaming, as the frame rate is too low for a responsive experience. At 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset at 52.5 FPS. While this is below 60 FPS, it is the only setting that allows for playable frame rates at this resolution. The Medium preset at 38.7 FPS is marginal, and the High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely due to their sub-30 FPS averages.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 1166 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 35th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is consistent with the hardware’s mid-range positioning: the CPU is above average (82nd percentile), but the GPU is below the median (63rd percentile), and the overall combo reflects the weaker component’s limitations. The rank suggests that while this system can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with adjustments, it does not deliver top-tier performance.

The data shows that the combo’s performance is limited by the GPU at higher resolutions, but the CPU is not a significant liability. The nearest rival data for the GPU indicates that the RX 7600 XT is essentially on par with the RX 7600 and the RTX 2060 SUPER, meaning that swapping between these cards would yield similar frame rates in Hitman 2. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Ryzen 7 2700X, have nearly identical benchmark scores, further indicating that the CPU is not the differentiating factor in this combo’s ranking. Ultimately, this pairing is a capable 1080p machine and a passable 1440p option, but it falls short of the performance required for high-refresh-rate or 4K gaming in Hitman 2.