Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a playable but heavily resolution-dependent experience in Hitman 2. The measured data shows a clear progression from a fluid 1080p experience to a slide show at 4K Ultra, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) across all settings and resolutions, examines the role of each component, and provides context for how this combination ranks against other tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic across all settings, highlighting the RX 5700 XT's limitations at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 80 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then plummets to 27 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling curve is typical of a GPU that is running out of raw throughput as the pixel count increases.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The average FPS drops from 59 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then to a nearly unplayable 20 FPS at 4K. This represents a 66% reduction from the 1080p score, showing that the most demanding preset pushes the GPU to its absolute limits. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Ultra is a 47% performance loss, which is significantly steeper than the 36% loss seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the card's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated.

At Medium settings, the pattern continues, with averages of 106 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is more linear, with a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. Interestingly, the Low preset shows the smallest relative drop, going from 141 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p (36% drop) and then to 48 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p). The fact that even Low settings cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K confirms that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

The data suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. The steep drop-offs at 4K across all presets indicate that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming in Hitman 2, regardless of settings. The 1440p results are more respectable, but still require a reduction in settings to achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Hitman 2, as evidenced by the sharp FPS declines with increasing resolution. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. While this was competitive at the card's launch, the data shows it is insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K in this title, where the Ultra preset manages only 20 FPS.

The card's clock speeds are notable: it has a base clock of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. These relatively high clocks for the RDNA 1.0 architecture help explain why the card performs reasonably at 1080p, where it achieves 141 FPS on Low settings. However, the architecture's limitations become apparent as the workload increases. The pixel rate is rated at 121.9 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 304.8 GTexel/s, but these figures are not enough to keep pace with the demands of 4K rendering in Hitman 2.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 9.754 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure by modern standards. This compute throughput directly impacts the card's ability to handle the complex shaders and lighting effects present in Hitman 2 at higher settings. The data shows that moving from High to Ultra at 1440p results in a 25% performance drop (from 51 to 38 FPS), indicating that the extra visual features in the Ultra preset are expensive for this GPU to render.

The GPU's benchmark percentile (59th among all GPUs) and average benchmark score of 16361 place it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which scores nearly identically at 16351 (a 0.1% delta), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, which is only 0.3% faster. This indicates that the RX 5700 XT is a well-understood quantity in the performance hierarchy, and its Hitman 2 results align with its general-purpose compute capabilities. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not directly shown to be a limiting factor in the measured FPS data, but the consistent performance collapse at 4K suggests that memory bandwidth, rather than capacity, is the primary constraint.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?*

A: No. The measured data shows the Ultra preset achieves an average of 59 FPS at 1920x1080, which is just below the 60 FPS target. At 2560x1440, it drops to 38 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 20 FPS.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in Hitman 2?*

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the most viable resolution. At 1080p, all settings except Ultra manage averages above 80 FPS, with Low reaching 141 FPS and Medium hitting 106 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low setting (90 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS comfortably.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 80 at 1920x1080 to 27 at 3840x2160, a 66% reduction. This significant loss indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the 4K pixel count.

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The fact that the Low preset only manages 48 FPS at 4K, while the same preset achieves 141 FPS at 1080p, proves that the Radeon RX 5700 XT cannot render enough frames at high resolutions, regardless of CPU load.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings?

A: The data includes minimum FPS values for Medium settings: 90 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. These figures show that even the minimums are playable at 1080p but drop below 60 FPS at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the GPU's performance in this game compare to its general benchmark score?

A: The RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16361, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its Hitman 2 performance is consistent with this mid-range positioning, as it delivers strong 1080p results but struggles with 4K, similar to what the aggregate benchmarks suggest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low presets deliver an average of 141 FPS, Medium settings average 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS, High settings average 80 FPS, and Ultra settings average 59 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs roughly 20-25 FPS on average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are substantial. Low settings average 90 FPS, Medium settings average 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, High settings average 51 FPS, and Ultra settings average 38 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 58 is notably close to the 60 FPS target, indicating that this setting is borderline for a smooth experience at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the card struggles significantly. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium settings average 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS, High settings average 27 FPS, and Ultra settings average 20 FPS. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset's 48 FPS falls short of a consistently smooth frame rate. The Medium preset's maximum of 42 FPS suggests that the frame times are relatively stable but the overall performance is too low for competitive play.

