Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F pairs with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT to produce a combination that ranks 2357th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, while the GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. Benchmark results across three resolutions and four settings presets show that this pairing delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles significantly at 4K, where even the Medium preset only reaches 39 FPS average.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 physical cores and 16 threads to the system, a configuration that provides substantial headroom for Hitman 2’s CPU workload. With a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, the processor can scale its frequency aggressively when demand increases, which matters for a stealth game that must track NPC AI, line-of-sight calculations, and dynamic crowd behaviors simultaneously. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core help reduce memory latency during these calculations, and the dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support ensures the CPU has adequate bandwidth to feed the GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055, indicating strong per-thread performance that benefits Hitman 2’s primary game thread. The Geekbench multi-core score of 11268 and single-core score of 2058 align with this picture. Interestingly, the Passmark single-thread score of 3701 suggests that even older game engines, which often rely heavily on one or two threads, will see responsive performance from this CPU. The processor’s 83rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms that it sits comfortably above most installed processors, with an average benchmark score of 32279.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-14400F shows very tight margins. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U averages 32233 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-11900 averages 32226 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12800H averages 32121 (0.5% lower). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is slightly ahead at 32354, a 0.2% delta. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the i5-14400F’s CPU performance is effectively on par with this cluster of competitors. For Hitman 2 specifically, the 10-core layout means that even when the game spawns numerous NPCs in crowded locations like the Mumbai or Miami maps, the CPU has enough parallel resources to maintain consistent frame times, provided the GPU can keep up.

The measured FPS data reveals that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 152 FPS average, which is high enough that the CPU becomes the limiting factor for pushing beyond that mark. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 63 FPS, a 58.6% reduction from Low, which indicates that the GPU is now carrying more of the rendering load. The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower settings and resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity; the fact that 1080p Low (152 FPS) and 1440p Low (97 FPS) differ by 36.2% shows that the CPU can still drive respectable frame rates even when the GPU is under less pressure.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT uses the Navi 33 chip built on a 6 nm process from TSMC, with 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a card in this segment. The GPU boost clock is 2755 MHz, with a game clock of 2470 MHz and a base clock of 1980 MHz, and the memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). With 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, the card delivers a theoretical FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s.

In the Passmark G3D benchmark, the RX 7600 XT scores 17132, which places it at the 60th percentile versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 17083, and its nearest rivals show extremely close results: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019 (0.4% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16932 (0.9% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is 0.7% ahead at 17208. These delta values indicate that the RX 7600 XT’s raw compute performance is very similar to these older or differently-targeted cards, though its 16 GB VRAM capacity is a modern advantage for high-resolution textures.

For Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is clearly illustrated by the resolution scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 152 FPS, but at 4K Low it drops to 52 FPS, a 65.8% reduction. This suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2’s textures, even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS of 22 indicates the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the VRAM capacity. The 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but become stressed at 4K, where the pixel fill rate of 176.3 GPixel/s is still not enough to maintain high frame rates.

The benchmark data shows that the RX 7600 XT’s DirectX 12 score of 65 in Passmark is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 167, which could indicate that Hitman 2’s DirectX 12 path may not fully leverage the card’s architecture. The Vulkan score of 48366 in Geekbench is strong, however. In practical terms, the GPU delivers 86 FPS at 1080p High, 55 FPS at 1440p High, and only 29 FPS at 4K High, demonstrating that the card is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium-to-high settings in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Hitman 2?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 2357th out of 3711 tested combos, placing it in the 36th percentile of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is 0.2% ahead at 32354.

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

A: The data shows 1080p provides the smoothest experience, with 86 FPS at High settings. At 1440p High, the average drops to 55 FPS, while 4K High only achieves 29 FPS, making 1080p the most viable resolution for consistent playability.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7600 XT have, and is it sufficient for Hitman 2?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. This capacity is well above Hitman 2’s requirements, and the measured performance at 4K Ultra (22 FPS average) indicates the bottleneck is the GPU’s compute and bandwidth, not VRAM size.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 152 FPS average, which is high enough that the CPU likely becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 63 FPS, showing the GPU takes over as the primary constraint when settings increase.

Q: How does the GPU’s Passmark G3D score compare to its rivals?

