Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT lands at rank 2766 out of 3711 tested combos for Hitman 2. That places it in the lower half of all system configurations, but the context matters: this ranking includes every CPU and GPU combination in the database, many of which feature far newer or higher-end hardware. The data shows this combo sits at the 74th percentile, meaning roughly a quarter of all tested rigs deliver worse performance in this title. For a mid-generation pairing, that is a reasonable position, though it clearly indicates that Hitman 2 will not be a showcase for extreme frame rates at maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2766 out of 3711 in Hitman 2 translates to a position that is below average but not bottom-tier. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing is held back primarily by the GPU, as the CPU has the headroom to push higher frame rates if the graphics card could keep up. The RX 5700 XT's average benchmark score of 16361 places it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351, only 0.1% slower) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408, 0.3% faster). These deltas are negligible, meaning the RX 5700 XT is firmly in a performance tier where minor silicon lottery differences decide rival positions.

On the CPU side, the i5-14400F posts an average benchmark score of 32279, sitting at the 83rd percentile among all processors. Its nearest rivals show tight competition: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233, 0.1% slower), Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, 0.2% slower), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354, 0.2% faster) all trade blows within half a percent. This means the CPU is not the bottleneck in Hitman 2; the data shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached long before the processor's capabilities are exhausted. When comparing to other combos, the ranking reflects a system where the graphics card limits 4K and Ultra settings, while the CPU keeps 1080p frame rates competitive with higher-tier pairings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a Navi 10 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The clock speeds are substantial: a base of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These specs translate to 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is adequate for Hitman 2's engine but shows its age when pushing high resolutions.

Hitman 2 is a stealth game where draw distances and crowd densities stress the GPU's fill rate. The RX 5700 XT's 64 ROPs and 121.9 GPixel/s pixel rate handle these scenes at 1080p well, but the data reveals a sharp drop-off at 4K. At 3840x2160 Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 20, which is unplayable. Even at High settings, 4K yields only 27 FPS average. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game's textures at all settings, so the limitation is raw compute and memory bandwidth, not capacity. The GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a bottleneck at 4K where pixel throughput demands outpace what the card can deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of resolution scaling that identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves 80 FPS average. Dropping to 1440p High reduces that to 51 FPS, a 36% decline. Moving to 4K High, the average plummets to 27 FPS, another 47% drop from 1440p. This scaling curve is steep and consistent, indicating that the RX 5700 XT cannot maintain frame rates as pixel count increases. In contrast, the CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution, so the frame rate collapse at higher resolutions is purely a GPU limitation.

The data also shows how settings interact with resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 141 FPS average, which is excellent for competitive play. At 1440p Low, it drops to 90 FPS, still smooth. At 4K Low, it falls to 48 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions: at 1080p, the difference between Low (141 FPS) and Ultra (59 FPS) is 82 FPS; at 4K, the difference between Low (48 FPS) and Ultra (20 FPS) is only 28 FPS. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, 1080p Medium settings offer the sweet spot. The data shows 106 FPS average with a minimum of 90 FPS and maximum of 122 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without sacrificing visual fidelity. High settings at 1080p drop to 80 FPS average, which is still playable but less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1080p yields 59 FPS average, which is borderline for a stealth game where consistent frame times matter more than peak rates.

At 1440p, Medium settings are the recommended choice: 68 FPS average with min/max of 58/78 FPS. This provides a playable experience with decent visual quality. High at 1440p drops to 51 FPS, which may feel stuttery in crowded areas. Low at 1440p gives 90 FPS, but the visual downgrade is noticeable. For 4K, the data suggests avoiding this resolution entirely. Even Low settings only reach 48 FPS, and Medium drops to 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The recommendation is to target 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium for the best balance of frame rate and visual quality.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 60 FPS in 1080p?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the data shows 106 FPS average, and at High settings it achieves 80 FPS average. Both exceed 60 FPS, though Ultra settings fall to 59 FPS average, just below the mark.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM enough for Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: Yes, the memory capacity is not the issue. The 8 GB GDDR6 is sufficient, but the GPU's compute performance and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth limit 4K frame rates to 48 FPS at Low settings and 27 FPS at High settings.

Q: How does this pairing compare to similar CPUs or GPUs?

A: The GPU sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell in average benchmark scores. The CPU is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, making it a well-balanced pairing where neither component severely outperforms its direct rivals.

Q: What settings should I use for a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, use Medium settings for 106 FPS average with a 90 FPS minimum. At 1440p, Medium gives 68 FPS average with a 58 FPS minimum, which is close to 60 FPS but may dip in heavy scenes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking and strong multi-core scores (21645 in Cinebench R23) show it has headroom, while the GPU's 59th percentile ranking and significant FPS drops from 1080p to 4K confirm it limits performance.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: Only at 1080p, where it achieves 59 FPS average. At 1440p Ultra drops to 38 FPS, and at 4K Ultra falls to 20 FPS, making those resolutions unplayable at maximum settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It has 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the memory bus is dual-channel. The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-thread performance: 3055 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3701 in Passmark single-thread. Multi-core scores are equally robust: 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 25470 in Passmark multithread. These figures place the CPU at the 83rd percentile, with nearest rivals within 0.5% of its average score.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and handle AI and physics calculations. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 141 FPS average, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. However, at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the bottleneck, the CPU's performance advantage is wasted. The data reveals that at 4K Low, the combo drops to 48 FPS, a 66% reduction from 1080p Low, even though the CPU workload is identical. This confirms that the i5-14400F is more than capable for Hitman 2, and any frame rate issues stem from the RX 5700 XT's inability to keep pace with the CPU's output. The CPU's 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice for builders, but its performance headroom is only fully utilized at 1080p or with a stronger GPU.