Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 pairing delivers a robust Hitman 2 experience, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and smooth 1440p play, while 4K Ultra presents a significant challenge. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, ranks the combo against others, and examines how resolution affects frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings in Hitman 2?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination achieves an average of 124.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, indicating a very playable experience for the majority of displays.

Q: Is the system capable of handling 4K resolution in this title?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo delivers 44.6 FPS on average, which is playable. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 31.8 FPS, which may not be smooth enough for all users.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25064, placing it essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which scores 25057 (a 0% delta). It is also just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. This places it above the NVIDIA A2, which scores 34866 (a -0.2% delta for the RX 9070).

Q: What is the performance gap between the Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 143.1 FPS on Low settings to 58.3 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a substantial 84.8 FPS difference, showing the heavy load that Ultra settings place on the GPU.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested combinations?

A: This specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 618th out of 1795 total tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top third of all configurations tested.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the clear driver of frame rates in Hitman 2, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a substantial 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This capacity is more than sufficient for the game's assets, and the bandwidth ensures data can be fed to the processor quickly, avoiding bottlenecks at high resolutions.

Clock speeds are a key factor in the GPU's performance. The card has a base clock of 1330 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz. The high boost clock allows the card to reach significant performance levels when thermal and power headroom permit. The RDNA 4.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, contains 53,900 million transistors and delivers a peak FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS.

The benchmark results show the GPU's capability. In PassMark's G3D test, it scores 25381, and in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 6290. These figures support its 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 and the NVIDIA Quadro GV100, with deltas of -0.2% and 0.3% respectively, indicating the RX 9070 is in a tightly contested performance tier.

The impact of this GPU is most visible when comparing settings. At 1440p, moving from Medium to Ultra settings reduces the average FPS from 108.8 to 58.3. This is a direct consequence of the increased shading, texture, and lighting work required, which taxes the GPU's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs. The data clearly indicates that while the CPU is capable, the GPU is the component that determines the frame rate ceiling in this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F provides the processing foundation for this system, and its 6 cores and 12 threads are well-suited for Hitman 2's engine. The CPU operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which are solid figures for a desktop part. This Zen 4 architecture chip, codenamed Phoenix, is built on TSMC's 4 nm process and fits into the AMD Socket AM5.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks indicate its processing power. In Cinebench R23, it achieves a multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. The PassMark multithread score is 24530, with a single-thread score of 3684. These results position the CPU in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25064.

Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, has an almost identical average score of 25057 (0% delta), suggesting that in heavily threaded workloads, the 8400F performs comparably to that older, higher-core-count part. However, the 8400F's strength lies in its modern architecture and high clock speeds, which are crucial for gaming.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the system delivers 223.9 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution and setting combination, allowing the GPU to work at its maximum potential. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR5 memory with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth provide a responsive platform that prevents stutters and ensures consistent frame delivery.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this pairing at rank 618 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This percentile placement in the upper third of all results indicates a strong, above-average configuration for this specific game. The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU and GPU; a significantly weaker CPU could bottleneck the GPU, while a weaker GPU would not utilize the CPU's full potential.

The rank is a result of the combined capabilities. The GPU's high performance at 1440p and its ability to provide over 60 FPS on High settings is a major contributor. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 2943 score in Cinebench R23 single-core, ensures that it can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain these frame rates.

While the combo does not reach the top echelons of the ranking, it is far from the bottom. The 617 combos above it likely include pairings with more powerful GPUs, such as those with higher memory bandwidth or more shading units. The 1177 combos below it will struggle to match the frame rates this system achieves, particularly at 1440p and 4K resolutions. This rank serves as a useful reference point for anyone building a system with similar components.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. The system is most comfortable at 1920x1080, where it delivers high frame rates across all settings. At High settings, the average FPS is 124.6, which drops to 90.7 at Ultra. This demonstrates that even at the highest settings, the game remains playable and smooth on a standard 1080p monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The High setting average drops to 82 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58.3 FPS. This is still a playable experience for most, but it shows the increased rendering load. The jump to 3840x2160 is the most demanding. At High settings, the average FPS is 44.6, and at Ultra, it plummets to 31.8 FPS. These numbers suggest that 4K gaming is only viable with reduced settings.

This scaling pattern reveals the limiting component. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is primarily due to the GPU's rendering workload. The CPU's performance does not change with resolution, so if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain similar across resolutions. Instead, the FPS falls dramatically, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the limiting factor for this game, especially at higher resolutions.

Specifically, the difference between 1080p Ultra (90.7 FPS) and 4K Ultra (31.8 FPS) is a 58.9 FPS loss. This is a direct consequence of the GPU having to process four times as many pixels. The system is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but users targeting 4K will need to lower settings or consider a more powerful GPU.