Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination delivers a highly playable experience in Hitman 2, with performance scaling predictably across the three tested resolution tiers. The data reveals a system that is clearly capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, while 4K Ultra pushes the graphics card to its absolute limits. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to show exactly where this pairing excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data for this combo shows a textbook progression of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 182 FPS, which drops to 116 FPS at 1440p and further to 62 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% performance hit from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47% hit from 1440p to 4K. The steep declines indicate that the Radeon RX 7700 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload on the GPU increases exponentially with pixel count.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K High, the average FPS is 35, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 26 FPS. These numbers are below the 60 FPS threshold needed for smooth gameplay, suggesting that 4K is only viable with significant settings compromises. The gap between 4K Low (62 FPS) and 4K Ultra (26 FPS) is 36 FPS, a 58% performance spread that demonstrates how sensitive the GPU is to settings changes at this resolution. The data suggests that Hitman 2 at 4K with this combo is best approached with Medium settings, which yields 46 FPS — still not ideal but more manageable.

At 1440p, the picture improves considerably. The High preset delivers 66 FPS, while Low reaches 116 FPS. The jump from Medium (87 FPS) to High (66 FPS) is a 24% drop, indicating that the High preset adds significant visual fidelity at a measurable performance cost. The 1440p Ultra result of 49 FPS is the first time the combo dips below 60 FPS at this resolution, showing that Ultra is likely reserved for less demanding scenes or for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate consistency.

The 1080p results show this combo at its best. High settings produce 103 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Low settings hit 182 FPS, and Medium achieves 136 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High is a 24% reduction, mirroring the pattern seen at 1440p. The Ultra preset at 1080p still manages 76 FPS, making it the only resolution where Ultra remains comfortably playable. The 1080p data suggests that the Ryzen 5 8400F has enough headroom to keep feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, as the frame rates are high enough to indicate the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience varies by resolution, but the Medium preset consistently offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1080p, Medium delivers 136 FPS, which is 33 FPS higher than High and 60 FPS lower than Low. The min FPS of 116 at this setting ensures that frame pacing remains smooth even during demanding scenes. For players with 144Hz monitors, this is the sweet spot — it provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates high enough to utilize the display's refresh rate.

At 1440p, Medium produces 87 FPS with a min of 74 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that consistently stays above 60 FPS. High settings drop to 66 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for error in busy scenes. The 1440p Medium result is the recommended choice for players who want a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The 21 FPS gap between Medium and High is substantial, and the visual difference between these two presets is often less noticeable in fast-paced gameplay.

For 4K, the recommendations become more constrained. Medium is the only preset that breaks 40 FPS, averaging 46 FPS with a min of 39 FPS. This is the playable floor for this combo at 4K. Low settings reach 62 FPS, which is technically smoother, but the graphical downgrade is significant. The data suggests that players at 4K should either accept Medium settings for a balanced experience or drop to Low if frame rate is the absolute priority. High (35 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are not recommended due to the risk of noticeable stuttering and input lag.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 76 FPS. At higher resolutions, the performance cost of Ultra is too steep relative to the visual gains. The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium is the most efficient preset across all resolutions, offering the best frame rate per visual quality. Players seeking maximum fidelity should stick to 1080p Ultra, while those prioritizing smoothness should use Medium at their native resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the dominant component in this pairing, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This generous memory allocation is a key asset for Hitman 2, a game known for its detailed environments and crowd scenes that can consume significant video memory. The 16 GB capacity ensures that the card does not run into memory limitations even at 4K Ultra, where texture detail is at its highest.

The clock speeds of the RX 7700 are also relevant to the performance data. The base clock is 1900 MHz, with a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The boost clock represents the maximum achievable frequency under ideal conditions, while the game clock is a more realistic sustained frequency during typical gaming loads. The data suggests that the GPU is boosting effectively, as the frame rates at 1080p Low (182 FPS) indicate strong raw throughput. However, the 4K results show that the GPU's compute resources are saturated, as the average FPS drops below 40 at High settings.

