Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Hitman 2, but its performance collapses at 4K Ultra settings, where the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. The combo ranks in the 54th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating a balanced pairing that is more suited to high-refresh-rate gaming at mainstream resolutions than to 4K enthusiasts.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael codename) built on a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. This high-boost capability is crucial for Hitman 2, a stealth game that relies heavily on single-thread performance for AI calculations, pathfinding, and physics interactions within its sandbox levels.

Benchmark data confirms this processor’s strength in both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 1093, while the 2-thread score is 2137. Scaling from 2 to 4 threads yields 4151 points, and 8 threads produce 7798 points. The maximum threads score of 12536 shows that scaling continues, but with diminishing returns, which is typical for a game like Hitman 2 that does not fully utilize 24 threads. Cinebench R23 results reinforce this: a single-core score of 2016.5 and a multi-core score of 29300. This indicates that while the CPU has massive multi-threaded headroom for streaming or background tasks, its per-core performance is what drives Hitman 2’s frame pacing.

The processor’s 64 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset. Hitman 2’s levels are dense with NPCs and interactive objects, and the large cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provides ample data throughput for the CPU to feed the GPU without starvation. In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role is evident at 1080p Low, where the average frame rate reaches 182 FPS. This high ceiling shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor when the GPU load is light. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10972 and the PassMark multi-thread score of 51406 place this chip in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors available. Relative to its nearest rivals, it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon 634, while being 0.3% slower than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 0.6% slower than the Intel Core i7-14700F. These tiny deltas show that the 7900X is firmly in the top tier of desktop and workstation CPUs for gaming.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture (Navi 32 chip) and features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, it delivers a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS, which is substantial for rasterized rendering.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role becomes dominant as resolution and settings increase. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this 2018 title, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. Instead, the GPU’s raw compute throughput dictates performance. The PassMark G3D score is 20974, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2865, placing the GPU in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-pack position, and the benchmark results show why. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 26, which is unplayable. At 4K High, it rises to 35 FPS, still below the 60 FPS target. The GPU is clearly the limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom to push far more frames.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the AMD Radeon R9 370X, from which it is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, which is 1.1% slower. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 9060 by 1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti by 1.7%. These small margins indicate that the RX 7700 is positioned in a crowded performance tier. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures it can handle modern rendering features, but Hitman 2’s engine is older and primarily uses traditional rasterization. The 40 ray tracing cores are present but largely unused in this title, so the GPU’s traditional fill rate is what matters most.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 182 FPS, which drops to 116 FPS at 1440p Low, a reduction of 36%. At 4K Low, the FPS falls to 62, which is a 66% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep drop indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is struggling to maintain frame rates as pixel count increases.

The scaling becomes more severe at higher settings. At 1080p High, the average is 103 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 66 FPS (a 36% reduction), and at 4K High, it plummets to 35 FPS (a 66% reduction from 1080p). The pattern is consistent: each resolution step roughly halves the frame rate, which is the classic signature of a GPU bottleneck. For Ultra settings, the situation is worse. 1080p Ultra averages 76 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 49 FPS (a 36% reduction), and 4K Ultra falls to 26 FPS (a 66% reduction).

The data shows that the limiting component shifts depending on resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the primary driver, given the high frame rate. As resolution and settings increase, the GPU load grows, and the RX 7700 becomes the constraint. The fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is nearly identical across all settings (around 36%) suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the bottleneck. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even steeper, reinforcing that the GPU cannot handle the 4K pixel count. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, users should target 1440p Medium, where the average is 87 FPS, or 1080p Ultra, where the average is 76 FPS. The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings, where 62 FPS is achieved, but this sacrifices visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 9 7900X + Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1371 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 54th percentile, meaning it outperforms just over half of all tested systems but is outclassed by the top 46%. This ranking is consistent with the individual component percentiles: the CPU is in the 91st percentile, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile. The combo’s overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU, which is the weaker link in this pairing.

This is a classic example of a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The CPU provides enough headroom to prevent any bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the GPU limits maximum frame rates at higher settings. The ranking suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates. At 4K, the combo falls into the lower quartile of performance, as the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The measured data supports this: the combo achieves 182 FPS at 1080p Low, which is excellent, but only 26 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is poor. In the context of the database, this combo would be competitive with systems using lower-tier CPUs but similar GPUs, but it would not match systems pairing the same GPU with a faster CPU, nor would it match systems pairing a faster GPU with the same CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for 60 FPS gameplay?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium yields an average of 87 FPS, and 1080p Ultra yields 76 FPS. For a locked 60 FPS experience, 4K Low is the only 4K option, averaging 62 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 182, which is far above typical 60 FPS targets. This suggests the CPU is the primary driver, as the GPU load is minimal at these settings.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 is 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark score, indicating nearly identical performance in aggregate.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM help at 4K Ultra?

A: The 16 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 26, which is low due to the GPU’s compute throughput, not memory capacity.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance percentile?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X is in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53288.

Q: How much faster is the CPU than the AMD EPYC 7313P?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 7313P in average benchmark score.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 35 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 62 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 46 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 26 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 66 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 116 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 87 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 49 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 103 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 182 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 136 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 76 |

For the Medium settings, min and max FPS data is available. At 4K Medium, the range is 39 to 53 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 74 to 100 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the range is 116 to 157 FPS. This shows that the 1080p Medium setting provides a consistently high frame rate with a minimum above 100 FPS, making it the most stable high-performance option. The 1440p Medium setting also maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, which is suitable for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium setting’s minimum of 39 FPS indicates occasional stutters, making it a less desirable choice. The Ultra settings at 1440p and 4K lack min/max data, but the averages of 49 and 26 FPS respectively are below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting a suboptimal experience. The Low settings at 1080p and 1440p offer the highest headroom, with averages of 182 and 116 FPS, ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays.