Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark results place it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. In synthetic workloads, it scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core, indicating a balanced but modest capability that is more suited to maintaining frame pacing than to driving extreme physics calculations. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%. It also sits within a tight margin of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246, a delta of 0.4%. This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-9400 will perform nearly identically to those chips, providing a stable baseline for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay, which relies on AI routines and crowd simulations rather than massive thread counts.

The processor's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this title. The data indicates that at 1080p, the system can push very high frame rates, which implies the CPU is not the primary constraint at lower resolutions. However, the lack of hyper-threading means that the six physical cores must handle all background and game threads, which can become a factor when the GPU is not heavily loaded. The benchmark results show the CPU's performance relative to the GPU in this specific pairing, and the measured FPS data reveals that the CPU keeps up with the GPU's output at 1080p, but the scaling of FPS from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop, suggesting that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is a much more capable component than the CPU, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This card is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a boost clock of 2544 MHz and a game clock of 2171 MHz. In the PassMark G3D benchmark, it scores 22547, placing it at the 67th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, scores 22435, with a delta of 0.5%, meaning the RX 7700 XT is slightly ahead. Conversely, the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729, which is -0.8% behind the RX 7700 XT, showing a tight cluster of performance in this range. The GPU's 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s, which is more than enough to handle the Hitman 2 engine's rendering demands.

The 12 GB VRAM is a key advantage for higher resolutions, as it provides ample headroom for textures at 4K without spilling into system memory. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 199 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the GPU is not fully utilized, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 28 FPS, a massive reduction that is clearly GPU-bound, as the core count and clocks of the CPU become less relevant when the GPU is rendering millions of pixels per frame. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12_2 feature level are also relevant, as Hitman 2 can leverage modern rendering features, though the data suggests that raw rasterization performance is the primary driver of the scores.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 199 FPS, which is an excellent result that highlights the GPU's raw power. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 127 FPS, a decrease of 36% from the 1080p result. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 68 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count, and the CPU's role diminishes. The data indicates that the RX 7700 XT is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the performance becomes more constrained.

When looking at the High settings preset, the pattern holds. At 1080p High, the system averages 113 FPS. At 1440p High, the average is 72 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 38 FPS, a 47% reduction from 1440p. This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at resolutions above 1080p, as the CPU's performance is relatively stable across these settings. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic drop, with 83 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is borderline unplayable for a stealth game where smooth camera movement is essential.

The data also shows that the Medium preset has the most complete measured data, with min and max FPS values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 149 FPS, with a min of 127 and a max of 172. At 1440p Medium, the average is 96 FPS, with a min of 81 and a max of 110. At 4K Medium, the average is 51 FPS, with a min of 43 and a max of 59. The min FPS values are particularly telling, as they indicate the worst-case frame drops during intense scenes. The 4K Medium min of 43 FPS is still playable, but it shows that the GPU is working hard to maintain a stable frame rate at that resolution.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, and the data indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are the primary factors. The 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the demand for texture data and shading operations increases, and the GPU's 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is taxed heavily. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, but the frame rate drops at 4K are so large that the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. For a player with a 1440p monitor, this combo provides a strong experience, but for 4K gaming, the user must accept lower settings to achieve playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings preset offers the best experience for this combination of CPU and GPU. The Medium preset stands out as the most balanced option across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 149 FPS, which is more than enough for a smooth experience on a high refresh rate monitor. The min FPS of 127 ensures that there are no significant dips during gameplay. At 1440p Medium, the average is 96 FPS, with a min of 81, which is still excellent for a stealth game that benefits from fluid camera control. The 4K Medium result of 51 FPS, with a min of 43, is playable, though it requires a tolerance for slightly lower frame rates.

The High preset is also a viable choice, but the data shows that it comes with a noticeable performance cost. At 1080p High, the average is 113 FPS, which is a 24% reduction from Medium. At 1440p High, the average is 72 FPS, a 25% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 38 FPS, which is a 25% reduction from Medium. The High preset likely offers improved visual fidelity, but the frame rate drop is steep, especially at 1440p and 4K. For players who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, High is acceptable at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it edges closer to the 30 FPS threshold that is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience.