The data reveals that the step from Medium to High settings costs roughly 15-20 FPS at each resolution, while the step from High to Ultra costs a similar amount. For example, at 1080p, the drop from Medium (106 FPS) to High (80 FPS) is 26 FPS, and the drop from High (80 FPS) to Ultra (59 FPS) is 21 FPS. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU's performance is being taxed uniformly by the increasing graphical fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, as the FPS data indicates that it is not the bottleneck in Hitman 2, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU features 10 cores (a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This is a capable processor for gaming, as shown by its benchmark scores: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide adequate memory hierarchy for gaming workloads. Its 3DMark scores are also respectable, with 7314 for 16 threads and 960 for single-thread. These figures place the CPU in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (scoring 25284, a 0% delta) and the Intel Core 5 120 (scoring 25362, a -0.3% delta), indicating that it is a solid mid-range performer.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p results, where the GPU is not fully saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 141 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a capable CPU to feed the GPU. The fact that the FPS does not increase dramatically when moving from 1080p to lower resolutions (there are none lower) suggests that the CPU can handle the game's simulation and draw call overhead. However, the data shows that at 4K, the FPS is severely limited, meaning the CPU has ample headroom while the GPU is fully utilized.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.60 GHz is beneficial for Hitman 2, a game that often relies on single-threaded performance for game logic. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 321 and Geekbench single-core score of 1996 confirm that this processor has strong single-threaded capabilities. This ensures that the CPU does not introduce stutters or frame hitches when the GPU is not the limiting factor, as seen in the 1080p results where frame rates exceed 100 FPS on lower settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 1080p display, the High preset (80 FPS average) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold while providing a significant visual upgrade over Medium (106 FPS). The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity and can tolerate a frame rate that is marginally below 60.

For 1440p gaming, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with an average of 90 FPS. The Medium preset (68 FPS average) is technically playable, but its minimum FPS of 58 indicates potential dips below the 60 FPS target. The High preset (51 FPS average) and Ultra preset (38 FPS average) are not recommended for a smooth experience at this resolution, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

For 4K gaming, none of the settings provide a playable experience. The Low preset's 48 FPS average is the highest, but it still falls short of 60 FPS and will likely feel choppy in fast-paced stealth scenarios. The Medium preset (36 FPS) and High preset (27 FPS) are suboptimal, while the Ultra preset (20 FPS) is effectively unplayable. Users with a 4K display should strongly consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or 1080p to achieve acceptable frame rates.

The data suggests that the "best experience" for this combo is at 1080p with High settings. This configuration provides an 80 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive, while still utilizing the visual features that Hitman 2 offers. For those who prefer higher frame rates, the Medium preset at 1080p (106 FPS) is a strong alternative, sacrificing some visual detail for a 33% performance increase.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core i5-13400F + AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT pairing ranks 2766th out of 3711 combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the lower third of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range standing (59th percentile among all GPUs) and the CPU's more favorable position (77th percentile among all CPUs).

The combo's ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. While the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p results, the GPU's inability to maintain playable frame rates at 4K drags down the overall ranking. The rank of 2766 suggests that there are many other combinations that offer better performance in this specific game, likely featuring more powerful GPUs that can handle 1440p and 4K resolutions more effectively.

The ranking also reflects the age of the RX 5700 XT, which was released in 2019 and is now considered end-of-life. The GPU's performance in Hitman 2 is respectable for 1080p gaming, but it cannot compete with more modern graphics cards that feature newer architectures and higher memory bandwidths. The CPU, while newer (released in 2023), cannot compensate for the GPU's shortcomings in this title.

Given the data, this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates on most settings. Users seeking to play at 1440p or 4K will need to significantly reduce settings or consider upgrading the GPU to achieve a more satisfying experience. The ranking of 2766 out of 3711 underscores that while this is a functional pairing, it is not a top-tier performer in Hitman 2.