Hitman 2

Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT presents a classic pairing of a six-core mainstream processor from 2018 with a modern flagship graphics card. The benchmark data shows this combination delivers playable frame rates across most settings, but the CPU becomes a clear limiting factor at lower resolutions and high frame rates. The measured results indicate that this combo is best suited for high-refresh 1080p gaming with adjusted settings, or smoother 1440p experiences, rather than pushing maximum detail at 4K.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. It provides 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This is a locked multiplier chip, meaning overclocking is not supported, and it relies on a 65 W TDP. The CPU features a shared 9 MB L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. Memory support is DDR4 via a dual-channel bus, providing 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a modest figure by modern standards.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 803 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 113 in single-core. Its Cinebench R20 scores are 3346 multi-core and 472 single-core, while R23 yields 7969 multi-core and 1125 single-core. The average benchmark score across tests is 2305, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the Intel Core i3-10305, which is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Xeon E-2134, which is 0.4% higher. The data suggests the i5-9400 is an average performer relative to the broader CPU landscape.

For Hitman 2, the impact of this CPU is most visible when frame rates are high. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 214.9 FPS, which is a strong result, but the 6-thread limit and 4.10 GHz boost clock cap how far the GPU can be pushed. The CPU's 50th percentile standing means it is not a bottleneck in the traditional sense at lower settings, but it cannot consistently feed the RX 7900 XT at extremely high frame rates. The lack of multi-threading (only 6 threads) is a notable factor in a game that can use more than six threads for AI and physics, though the measured FPS indicates it is still sufficient for smooth gameplay at most presets.

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

The measured frame rates across presets and resolutions reveal a clear pattern: the sweet spot for this combo is the High preset at 1440p, which delivers 91.2 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play and leaves headroom for dips. At 1080p, High yields 147.3 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors, but the jump to Ultra drops the frame rate to 108.8 FPS, a 26% reduction for diminishing visual returns. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 189.2 FPS, which is higher than High, but the visual quality trade-off is unnecessary when High already provides over 140 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset hits exactly 120 FPS, while High drops to 91.2 FPS. Ultra at 1440p is only 70 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced stealth action where quick camera pans matter. The data suggests that High is the best balance for this combo. At 4K, the situation changes dramatically: High averages 52.6 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play, while Ultra drops to 37.9 FPS, which is not recommended. For 4K gaming, Low is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS (84.9 FPS), but the visual compromise is severe. Therefore, the recommendation is to use High at 1080p or 1440p for the best experience, and only consider Medium or Low at 4K if resolution is a priority.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, with the CPU becoming less relevant. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 147.3 at 1080p to 91.2 at 1440p, a 38% reduction, and then to 52.6 at 4K, another 42% drop. This steep decline indicates the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the GPU's rendering load increases significantly with pixel count.

Conversely, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 214.9 at 1080p to 161.5 at 1440p (25% reduction), and then to 84.9 at 4K (47% reduction). The smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings suggests the CPU is providing a frame rate ceiling around 215 FPS, which is not fully utilized by the GPU until resolution increases. At 4K Low, the GPU is fully saturated, and the 84.9 FPS result is a pure GPU performance metric. The gap between 1080p Low (214.9 FPS) and 1440p Low (161.5 FPS) indicates that the CPU can sustain high frame rates, but the GPU workload at 1440p is still not enough to make the CPU irrelevant. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the combo is balanced, but at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 429th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 24% of all combinations tested for this game, which is a respectable position given the CPU's age. The rank reflects that the GPU is strong enough to overcome the CPU's limitations in most scenarios. For context, the RX 7900 XT alone sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 38358. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, which scores 38349 (0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135 (0.6% delta).

The combo's rank of 429 suggests that many other combinations with newer CPUs achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU matters more. However, the rank is still strong because the GPU dominates the 4K results. The data shows that while the i5-9400 is near the 50th percentile of CPUs, the overall combo performance is dragged upward by the GPU's 82nd percentile standing. This means that for a 1080p-focused gamer, the CPU is holding back the combo, but for 1440p or 4K, the GPU carries the load effectively.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, with a Navi 31 chip manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 5376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units, along with 84 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz and a base clock of 1387 MHz. The card has a 300 W TDP and requires a 700 W power supply, using 2x 8-pin connectors.

For Hitman 2, the GPU's 20 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as the game was released in 2018 and does not require large memory pools. The 800 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's raw compute power, rated at 51.48 TFLOPS FP32, is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions. In synthetic tests, the RX 7900 XT scores 29009 in Passmark G3D and 5623 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its percentile ranking of 82 indicates it is faster than the vast majority of GPUs, which explains why the combo can still hit 108.8 FPS at 1080p Ultra despite the older CPU.

The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (37.9 FPS) shows that even a top-tier GPU struggles with this game at maximum detail and resolution, which is expected given the game's age and lack of modern optimization. At 1440p High, the 91.2 FPS result is a good indicator that the GPU is performing as expected, with the CPU not significantly hampering the result. The GPU's role is clearly the dominant one in this combo, providing the majority of the performance headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this CPU and GPU?

A: The data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot, delivering 91.2 FPS. At 1080p High, you get 147.3 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. Avoid 4K Ultra, which only yields 37.9 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RX 7900 XT?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo hits 214.9 FPS, suggesting the CPU caps frame rates around that level. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as shown by the FPS drops from 161.5 to 84.9 at Low settings.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7900 XT has an average benchmark score of 38358, which is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile at 38349 (0% delta). It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 70HX and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which averages 84.9 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 52.6 FPS, and Ultra is not playable at 37.9 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all CPUs?

A: The i5-9400 is at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. It is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it enough?

A: The RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory. For Hitman 2, this is far more than needed, as the game's 2018 release does not require such capacity, ensuring no memory-related stutters even at 4K Ultra.