The Low preset delivers the highest frame rates, with 199 FPS at 1080p, 127 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are impressive, the Low preset likely sacrifices significant visual details, such as shadows, textures, and ambient occlusion, which are important in a stealth game where seeing enemies and environmental cues is crucial. The Ultra preset, on the other hand, offers the best visuals but the worst performance, with 83 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is unplayable, and even the 1440p Ultra result may not be ideal for a game that requires quick reactions.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that the Medium preset provides a comfortable 96 FPS at 1440p, which is a sweet spot for most gaming monitors, and the 81 FPS min ensures stability. At 4K, the Medium preset's 51 FPS average is the only preset that offers a playable experience, aside from Low, which sacrifices too much visual quality. The recommendation is to use Medium settings for a consistent and smooth experience across all resolutions, and to consider High only if the player is using a 1080p monitor and values visual fidelity over the extra headroom provided by Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 1410 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the top 38% of all tested systems, which is a solid result given the age of the CPU. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking and the GPU's 67th percentile ranking indicate that the GPU is the stronger component, and the combo's overall rank reflects this imbalance. The data shows that the GPU is capable of much higher performance than the CPU can feed it at lower resolutions, but at higher resolutions, the GPU's performance is the primary determinant of the final frame rate.

The rank of 1410 is a reflection of the CPU's limitations in this game. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient for Hitman 2, but they do not provide the headroom that newer CPUs with more threads offer. The combo's rank is likely held back by the CPU's performance in CPU-bound scenarios, which occur at 1080p Low and Medium settings where the frame rates are high. The GPU's performance is strong enough to place it in the top third of all GPUs, but the CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 is below the median, which pulls the combo's overall rank down.

Compared to other tested combos, this pairing is a mid-tier performer. The data does not provide a direct comparison to other combos in the same rank range, but the percentile scores suggest that the GPU is overqualified for the CPU. In practical terms, this means that the combo's performance in Hitman 2 is limited by the CPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU takes over as the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The rank of 1410 out of 3711 is a fair assessment of the combo's capabilities, and it indicates that while this system can run the game well, it is not among the top performers in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system averages 113 FPS on High, 199 FPS on Low, 149 FPS on Medium, and 83 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has the most complete data, with a min of 127 FPS and a max of 172 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 83 FPS, which is a significant reduction from High, and the Low preset's 199 FPS shows the GPU's ceiling when the CPU is not heavily loaded.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 72 FPS on High, 127 FPS on Low, 96 FPS on Medium, and 53 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's min and max are 81 FPS and 110 FPS, respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with a reduction of roughly 36% on High and Medium, and a 36% reduction on Low. The Ultra preset sees a 36% reduction as well, from 83 FPS to 53 FPS. This shows that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution, and the CPU is not causing any unexpected frame rate drops.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 38 FPS on High, 68 FPS on Low, 51 FPS on Medium, and 28 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's min and max are 43 FPS and 59 FPS, respectively. The 4K results show a severe performance hit, with the High preset dropping to 38 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a playable experience. The Low preset's 68 FPS is the only setting that provides a smooth 4K experience, but it likely sacrifices too much visual detail. The Ultra preset's 28 FPS is unplayable, and the Medium preset's 51 FPS is the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution.

The data shows that the combo's performance is heavily dependent on the settings preset, with a wide range of frame rates from 28 FPS at 4K Ultra to 199 FPS at 1080p Low. The Medium preset is the most consistent, offering a playable experience at all resolutions, and it is the recommended choice for most players. The High preset is a viable option for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K High result of 38 FPS is marginal. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or for those who prioritize frame rate over visuals, and the Ultra preset is best avoided unless the player is using a 1080p monitor and has a high tolerance for frame rate drops.