A: The RX 7600 XT scores 17132 in Passmark G3D, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is 0.7% ahead at 17208.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 152 FPS, which is the fastest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS, providing a solid margin above typical 60 FPS displays. High settings average 86 FPS, still comfortably smooth. Ultra settings drop to 63 FPS average, which is playable but shows the significant cost of maximum quality at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 97 FPS, a 36.2% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, meaning the frame rate stays above 60 FPS even in the lowest recorded frame. High settings average 55 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on standard refresh rate monitors. Ultra settings average 41 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid and may cause visible stuttering in crowded scenes.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across all presets. Low settings average 52 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that approaches playability. Medium settings average 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS, indicating that even the best-case frame times are below 60 FPS. High settings average 29 FPS, and Ultra settings average 22 FPS, both of which are too low for smooth gameplay. The gap between 1080p and 4K is stark: from 152 FPS at 1080p Low to 52 FPS at 4K Low, a 65.8% drop, and from 63 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 22 FPS at 4K Ultra, a 65.1% drop.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. Moving from 1080p Low (152 FPS) to 1440p Low (97 FPS) reduces performance by 36.2%, and then to 4K Low (52 FPS) reduces it by another 46.4% relative to 1440p. This consistent degradation as pixel count increases indicates that the RX 7600 XT’s compute resources and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, not the CPU.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 1080p Medium (114 FPS) drops to 1440p Medium (73 FPS), a 36.0% reduction, and then to 4K Medium (39 FPS), a 46.6% reduction from 1440p. The minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 62, while at 4K Medium it is 33, showing that the frame time variance also worsens with resolution. At High settings, the pattern continues: 1080p High (86 FPS) to 1440p High (55 FPS) is a 36.0% drop, and to 4K High (29 FPS) is a 47.3% drop from 1440p.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling, with 1080p Ultra (63 FPS) dropping to 1440p Ultra (41 FPS), a 34.9% reduction, and then to 4K Ultra (22 FPS), a 46.3% reduction from 1440p. The fact that the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is relatively consistent (approximately 35-36%) across all settings suggests that the GPU is being stressed proportionally to pixel count. The additional drop from 1440p to 4K (approximately 46-47%) is larger because 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p, and the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s becomes increasingly insufficient.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions, because if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat regardless of resolution. Instead, the sharp declines in FPS as resolution increases point to the GPU’s limits. The i5-14400F’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055) ensures that it can feed the GPU adequately at all tested resolutions, but the RX 7600 XT simply does not have the raw throughput to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a smooth experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the standout choice. It delivers 114 FPS average with a minimum of 97 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes stay well above 60 FPS. The jump from Low (152 FPS) to Medium (114 FPS) costs 25.0% performance but provides noticeably better visual quality, while the jump from Medium to High (86 FPS) costs another 24.6% for diminishing returns. At 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is also the best option. It averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, which keeps gameplay fluid on most monitors. The High preset at 55 FPS average is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 41 FPS is too low for consistent playability. The Low preset at 97 FPS is playable but sacrifices visual fidelity that the GPU can handle at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset provides a fully smooth experience. The Low preset at 52 FPS average is the only one that approaches playability, but it still dips below 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 39 FPS average is usable for slower-paced stealth gameplay, but the minimum of 33 FPS indicates that action-heavy sequences may cause noticeable stuttering. High (29 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) are not recommended for active play. Players targeting 4K should consider the Low preset as the only viable option, or reduce the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

Overall, the 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability, with 114 FPS average and a 97 FPS minimum. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset at 73 FPS average is acceptable, but those seeking higher frame rates should drop to Low (97 FPS). The Ultra preset is only advisable at 1080p, where it still achieves 63 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 2357th out of 3711 tested combinations in Hitman 2, which places it towards the lower end of the distribution. This ranking reflects the GPU’s limitations more than the CPU’s, as the i5-14400F’s synthetic benchmark scores (32279 average, 83rd percentile) are comparatively strong, while the RX 7600 XT’s scores (17083 average, 60th percentile) are more modest.

The CPU’s nearest rivals all have average scores within 0.5% of the i5-14400F, meaning that swapping the processor for a Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, Core i9-11900, or Core i7-12800H would produce nearly identical gaming performance. The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern, with the GTX 690, HD 7970M, and Tesla M4 all within 0.9% of the RX 7600 XT’s average score. However, the RTX 3070 is 0.7% ahead, which could translate to a few extra frames per second in practice.

Given that the combo ranks 2357th, it sits below the median of tested configurations (which would be around 1855th). This indicates that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs deliver higher frame rates in Hitman 2. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1440p High, the combo only achieves 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many users prefer. At 4K, the situation is worse, with even the Low preset failing to maintain 60 FPS.

The rank suggests that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates at medium-to-high settings. For 1440p, it is playable but not exceptional, and for 4K, it is not recommended. The data shows that the CPU is not holding the system back, as its performance is on par with many higher-ranked rivals. Instead, the GPU’s 60th percentile ranking and the combo’s 36th percentile ranking in Hitman 2 highlight that the RX 7600 XT is the limiting factor in this pairing. Users seeking better performance in this game would need a more powerful GPU, as the i5-14400F has sufficient headroom to support a faster graphics card.