Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT pairing in Hitman 2 demonstrates a profound bottleneck shift as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited, with the GPU delivering a massive 212.2 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 136.5 FPS on High, indicating that the six-core processor cannot feed the high-end RDNA 4.0 graphics card efficiently at lower resolutions. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates scale more predictably, with the High preset delivering 86.5 FPS, while 4K Ultra reveals the true GPU-bound nature of the workload, producing a demanding 36.3 FPS. The data shows that the RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor at 4K, while the i5-9400 constrains performance at 1080p, making this combo best suited for high-refresh 1440p gaming rather than competitive 1080p play.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic dual-bottleneck scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 212.2 FPS, but this figure is misleading—it represents the CPU's ceiling rather than the GPU's capability. The RX 9070 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, is clearly capable of far higher frame rates, yet the i5-9400's six cores and six threads cap performance around this level. The drop from 212.2 FPS at 1080p Low to 148.5 FPS at 1440p Low (a 30% decline) is primarily resolution-driven, but the 1440p to 4K Low drop from 148.5 to 83.1 FPS (a 44% decline) shows the GPU beginning to take over as the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern becomes clearer when examining the High preset. At 1080p, the system produces 136.5 FPS, which drops to 86.5 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 45.5 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). This accelerating decline indicates that while the CPU still matters at 1440p, the GPU's rasterization limits dominate at 4K. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 95.3 FPS at 1080p, 65.1 FPS at 1440p, and 36.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 36.3 FPS is below the 45.5 FPS achieved at 4K High, showing that the RX 9070 XT's 128 ROPs and 380.2 GPixel/s pixel rate struggle with the most demanding settings at this resolution. Benchmark results indicate that 1440p represents the sweet spot where both components contribute meaningfully, with the 115.3 FPS Medium result at 1440p offering a strong balance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal resolution. The High preset delivers 86.5 FPS, which is smooth, while the Medium preset reaches 115.3 FPS. At 1080p, the CPU limits performance, and at 4K, the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates, with Ultra dropping to 36.3 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU is clearly the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rate at Low settings (212.2 FPS) is identical in pattern to the CPU's performance ceiling, while the RX 9070 XT, which ranks in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, is demonstrably capable of higher output. The i5-9400's 6-core, 6-thread configuration with a 4.10 GHz boost clock restricts performance.

Q: How does the RX 9070 XT perform at 4K in this game?

A: The GPU produces 83.1 FPS at 4K Low, 59.2 FPS at 4K Medium, 45.5 FPS at 4K High, and 36.3 FPS at 4K Ultra. These figures show that the card can handle 4K at lower presets, but the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for competitive or smooth play.

Q: Does the combo rank well among other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 544th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the 70th percentile. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, reflecting the GPU's strength (82nd percentile) partially offset by the CPU's mediocre 50th percentile standing.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 148.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 65.1 FPS—a 56% reduction. The Medium preset at 115.3 FPS and High at 86.5 FPS show a progressive scaling that aligns with the GPU's increasing workload.

Q: Is this setup more CPU-limited or GPU-limited overall?

A: The data indicates a hybrid situation. At 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, but at 4K, the GPU takes over. The transition point occurs around 1440p, where both components contribute to the final frame rate, making it the most balanced resolution for this pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. Its 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock provide adequate single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125. However, the processor's 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a modest performer by modern standards. In Hitman 2, which is known for its CPU-intensive simulation of AI and physics, the i5-9400's six threads without hyper-threading limit its ability to handle the game's multi-threaded workload at high frame rates.

The CPU's impact is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rate ceiling of 212.2 FPS on Low settings reflects the processor's maximum throughput. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for gaming but not exceptional. The processor's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% faster) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (0.4% faster), showing that the i5-9400 sits in a crowded performance band. In the context of this game, the CPU's 6-thread limitation prevents the RX 9070 XT from reaching its full potential at lower resolutions, making this pairing somewhat imbalanced for 1080p esports-style play but acceptable for 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 544th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the upper 30% of all systems. This ranking is respectable but not top-tier, driven primarily by the GPU's strong performance. The RX 9070 XT's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the i5-9400's 50th percentile CPU ranking, creating a significant performance gap within the system. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (0.1% faster) and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (0.2% slower), while the CPU's rivals are similarly matched within a 0.6% delta.

This ranking suggests that while the GPU is capable of high-end performance, the CPU holds the system back from achieving top-tier results. In games that are less CPU-dependent, this combo would likely rank higher, but Hitman 2's simulation-heavy nature exposes the processor's limitations. The 544th rank out of 1795 means the system outperforms the majority of tested configurations, but it falls short of the top 100 systems that pair high-end CPUs with this GPU class. For users prioritizing GPU-bound workloads, this rank is acceptable, but the data clearly shows the CPU as the weak link.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration. This setting delivers 115.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS smoothness threshold while maintaining respectable graphical fidelity. The High preset at 1440p provides 86.5 FPS, which is also playable, but the 25% frame rate reduction from Medium to High may not justify the visual improvement for competitive play. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 174 FPS is recommended for high-refresh monitors, though the CPU limitation means that the Low preset at 212.2 FPS offers diminishing returns in visual quality.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset at 59.2 FPS is the highest quality setting that maintains near-60 FPS performance, while the High preset at 45.5 FPS and Ultra at 36.3 FPS are only suitable for slower-paced, visual-focused play. The Low preset at 83.1 FPS is the only 4K setting that provides smooth performance, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. For most users, the 1440p Medium setting offers the best compromise, and the data suggests that this combo is best utilized at this resolution rather than attempting 4K or chasing extreme 1080p frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Hitman 2 is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 212.2 FPS
• Medium: 174 FPS
• High: 136.5 FPS
• Ultra: 95.3 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 148.5 FPS
• Medium: 115.3 FPS
• High: 86.5 FPS
• Ultra: 65.1 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 83.1 FPS
• Medium: 59.2 FPS
• High: 45.5 FPS
• Ultra: 36.3 FPS

The 1080p results show a steady decline from Low to Ultra, with a 55% reduction from Low to Ultra (212.2 to 95.3 FPS). The 1440p results show a similar 56% reduction from Low to Ultra (148.5 to 65.1 FPS), indicating consistent scaling. The 4K results show the steepest decline at 56% from Low to Ultra (83.1 to 36.3 FPS), with the Ultra setting dropping below 40 FPS, making it nearly unplayable. The transition from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 61% frame rate loss (212.2 to 83.1 FPS), highlighting the GPU's significant workload increase at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 raster output units, with a boost clock of 2970 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for 4K gaming. The card's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and its PassMark G3D score of 26795 confirm its high-end positioning.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. At 4K, the card's 380.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 48.66 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the primary drivers of frame rate, with the Ultra preset at 36.3 FPS reflecting the demanding nature of the game's lighting and shadow effects. The card's 64 ray tracing cores are not directly utilized in this game, but the rasterization performance is sufficient for 1440p high-refresh gaming. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, which perform within 0.6% of the RX 9070 XT's average benchmark score of 39647. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, it becomes the clear bottleneck, with the CPU's influence diminishing to near-negligible levels.