Hitman 2

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne codename) on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor is built on a 7 nm process from TSMC, containing 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 16 MB L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 5700 demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 20655, while the single-core score is 2916. The 3DMark 16-thread test yields 6628 points, and the max-thread test scores 6617, indicating that scaling from 16 threads to maximum threads is nearly linear — a sign that the chip's 8 physical cores with SMT are fully utilized. The PassMark multithread score of 24303 and Geekbench multicore score of 9959 further corroborate this. Single-thread performance is respectable: 3DMark single-thread scores 901, and PassMark single-thread scores 3296.

The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 78 means it outperforms 78% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 25517 places it in close competition with several rivals. The Intel Xeon D-2752TER scores 25530 (a delta of -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U scores 25485 (delta 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H scores 25550 (delta -0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U scores 25446 (delta 0.3%). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the Ryzen 7 5700 is effectively performance-equivalent to these other processors in aggregate benchmarks.

For Hitman 2, the relationship between CPU and results is nuanced. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low settings reaches 182 FPS average. At this resolution and low settings, the GPU is not heavily burdened, yet the CPU still delivers enough throughput to sustain very high frame rates. The 8-core/16-thread configuration ensures that even if the game engine spawns background threads for AI, physics, and streaming (common in stealth games with complex NPC schedules), there is ample headroom. The 16 MB L3 cache helps with the game's level data access patterns, though Hitman 2 is not typically a cache-sensitive title.

At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 76. This drop is primarily due to increased GPU load at higher settings, but the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 293, R20 of 1224) ensures that the game's main thread does not become a bottleneck at these frame rates. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 182 FPS suggests that the CPU can push well beyond what most displays can show, and that the limiting factor at higher settings is the graphics pipeline.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a Radeon RX 7000 series graphics card based on the Navi 32 chip, using the RDNA 3.0 architecture (codename Wheat Nas). It is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Memory runs at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The card features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is substantial for a modern title.

The GPU's computational resources include 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, and 40 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 236.1 GPixel/s, texture rate is 393.4 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 25.18 TFLOPS. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7700 scores 20974 in PassMark G3D and 10963 in PassMark GPU compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2865. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 58 indicates it performs better than 58% of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 15852 places it near several rivals: the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862 (delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014 (delta -1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679 (delta 1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 (delta -1.7%). This places the RX 7700 within a narrow performance band around these cards.

For Hitman 2, the GPU's role is clearly dominant at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 26, which is unplayable for smooth action. At 4K High, it only reaches 35 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RX 7700, while capable at lower resolutions, struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with high visual fidelity. The 16 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor — Hitman 2 does not require that much memory — but the raw shading throughput and memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s are insufficient to push 4K Ultra beyond 26 FPS.

At 1080p, the GPU's performance is more respectable. 1080p High averages 103 FPS, 1080p Medium averages 136 FPS, and 1080p Low reaches 182 FPS. These figures show that the RX 7700 is well-suited for 1080p gaming at high refresh rates. The boost clock of 2459 MHz helps sustain these frame rates in scenes with complex geometry and lighting, which Hitman 2's detailed environments demand.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-limited scaling. Starting at 1080p High, the average FPS is 103. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 66 FPS, a reduction of 36% (or 37 FPS). Moving further to 4K High drops to 35 FPS, a 66% reduction from 1080p (68 FPS lost). This steep decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. 1080p Low averages 182 FPS, 1440p Low averages 116 FPS, and 4K Low averages 62 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36% (66 FPS lost), and from 1080p to 4K is 66% (120 FPS lost). These percentages are nearly identical to the High settings drops, confirming that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of quality preset.

Medium settings show a similar trend with min/max data available. At 1080p Medium, the average is 136 FPS with a min of 116 and max of 157. At 1440p Medium, the average is 87 FPS with min 74 and max 100. At 4K Medium, the average is 46 FPS with min 39 and max 53. The frame time variance appears to increase at higher resolutions — the span between min and max at 1080p is 41 FPS, while at 4K it is 14 FPS, but proportionally the variance is similar.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. 1080p Ultra averages 76 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 49 FPS, and 4K Ultra averages 26 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 36% (27 FPS), and 1080p to 4K drop is 66% (50 FPS). These consistent percentages across all settings strongly indicate that the limiting component is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, particularly at Low settings where the GPU load is minimal.

