Hitman 2

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a clear ceiling at 4K. With a combo rank of 1410 out of 3711 tested configurations, this setup sits in the upper tier of the database, though its performance scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a system that is well-balanced for mainstream gaming but requires careful settings management to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic shift in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 113 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then further to 38 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

Looking at the Medium preset, the same trend is visible: 149 FPS at 1080p falls to 96 FPS at 1440p and then to 51 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical to the High preset, suggesting the GPU is consistently the limiting component once the resolution passes the 1080p mark. The Low preset tells a similar story, with 199 FPS at 1080p dropping to 127 FPS at 1440p and 68 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern reveals that at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU could be a contributing factor, but the rapid decline at 1440p and 4K points to the RX 7700 XT as the bottleneck. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the average FPS is only 68, which is below the 72 FPS achieved at 1440p High. This suggests that the 4K resolution demands more from the GPU than the rest of the system can offset, making it the clear limiting component in this configuration.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Hitman 2?*

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, the average FPS is 72, which is playable, while at Medium it rises to 96 FPS. At 1080p, the combo achieves 113 FPS on High and 149 FPS on Medium, but the 1440p results offer a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT perform relative to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 22549 places it 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435) and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.8% (22729) and the RTX 2080 by 1.5% (22895).

Q: Is the Core i5-10400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU’s single-thread score of 688 in 3dmark and 1451 in Cinebench R23 suggest it is capable, but the 199 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU’s limit. The fact that FPS scales down to 113 at High indicates the GPU is taking over, so the CPU is not a major bottleneck at standard settings.

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

A: The average FPS drops from 127 at Low to 96 at Medium, then to 72 at High, and finally to 53 at Ultra. This represents a 58% reduction from Low to Ultra, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1410th out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the top 38% of all systems in the database for Hitman 2. This is a respectable position, indicating the pair is well-matched for this game.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The RX 7700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K High, the average FPS is 38, and at Ultra it drops to 28. While the VRAM is sufficient, the data shows the GPU’s compute capabilities, not memory size, are the limiting factor at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip, featuring 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs. Its boost clock is rated at 2544 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz, and the memory runs at 2250 MHz for 18 Gbps effective speed. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s, which are the raw numbers that determine how quickly the GPU can fill frames and apply textures.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU can keep up, but the 4K results show the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The 38 FPS at 4K High and 28 FPS at 4K Ultra highlight that the RX 7700 XT’s 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not sufficient for smooth 4K gaming in this title. The 12 GB VRAM is not the issue, as the memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s is ample for the game’s assets.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks support this analysis. Its PassMark G3D score of 22547 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3316 indicate it is a mid-range performer, ranking in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5060 Mobile and RTX 4060 Mobile, show similar performance, confirming that the RX 7700 XT is positioned in a competitive tier where 4K gaming requires reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 1410th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all systems. This rank is driven by the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 67th percentile among all GPUs. The data shows that neither component is a standout performer, but they work well together to produce a balanced system.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 14185 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the Intel Xeon 6756E scoring 14163 (0.2% lower) and the AMD EPYC 7552 scoring 14115 (0.5% lower). The GPU’s score of 22549 is similarly competitive, with the RTX 5060 Mobile just 0.5% behind and the RTX 2080 just 1.5% ahead. This tight clustering means the combo’s rank is more about the overall balance than any single component’s superiority.

In the context of Hitman 2, the rank reflects the system’s ability to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. The 4K Ultra average of 28 FPS is the weakest result, pulling the combo’s overall standing down. At 1440p, however, the system performs admirably, with 72 FPS on High and 96 FPS on Medium, which are competitive with other systems in its rank range.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, with an average of 149 FPS and a minimum of 127 FPS. High settings at 1080p still deliver 113 FPS, but the 32% drop from Medium to High suggests that the extra visual fidelity may not be worth the frame rate loss for competitive play. Ultra at 1080p drops to 83 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, with an average of 72 FPS. This is a solid 60+ FPS experience that maintains visual quality. Medium at 1440p yields 96 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action, but the jump from Medium to High is only a 25% reduction, making High the better overall value. Ultra at 1440p drops to 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that only Low settings are viable, with an average of 68 FPS. Medium drops to 51 FPS, and High falls to 38 FPS, both of which are below the playable threshold. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 28 FPS average makes the game nearly unplayable. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a reasonable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 199 FPS. This is the highest result for any resolution/settings combo, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor at this point.
• Medium: Average 149 FPS, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. The tight range shows consistent performance.
• High: Average 113 FPS. A significant drop from Medium, suggesting increased GPU load.
• Ultra: Average 83 FPS. This is the lowest 1080p result, but still playable for most users.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 127 FPS. A 36% drop from 1080p Low, confirming the GPU is now the bottleneck.
• Medium: Average 96 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. The frame time variance is larger than at 1080p.
• High: Average 72 FPS. This is the first setting where the average drops below 75 FPS, making it a threshold for high-refresh displays.
• Ultra: Average 53 FPS. The 45% drop from High to Ultra shows the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 68 FPS. The only 4K setting that achieves a playable frame rate.
• Medium: Average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. The minimum dips into the low 40s, which may cause noticeable stutter.
• High: Average 38 FPS. Below the 40 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.
• Ultra: Average 28 FPS. The worst result, indicating the GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution and settings combination.