Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a solid, mid-pack performance in Hitman 2, securing the 368th position out of 1,795 tested combos. This places the combination comfortably within the top 21% of all hardware pairings evaluated, indicating a system that is well above average for this stealth title. The ranking reflects a balanced platform where neither the CPU nor the GPU is a glaring bottleneck at most settings, though the data does reveal specific constraints at the highest visual presets.

Benchmark results show the CPU holding its own in synthetic tests, with a passmark_multithread score of 34,470 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4,063. This places the processor in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, a strong showing for an 8-core part. The GPU, meanwhile, achieves a passmark_g3d score of 29,009, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a top-decile CPU with a high-tier GPU results in a system that is consistently capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra results suggest the graphics card is the limiting factor when the load is heaviest.

Relative to its direct hardware rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 40,468 is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H's 40,431 and 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365's 40,262. It also edges out the Intel Core i9-13905H, which scores 40,712, by a margin of -0.6%, and leads the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T by 1.2%. These deltaPct values are minimal, showing that the Ryzen 7 7700 sits at the very top of its performance class, offering essentially the same computational throughput as its closest competitors. For the GPU, the RX 7900 XT's average score of 38,358 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile's 38,349 (0% delta), and it leads the NVIDIA CMP 70HX by 0.3% and the RTX 4080 Mobile by 0.6%, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 by -0.4%.

FAQ

Q: How well does this combo perform in Hitman 2 compared to other systems?

A: This combo ranks 368th out of 1,795 tested combinations, placing it in the top ~20% of all systems benchmarked for this game. It is a strong result, indicating the hardware is well-suited for the title.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a high frame rate?

A: For a consistently high frame rate, 1920x1080 on High settings yields an average of 145.1 FPS. For even higher refresh rates, dropping to Low at the same resolution pushes the average to 256.4 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings still provide a very playable 165.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 38.5, while at High it is 48.9. The CPU's high single-thread performance is not enough to compensate for the GPU's workload at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700's average benchmark score is 40,468. This is 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 9 7940H and 0.5% higher than the Ryzen AI 9 365. It is also 1.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 5 235T. The performance deltas are very tight, showing this CPU is at the top of its peer group.

Q: Can this combo handle high refresh rate gaming at 1440p?

A: Yes, benchmark results show it is well-suited for this. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 92.5. With Medium settings, it reaches 120.5 FPS, and with Low settings, it achieves 165.7 FPS, making it capable of driving 144Hz and even 165Hz displays.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The jump from High to Ultra is significant in Hitman 2. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 145.1 FPS on High to 104.7 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of roughly 28%. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces a substantial load on the GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration provides a strong foundation for gaming, where both high single-thread performance and adequate multi-threading are beneficial. The CPU's passmark_single_thread score of 4,063 is a key indicator of its ability to handle the primary game logic and physics calculations in Hitman 2 without stalling the render pipeline.

The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache is another asset for this title, as it helps reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data. The 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth from its dual-channel DDR5 support ensures the CPU can feed data to the GPU without creating a bottleneck. In synthetic tests, the CPU scores 29,302 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,136 in single-core, reinforcing its position as a high-end desktop part.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is rarely the limiting component in this pairing for Hitman 2, except perhaps at very low resolutions and settings where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 256.4, which is a workload that can stress the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. However, the processor's high boost clock and strong single-thread performance (91st percentile) ensure it remains capable of sustaining these high frame rates. The CPU's performance is so close to its nearest rivals — within 1.2% of the Core Ultra 5 235T — that any difference in game performance can be attributed to the GPU or memory subsystem rather than the processor itself.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for Hitman 2 shows a clear and predictable pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo is extremely powerful, providing an average of 256.4 FPS on Low, 192.7 FPS on Medium, 145.1 FPS on High, and 104.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that even at the highest 1080p preset, the system is capable of delivering a buttery-smooth experience well above the 60 FPS standard and even above the 100 FPS threshold for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected impact of the increased pixel count. The average FPS on Low is 165.7, on Medium it is 120.5, on High it is 92.5, and on Ultra it drops to 70.7. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as it allows for high refresh rate gaming on High settings and still provides a very playable experience on Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is 21.8 FPS, a significant cost for the extra visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The average FPS on Low is 89.1, on Medium it is 66.1, on High it is 48.9, and on Ultra it falls to 38.5. These results demonstrate that while the combo is capable of 4K gaming, it requires settings adjustments to maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is a substantial 50.6 FPS, highlighting the steep performance cost of the highest preset. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: the delta between each settings tier is larger at higher resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the performance ceiling at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into the balance of this hardware combination. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 145.1 at 1080p to 92.5 at 1440p, and then to 48.9 at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This steep drop-off indicates that the GPU is being progressively saturated as the resolution increases.

The pattern is similar at Ultra settings, where FPS falls from 104.7 at 1080p to 70.7 at 1440p, and then to 38.5 at 4K. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is a reduction of 63%, which is a clear sign that the RX 7900 XT's compute resources are the limiting factor at 4K. In contrast, the CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions, as its frame generation capability is no longer the primary constraint.

The fact that the frame rate at 4K Ultra (38.5 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result (104.7 FPS) strongly suggests that the system is GPU-bound at the highest resolution. The CPU, with its strong single-thread performance and high percentile ranking, is able to feed the GPU adequately at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the sheer pixel throughput required by the RDNA 3.0 architecture becomes the bottleneck. This is a classic sign of a well-matched mid-to-high-end combo where the GPU is the performance ceiling for demanding 4K workloads, while the CPU provides ample headroom for high refresh rate gaming at lower resolutions.