The data supports this conclusion: at 1080p Low, the CPU can push 182 FPS, but by 4K Low, the GPU's pixel throughput limits the result to 62 FPS. The RX 7700's pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are the relevant metrics here, and they are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU's performance, as measured by its strong Cinebench and 3DMark scores, is sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates; the bottleneck is clearly the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in Hitman 2 ranks 1371 out of 3001 tested combos. This places the combo in the 54th percentile of all tested systems (calculated as 1371/3001). This is a mid-pack ranking that reflects the GPU's moderate performance tier.

Given that the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 58 and the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 78, one might expect a higher combo rank. However, Hitman 2's engine places significant demands on the GPU at higher settings, and the RX 7700's performance (average benchmark score 15852) is not exceptional. The CPU's high percentile does not compensate for the GPU's mid-tier position when the game is GPU-bound at most tested settings.

The ranking indicates that there are 1630 combos that perform worse and 1370 combos that perform better in this game. This distribution suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700 + RX 7700 pairing is a balanced but not top-tier combination. The CPU's strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore 20655, PassMark multithread 24303) ensure that it will not hold back the GPU, but the GPU's 4K performance (26 FPS at Ultra) drags the overall ranking down.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 7700 sits within 1.7% of the RTX 3060 Ti (which scores 16129 vs 15852). The combo ranking would likely be similar if paired with these rival GPUs, since the CPU is not the limiting factor. The data shows that for this game, the GPU choice matters more than the CPU, and the RX 7700's mid-pack position is reflected in the combo's 1371 rank.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For smooth 60 FPS gameplay, the 1080p High preset delivers 103 FPS average, which is well above the threshold. Even 1440p High achieves 66 FPS average, which is playable for most users, though it dips below 60 in demanding scenes.

For 4K gaming, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The highest 4K average is at Low settings with 62 FPS, which is just barely above 60 but with a low-quality visual experience. The 4K Medium preset averages 46 FPS with min 39 and max 53, which is not smooth for a stealth game where precise timing matters. The 4K High (35 FPS) and 4K Ultra (26 FPS) are not recommended for serious play.

The Medium preset at 1440p is a strong choice: 87 FPS average with min 74 and max 100. This provides a good balance — the min FPS of 74 ensures that even in busy scenes with multiple NPCs, the game remains fluid. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers 136 FPS average (min 116, max 157), which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 76 FPS. This is above 60 but not by a large margin, and the visual gains over High are typically modest in Hitman 2. The data suggests that High settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability.

For users with 1440p displays, the High preset at 66 FPS is playable, but the Medium preset at 87 FPS is safer for consistent performance. The measured min FPS of 74 at 1440p Medium indicates that even the worst-case scenes stay above 60. At 1080p, High at 103 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers substantial visual improvements over Medium while maintaining well above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average FPS 182. This is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating that the CPU and GPU combined can push well beyond typical display refresh rates at minimal settings.
• Medium: Average FPS 136, with a minimum of 116 and maximum of 157. The 41 FPS spread between min and max indicates some scene-to-scene variance, but the minimum remains comfortably above 60.
• High: Average FPS 103. This is a solid result for high-fidelity gaming at 1080p, staying well above 60 FPS with room to spare.
• Ultra: Average FPS 76. This is the only Ultra preset that is playable, though it is close to the 60 FPS threshold. The drop from High to Ultra is 27 FPS (26%), which is significant.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average FPS 116. This drops 36% from 1080p Low, showing the GPU's resolution scaling cost.
• Medium: Average FPS 87, with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. The minimum of 74 is still above 60, making this a reliable choice for 1440p gaming.
• High: Average FPS 66. This is just above 60, but the lack of min/max data means there is uncertainty about drops below 60 in heavy scenes.
• Ultra: Average FPS 49. This is below 60 and not recommended for smooth gameplay. The drop from High to Ultra is 17 FPS (26%).

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average FPS 62. This is just above 60, but the margin is thin. The visual quality at Low is poor, making this a questionable choice.
• Medium: Average FPS 46, with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53. The minimum of 39 is notably below 60, indicating noticeable stutter in demanding scenes.
• High: Average FPS 35. This is not playable for most users, as the frame rate is well below the 60 FPS target.
• Ultra: Average FPS 26. This is the lowest measured result, confirming that 4K Ultra is not viable with this hardware combination.

The data shows a consistent 36% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings. This uniform scaling pattern reinforces that the GPU is the limiting component at all quality levels. The CPU's performance headroom, as evidenced by 182 FPS at 1080p Low, is not the constraint; the RX 7700's rendering throughput determines the final frame rates.