The RX 7700's overall performance percentile of 58 versus all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier. Its average benchmark score of 15852 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, delta -0.1%), which is a surprising comparison given the generational gap. The nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 with a score of 16014 (delta -1%), indicating that the RX 7700 is slightly behind the newer card. The RX 7700 also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 (delta -1.7%). These comparisons show that the RX 7700 sits in a competitive but not dominant position in the GPU landscape.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly well-suited for Hitman 2's open-ended levels. The 16 GB frame buffer allows for high-resolution textures without swapping to system memory, which would cause stutters. The 256-bit memory bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient throughput for the game's data streaming requirements. The measured FPS data indicates that at 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and compute units are pushed to their limits, resulting in the sub-60 FPS results seen in the High and Ultra presets.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 60 FPS in 4K?*

A: No, the measured data shows that no preset at 3840x2160 achieves 60 FPS. The highest 4K result is Low settings at 62 FPS, but Medium drops to 46 FPS, and High falls to 35 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates 1440p is the optimal resolution, as High settings deliver 66 FPS and Medium achieves 87 FPS. This provides a good balance of visual detail and smooth gameplay, unlike 4K which struggles to maintain playable frame rates.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129. This represents a 1.7% deficit for the RX 7700, indicating they are closely matched in overall performance.

*Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2?*

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is more than adequate for this game. The data shows no indication of memory-related performance drops, even at 4K Ultra where the GPU is compute-limited rather than memory-limited.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 103 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 66 at 1440p to 35 at 4K. This is a 47% reduction in frame rate, demonstrating the significant burden that 4K places on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 8400F and RX 7700 ranks 1371 out of 3001 combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 54% of combinations but is bested by a significant portion of the field. The mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component profiles: the CPU sits at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The rank of 1371 indicates that while this combo is capable of solid 1080p and 1440p performance, it is not a top-tier system for Hitman 2. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as its percentile ranking is notably lower than the CPU's. This suggests that the CPU could support a more powerful GPU without becoming a bottleneck, but as configured, the RX 7700 prevents the system from reaching higher frame rates at demanding settings.

The combo's position in the middle of the pack is reflected in the 4K results, where it falls below 60 FPS on all presets. Higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful GPUs that can maintain smoother frame rates at 4K. However, the 1080p and 1440p results show that this combo is more than sufficient for mainstream gaming, ranking above many older or less balanced systems. For players targeting 1080p or 1440p, this rank is reassuring, as it indicates the combo delivers competitive performance in these common resolutions.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile (77) and the GPU's lower percentile (58) is a key takeaway. The Ryzen 5 8400F is a strong processor that can handle demanding workloads, but the RX 7700 holds the system back in GPU-intensive scenarios. This is particularly evident at 4K, where the frame rates are clearly GPU-bound. The combo's rank of 1371 reflects this imbalance, positioning it as a balanced but not exceptional system for Hitman 2.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F plays a supporting role in this combo, providing ample processing power that rarely becomes the limiting factor in Hitman 2. The CPU features 6 cores with 12 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture codenamed Phoenix. It operates at a base clock of 4.20 GHz and can boost up to 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. These specifications are well-suited for gaming, as the high boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance, while the 12 threads handle background tasks and multi-threaded game logic.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 20851 in multi-core and 2943 in single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for gaming, as many games, including Hitman 2, rely heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 further validates this strength. The CPU's average benchmark score of 25005 places it at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24964 (a 0.2% difference). This close competition indicates that the 8400F is a solid mid-range processor.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rates at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo achieves 182 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is not creating a bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting performance, the frame rates would plateau regardless of resolution or settings changes. The fact that FPS scales significantly from 1080p to 4K (182 to 62 at Low) indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences.

The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core provide adequate data storage for game assets, reducing latency when accessing frequently used information. The memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without starving it. This is crucial in Hitman 2's large, detailed levels where data streaming is constant. The CPU's PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes provides sufficient bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, ensuring no data transfer bottlenecks between the two components.

The 8400F's performance relative to its rivals further underscores its adequacy. It is 0.2% faster than the Ryzen 5 7500F, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-11850H, and 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H in average benchmark scores. The only rival it trails is the AMD EPYC 9474F, but that is a server-class processor. These marginal differences suggest that the 8400F is competitive with other mid-range CPUs, and the observed frame rates in Hitman 2 are likely near the maximum achievable with this GPU. The data conclusively shows that the CPU is not the weak link in this combo; it provides ample headroom for the RX 7700 to operate at its full potential across all tested resolutions and settings.