Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i5-9400 + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

This combination of an Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a mid-pack performance profile in Hitman 2, ranking 976th out of 1795 tested combos. The pairing sits at the 54th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning a slight majority of systems outperform it in this specific title. The data shows a system capable of smooth 1080p play at most settings, but one that begins to struggle as resolution and quality demands escalate, particularly at 4K Ultra where average frame rates dip below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 976 out of 1795 places it almost exactly at the midpoint of all tested combinations in Hitman 2. This is a telling position: the RX 6700 XT is a strong GPU on its own, but the Core i5-9400's six-core, six-thread configuration appears to hold the system back in certain scenarios. The data indicates that this pairing performs better than roughly 45% of tested combos, but it does not reach the upper echelon of results.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile among all processors. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i3-1125G4 scores 2299 (0.2% ahead), and the Intel Xeon E-2134 scores 2295 (0.4% ahead). The Intel Core i7-8809G sits slightly above at 2319, a 0.6% margin. This tight grouping suggests the i5-9400's processing power is entirely average for its generation, with no significant headroom over much cheaper alternatives.

The GPU, meanwhile, tells a different story. The RX 6700 XT's average benchmark score of 33721 places it at the 77th percentile among all GPUs, a much stronger relative position. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (33493, 0.7% behind), the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (34050, 1% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 480 (34059, 1% ahead). The NVIDIA RTX A5000 trails by 1.3% at 33294. This contrast — a top-quartile GPU paired with a median CPU — explains why the combo ranks where it does: the GPU is capable of far more than the CPU can consistently feed it.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT brings substantial graphics resources to Hitman 2. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for this 2018 title's texture and geometry demands. The GPU's base clock runs at 2321 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz — figures that indicate a high factory-tuned state out of the box.

The 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units provide the raw throughput needed for Hitman 2's detailed environments. The pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s are substantial, and the 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than sufficient for this game's DirectX 12 rendering path. The GPU also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, though Hitman 2 itself does not heavily leverage ray tracing or variable rate shading features.

In terms of benchmark position, the RX 6700 XT's 77th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the strongest asset in this combo. Its closest competitor in the data, the RX 6800, is only 0.7% behind, suggesting the 6700 XT is near the top of its performance class. However, the measured FPS results in Hitman 2 show that this GPU headroom is not always realized — at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 26.2 FPS average, indicating the CPU becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions where per-frame CPU overhead grows.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It runs at a 2.90 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.10 GHz. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards, but the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth provides adequate data flow for most gaming workloads.

The CPU's benchmark results paint a picture of an average performer. In Cinebench R23, it scores 7969 in multi-core and 1125 in single-core. The R20 scores are 3346 multi-core and 472 single-core, while R15 shows 803 multi-core and 113 single-core. These figures place the i5-9400 at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, confirming its position as a thoroughly mainstream processor.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the FPS scaling across settings at a fixed resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 176.9 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 72.3 FPS — a difference driven largely by GPU load rather than CPU limits. However, the six threads without hyper-threading may cause occasional frame pacing issues in crowded scenes, as Hitman 2's AI and physics calculations can be demanding. The CPU's 65 W TDP and locked multiplier mean no overclocking headroom, so this is the performance ceiling for this processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings tiers, providing a complete picture of the combo's behavior. At 1080p, the system delivers 176.9 FPS on Low, 130.4 FPS on Medium, 100.1 FPS on High, and 72.3 FPS on Ultra. These are all playable frame rates, with even the Ultra setting comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 1440p, the averages drop to 109.4 FPS on Low, 80.4 FPS on Medium, 66.0 FPS on High, and 47.1 FPS on Ultra. The High setting remains fluid, but Ultra falls below the 60 FPS mark, suggesting players seeking high refresh rates at this resolution will need to dial back quality settings.

At 4K, the results become more challenging. The system manages 57.4 FPS on Low, 47.8 FPS on Medium, 36.2 FPS on High, and only 26.2 FPS on Ultra. The Low setting is barely playable, while Medium and above fall below acceptable smoothness thresholds. This pattern indicates that the RX 6700 XT's 12 GB VRAM and bandwidth are sufficient but not abundant at 4K, and the CPU's limitations become more pronounced as resolution scales.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At High settings, the system goes from 100.1 FPS at 1080p to 66.0 FPS at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 36.2 FPS at 4K (a further 45% reduction). This scaling suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops proportionally with pixel count.

However, the picture changes when examining Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 176.9 FPS, but at 1440p Low it drops to 109.4 FPS (a 38% reduction), and at 4K Low it reaches 57.4 FPS (a 48% reduction). The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot exceed 60 FPS indicates the CPU is not the sole constraint — the GPU's raw pixel throughput is also a factor.

The Ultra settings tell a similar story: 72.3 FPS at 1080p, 47.1 FPS at 1440p, and 26.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a 44% reduction, which aligns with the four-times pixel count increase. This consistency across settings suggests a balanced system where neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered for Hitman 2, but the overall performance ceiling is set by the combination rather than any single part.

FAQ

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

A: At 1080p, all settings are playable, with High delivering 100.1 FPS and Ultra at 72.3 FPS. At 1440p, High maintains 66.0 FPS, but Ultra drops to 47.1 FPS. For 4K, only Low settings approach playability at 57.4 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 scores 2305 on average benchmarks. Its nearest competitors are the Core i3-10305 at 2300 (0.2% ahead), the Core i3-1125G4 at 2299 (0.2% ahead), and the Xeon E-2134 at 2295 (0.4% ahead). The Core i7-8809G leads by 0.6% at 2319.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. At High settings, 4K delivers 36.2 FPS compared to 66.0 FPS at 1440p — a 45% drop. Even at Low, 4K only reaches 57.4 FPS, suggesting the RX 6700 XT's pixel throughput is the constraint.

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark position relative to other cards?

A: The RX 6700 XT sits at the 77th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 33721. Its nearest rivals are the RX 6800 at 33493 (0.7% behind), the HD 7950 at 34050 (1% ahead), and the RX 480 at 34059 (1% ahead).

Q: How does the combo rank overall in Hitman 2?

A: This system ranks 976th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it at approximately the 54th percentile. This is a mid-pack result that reflects the CPU's average performance relative to the GPU's above-average standing.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The system delivers 130.4 FPS at 1080p Medium, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. At 1080p High, it drops to 100.1 FPS, still comfortably playable.